Welcome, Parents!
If you and your child have already participated in a study, thank you! We are happy to share summaries of our findings with you once the study is completed.
Thank you for visiting our website.​
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Below are the current studies being conducted in our lab. If any of these studies interest you and you meet the eligibility requirements, please feel free to fill out an interest form that is linked for each study.
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Learn More about Our Current Studies!
Imagination & Friendship Study
Eligibility: Children between the ages of 4 to 6 that are English-speaking
In this study, we are curious to learn about how children think and imagine about others in pretend play and how they think about friendship. ​
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Participate from the comfort of your own home! The study is done through very secure password-protected Zoom rooms and will take around 30 minutes. Parents will also be asked to complete a survey. All information from the interviews and surveys are kept private and confidential.
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Interested? Please click here to fill out the interest form.

Developing Belief Study
This is a global study being conducted in over 15 countries to highlight the rich diversity in children’s religious thinking. We are aiming to understand how children and their caretakers from many different religious traditions learn about and develop religious beliefs.
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Participate from the comfort of your own home! Trained interviewers will conduct 2 interviews with your child (approx. 45 minutes each) through very secure Zoom rooms. Parents/caregivers will also be asked to complete a survey. All information from the interviews is kept private and confidential, and will be combined with responses from over 2500 children and caregivers from around the world.
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Update: We have finished collecting participants for the first Wave of our study! Thank you for all the interest and support so far!

Frequently Asked Questions
I am concerned that my child is not developing normally. Can you help me?
We do not evaluate or diagnose children in the Childhood Cognition Lab. We conduct basic research studies on cognitive development.
If you are concerned about your child, we encourage you to contact your doctor directly. The following links may also be helpful:
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I am considering allowing my child to participate in a study. What is generally involved?
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Our lab is located in the Psychology Building, Room 2132 on the University of California, Riverside campus.
Please note: We are located on the 2nd floor of the Psychology Building.

When you arrive, one of our wonderful research assistants will greet you and bring you up to the Childhood Cognition Lab.
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Once in the lab, one of our researchers will explain the in more detail the study you are here to participate for.
Our goal at the Childhood Cognition Lab is to contribute to scientific knowledge about child development, specifically the development of fantastical and religious thinking as well as the effects of media upon young children. While your child’s specific information is kept completely confidential, your child’s responses to the interview questions eventually will be presented to the scientific community through posters, lectures, and scientific articles.
Our interviews with children are generally structured to be short and children tend to enjoy the games and the one-on-one attention with our interviewers. Depending on the study, the interview can last anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes.
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