Participate

How long does one visit normally take?

For most of our studies, you will be asked to visit the lab only once. Occasionally, we run studies that take two sessions to complete. A typical visit takes one hour.

What will the visit entail?

When you arrive, you will be welcomed into our lab. Your child will be introduced to our play area in order to give him or her time to get familiar with the new environment and with the researchers who will be working with your child. To begin, we will have a few forms for you to fill out to get your permission for your child to participate in our studies. The actual study may involve any number of different activities –all structured as child-friendly games: some use cards, computers, puppets, toys, or picture books. If you are not required to participate in the games themselves, you are welcome to sit and watch your child, or you may wait in the waiting area. If you or your child gets bored or is uncomfortable with any part of the study, you can stop at any time.

After the session is over, your child will receive a small gift (e.g., a new toy). Some games also involve small candies like Skittles or M&Ms that the children can take home. (If there is food involved, we will tell you about it when we phone to describe the study.) If you have any questions about the procedure or about your child's performance, we will be happy to answer them.

What will I learn about my child's development?

Most of our studies look at the average performance of large groups of children, and compare average performance at different ages or under different conditions. We think you may learn a lot just by watching how your child faces the different challenges presented by our games. Since the preschool and early school years are a time of major cognitive transitions, many of our tasks highlight abilities that children are only beginning to acquire. After the study is completed, the results will be printed in our newsletter and made available here on our web site.

When can I come in to the lab?

The Zelazo Lab is open all week and on the weekends as well. Appointments are made according to your availability assuming another family isn't already scheduled. We see a lot of children on Saturdays and Sundays, but also on weekday mornings, afternoons, and evenings. We will do everything we can to find a match between your schedule and the researcher's schedule in order to make it convenient for you to come in.

How often will I be asked to participate?

We may call you as often as once or twice a year to tell you about new studies that we are running and ask you if you are interested in coming in to participate. We find that after their first visit, most children are already asking when they will be coming back! If you are interested in one of our future studies, please contact us!