Our lab studies children aged 6 months to 6 years old. You can email us at chenyulab@austin.utexas.edu to sign up to participate.

You can also fill out our online participation form to be added to the UT Children’s Research Center database.

Parking and directions

One of our research assistants will meet you at the CRC, located in the Seay Psychology building at the corner of Dean Keeton and Speedway. Our research assistant will help you get a parking permit (if needed) and will escort you to our lab space.

If you drive to campus, please park on Speedway, directly in front of the CRC entrance in the spots marked Reserved F87 Permit Parking. You will receive a parking permit to use during your visit. Our lab is also accessible using public transportation. You can find directions here.

Direcciónes para el CRC en Español.

Child care

We have a waiting room with toys where other children can play during the study with one of our research assistants. During scheduling, we will ask you if you need childcare so that we can arrange for someone to be present.

Consent form

Before we begin, we will explain to you exactly what you can expect from our study. You will be given a consent form to sign should you agree to participate.

The study

We have several studies running in the lab at all times, so your visit may include some combination of the below methods:

Wearable technology and play: You and your child will be equipped with eye tracking glasses and hats, as well as motion tracking jackets. These wearable technologies help us measure natural behavior during play. After set-up, you and your child will be given toys to play with together just like you might at home! Set-up and play time takes about 30-40 minutes.

Video watching: For some studies, we will show your child videos on a screen while we record their eye movements. This often takes about 10-15 minutes.

Parent forms: Many of our studies will ask you to fill out a form about words that your child knows or ways that your child plays. These forms can take about 15-20 minutes to complete on our lab iPad.

After the study

Your child will receive a thank-you gift for coming into the lab (like a small toy, a book, or a lab t-shirt). We will then escort you back to your car or the lobby of the CRC.

Our experiments typically take somewhere between 30 minutes and 1.5 hours to complete. When you’re invited to come into our lab, the researcher will tell you how long that study typically takes.

If you and your child need a break for any reason or need to stop altogether, we will absolutely accommodate your needs.

Yes, you will be with your child during the entire visit.

Any other children you may need to bring with you on our visit will be playing nearby with a trained research assistant.

We typically invite families to visit our lab between 9-6pm on Mondays through Fridays. However, we are available in the early morning, evening, and on the weekend to best accommodate you and your child’s schedule.