Participate in the Child's Lab
We Need Your
help!
Our research is not possible without the support of families like yours.
Why? Why? Why? You probably hear that refrain from your children. Kids ask a lot of questions. So do we. At the Child's Lab, we need your help to continue researching child psychology. As junior scientists, your children will participate in fun project designs that could lead to transformations in child care, education and the future of children.
Things to Note
Committing to a research project is easier when you know the details.
What's the Schedule?
Anytime you want! We schedule appointments at your convenience. We have weekend and evening hours, as well as regular business hours.
How Long Will It Take?
Most studies involve one-time, one-hour visit. We will let you know the details when you schedule the visit.
Can I Stay With My Child?
Of course! You can stay with your child during the entire visit.
What Does the Project Entail?
The exact structure depends on different projects, but we try to design our projects fun! Children will play child-friendly games, tell stories or watch videos while interacting with a friendly researcher. Your child will receive a small toy or a book to take home, and you will receive a gift card for participation.
Can I Bring Other Children?
Sure! We can arrange to have a trained research assistant to look after your child during your visit. Please let us know when scheduling an appointment, and we will be happy to make appropriate arrangements.
Will There Be Individualized Feedback?
We are not accredited to provide individualized feedback. We examine the average of large groups of children and compare different ages or cultural groups. After the study is complete, we will send newsletters with the summary of our research.
Our Projects
Currently, we're focusing on three different projects across child psychology.
Brain Development Project
Ages 3-4
How do children's brains develop in the early years? That's what we're trying to answer in this project. Children will wear a child-friendly EEG cap (in the picture), and watch some cartoons. We’ll also ask parents to join their children about telling stories about cartoons they watch. We will be recording children’s brainwaves. This is a collaborative project with Professor Jason Cowell (Neuroscience Lab, UW-Green Bay).
Global Kids Project (Long-term)
Ages 6-11
For this project, we'll be working with the same group of children for four years. Children will play some child-friendly games, tell stories and draw pictures. We are conducting this study globally – currently in here Green Bay and in Japan. It takes about an hour and a half to participate in this project.
Child Story Project
Ages 6-9
In order to study how children remember events, kids will watch child-friendly videos and tell stories about them. We will study how children remember variety of details in the videos. This is a collaborative work with professors at Cornell University, Professor Qi Wang and Professor Khena Marie Iyer Swallow.
Ask the Director
Meet Professor Sawa Senzaki, Director of the Child's Lab. Her research interests lie at the crossroads of cultural, developmental and social psychology. If you have questions about participating in the Child's Lab, she can help!