What happens when I fill out this form?

Once you sign up to the ChIRP research group website, the information you provide us will be protected and kept strictly confidential. Your online safety is very important to us and your information will never be given to a third party.

Once your child is eligible for a study, we will contact you through email or telephone. ‘Eligibility’ usually means that your child is at a certain age, but at other times we might ask if your child is bilingual, left-handed, or is atypical in his or her development. We will give you a brief description of the study and ask whether you would like to participate. If you agree, together we will book an appointment and provide you directions. Our studies typically require one visit to the University of Alberta for about an hour.

Please keep in mind that we will never give your information to anyone else. You are also free to remove your information from our database at any time.

All of our studies are made possible by the generous participation of parents and children. We are grateful for their help and interest!

What happens in a study?

We have different labs across campus running various studies. Click the link you are interested in.

The CCP (children starting at 3 years): The Centre for Comparative Psycholinguistics (the CCP) focuses on investigating language processing, primarily through the use of eye-tracking and computer-based experiments. ee About Us for more information.

Little Magpies Lab (infants up to 2 years): Studies with infants usually include looking at interesting objects on a screen while listening to sing-songy speech. Parents will be with their child for the entire session. See About Us for more information.

GLAD Lab (preschool years): Children in this lab will do play-based, storytelling tasks that focus on the differences between monolingual and bilingual language development and how gesture is incorporated when expressing thought. See About Us for more information.

How do I get there?

Once your scheduled visit is confirmed, you will be given detailed instructions on how to get to your lab.

Can I bring my other children?

Yes! We can accommodate any siblings or other children tagging along. Please let us know when scheduling your appointment and the age of the other children so that we can make the appropriate arrangements.

What happens to my child’s data?

The data we collect in our studies are used for research purposes only. Every time you and your child participate in a study, the experimenter/researcher will explain what you can expect prior to starting the procedure. You can stop the study at any time.

All of the data collected in our studies are anonymized - that is, your child will be identified only with an arbitrary ID number when we analyze and store the data. We will not identify individuals when presenting results. Each study in each lab under the ChIRP research group has been reviewed and approved for its adherence to ethical guidelines through the Research Ethics Board at the University of Alberta prior to contacting families.