Play and Learning Across a Year (PLAY) Project - Children 18 to 24 months old
STUDY BASICS
Are you the parent of a child 18 to 24 months old? You and your child may be eligible for a research study to learn more about the factors that affect human learning and development. Be part of the first large-scale study of what babies do at home. Compensation is provided.
STUDY PURPOSE
The primary goal of this research is to learn how children and mothers interact at home and how that interaction and the home environment affect learning and development. Researchers have spent decades studying how children learn and behave with their mothers in laboratory experiments. However, what natural activity looks like in the home and the variety of homes that children learn in are not well documented.
COULD THIS STUDY BE RIGHT FOR YOUR CHILD?
Child
- 18 to 24 months old
- Not been diagnosed with any disability, such as a cognitive, auditory, vision, motor impairment or delay
Both parents at least 21 years of age
Mother willing to participate
WHAT PARTICIPANTS CAN EXPECT
- A home visit from a researcher (2-3 hours long)
- You and your baby will go about your daily activities
- Researcher will ask you some questions about your home, baby and family
- Researcher will video record the entire visit
- Videos will be placed in a secure video library that is available only to researchers
IRB: STUDY23050141B
- Play and Learning Across a Year (PLAY) – PLAYCollectionMEET THE RESEARCHER

Melissa Libertus
Melissa Libertus, PhD, is a Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Libertus’s research interests include brain development, how children think, and how parents support children’s learning.