New Princeton University Lab Seeks Babies and Children for Paid Research

A new child development lab in the psychology department of Princeton University is seeking local children ages four months to five years old to participate in paid experiments. Started in 2014, the Princeton Baby Lab studies language development and early learning. The lab is headed by Dr. Lauren Emberson Ph.D. and Dr. Casey Lew-Williams Ph.D. They study how a child’s learning and is influenced by various circumstances.

The lab is usually conducts about ten to fifteen different paid experiments at a given time. The studies support independent projects for students at all levels, as well as the professors’ own research. Dr. Emberson is currently studying rule learning, specifically how kids and adults learn to make predictions about their environment. “For example if you see [a picture] or hear a given sound, which type of button do you press? We’re interested in whether or not you’re better or worse at this over developmental time,” she said. Research suggests that adults do better at the task when they hear the patterns as opposed to seeing them. Her research aims to find out if that’s also the case for kids.

For infants from six to twelve months, the researchers look at how they begin learning sounds and words. Typical infant experiments consist of watching a short video while seated on a parent’s lap. Researchers track eye movement with a special camera that picks up light reflection from the child’s eyes. Older kids go into another room with an experimenter, where they play simple games face to face or on an IPad. For kids ages one to three, researchers look at how they learn the meanings of words and how they learn to combine words into sentences. They are currently running an experiment for five year olds, examining how they learn from story books. “We’re always looking for families to get involved regardless of whether they’re monolingual, bilingual, developing typically or atypically. We are interested in studying individual differences in how children learn,” Lew-Williams says.

All experiments are designed to be kid friendly and they enjoy participating. The lab is stocked with a variety of toys and games. “Parents often have a hard time extracting [their kids] from our testing room,” says Lew-Willams. His sons, ages four and six, certainly enjoy their visits. “They love coming to our greeting room. I can say that I definitely have a hard time convincing them to leave.” Some people have returned many times over the last two years because they like the experience. “We do tend to get repeat customers,” he says, with a laugh.

The actual studies take five to fifteen minutes, but the whole appointment is scheduled as a thirty to forty five minute time slot. This is to ensure parents have enough time to talk to researchers and get the kids settled in. For their time, parents receive ten dollars, a lab t-shirt and a book their child chooses. “The compensation in some ways is just a token,” says Dr. Emberson, “A lot of it’s about connecting to developmental science and people trying to understand how their kids are developing - as well as the fact that’s it’s a really fun visit for the family.”

The lab is located in Peretsman-Scully Hall on Washington RD in Princeton. To participate in studies, go to babylab.princeton.edu or call the lab at 609-258-6577. Once you’ve registered to participate, researchers will call you when they have studies for which your children qualify. Convenient parking is available in lot 15. The required parking permit will be provided by a student who will meet you at the door. Babysitting for siblings can be provided by students, if needed.