ChILD Research Group

10/16/2024

🌟 We have an exciting new study for 6 to 6.5-year-olds! 🌟
We’re exploring if kids can understand emotional cues in different languages. Your child will view images while listening to sentences in Arabic and match the emotional tone to the correct image. We'll also use familiar-sounding words (cognates) to see if they help in interpreting emotions.
📝 Inclusion Criteria:
* Age: 6-6.5 years
* Speak English at least 80% of the time at home
* No prior exposure to Arabic
📅 Study Info:
* Sessions: ~1 hour at the University of Calgary
* Free parking provided
* Participants get a toy prize, child scientist t-shirt, and certificate!
To sign-up, please contact child@ucalgary.ca or visit childresearchgroup.ca! 🧠

09/23/2024

👶Is your child 14-18 months old (or will be soon)?

Join our new study and help us understand how different parent interactions shape your baby's language development!

To participate or learn more, please contact Haneen at 📧 haneen.salama@ucalgary.ca, DM us, or sign-up for our database!

https://ucalgary.ca/child-infant-learning-development/sign?fbclid=IwY2xjawFeiP1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHUDv34ZsBr82JBcBsg_gfvPAuzLwpBj4uj9fIrdR3F0UVE0Z8La6I4u9lg_aem_E3GpujAZoHa4SEcsTXnV2Q

06/04/2024

🌟 We have an exciting new study for 4 to 4.5-year-olds! 🌟

We’re exploring if kids can understand emotional cues in different languages. Your child will view images while listening to sentences in Arabic and match the emotional tone to the correct image. We'll also use familiar-sounding words (cognates) to see if they help in interpreting emotions.

📝 Inclusion Criteria:
* Age: 4-4.5 years
* Speak English at least 80% of the time at home
* No prior exposure to Arabic

📅 Study Info:
* Sessions: ~1 hour at the University of Calgary
* Free parking provided
* Participants get a toy prize, child scientist t-shirt, and certificate!

To sign-up, please contact tyler.birse@ucalgary.ca or visit childresearchgroup.ca! 🧠

Collection of personal informationYour personal information is collected under the authority of section 33(c) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. If you have any questions about the collection or use of this information, please visit our Access to Information page.

01/29/2024

📢 Exciting news – we have a new blog where we share insights from recent studies, as well as articles we've written for The Conversation Canada and CareFind.

We are the Ch. I. L. D. Research Group at the University of Calgary. We are a group of psychology labs committed to studying children's language, learning, social development and mental health.​

10/16/2023

👶 Is your child 14-18 months old (or will be soon)?

Join our new study and help us understand how different parent interactions shape your baby's language development!

To participate or learn more, please contact Selena at 📧 selena.kahlert@ucalgary.ca, DM us, or sign-up for our database!

Collection of personal informationYour personal information is collected under the authority of section 33(c) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. If you have any questions about the collection or use of this information, please visit our Access to Information page.

09/27/2023

Join our new home-based study examining cognitive development over the pre-school years!

We are exploring children’s ability to follow rules, understand others' thoughts and emotions, and remember short lists. We have developed a mobile research platform for easy participation on smartphones and tablets. Our goal is to observe children’s performance in these games without adult assistance.

The study takes roughly 30 minutes and families will receive a $5 Amazon or Indigo e-gift card! Visit www.earlyexperiencelab.ca/rosie-set-up-instructions, scan the QR code, or visit the link in our bio to participate!

Ne Queen’s University e’tho nońwe nikanónhsote tsi nońwe ne Haudenosaunee tánon Anishinaabek tehatihsnónhsahere ne óhontsa.

08/28/2023

Introducing our newest lab member, Laura! 👋

Thanks to the Alberta Innovates High School Youth Researcher Summer (HYRS) Program, Laura has spent the summer working alongside us at the Language and Cognitive Development Lab. Here she is presenting the initial findings from Tyler’s research project on children’s understanding of emotional prosody.

Laura’s dedication and growth over the last 6 weeks is a testament to the power of investing in young minds.💡🌱

08/26/2023

A huge shoutout to the incredible NE Calgary Moms Group for gifting 200 fully loaded backpacks to local families! 🙌👏

Look at these adorable faces rocking their new backpacks! 🎒😍 We're grateful we had the opportunity to contribute some school supplies to their backpack initiative. ✏️💖

08/24/2023

Spotted us at GlobalFest yet? You still have 2 more opportunities to join us: tonight or this Saturday (August 26). Plus, we’re excited to announce that we're giving away 4 passes for Saturday night. 🥰👏 Drop a comment below, and the winner will be chosen tomorrow night! 🏆

You can find us in the Kidz Zone with Little Red Reading House; we're handing out mini books and eager to discuss our research with you. 📚🔬 Doors are open from 6 p.m.–9 p.m., and fireworks start at 9:30 p.m. 🎆

See you there! 🥳

07/24/2023

The Language and Cognitive Development Lab celebrated the end of the school year with a pottery painting night! 🥳🎉 The event was bittersweet as we were also saying goodbye to Pat, our former research coordinator! We’ll miss him around the lab, but wish him the best of luck with his future endeavours!🫶🏼

Pottery painting is a great activity to do with your little ones (as long as they are old enough to keep the pottery in one piece 😂). Painting can help children develop their fine-motor skills, coordination, emotional expression, and creativity. 🎨👩🏽‍🎨🖌

Have you ever tried painting with your child? How did it go?

07/15/2023

Imagine hearing a friend exclaim, “They’re here!” Your friend’s intended meaning (i.e., whether they are excited about someone’s arrival or disappointed) is markedly different if they use a happy-sounding voice versus a sad-sounding one. Previous research has shown that children as young as 4 years old have the ability to use a speaker’s emotional prosody, or tone of voice, to guide language comprehension.

We are running two studies using non-invasive, eye-tracking technology to investigate how young children gauge emotional prosodic cues under different circumstances. One study is looking for 4-4.5-year-olds to participate, and the other targets 5-6-year-olds. Both studies are being conducted in person at the University of Calgary, where we provide free parking. As a token of appreciation, your child will receive a toy prize, t-shirt, and certificate for their valuable contribution.

If you are interested in having your child participate in either of these studies or would like further information, please get in touch with us at child@ucalgary.ca!

07/07/2023

Our friends at Little Red Reading House are urgently in need of children's books, especially picture and board books! 🌟 If you have spare books to share, don't miss Book Donation Day this Saturday, July 8 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at Shedpoint (1212 34 Ave SE, Calgary). Let's make a difference by providing the gift of reading to those who need it most! 📖❣️