Which One Will They Bring To School?

For 6- to 8-year-olds

This study will take place on a video call, live with a researcher! Clicking on the “Schedule a time to participate” 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 meet four friendly aliens, who are trying to figure out how human children make friends! The aliens will meet some children who are going to a new school, where they don’t know any of the other children. The aliens will try to predict which of two objects each child will choose to bring to school. They will also think about whether that object will help the child make friends.

This study explores how children learn to use objects make friends at school. Previous research shows that children's friendships become increasingly based on shared interests as they get older, but it's less clear when children come to understand that an object itself can act as a cues for others. We want to understand whether children recognize that the things they bring or wear can tell others about their interests and help them connect with peers who like the same things. By studying this in children of different ages, we can learn more about how social skills develop and how children think about friendship and fitting in.

15 minutes

Participation will be compensated with $5 Amazon.com Giftcard. To be eligible for compensation, your child must be within the age range for the study and be visible at some point during the Zoom meeting. We will compensate only one gift card per child, and you will receive your compensation within 48 hours of completing your study.