What should you expect if you decide to participate?

We collaborate with many preschools, daycares, and elementary schools in the Pittsburgh area. If the school or daycare your child is attending is one of our collaborators, you may receive a letter asking your permission to include your child in our studies. Your child’s participation is completely voluntary; all of our researchers are extensively trained and have completed a criminal background check; and our thinking games are fun! At the end of the school year your school will receive our Newsletter for Parents that details the progress of our research.

We also invite children and their parents to participate in our research by visiting our lab on the campus of Carnegie Mellon University. Your visit will be brief (30 minutes or less), you will have complimentary parking right next to our lab, you will be able to observe your child participate in the study, and your child will receive a small thank you gift for participation (a water bottle, a t-shirt, or a small toy). We are currently inviting 2 ½- to 9-year-old children to participate in our research on campus.

How can you sign up for one of our studies?

If you receive a letter from your school asking your permission to have your child participate in our research, you can simply sign the consent form and return it to your child’s school. If you decide to participate in one of our on-campus studies, please e-mail us at cogdevlab@andrew.cmu.edu or call us at (412) 268-8190.

Where is the Cognitive Development Lab?

We are located in Margaret Morrison, adjacent to Carnegie Mellon’s Children’s School. Please click here for map and directions.

What if you have other children and do not have a babysitter?

If you decide to sign-up one of your children for our on-campus research but need a babysitter for your other children, Cognitive Development Lab has a supervised play space located next to our research space. Siblings are welcome to come along with you to the lab and play with one of our research assistants!

Thank you for your interest and participation!