The Living Lab

We work in the community where we demonstrate the nuts and bolts behind research with children. Right now we are currently working with the Manitoba Museum to bring developmental science into the community.

Below we discuss some ongoing projects you might have seen at the museum. If you participated, thank you for supporting our research! This page outlines what we have been learning about child development in our studies so far. We hope to see you soon!

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Also check out these online safety tips from the Winnipeg police: https://winnipegpolice.substack.com/p/keep-your-kids-safe-online.

 
 

Data Ownership

Dates: Dec 2022 - May 2023

Overview

Children are using the internet more and more. When they use the internet, they often share personal data, like their name or their address. We already know that very young children understand that physical objects, like a bike, can be owned. However, we do not know as much about children’s understanding of digital items like their data. In this project, we are investigating how children think about sharing data online and if they view their data as property. In the study, children are told about a character who shares personal information like their school’s name, and general information they share, like kids, who go to school. We are then asking children who they think should be “in charge” of this personal information after it’s shared versus general information. We predict that older children will be more likely to think that they are in charge of the personal information that they share. If they reason in this way it would mean that they recognize that apps should allow them to make important decisions about their data. This project has important implications for children’s ability to recognize when apps might be violating their rights.

Results

We found that at around age 8, children begin to understand the difference between personal and general information. Older children (ages 8-12) think that they should be in charge of their own personal information instead of the game. Younger children (ages 4-8) did not recognize the difference between personal and general information. They were also unsure of who should be in charge of information. This study suggests that children can be educated earlier on who really has control of data once it is shared online.

Read more research

Data Safety

Dates: Feb 2023 - Present

Overview

Sharing personal information to those who we do not trust may pose a risk to our safety. In a related study, we are showing younger children a story about a peer who plays a game that shares the peer’s personal information, such as their name and address, with other kids. We are then asking children if they think the game is “nice” or “mean”. We are interested in learning at what age children think sharing personal information with others is a violation of their rights. We predict that although younger children may not understand who should be in charge of their data, they understand that their information should be protected.

In a follow-up study, we show a similar story where the game shares the information with or without consent. We then ask children whether they think this game is “nice” or “mean”. We predict that even younger children will say the game is "mean" if it violates consent.

Results

We found that by age 8, children evaluated a game sharing personal information more negatively (less nice and less desirable to play), than a game that does not. Younger children (age 5) did not view a game that shares personal information any differently than one that does not. Children’s judgments gradually decreased with age.

This project is still in progress. Check back in Apr 2024 for Part 2 of the results!

Data Transfer Beliefs

Dates: Mar 2023 - Present

Overview

Some online apps require the transfer of personal information from the user to the app. In this study, children are told a story about a character who shares personal information, such as their address, with an online game. We then ask children what they think the game is allowed to do with the information. We also ask what they think the character is allowed to do with the information. Children are shown different types of actions and asked to make judgments about them. We predict that children will think the character has greater rights over the information than the game. We also predict that children will deem actions that are lower risk (such as looking at information) as more permissible than actions that are higher risk (such as selling information).

Results

So far we are finding that children ages 8-11 years old will judge that apps should be able to do less with a user data’s than the user can. This includes sharing it with others and selling it. However, unexpectedly, children also think that people generally should not sell their data. We are exploring this finding further to see if its due to confusion on our task or truly reflects beliefs about the morality of selling one’s information.

This project is still in progress. Check back in Apr 2024 for more results!

Social Media Sharing

Dates: Oct 2023 - Present

Overview

Social media has become a part of everyday life for many people. In this study, children and parents are told a story about mothers who use social media to post videos of their children and of themselves. Across scenarios, we ask children and parents if the posts should remain up or be taken down. We are interested in learning if children and adults think the same way or differently about informational autonomy. We think talking about these concerns is important in navigating social media usage and also helps support parent-child relationships when online.

Results

This project is still in progress. Check back in Aug 2024 for our first findings!

Museum Learning

Dates: Jan 2024 - Present

Overview

People are likely less interested in learning about a topic that they think they know a lot about. In this way, how much we think we know likely affects our motivated to learn. But, research suggests that people often do not know as much as they believe they do. This research project wants to understand how (and whether) we can increase visitors desire to learn about science in museums by revealing such thinking errors (i.e., over estimates of knowledge). Children (10-12 years old) and adult museum visitors will be asked about how they think about exhibits, and how interested they are in learning more about the exhibit after being asked. When describing how an exhibit works, we predict people will realize what they don't know (i.e., realize they have a thinking error) and will then want to learn more to fill in the gaps in their knowledge.

Results

This project is still in progress. Check back in May 2024 for our first findings!