Frequently Asked Questions
(Scroll down for a description of a Typical Visit).
- When do you schedule appointments for research participation? We mostly test on week days between 9am and 5pm, but we can schedule appointments whenever it is convenient for you! Especially right now, while all our research is conducted online, timing of our studies are very flexible.
- Will I learn about my child’s development compared to other children? The goal of our studies is always to learn about general language development of children at different ages as a group. All the data we collect is combined into a large pool, and we do not investigate children’s individual performances. However, we are happy to provide you with information about language development in general, and can refer you to a professional clinical evaluation at the UT campus (or elsewhere) if you are interested or have concerns about your child.
- Do I have to commit to a certain number of visits if I sign up for the volunteer list? Most studies require only one visit when your child is at a specific age; if you are interested, we may contact you for other studies, but you do not need to commit to any number of visits if you sign up for our volunteer list.
- Can I bring my other children to the lab? As soon as we are able to test children in the lab again, your other children are more than welcome! We always have experienced babysitters available in the lab who can play with your other children during an appointment. We have a variety of toys and books suitable for a wide range of ages.
A typical visit
At the moment, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are not conducting in-person research with young children: however, we are testing children in their homes via Zoom! A typical in-person visit to the Developmental Speech Perception Lab as well as an experimental session via Zoom will usually take around 30 minutes total. Most experiments will not take more than 5 to 15 minutes: we schedule participants at 1 hour intervals so there is always plenty of time for your child to get comfortable and play for a bit in the lab or chat with the experimenter online.
(For an In-Person visit at the Graduate Center: One of our lab members will wait for you in the lobby of the Graduate Center, and will escort you to our lab on the 7th floor.)
Before the online or in-person experiment starts, the researcher will explain the procedure to you, and answer any questions you may have. If we are in the lab, your child can look around, get comfortable, and play if she / he likes.
You will be given a consent form to sign (either on paper or electronically) and will be given a copy: the form explains the experiment your child is participating in, and has all our contact information listed in case you have any other questions after your visit.
Every study is different and the procedures depend on your child’s age, but the most common tasks include playing a short game; looking or pointing at pictures or a short video on a computer screen; or saying the names of toys or pictures of objects.
Younger children may always sit on your lap during the experiment. You will usually be asked to either listen to music through headphones or you will be given a cap to wear, so you can not see or hear the pictures and sounds in the test. This way, you can not inadvertently influence your child’s reactions. (You may of course comfort your child at any time).
After the experiment your child usually may pick out a book or a small toy, or will receive a small gift certificate, and the researchers will answer any other questions you may have regarding the study.