Why should I sign my child up for a Child Language Lab study?

Participating in a William & Mary Child Language Lab study is an easy way to support undergraduate research and contribute to the understanding of language acquisition in children. Kids usually have a fun time during the studies and you will be helping to facilitate ongoing research on language and child development.

How much time will it take for my child to participate in a study? 

On average, our studies only take 15-45 minutes to run per child. Details about specific studies will be provided during the time of scheduling.

Where is the Child Language Lab located?

We are located on William & Mary's campus in the lower level of Tucker Hall. Our address is 350 James Blair Dr, Williamsburg, VA 23185.

Are there any projected risks to my child participating in these studies?

There are no risks associated with participating in any of the studies. Participation is completely voluntary and parents may choose to opt their children out at any time.

Will I be able to sit in with or watch my child while they participate in these studies?

Parents are given the option of sitting in the testing room with the child or watching a live video feed from an adjacent room. 

Will my child and I be compensated for participating in a study? Are there any benefits to participating?

As a reward for participating in our studies, each child will get to choose a prize in the form of a variety of toys. Depending on the study monetary compensation may also be provided. Compensation information about each specific study will be communicated during the time of scheduling.

Will personal information concerning me or my child be made public if we participate? 

No information is made public. Before any data is presented in professional scientific formats (conferences, journal articles, etc.) it will be aggregated to remove identifiable information so as to reflect patterns across groups of children and will not reflect the individual data from any given child. Most studies will be video recorded but the recordings will only be accessible to trained researchers approved by the on-campus ethics committee. 

If you have any remaining questions that are not addressed here, please do not hesitate to contact us at ChildLanguage@wm.edu or the lab director, Kate Harrigan, at kharrigan@wm.edu.