Children’s interest in other people

For 4- to 8-year-old children

This study will take place on a video call, live with a researcher! Clicking on the “Participate Now!” button will send you to an online calendar where you can select a date and time that works for you. In this study, your child will see some pictures of different people, and we will assess their interest in those people. Sometimes those people’s social identities will be hidden and your child will be asked what they want to know about the people. In other cases, the depicted people’s social identities (like gender, race, and age) will be clear, and your child will be asked whether they want to get to know those people by joining them in imagined scenarios (for example, playing with them at the park). We will also ask your child what they think about the depicted people.

From previous research, we know that by the preschool years, children pay attention to social identity information like a person’s gender, race, and age when they meet new people. However, little is known about how those types of information influence children’s interest in and curiosity about other people. Understanding the nature of children’s interest in others will help us create ways to help children take more interest in people with diverse social identities.

30 minutes

After the session we will send you a $10 payment via Venmo, PayPal, or an Amazon.com gift card within one week. Each participating child must be between 4 and 8 years old and can only receive one gift card.