We invite you and your child to participate in our studies on language and cognitive development.

Each study involves a one-time visit to our Centre in the Department of Psychology at McGill University. Studies are scheduled at your convenience, and usually take about 15 minutes, although we recommend planning about 30 minutes so that we can describe the study and answer any questions you might have. You'll be with your child at all times. Older siblings are welcome to come along, as we have a play area and can provide a baby-sitter. We provide parking or reimburse your travel expenses.

In a typical study, your child would sit in your lap (or in an infant seat near you) and would be presented with sounds like speech, or music, and with visual displays such as toys, animations, puppet shows or live action. We observe your child's spontaneous responses to the sounds and visual displays. Infants often respond to things they find more interesting or surprising. By measuring infants' responses, we can find out what they understand about language, about other people, and about the world around them.

Although our studies only involve a single visit, many infants and parents enjoy their experience in our studies and come back for new studies as their children grow.

Finding Our Centre