Center for Young Children (CYC)

Preschool Number Line Estimation (Ages 3-5 years)
This study’s primary aim is to examine the benchmark influences on children’s number line estimation performance and reveal children's ordinal understanding of numbers. The study will involve three activities for children as well as a short demographic survey for parents. For children, the first activity will entail playing games with a researcher involving pointing out the position of a number on the line. In the second activity, children will play one of the versions of benchmark in the number line game with a researcher. In the third activity, children will do the number line game with a researcher like in the first activity. Children ages 3- to 5-years old are invited to participate in this project.

Online signup: https://umdsurvey.umd.edu/jfe/form/SV_8wA6j0wiy22yV5c
Prather Lab website: https://www.cogdevlab.umd.edu/prather-lab/

Speech Perception and Language Processing (Ages 5-6 years)
This study investigates the ability of children aged 5-11 to identify emotions from vocal stimuli without the aid of facial expressions. The child will be instructed to point to the facial expression a person is making on the computer screen that best fits with the sentence from a speaker that is expressing a specific emotion. The study uses a randomized design with three different order conditions to control for order effects.

Newman Lab website: http://langdev.umd.edu/

Playful Minds (Ages 3-6 years)
In this project we are looking to understand what parents and their preschool-aged children do during their everyday play at home. The study involves 1 take-home activity where you will play with toys with your child, 1 at-school session with a researcher and your child where they will play games and complete tasks, and 1 online questionnaire. Each session and the survey will last 20-30 minutes.

Online signup: https://umdsurvey.umd.edu/jfe/form/SV_bpT3TQsri2dEOGi
Ramani Lab website: https://sites.google.com/umd.edu/ecilab/home/
 

Project on Children's Language Learning (Ages 3-6 years)
These studies help us learn about children's development in understanding language and thinking about the world and others. Each session takes about 15 minutes, and your child may be invited to participate in one or several sessions. In a session, a researcher will have some stories or a game setup showing in slides on a laptop or with physical props, and we record each child's answers and choices as, for example, Kermit asks for an explanation because he can't see what's on the other side of this wall, or the researcher asks which box the child wants to open after Olaf gave a clue.

Lidz Lab website: https://jefflidz.com/
 

Precision Memory in Preschoolers (3-5 years)

This study investigates memory for precise events in children. During the study session, your child will play a game where they will look at a group of pictures and then in a second game will be asked to make a judgement about whether or not they have seen the pictures before in the previous game. These memory games will last around 15 minutes. 

Online signup: https://umdsurvey.umd.edu/jfe/form/SV_3KNPcihkhKciuua
Riggins Lab website: http://ncdl.umd.edu/

What words does your child know? (Ages 3-6 years)

This study aims to help us learn the best ways to determine the words that children know. This study includes two sessions of activities, and we will also ask you to complete surveys about your child’s language skills. During the sessions, we will ask your child to (1) watch a video and look at the picture that matches the words stated during the videos (2) point to pictures in a book that are named by the researcher and (3) participate in a play-based activity with the researcher. Children aged 3 to 6 years old are welcome to participate in this project.

Newman Lab website: http://langdev.umd.edu/
Huang Lab website: http://languageandcognition.umd.edu/index.html
 

Project on Relational Reasoning in Young Children (Ages 4-6)

The purpose of this study is to gain an understanding of how young children (ages 4-6) use a complex reasoning ability called relational reasoning. This reasoning is categorized by finding patterns of similarities or differences within a set of information, which can include objects and toys. To investigate this question, our research team has created 4 different tasks that represent the different types of relational reasoning. The pattern recognition tasks will be presented to children in a gamified format. In four different sessions, members of our research team will work through these games with the children to better understand how they think as they work through these tasks. All of the tasks will be played in a similar way, but different types of patterns will be used to complete them. The tasks will be played with a group of animal figurines that vary based on animal, size, and color. To avoid fatigue, each task will be completed on a different day. Each task should take about 10 minutes to complete.

Alexander Lab website: www.drlrl.org

Project on Temperament Measure Validation (All Ages)

This research team is investigating the role of temperament individuality in young children’s social-emotional and self-regulatory development.They are now undertaking a series of studies in three different phases with a focus on understanding how parents and children influence each other’s responses. Increasing evidence suggests that temperamental tendencies (e.g., shyness, sensitivity, preference for high intensity stimulation) influence children’s behaviors and these behaviors elicit responses from parents and teachers. However, reciprocal influences between parents and children remain understudied. These researchers are asking for assistance with the first phase of the study, which involves validating measures and methods to be used in subsequent phases. This includes a temperament measure questionnaire that the team developed and an established temperament questionnaire that together, take under 20 minutes to complete. They are also interested in these measures from the teacher’s perspective. Therefore, they ask for permission to allow your child’s teachers to complete the same measures.

Study signup and survey: https://bit.ly/cycstudy
Teglasi Lab website: https://education.umd.edu/research-and-impact/labs/temperament-and-narratives-lab
 

Off-Site Research that may be of interest to CYC Families: 

Preschool Language and Neural Engagement Study (PLANES) (Ages 3-5 years)

The purpose of this research project is to better understand how children’s early experiences relate to their cognitive development, and how their brain development from age 3-5 years helps to support their cognitive development. The procedures involved in this study include tabletop assessments, computer games, a parent-child free play session, two kinds of brain imaging, and home language recording. This will take place across three campus visits and one at-home audio recording in year 1, and another three campus visits and at-home audio recording as a follow-up one year later. Your child will receive a token of appreciation for their participation in this study each year, like a small toy or game, and a printed a picture of their brain. You will be compensated for your time. You and your child will be asked to participate in each procedure, but may opt out of any part at any time. Additionally, both you and your child may take breaks as much as needed.

Consent Form 
Flyer 
Romeo Lab website: https://education.umd.edu/leadlab