Early Social Development Lab

Parents

Current Research Topics

Inequality and Child Development (Ages 5-9) - Online

Discover how your child responds to inequality and explore the impact of these experiences on their social behaviors! We are inviting children aged 5 to 9 to participate in our engaging online study, and we’re offering compensation for their time. In this brief 20-minute study, your child will have the opportunity to play fun games where they receive equal or unequal resources compared to another child. Following this, your child will engage in a second task, which could involve selecting items or evaluating the trustworthiness of others. It’s a unique and rewarding experience for your child to contribute to valuable research while having a bit of fun! Sign up now to be a part of this exciting study!

Forgiveness Study (Ages 5-6) - In Person

What do children think about intentional transgressions? In this study, children will first watch two short videos (screen time less than 10 minutes long) showing two adults interacting. A small transgression will occur between the two adults. An adult experimenter will then ask the child a few questions about the videos, and finally the child will complete a sharing task. The child's behavior will be recorded on a video camera. We have a small gift for participating that we will send home with you!



Gratitude Study (Ages 5-10) - In Person

We are interested in understanding how children and parents think about gratitude. Children participating in this study will listen to a few stories related to gratitude and answer some questions about what they think. Meanwhile, parents who participate will complete surveys related to gratitude and child development.



Prosocial Intentions Study (Ages 6-11) - Online

We are interested in how children make sense of prosocial actions (such as sharing) when they are performed by a friend versus a stranger. In this study, children will be told stories about characters who shared with a recipient, their intentions for sharing, and the relationship between the actor and the recipient. Children will then answer some questions about the characters and the sharing actions. Parents will be asked to fill out a series of short questionnaires, and both the parent and the child will receive a gift for participating!

Visiting the Lab

If you are a parent interested in coming to the lab, or a school interested in finding out more about how to partner with us, email us at [email protected] and someone will contact you.

When a study comes up that your child is the right age for, we give you a call or send you an email, describing that particular study in detail. If you have the interest and time to participate at that point, we schedule an appointment.  

A typical appointment includes:

  • Playtime in the waiting room
  • Signing consent forms
  • 20 – 25 minute study in the form of a game
  • Wrap up and description of what happened in the study

Frequently Asked Questions

At the end of your visit, the researcher can explain to you the purpose and hypotheses of the study. We also send newsletters to parents a few times a year with information about the results of studies that have been completed. Because our research looks at group-level data, we will not be able to provide you with information about your individual child’s performance.

Absolutely! We work with a wide age range of children, so it is possible that your other children will also be able to participate in a study while they are here. If not, they can play in our waiting room while their sibling completes the study. One of our research assistants can stay with them if you prefer to accompany your other child into the study room.

For many of our studies, it is perfectly fine for parents to be in the room with the children the entire time. However, sometimes we find that a parent’s presence can be a distraction or will influence a child’s performance. In these cases, you may stay just outside the room and observe your child through a window.

It depends on the study, but most families only need to come in once for most studies. 

Most visits last between 30 minutes and 1 hour. The exact length of your visit will depend on the study and how many of your children are participating.

We typically schedule appointments between 9:00 and 6:00 Monday through Friday. Weekend appointments may be possible, subject to availability. When scheduling, we ask for your assistance in choosing a time when you think your child will be most alert.
When you arrive at the lab, you will be shown into our comfortable and friendly waiting room. After filling out some paperwork, one of our trained research assistants will accompany your child to one of our game rooms. You are welcome to accompany your child if you wish or you may remain in the waiting room. Our studies are designed to be fun and engaging for your child. Most involve looking at pictures or objects, and none involve medical procedures of any kind. The research assistant will end the study at any point if your child does not wish to continue. All sessions are videotaped, but we take great care to ensure the confidentiality of your child’s video and information. At the end of the session, you may ask questions about the study. Your child will be given a small gift to thank them for their participation.

Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families

U.S. Department of Education, site for parents

These links are provided for informational purposes only, and are not affiliated with the laboratory or UVA

All studies taking place in the Early Social Development Lab have been through a rigorous review process by UVa’s Institutional Review Board, which consists of a panel of University and community members. This panel carefully evaluates proposed studies involving human participants before they begin (and at least once per year after initial approval) to ensure that the research is ethical, and handles any comments or complaints about the research.
The Early Social Development Lab conducts basic research in child development, and we do not offer individual evaluations. If you have a particular concern about your child’s development, please contact your pediatrician.
Your child’s data will be kept completely confidential. Your child’s name will never be used in any report of this research. We videotape our studies to allow us to keep track of your child’s answers, and also to write down any comments made during the study. This videotape is kept completely confidential; your child’s name will never be associated with it. Furthermore, unless we have your explicit permission, this videotape will be viewed only by the researchers.

We recruit from ages 0 to 12 years so that we have a pool of interested families from which to draw. However, most of our studies involve particular age ranges – for example, 3 to 6 years old. Your child may not fit into one of the age ranges that we are using at the moment. If you ever would like information about what ages are currently being used, feel free to call or email.

We are located in Gilmer Hall on the University of Virginia Campus. Please keep in mind that there are gates blocking McCormick Rd during business hours. Parking is available behind the building. When you turn onto Gilmer Drive, go down the hill and make a right to reach the end of the road and park in one of the reserved “Psychology Department” spaces. Someone will be waiting for you outside with a parking permit. For further directions, click here.