Interested in Participating?

Are you interested in being contacted about opportunities for your child/children (ages 3 years and older) to participate in our research studies?

Our studies are child-friendly – involving games, play, and questions – which both children and their observing parents find enjoyable! Our participants receive a certificate and a small thank you gift for helping with our research.

When you sign up, we will let you know if any of your children are eligible for a current study and you can sign up for a session right away. If your children are not currently eligible, we will contact you when they are eligible to see if you (and they) are interested in participating. Of course, there's no obligation and you can decide at that time if it is of interest to you and your child.

Current Studies

Humans + Robots Morality Study

Do children think an autonomous or remote-controlled robot is responsible for its actions?

Who: 3 and 5 year olds

What: Researchers from the UM Minds Lab are exploring whether children think a robot dog is responsible for its harmful actions. Does it matter whether the robot dog is autonomous or remote-controlled? More generally, how do children think about robot dog that is autonomous or remote controlled? How do children's judgements compare to their thinking about people?

Where: UM Living Lab @ Missoula Public Library

How: Sign up here to schedule a session for your child to participate! 

Sharing + Learning with People and Technology

How do learn from and share with people versus technologies? 

Who: 5-8 year olds

What: Researchers from the UM Minds Lab are exploring children's children’s learning and sharing with people and technologies, like social robots and smart speakers. We are interested in whether moving in sync with another (like clapping) affects how children think about and share with others. We are also trying to better understand who (or what) children prefer to learn from, and if their learning preferences depend on the type of information.

Where: UM Living Lab @ Missoula Public Library

How: Sign up here to schedule a session for your child to participate!

Past Studies

Intentions + Culpability

How do children understand one's intentions and their responsibility for their actions?

Researchers from the UM Minds Lab explored 3- to 5-year-olds' understanding of doing things 'on purpose' versus 'by accident' and how that understanding relates to one's responsibility for their actions. For example, think about the difference between knocking over a glass of water by accident or on purpose -- people tend to judge the latter more harshly! In this study, the Minds Lab team is expanding our understanding of the link between intentions and culpability by probing children's thinking when the agent is a person or a social robot.