At the UNCG Development, Culture, & Health Lab, we are interested in how children learn about the world, especially what they learn from other people and how their knowledge or behavior changes or stays the same over time. We are especially interested in social influences on food preferences and eating behavior, such as the development of picky eating.
We use multiple methods to study these questions!
Experimental studiesIn many of our studies, we are interested in understanding how children respond in a controlled situation. We might introduce children to different people, describe a food's properties, ask questions about a story, or design activities to understand how children think. These studies are typically short (15-30 minutes) and are set up to test a specific prediction.
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Observational studiesIn some studies, we observe a child's behavior (or interactions between parents and children) to better understand their thinking. We usually give minimal instructions because we are interested in how people respond or interact spontaneously! We might have predictions about what we will see, but we also generate new ideas or research questions by watching people's interactions.
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Cross-sectional vs. longitudinalWe use a both cross-sectional and longitudinal methods in our research.
In cross-sectional studies, we recruit children of different ages and compare their responses (for example: 3-year-olds vs. 6-year-olds). In longitudinal studies, we follow the same children over time to look at patterns over time (for example: the same child measured at 6, 9, and 12 months). |
Interested in joining our team? Visit our "Info for Students" page to learn more!
Current online studies:
Germs
What do children (ages 5 to 12) think about getting sick? |
Lunchbox
What do children (ages 5 to 12) think about different lunchbox foods? |
Unfamiliar Foods
How do 6- to 24-month-old infants react to new foods that they have not tasted before? |
Bilingual children's social judgments
What do bilingual children think about people who speak in different languages and accents? |
Sharing with Others
In this study, we are interested in children's beliefs about sharing (age 5-12). In this study, we will send you a paper form to complete and send back to us! |
Visit our Online Studies page to sign up!
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