A typical study
If you and/or your child elect to participate in a study run by the Developing Minds
Center, here is what you can expect from a typical visit.
Studies are conducted on Skidmore’s campus in the Tisch Learning Center. For detailed
instructions on how to find the Tisch and both of our lab spaces, please click on
the driving directions tab.
A member of either the Language and Social Development Lab or the Early Learning Lab
will meet you outside the building at your appointed time, which we’ll schedule and
confirm with you beforehand by phone and/or email.
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| Early Learning Lab | Language and Social Development Lab |
Studies in both labs feel less like work and more like play. You may hear a lab member
refer to a study as a game or short movie—this is a fitting description of how our
studies are designed in the Developing Minds Center.
Commonly in a study, situations, stories or new words are shared with a child through
speech or pictures. The child is then asked to give his or her responses to questions
about the information they have just been presented. The primary motivations for most
of our studies in the Developing Minds Center surround questions about language acquisition,
early logic and reasoning skills and/or social development.
Total time for participation will vary depending on which study you are participating
in; however, no single visit to the lab should last more than 30–45 minutes. Upon
completion of a study, you may be asked to fill out some short surveys. Your child
will always get to pick out a prize for their participation. Siblings of all ages
are welcome to come along.
For more detail about our studies, please see our individual lab websites: