Thank you for showing interest in our Language and Cognition Lab.
A large part of our research involves children and we are deeply grateful to the families in the Kingston area for their support. You may have received a letter from us through your child’s daycare or school. Or you may have received a phone call or an email from one of our volunteers. In either case, please do not hesitate to let us know if you have any questions or concerns: LanguageAndCognitionLab@gmail.com.
What will my child be doing?
Our studies usually involve games or short movies that are designed to be engaging to children while collecting data relevant to our research questions. For example, we may show children a movie of an alien talking to study how they learn words. Our priority is for children to have a good experience. We also hope to also increase children’s interest in science and to older ones, we explain in child friendly terms what the study is about. No obligation exists to complete any task and if you or your child would like to stop, this can be done at any time.
Where is the study?
Although we sometimes do studies in daycares and schools, most of our current studies are conducted in our lab in the Craine Building. You will receive instructions about meeting the experimenter and parking. Thank you for generously taking the time to bring their children to the lab!
What is your research about?
Each study in our lab is on a different topic. Generally, our research focuses on issues of language learning and social cognition. How do children (and adults) learn new words? How do they decide what and whom to believe and does this change over development? What information enters into their first impressions of people? Under the projects tab, we have listed some of the investigations we have carried out in the past.
How do I get my child in a study?
We are always looking for prospective participants! Please email us with your child or children’s ages and one of our research assistants will be in touch. Our studies mostly involve children ages 4-10 but other labs in the department conduct studies with younger and older ones.