Understanding How Children Learn and Organize Words
Purpose
We are currently in the process of conducting a 5-year National Institutes of Health-funded longitudinal study on semantic and language development, specifically focusing on how children learn new words and understand their meanings. Our goal is to not only examine language learning but also how these processes evolve as children grow.
In this study, we will follow two hundred 4-year-old junior scientists as they participate in fun, interactive word-learning and language activities. Over the course of the study, participants will visit our lab twice a year, each lasting around 60-90 minutes (including breaks), to engage in a series of playful games with a research assistant designed to explore how children comprehend and retain new vocabulary. Additionally, your child will have the opportunity to wear a LENA recorder—a small, wearable device that tracks the number of words your child hears throughout the day, similar to a Fitbit but for words!
Could this study be right for you?
- Child must be monolingual
- Not born premature
- No developmental delays
- Can give a verbal response
- Normal to corrected vision