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Learning Word Meanings

We are excited to invite your child(ren) between 22 and 36 months of age to participate in our study exploring how toddlers learn the meanings of words. You can complete the study in the comfort of your own home as it is entirely online. This study will take 15 minutes to complete, however, your child will only need to be present for fewer than 10. To thank you for your participation and support, you will have the opportunity to be entered for a chance to win a $150 prepaid VISA giftcard.

Who are the researchers working on this project?

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Dr. Drew Weatherhead

Assistant Professor, Dalhousie University

Emma Tupper

Undergraduate student, Dalhousie University

Interested in participating?
If you're interested in taking part please use our calendar to book yourself into one of the available time slots. A member of the team will contact you as soon as possible to confirm the date and time of your booking.

What do you need to take part?

This study involves your child watching a series of videos. To participate, you will need:

  • A stable internet connection.

  • A device that connects to the internet and can be used for video conferencing such as a desktop computer, laptop, or tablet. Devices must have the ability to record video (i.e., a camera) as well as audio input and output. Some devices have these abilities built in while others require the addition of a webcam or a microphone. For better visual experience, we do not recommend using smart phones.

All times in Atlantic Standard Time (+4) - This is an example calendar

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  • A quiet space in your home where you will not be interrupted and anything distracting on the computer desk/table is removed

  • A dark space, somewhere you can close the blinds and turn off the lights

  • A pair of sunglasses for you to wear during the video (Why? to make sure your child doesn't use where you are looking to influence where they look)

  • A researcher does not need to be present for this study and you may complete it whenever is convenient for you.

FAQ

What will this study contribute?

Learning the meanings of words very early in life is more complicated than people might think. During noun learning, infants and toddlers not only need to link an object to its label, they need to determine where that newly learned word fits in relation to the rest of the words in their mental dictionary. This helps them create networks of words that are related. Infants and toddlers pay attention to many different cues in their learning environment which guide them through this process! This study aims to explore how the identity of the individuals teaching words influences how toddlers determine how/which words are related to each other.

Who can take part?
Participants in this study must be between the ages of 22 and 36 months (1 year 10 months and 3 years). Children learning only English (monolingual) and children learning English and another language (bilingual) are eligible.

What will you be asked to do?​

  • You will be asked to complete a short demographic survey either before or after the study

  • During the first part of the study, two speakers will teach your child words 

  • Your child will hear two types of trials where they will hear two words repeated for 20 seconds.

    • In one type of trial, the two words will be words that were taught by the same speaker

    • In another type of trial, the two words will be a combination of one word from one speaker, and another word from the other speaker

Who will your child work with?
Dr. Drew Weatherhead will be conducting the study with assistance from undergraduate student Emma Tupper.  Dr. Weatherhead and Emma have experience working with and conducting research with children, and have undergone Criminal and Vulnerable Record checks, as well as a Child Abuse Registry check.

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What will we do with the information?
Once collected, data will not be linked directly to participant names or birth dates, except through an ID number on a separate, encrypted and password-protected spreadsheets, to which only the primary researchers will have access. Findings from the study will be shared as the results of all participants combined and will be published in scientific journals, educational conferences, and on our labs social media. Additionally, you have the choice of receiving a letter with a summary of our findings for the group as a whole. ​

Questions?

If you have any questions about taking part or any other aspect of the study, please contact Lab Director Dr. Drew Weatherhead at Drew.Weatherhead@dal.ca.

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