FOR PARENTS

We are now offering online studies for kids over Zoom or as online games!

Why should I participate?

We aim to make studies fun for children and families! Your participation will help us to learn about children's developing understanding of the social and physical world. Also, we'll send you a $5 gift card, which you can use to buy a small gift for your child as a thank-you.

How do studies work?

Some studies take the form of online games that you can play with your child at any time. Most of these are short (less than 5 minutes, up to about 20 minutes). You can view and participate in these studies here! Other studies happen over Zoom. For these, you'll make an appointment with a researcher. You can see our available studies and schedule a session time here. These studies take between 10 - 30 minutes. After the session, we'll follow-up with a thank you and a $5 gift card to express our appreciation!

What should I do during a session?

The researcher or online game will prompt you if you need to do anything special during the session (such as filling out a permission form, or clicking to advance the game). The most important thing is not to give your child hints or correct your child during the session. We know this can be hard, so we thank you in advance! We're interested in how children reason and think - so we want to get your child's spontaneous answers, without any other input.

Will we be compensated for participating?

Yes! After you finish participating in one of our studies, we will send you a $5 Amazon gift card or equivalent (one per child). The gift card will be sent to the email you provide when you sign up for a scheduled time or when you completed the task. Our rewards are sent through Rybbon.net. Please allow our research team 5 business days to process your participation.

What do I do if I don't receive the gift card?

If after 5 business days you have not received an email with the gift card, please contact our team at MaDlab@ucsd.edu. We will do our best to get back to you in a timely manner.

What if the game doesn't load or it stops working?

Please check your internet connection and that you are using a recommended device (for example, some games work only on computers rather than mobile devices). If issues persist, please contact our team at MaDlab@ucsd.edu.

What if my child wants to stop?

No problem! You or your child can stop at any time. We can always reschedule for another time if you like.

Are studies recorded?

Yes, with your permission. For our studies conducted over Zoom, the video from your webcam is recorded. For online games, we also record video, images and/or audio from your webcam. The specifics of how the study is recorded will be detailed in the study description, and you can opt-out.

What if I don't feel comfortable being recorded. Can I still participate?

Yes, you can still participate without being recorded. You will be asked (over Zoom), or prompted at the start of the study if you are willing to be recorded. We will follow your requests for only audio, only video, or no recording.

I completed a study with my child, but I have some questions about it. Who can I ask?

Our research team is happy to help! Email us at MaDlab@ucsd.edu, along with the name of the study. We are happy to provide more information.

Where else can my child and I help researchers do science?

At UCSD, you can find more studies through the Kid Science Labs! And to participate in studies by researchers all around the world, you can go to Children Helping Science.