Our Research

All Families Lab
Aims to understand how we can raise happy, kind, and resilient kids. Our research focuses on parents' and children's mindfulness, mental health, and the role of cultural factors in development. We are especially interested in adolescent development, spanning ages 9 to 17. We are currently recruiting for a number of projects, including:

The parenting experience

We want to hear from you, parents! In this study, parents complete super short 5-to 10-minute online surveys about how they felt and thought about being a parent during their day, each evening for 16 days. Comprehensive, longer surveys are also completed before and after the 16-day period. Don’t worry, we’ll send reminders on your phone at a preset time each evening so you don’t forget about your daily survey! As a thank you, you’ll receive $1 per completed daily survey in addition to the comprehensive surveys, plus a chance to win one of five $300 gift cards to a store of your choice.

Participant criteria: Parents of children 3 to 12 years of age. Daily evening access to a smartphone, tablet, or laptop. Good English comprehension. Must be living with child's other parent.

Understanding mindfulness

Calling children and youth between 13 to 17 years of age! You are invited to participate in an online survey study examining mindfulness and its link to thoughts and feelings you have about yourself and your family or friends. You’ll complete a brief 30-minute online survey on your own device, and then a second one 2 weeks later. As a thank you for completing both surveys, you will be entered into a draw for prizes, like a tablet or a gift card to your favourite store.

Participant criteria: Youth between 13 and 17 years old. Can write, read, and understand English. Currently in school or will return to school in September. Currently living with parent(s) or adult guardians. To participate, email families@sfu.ca with your name and age!

Grow to Care Lab
Aims to learn about what children and adolescents (ages 5-15 years) think, how they feel, and what they do in a wide range of socio-moral situations. With this work, we plan to develop strategies that parents and teachers can use to encourage youths’ kindness and positive peer relationships. Our current projects include:

Children's Positive Emotions Study

We are studying how parent-child discussions may shape children’s positive emotions and behaviours. This online study takes approximately 45 to 60 minutes to complete. You will engage in a parent-child discussion about stories, your child will participate in an individual interview where they will play interactive games, hear stories, and answer questions about those stories, and you will complete a survey. You will be thanked for your time with a $25 DoorDash gift card and a $5 Amazon gift card for your child’s efforts.

Participant criteria: Parents and their children ages 6 to 9 years old, families must reside in British Columbia, parents must be fluent in English, and children must be able to understand and speak English. Families must have two devices with audio and video functionality (e.g., smartphone and computer).

Navigating Emotions and Conflicts in Adolescence

We are investigating how youths' experiences of both positive and negative emotions affect their behaviour and overall well-being. This online study takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. You will complete a short survey and engage in a conversation with a research assistant over Zoom and, as a token of our gratitude, you will receive a $10 Starbucks e-gift card.

Participant criteria: Adolescents ages 14-18 years old, must reside in British Columbia, be English-fluent, and have an electronic device with audio and video capabilities. To participate, email gtclab@sfu.ca with your name and age!

Language Learning and Development Lab
Studies language learning in infants, children, and adults. Current research projects include:

The "Jewel" Study

We are investigating parent communication styles across different languages and cultures with a network of research labs in Japan, Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Italy, and France. This study has two online questionnaires (5-15 minutes each) plus a visit to our Burnaby or Surrey labs that takes between 60-90 minutes, where you will be asked to play with your child while video and audio will be recorded. You will be thanked for your time with a gift package containing a $10 gift card and a child-sized t-shirt.

Participant criteria: Parents with children aged 18.5 months +/- 3 weeks. Language background: monolingual (English-only) or bilingual (English + Cantonese/Mandarin).

The "Basel" Study

We are investigating the way bilingual parents speak to infants in their natural home environment. This study consists of a meeting over Zoom, some initial questionnaires, and 1 day (16 hours) of passive recording. We will send you a package in the mail with all materials necessary for this project. You will then mail all the material back to us using the prepaid envelope provided. This study does not require you to visit any of our laboratory locations at any time. You will be thanked for your time with a child-sized t-shirt and a $30 e-gift card.

Participant criteria: Parents with children aged 6-18 months. Language background: Bilingual parents who speak English as their second language.

Phonological Processing Lab
Focuses on child language acquisition and adult phonological processing. Using eye-tracking and artificial language learning, the lab examines speech processing and word recognition in real time. Current projects:

Alienology

This series of studies examines the learning of complex sound patterns by adults and children. Specifically, we ask whether and how individual phonological patterns can be combined, and how that combination affects listeners’ ability to access lexical information.

We are not actively recruiting at the moment, but you can find out more about our current research here.

SFU Child Research Group

Our Research

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