Current Projects

The Language Acquisition Research Center at Hunter College conducts studies that focus on young children's knowledge and use of language. The children who participate help us understand how we acquire language.

All of our research is conducted in an informal atmosphere: at the child’s home, at a daycare center, at the Hunter College playroom, or at any other location convenient for the parent. Participating is fun for children and gives parents valuable insight into their child’s language skills.
 
For further information about the center or any of our studies, please take a look at our list of Frequently Asked Questions or contact us. We will be happy to answer any questions you might have.
 
Below is a list of our current studies. Click on one of the following links to learn more about a particular study.

Kidprime

PARTICIPANT REQUIREMENTS: 3 to 5 years of age
Male and female
English speaking only
Normal hearing

PURPOSE: The goal of Kidprime is to study the role of input in language acquisition. We look to see whether children will create new sentence patterns based on the models that we provide.

LENGTH: The study consists of one 1-hour session and sometimes a 30-minute follow-up session done two weeks later.

PROCEDURE: During the sessions, the child and the experimenter play language games. In one game, the child and the experimenter take turns describing what is happening in simple scenes. For example, the child sees a picture of an action such as a dog brushing a cat and is asked to describe what is happening. The child may also be asked to repeat the descriptions given by the experimenter. In the second game, the experimenter asks the child to look at pictures and to pick out the picture that best matches the experimenter’s description of what is happening in the picture.

BENEFITS: Our games are fun for children and give parents the opportunity to observe their children’s language skills. Each child who participates receives a stuffed animal at the end of the session.

Rapid Changes in Young Children's Speech

PARTICIPANT REQUIREMENTS: 22 months to 2 1⁄2 years of age
Male and female
English speaking only
Normal hearing

PURPOSE: At this age, children acquire an extraordinary amount of new language. In this study, we are interested in understanding the periods of rapid change in children's language and the developments that occur at this time. We are also interested in learning how parents speak to children.

LENGTH: A preliminary session of approximately 1 hour will help us determine whether it is the best time to work with your child or whether it is perhaps too soon. If we find that your child’s language is in the stage of rapid change, you will be invited to participate in 1 to 12, 1-hour long sessions, held approximately once a week.

PROCEDURE: In the study, we engage children in fun games and audiotape parents and their children in natural conversation.
BENEFITS: Children enjoy the routine of having a visitor come by just for them and have a lot of fun playing our games. Parents gain insight into their child’s language abilities and may choose to receive progress reports, outlining their children’s development. Each child who participates receives a stuffed animal at the end of the study.

Bilingual Did/Will

PARTICIPANT REQUIREMENTS: AGE: 3-7 years of age
Male and female
Bilingual children Only

PURPOSE: We are interested in what children understand about words related to time.

LENGTH: The study consists of one 1-hour session

PROCEDURE: In a session, we may ask your child to imitate some sentences, and we may ask your child to choose items or pictures from miniature scenarios. In the imitation game, we ask the child to repeat sentences that we have said, such as, "the cow drinks the milk." In another game, we might show the child two pieces of paper and say that we want to fold both of them. Then we fold one piece of paper and ask the child either, "Show me the one I did fold" or "Show me the one I will fold."

BENEFITS: Each child who participates receives a stuffed animal at the end of the session.

Second Language Learning Skills in Children

PARTICIPANT REQUIREMENTS: 5-10 years of age; Male and female; Speakers of English as a second language and Monolingual English speaking children

PURPOSE: The goal of the project is to understand how second language learning in adults differs from second language learning in children. The researchers concentrate on specific aspects of English grammar, such as sentence structure when formulating questions.

LENGTH: The study consists of one 1-hour session and sometimes a follow-up session done one to two weeks later.

PROCEDURE: Children play a computer game in which they are asked to listen to recorded sentences and then to indicate whether the sentences they hear sound “correct” or “incorrect.”

BENEFITS: Children have an opportunity to practice vocabulary words and various aspects of English grammar. The results of the study may have pedagogical implementations. We anticipate our results to include data on what aspects of language are most difficult to learn and possible why this is the case. Each child who participates receives a stuffed animal at the end of the session.