Do You Promise?
The phrase “pinky promise” is highly common among young children, but it begs the question: under what conditions do children keep their promises? We are especially interested if the nature of the activity and whether the child is working with someone or parallel to someone has an effect on children’s promise keeping.
This study is conducted in-person.
We are currently recruiting children of the following ages to participate in this study: 5 year-olds!
Perspective-Taking
Children’s ability to take other people’s perspectives is a key part of their development! It is what enables kids to collaborate with others on tasks. We are interested to see if having kids coordinate with an adult might facilitate their perspective-taking! In this study, children will either play a collaborative or solo game with an experimenter and we are curious to see if this encourages young children’s perspective-taking.
This study is conducted in-person
We are currently recruiting children of the following ages to participate in this study: 3- and 4-year-olds!
May I Please Be Excused?
Excuses are an ever-present social norm in an attempt to lessen the blow of failing to show up or perform for a task. However, even as adults, there are certain types of excuses that we sympathize with and let it slide, and others that can deliver a significant blow to one’s social standing. In this study, we are interested to see what kids think about different types of excuses and how that impacts their perception of others.
This study is conducted online via zoom.
We are currently recruiting children of the following ages to participate in this study: 4- to 7-year-olds!
Children’s Exploration with Peers and Adults
When adults teach children how to do something, children are less likely to explore alternatives. However, it is unknown whether instruction from a peer limits exploration in the same way.
This study is conducted in person.
We are currently recruiting children of the following ages to participate in this study: 5- and 6-year-olds!
