Department of Psychology
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Current Studies
Mental Time Travel and Theory of Mind in Children with Autism Spectrum
Purpose of study
In this study, we are looking to better understand the relationship between children’s ability to understand the mental states of themselves and others and their ability to think about themselves in the past and the future.
Who can participate?
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Children with ASD who are 4-7 years old
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Typically developing children who are 4-7 years old
What is involved?
Children will engage in a standardized language assessment as well as a number of play-based perspective-taking tasks which assess whether children are able to understand that others have different information about the state of the world and whether they are able to think about themselves in the past and the future.
Time requirement
This study will take approximately 1 hour to complete.
Additional information
Your child will receive an age-appropriate toy for their participation. Data collected from this survey is encrypted and therefore completely confidential.
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Language and Theory of Mind in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Purpose of study
In this study, we are investigating the relationship between children’s language ability and theory of mind, defined as an individual’s ability to understand their own and others’ mental states. We are looking at the nature of the relationship between language and theory of mind at different time points during development.
Who can participate?
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Children with ASD and typically-developping children aged 4-7 years old who have previously been into the lab for the MONKEY study
What is involved?
Children will engage in a standardized language assessment and a specific grammar assessment. Children will also complete a number of play-based perspective-taking tasks which assess to what extent children infer others’ mental states and understand that these states may differ from reality and from their own mental states.
Time requirement
This study will take approximately 1 hour to complete.
Additional information
Your child will receive an age-appropriate toy for their participation. Data collected from this survey is encrypted and therefore completely confidential.
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Videogames and Cognitive Functions
Purpose of study
In this study, we are looking at whether playing a videogame is related to cognitive functions
Who can participate?
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Children aged 11-18 years who are typically developing, or diagnosed with Attention- Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), or Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)
What is involved?
The child would come in to take part in a variety of tasks. Upon, playing a videogame for an hour a day for thirty days the child would come back to the lab to complete more tasks. Also, parents/primary caregivers and teachers will be asked to complete questionnaires about the child in the home and school environment.
Time requirement
In total we ask the family to commit to a period of three months. Once a month the child would come into the lab. Each visit would include two- one and a half hour sessions. Either between the first and second or second and third visit we ask the child to play a videogame at home for one hour a day for 30 days.
Additional information
Your child will receive monetary compensation for their participation.
Examining Autistic Traits in an Undergraduate Population
Purpose of study
The goal of this study is to investigate subclinical autistic traits in the general population. We will focus on the possible relationship these traits may have with self-esteem and depression.
Who can participate?
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Queen’s University students in an Introductory Psychology class will be the only participants.
What is involved?
Participants will take part in a testing session consisting of four questionnaires: a Demographics Questionnaire, The Austim Spectrum Quotient Questionnaire, The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale.
Time requirement
This study will take participants approximately half and hour to complete.
Additional information
Although this study is not open to the public, if anyone is interested in the research they are welcome to contact the lab for further information.
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The Influence of Reward on Young Children's Ability to Imitate
Purpose of study
In this study, we are looking to better understand the types of things that work best at motivating children with and without ASD to imitate another person's actions.
Who can participate?
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Children with and without ASD: 3-6 years old
What is involved?
The study involves a number of tasks that examine how motivation might be involved in children’s tendency to imitate another person. During these tasks, we will look at whether we can increase children’s motivation to imitate by offering different types of incentives. Some children will get a social reward (e.g., praise), some will get a nonsocial reward (e.g., a smartie), and some children will get neutral feedback (e.g., neutral phrase) for correct imitation. Children will also take part in a developmental assessment.
Time requirement
There are two visits involved in the study. Each visit will last approximately 1 hour.
Additional information
Parents will be asked to fill out short questionnaires during their visits (or at home, if preferred) and to participate in a short interview over the phone. Children will receive a small toy at the end of their second visit.
Click here to view our social story for young children about participating in our studies
Interested in participating in this study? Click here to contact us!
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Language and Theory of Mind
Purpose of study
We are investigating the relationship between language ability and the ability to engage in perspective-taking tasks in both children with ASD and typical development.
Who can participate?
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Children with ASD: 3-7 years old
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Typically developing children: 3-6 years old
What is involved?
Children will come into the lab and engage in two language assessment tasks as well as a number of play-based perspective-taking tasks.
Time requirement
One visit to the lab which will take approximately 1½ hours.
Additional information
Parents will be asked to fill out a brief demographic questionnaire and be interviewed over the phone about their child’s development at a time that is convenient to them. Children will receive a small age-appropriate toy as a token of our appreciation.
Click here to view our social story for young children about participating in our studies
Interested in participating in this study? Click here to contact us!
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Neurocorrelates of Theory of Mind in Children
Purpose of study
We are interested in looking at how children’s brain development may lead to advances in their social understanding, and specifically, in their ability to reason about others’ minds.
Who can participate?
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Children with and without ASD: 5-10 years old
What is involved?
This study involves participating in a number of age-appropriate activities and games designed to measure children’s social understanding (e.g., thinking about another's beliefs) and ability to control impulses (e.g., playing ‘Simon Says’). Your child will also be given a couple of general language assessments. We will also record his/her brain's electrical activity (EEG) while he/she sits quietly and watches a simple 6-minute video. To do this, we use a net that fits comfortably over his/her head and positions EEG sensor gently on the surface of the scalp. The procedure is completely non-invasive and has been used widely in research with young children as it is currently the best way to get reliable information about children’s brain development.
Time requirement
This study involves two to three visits to the lab with each lasting approximately 1 to 1½ hours.
Additional information
Your child will receive an age-appropriate toy or game for each visit. Your child will also have his/her picture taken with the EEG net on his/her head and be able to share his/her picture and experience with friends and family.
Interested in participating in this study? Click here to contact us!
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Online Language Processing in Children
Purpose of study
We will use eye-tracking measures to investigate whether typically developing children and children with ASD process linguistic information in context.
Who can participate?
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Children with and without ASD: 5-10 years old
What is involved?
This study involves a task in which participants will hear sentences (e.g., Jill broke the seal) containing a homophone (i.e., seal can refer to a grey marine mammal or a wax letter seal) while viewing displays depicting both meanings of the homophone. We will use an eye-tracker to measure participants eye movements during the task. Participants will also be given general assessments of cognitive and language ability.
Time requirement
This study involves two visits to the lab with each lasting approximately 1½ hours.
Additional information
Your child will receive an age-appropriate toy or game for each visit.
Interested in participating in this study? Click here to contact us!
COMPLETED STUDIES
Profiles of Prosocial Behaviours in Children
Purpose of study
In this study, we are looking to better understand the types of prosocial behaviours in which children with and without ASD engage and the factors that influence the frequency of these behaviours.
Who can participate?
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Parents/primary caregivers of children with ASD who are 3-10 years old
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Parents/primary caregivers of typically developing children who are 3-7 years old
What is involved?
Parents/primary caregivers will complete several online questionnaires about their family’s mental health history, their child’s educational history, the manner in which their child communicates in social situations and their child’s empathetic, sharing and helping behaviours.
Time requirement
This study does not require a visit to the lab and the questionnaires should take no longer than 30 minutes to complete.
Additional information
Interested participants will be emailed a link to the study on the SurveyMonkey website. Data collected from this survey is encrypted and therefore completely confidential.
The Nature of Savant Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Purpose of study
The goal of this study is to investigate the nature of savant skills in children with ASD by quantifying more precisely the various types of savant skills and examining the impact that IQ, communication, parental encouragement, social skills, and repetitive and restricted behaviours have on these talents.
Who can participate?
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Parents/primary caregivers of children with ASD who are 3-12 years old
What is involved?
Parents/primary caregivers will take part in an online survey made up of three questionnaires: History and Demographics Questionnaire, Social Communication Questionnaire, and Savant Skills in Children with ASD—Parental Questionnaire.
Time requirement
This study does not require a visit to the lab and the entire online survey should take no longer than 30 minutes to complete.
Additional information
Interested participants will be emailed a link to the study on the SurveyMonkey website. Data collected from this survey is encrypted and therefore completely confidential.
Social Inclusion of Children with and without Developmental Disabilities (DD)
Purpose of study
We want to learn about the factors that are associated with the social participation and inclusion of preschool and early-school aged children with and without DD and the experience of their families. This information is very important for informing families, community and social services to better meet the needs of all children and their families. Open study flyer PDF.
Who can participate?
Parents:
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who have a child between the ages of 3 and 8 years
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who is typically developing, or who has a developmental disability (e.g., Down syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorder, developmental delay, etc.)
What is involved?
Parents will be asked to fill out a series of questionnaires via an online survey.
Time requirement
This study will take about 60 to 90 minutes to complete.
Additional information
Participants will be entered into a draw to win 1 of 5 - $25 gift certificates for your choice of either Toys R Us, Chapters, or Starbucks
Please follow this link to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/social_inclusion and use the password
"inclusion" to complete the study.
Profiles of Bullying and Victimization in Adolescents with Special Needs
Purpose of study
We are looking to gain a better understanding of bullying/victimization experienced by adolescents with and without special needs and to determine why such behaviours occur.
Who can participate?
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High-functioning adolescents with ASD: 12-18 years old
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Typically developing adolescents: 12-18 years old
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Adolescents with learning disabilities: 12-18 years old
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Adolescents with ADHD: 12-18 years old
What is involved?
The study involves a variety of standardized assessments and questionnaires designed to explore your child’s cognitive, social, and linguistic behaviour, as well as his/her experiences of bullying/victimization. Your child will also be asked to watch videos of bullying (both in naturalistic and staged settings) and to answer questions based on his/her understanding of them.
Time requirement
There are two parts to the study. Each visit is approximately 2 hours long.
Additional information
While participants are involved with the assessment, parents will be asked to complete a few short questionnaires. Participants will have a chance to win one of five prizes in a draw to be held after all data for the study has been collected. Each prize will consist of a gift certificate for Future Shop worth $50.
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The Relationship between Repetitive and Sensory Behaviours in ASD
Purpose of study
We are looking to better understand the relationship between repetitive, restricted, and stereotyped behaviours and atypical sensory processing in children with ASD.
Who can participate?
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Children with ASD: 3-10 years old
What is involved?
Children will take part in a developmental and autism assessment. Parents will be asked to fill out short questionnaires during their visit (or at home, if preferred).
Time requirement
For children 6-10 years old, the study will involve one visit to the lab lasting approximately 1 ½ hours.
For children 3-6 years old, we would like to run this study in conjunction with “The Influence of Reward on Young Children’s Ability to Imitate”. If this interests you, the study will involve two visits to the lab. Each visit will last approximately 1 hour.
Additional information
Children will receive a small toy at the end as a token of our appreciation.
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Gender Profiles of Adaptive Behaviour
Purpose of study
We are looking to determine the ways the development of everyday behaviours differs in children and adolescents with ASD from typically developing children. We are specifically interested in determining if gender plays a role in particular abilities and impairments experienced by both typically developing children and children with ASD.
Who can participate?
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Children with and without ASD: 18 months to 18 years of age
What is involved?
This study involves a parent/guardian phone interview regarding the child’s everyday behaviours, in addition to the child engaging in a general developmental assessment.
Time requirement
This study involves an hour long visit to the lab, as well as a half hour phone interview.
Additional information
Participants will receive a small token of our appreciation at the end of the session.
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General Outcome in High-Functioning Individuals with an ASD History
Purpose of study
We are looking to provide an in-depth examination of language, cognitive, social, brain, and day-to-day functioning of high-functioning individuals with ASD.
Who can participate?
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High-functioning adolescents with ASD: 8-18 years old
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Typically developing adolescents: 8-18 years old
What is involved?
The study involves a variety of developmental assessments and games.
Time requirement
There are two parts to the study. Each visit is approximately 2-3 hours long.
Additional information
While participants are involved with the assessment, parents will take part in semi-structured interview about their child/adolescent. Parents and participants will also be asked to fill out a few short questionnaires at their convenience. Adolescents will be compensated $10 an hour for their time.
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Perspective Taking and the Ability to Deceive
Goal:
To investigate the relationship between having an understanding that other people have different perspectives and beliefs, and children’s ability to deceive others.
Who can participate?
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Children with a diagnosed ASD who are verbal and between 6 and 10 years of age
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Children between 6 and 10 years of age who are developing typically
What is involved?
This study involves participating in a number of age-appropriate games designed to investigate whether the participants are able to understand that other people can possess knowledge that is different from the participants’ own knowledge. Participants will also be given a general developmental assessment and parents will be given a short interview over the phone about their child’s development. This study involves two visits to the lab which each last approximately one hour. Participants will be reimbursed $10.00 for each visit and receive an age-appropriate toy.
Interested in the preliminary results?
Click here to view our poster presented at the 8th Annual International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR)!
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Social Cognitive Skills in Young Children with ASD and Their Siblings
Goal
To increase understanding of the social difficulties that children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their siblings may experience.
Who can participate?
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High-functioning children (under 4 years) or lower-functioning children (under 7 years) with a diagnosed ASD and their younger siblings (under 30 months)
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Children (under 30 months) who have an older sibling with a diagnosed ASD of any age, as long as the sibling is a full sibling and lives in the same home
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Children with a developmental delay (under 7 years) and their younger siblings (under 30 months)
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Children under 30 months who are developing typically
What is involved?
The study involves a number of play-like tasks that will look at how your child understands imitation, the goals of others, and the importance of following another’s gaze. Participation will require one to two visits that will be between 45 minutes to one hour long. Parents will also be asked to fill out a few short surveys and participate in a short interview over the phone. You will be reimbursed $10.00 for transportation costs, and your child will receive a small toy and certificate of appreciation.
Interested in the preliminary results?
Click here to view our poster presented at the 8th Annual International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR)!
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Perception of Social Situations
Goal
To increase understanding of how adolescents with an ASD perceive social situations and how this relates to their language and cognitive development.
Who can participate?
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High- functioning adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18 with a diagnosed ASD
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Typically developing adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18
What is involved?
This study involves listening to stories about social interactions and answering questions about them. It also involves a more general developmental assessment. The study will involve two visits that will last about an hour. Participants will be reimbursed $10.00 for every visit. Parents will also be interviewed about their child’s development while their children are engaged with another experimenter.
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Sensory Issues and Language Development in Young Children with ASD.
Goal
To understand the relationship between sensory issues and language level in young children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).
Who can participate?
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Children with a diagnosed ASD between 2 and 8 years of age
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Children between 2 and 8 years of age who are developing typically
What is involved?
The study involves a number of play-like tasks that will look at your child's cognitive and language development. Participation will require one or two visits that will be about one hour long. Parents will also be asked to fill out a few short surveys and participate in a short interview over the phone. You will be reimbursed $10.00 for transportation costs, and your child will receive a small toy and certificate of appreciation.
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