Our lab is now offering online studies! These studies involve fun, game-based activities that you can do right from the comfort of your own home!

Young girl (with her mother, who is out of view) looking at a screen of a laptop

Contributing to Our Research

Young child with their hand over a mouse to operate a laptop. Laptop is out of view.

Each online study generally takes about 30 minutes and is presented as a fun activity that your child can do, such as listening to a story, watching a video, or playing games to answer questions about their experience.

We conduct our studies using online video conferencing software (Zoom); once you have scheduled your appointment, we will email you a link to click at the time of your appointment to enter the study.

If your child has siblings, we may have online studies for them as well. We’re currently looking for participants aged 3 years old to 9 years old. 

Our Studies

Simulation Mindset Study (ages 6 and 8 years)

In this study, children will listen to different storybooks that explore “what if” scenarios.  After listening to the stories, children will complete two fun problem-solving tasks. This study aims to examine whether recognizing alternative outcomes to past events may improve children’s performance on problem-solving tasks.  The studies together will take approximately 30 minutes. 

Astronomy Study (ages 8 years)

In this study, we are interested in the most effective ways to teach children a concept about planets and astronomy through picture books. Children will look at and listen to a short story about our solar system on the computer. After reading the book, we will then ask your child some questions to find out what he or she has learned from our book. This study takes approximately 30 minutes.

How to Sign Up

If you are interested in signing up for a study, click here! Once you have signed up, we’ll email you back by the next business day to let you know which online study your child is eligible for based on their age. Your researcher will then follow up with you and give step-by-step instructions on how to begin your study!
Young girl sitting on a couch looking at a laptop that is on her lap, she is smiling

During the Study

Young boy holding a tablet while laying stomach down


Once you and your child are both ready to start the study, we ask that you find a quiet room in your home with little to no interruptions or distractions. You and your child should use a tablet, laptop, or desktop computer with working built-in speakers and microphone, along with a stable wifi connection, to give you the best and smoothest online study experience!


While the studies are running, we ask that you stay in the same room with your child. Although our studies will state that they will take an hour, most studies take approximately half an hour.

After the Study


Once you have completed the study, your child will receive a certificate for their participation!


Our researchers will be happy to answer any questions you have about the study. We will also ask if you would like to be included on our mailing list to provide you with updates of our findings over time.