Today@Dal

The Early Social Development Lab at Dalhousie University is currently looking for parents and their children who are 5- and 6-years of age to participate in a study on the role of parents and culture on sharing in children based on group membership and need. To participate, children must be typically developing and fluent in English. ​

Children will first be assigned to one of two teams, the red team or the green team, and will then be given a uniform including a t-shirt and a wrist band representing their team colours to wear for the rest of the study. Next, children will play a sticker sharing game where they will have the option to share or not with same-sex fictitious children from the red team and the green team who either have lots of stickers or no stickers. This study allows us to see whether or not children share more with other children who belong to the same group as them compared to children who belong to different groups and how the recipients need effects children’s sharing decisions. Children can take a break if they become tired or restless. Child sessions will be videotaped so we can check our scoring accuracy, but only if you consent to us doing so. However, if you do not consent to videotaping, your child can still participate!

One parent/legal guardian will be asked to complete two questionnaires: (1) Social Economic Status Questionnaire (SES-Q) and (2) Adult Resource Allocation Task (ARA-T). The SES-Q asks you to report the highest level of education you have obtained and your perceived social status as compared with other people in Canada. In the ARA-T, you will be presented with stories about 4 people who are currently fundraising to alleviate a current monetary problem. You will then be given the opportunity to allocate some money between yourself and those in the stories. You will also be asked some questions about how you perceive each of the individuals in the stories. Any parent of an eligible 5- to 6-year-old child who is fluent in English may participate in this study.

This study may also be conducted in Iran to explore how need and group membership affect resource allocation across two cultures. If you consent, you and your child’s data may be used in this future cross-cultural comparison. As always, any data collected by the Early Social Development Lab will be de-identified and anonymous. Any identifying information such as consent forms or videos will NEVER leave the Early Social Development Lab. Participating in the cross-cultural comparison is optional and if you do not consent you and your child can still participate!

This study involves one ~30 minute visit to the Early Social Development Lab at Dalhousie University. In general, we’re available 7 days a week and at flexible times to accommodate your family’s schedule. We have reserved parking for parents and children receive a small toy, stickers, and a certificate as a thank-you for coming in. For every child who participates in the study, the family will be entered in a draw for a chance to win a year long family membership to the Discovery Centre located in Halifax, NS.​ If you have any questions or are interested in participating, please contact us by email at esdl@dal.ca or phone at (902) 494 6106.