Word Learning Study:
In this study, we are interested in how young children (24-36 months) learn new words so quickly.
The first three years of life represent a sensitive period for language development, yet there is substantial variability in children’s vocabulary growth. While most toddlers show rapid acquisition of new words, some children (also known as late talkers) show a slowed growth in their vocabulary development. In addition, we know very little about the brain regions supporting children’s vocabulary growth during this time.
Who can participate? Any child between the ages of 24-36 months who is learning only English, or English and Spanish.
What does this study entail? One time visit of 1-hour to our lab at the University of Texas at Austin.
What will we do? Your child will watch a short 7-minute video in which we will present familiar objects (like a ball) and we will teach your child 2 new words. Then, your child will interact with one of our research assistants and will play with puppets and fidget toys. During the session, your child will also wear a headband that is attached to near-infrared lights that allow us to measure brain activity.
If you’re curious about what our session is like, please watch the videos below.
If you want to know more about functional near-infrared spectroscopy, click here to go to this page.