Ready, Set, Think!

Children ages 3 to 5 years who speak English

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.

During the session, your child will complete six short activities. For example, in one activity your child might be asked to say a different word than what they see on the screen (like saying “night” when shown a picture of the sun), and in another activity they may need to remember and follow simple instructions.

At the end of the session, parents will answer a brief set of questions about their child and family, such as age, music exposure, parent education, and general background.

Researchers know that skills like memory, attention, and self-control (called executive functions) develop quickly during early childhood. However, we are still working to understand how to measure these skills accurately, especially in online settings.
In this study, we are testing whether simple activities that involve following rules and responding to pictures—like the ones your child will complete—can be used as reliable tools for measuring these abilities. This will help researchers design better studies and improve how we understand early cognitive development.

30 minutes

Families who participate will be entered into a random selection for one of ten $20 Visa gift cards. Recipients will be selected after data collection is complete and notified by email. To receive the gift card, selected participants will be asked to respond to a brief follow-up message. The odds of receiving a gift card are approximately 1 in 25.