Studies — Lookit

Current Studies

Please note you'll need a laptop or desktop computer (not a mobile device) running Chrome or Firefox to participate.

Bouncing Balls

for babies ages 4 to 8 months

Your child will see two balls bouncing on a screen and hear a gentle impact sound! We’re interested in seeing which of these two balls your child prefers to look at. There’s nothing you have to do other than let these videos play for your child. Please note: for this study, you will need a high chair or stroller for your child to sit in!

Baby Tetris

For babies ages 6 to 12 months who live in the United States.

In this study, your baby will see two identical Tetris shapes on the screen; one on the left and one on the right. The shapes will appear and disappear, changing their orientation each time they reappear. On one side, the rotation will be possible. On the other side a mirror image will sometimes be presented. We are interested in which side your baby prefers to look at.

Faces, Places, People, and TOYS!

For babies ages 3 to 5.5 months and 7 to 8.5 months old who were born at full term (38+ weeks)

Your baby will watch a series of short videos of toys, landscapes, children (including videos of their faces, hands, and feet), and abstract scenes with and without still photos of the same type mixed in. We want to see which kind of stimuli presentation your baby is the most interested in!

Who speaks what? (3-6 month-olds)

For babies ages 3-6 months who were born at full term (37+ weeks) and hear only English at home

Your child will watch videos of people who speak either a familiar language (English) or an unfamiliar language (French). Then the two speakers will be presented side-by-side either in silence or grasping a toy. We are interested in which speaker your baby prefers to look at!

Storytime in the Presence of Other People Talking

For 3.5- to 5.5-year-olds, who are native English speakers

In this study your child will view four ‘storybooks’ about different children on different adventures, but in each story book there are two unfamiliar words. We are interested in how well these new ‘words’ are learned depending on the type of noise in the background. We will ask you (the parent) to avoid discussing the new words or explaining the story until the end of the study.

What's counting for babies?

For babies age 14 to 19 months.

In this study, your baby will watch different numbers of toys being pointed at and labeled in different ways (such as "one, two, three" or "this, this, this"). We are interested in how babies react to different types of activities that resemble counting.

May I Grab Your Attention?

For babies ages 4 to 12 months of age

During the study, your baby will see pairs of objects, with short, 3-second video clips in between to keep his or her attention. In each pair, one object is on the left side of the screen and one is on the right, so that we can clearly see which one your baby prefers. We will also ask you a few questions about your baby's motor development. This study will take about 15 minutes in total.

Baby see, Baby do: Pilot Study

For full-term newborn babies (0-6 weeks old, born at 38+ weeks). Expecting a child? Congratulations! If you'd like to be reminded about this study after your due date, copy and paste the following URL into your browser, enter your due date, press send, and we'll take it from there! https://tinyurl.com/babydo-later

Did you know that babies notice when you make fun faces? In this study, you and your baby will play a short imitation game and we will look to see if your baby copies the faces you make! We will also ask you some questions on experiences that new parents may have to see if that might influence the faces babies make.

See numbers, hear numbers!

For babies age 3 to 9 months.

In this study, your baby will hear different numbers of sounds, and watch movies with different numbers of shapes in them. We are interested in how well babies can match the numbers they hear to the numbers they see.

Is two (voices) a crowd?

For children age 16 months - 4.0 years with normal hearing who hear all or mostly English at home

Your child will watch videos showing a pair of objects, and hear a voice directing their attention to one of them. At the same time, your child will hear either one person or many people speaking in the background. We are hoping to learn which of these listening situations is easier for children to understand the main speaker, and look toward the named object!

Scene and Heard!

For babies ages 5.5 to 7.5 months and 11.5 to 13.5 months. Because the study has a language component, there should be a native English speaker in the home.

In this study, your child will watch several videos of one kind of scene (like a forest) labeled with a made-up word. Then, another example of that type of scene will be presented side-by-side with a new kind of scene (like a field). We’re interested in whether language draws babies’ attention to the information that differs between different kinds of scenes. Babies tend to look longer at things they find interesting, so we will measure how long your child looks at each scene to see if they find one more interesting than the other.

Meet the Wuggles!

For 3- to 4-year-olds who hear English at home

Your child will play a game that involves matching pictures of alien “wuggles” based on their emotions.

Little Drummers - Exploring toddlers sense of rhythm

For 2- to 2.5-year old children.

To measure their sense of rhythm toddlers will be asked to bang on a flat surface with and without a musical accompaniment (takes 3 minutes). We will then ask you to complete an online survey, which includes some fun interactive games to try with your little one (this can be done at a later time).

Should I learn from you?

For babies ages 17-19 months who were born at full term (37+ weeks) and hear English at home

Your child will watch several short videos of a person playing with toys and naming them. At the end, your child will see pairs of toys while a word is played. The word will match just one of the toys. We want to see which toy your baby chooses to look at!

Who speaks what? (8-11 month-olds)

For babies ages 8-11 months who were born at full term (37+ weeks) and hear only English at home

Your child will watch videos of people who speak either a familiar language (English) or an unfamiliar language (French). Then the two speakers will be presented side-by-side either in silence or grasping a toy. We are interested in which speaker your baby prefers to look at!

Investigating Early Food Thoughts

For babies 8-13 months of age

Your baby will see a series of seven short videos. Some of these videos will depict fruit-like objects and common household objects that move out from behind a screen onto a stage and back behind the screen. Other videos will depict an actor interacting with those same objects. We’re interested in whether your child will look at the food-like objects differently from the common household ones. There’s nothing you have to do other than let these videos play while we record your baby's looking.

Let's Draw!

For 4- and 5-year-old children

Your child will watch a short video about a girl named Ana. Then your child will draw a picture. To participate, your child will need two blank sheets of white 8.5” x 11” paper (US Letter Size) and a regular pencil with an eraser.

Which face will your baby recognize?

For 5-month-old and 12-month-old full-term infants (at least 38 weeks of gestational age) who are regularly exposed to English language

Your baby will watch short videos of two people reciting children's stories. The sound will either match just one of them, or neither. We will then show your baby pictures of the same people, or a novel face. We want to see which faces your baby will pay more attention to.

Find the cause!

For babies ages 15 to 19 months of age.

In this study, your child will be shown short videos, where some objects make a machine light up and play music, and others do not. Then the objects are sorted into different boxes based on whether they made the machine work. At the end of the study, your baby will see some new objects and we will measure where on the screen they look. We are interested in whether babies predict which box the new objects will be sorted in.

Smiles and Masks

For babies ages 4 to 12 months

In this study, your baby will see pictures of 8 different faces shown on the left and right side of the screen. In some pictures, the same woman’s face will be shown; in other pictures two different women will be shown. Sometimes both or just one of the women is wearing a face mask; other times she will show a friendly smile. We are interested in which picture your baby prefers to look at. Before your baby looks at the pictures, we will ask you two questions about your baby’s experience seeing people wearing face masks.

Looking for more ways to contribute to research from home? Check out Children Helping Science for even more studies!