For participants and their families

 

 

Q: Who can participate?

 

A: Our typical participants are 15- to 30-month-old children, who are learning English only, or English and another language (e.g., Spanish or Japanese). Occasionally, we work with big kids: undergrads! 

 

   Please note that these criteria are flexible. If you're interested in having your child participate, please contact us. We should be able to work with your family!

 

 

Q: What does participation involve?

 

A: The nature of participation varies between research studies. However, most studies involve a visit to the CSUN campus.  

 

During a typical visit, you may be asked to:

• Meet a lab member at parking lot B6 (map) on the CSUN campus. We will provide parking.

• Walk to the lab across campus

• Sign a consent form

• Provide information about your child's language background

• Fill out vocabulary checklists

 

  Your child may be asked to:

• Give their verbal assent to participate in the study

• Play a word-learning game with a lab member. During the game, your child will be shown a number of novel toys (i.e., toys made by lab members that they have never seen before. We will label some of the toys for your child, and then ask them to point to or hand them to us. The toys are designed to be attractive and interesting to your child,  and the game is designed to be fun and upbeat.  There are no right or wrong answers.

 

  Please note that you will be with your child at all times during a visit to campus. They are free to take breaks in the middle of the game or stop participating whenever they desire, although most children really enjoy the game! Our lab is a private, and family friendly, space with restrooms and kitchen facilities (e.g., sink, refrigerator) are close by. 

 

  Alternately, participation may involve filling out vocabulary checklists once a month over the course of several months. For this type of study, you would be asked to visit the CSUN campus once to begin the study. You would then be asked to fill out vocabulary checklists about your child on your own time and to mail them  back to us once they are completed. We would provide postage and shipping materials. 

 

 

Q: How long does the study last?

 

A:  Length of participation varies between research studies. However, a typical visit to campus lasts approximately 1-1:30 hours. Vocabulary checklists take approximately 30 minutes to complete. We may ask you to complete them checklists once a month over a period of several months. 

 

 

Q: Will my child's name be used in publications?

 

A: Your child will never be mentioned by name. Their data will only be described in aggregate with that of other children in summaries of the research study. Any personal information that you share with us about your child or your family will be stored securely and only carefully selected lab members will have access to it. After a predetermined amount of time, it will be destroyed. 

 

 

Q: Will we receive anything for participating?

 

A: Your child will receive a small gift, such as a book or t-shirt, for participating in our study! If you desire, we will also provide copies of vocabulary checklists. Some parents enjoy including them in their child's baby book. 

 

 

Please email us for more detailed information about our studies or to sign up to participate.  Click here for a current recruitment flyer.