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Marketing and University Communication UW-Green Bay, CL 815 2420 Nicolet Drive Green Bay, WI 54311-7001 (920) 465-2626 E-mail: hildebrs@uwgb.edu Last update: 3/6/08 |
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In
the News Archive - Year:
February 26, 2008 New Learning Lab study is child's play UWGB tracks toddlers' language development By Sara Boyd
By simply playing with a few toy trucks, he contributes to research to determine a toddler's language development, said Jennifer Zapf, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay assistant professor.
"This is not a test of how good are they; it's not like that at all," she said. "We're just interested in what typical developing children look like."
Zapf is conducting a study on the development of a toddler's grammatical growth at the new Language Learning Lab at UW-Green Bay.
The study is conducted on toddlers from age 1 1/2 to 3, Zapf said, to determine what a 2-year-old's grammatical development looks like.
A participating child, like Liam, is asked to select certain toys and to respond to a few questions. For example, Zapf and her research assistant will ask the child to identify one toy and then a number of toys to see if the child can comprehend and produce the English plural — such as saying "a duck" versus "ducks."
"If we know something about the way children pluralize words, we can predict what's to come next," Zapf said.
If the child is not able to produce the plural, Zapf looks at why that might be through other trials, she said.
"Children are actually able to produce the plural more with more things on the table," she said. "So if you have four dogs, they'll be more likely to use the plural then if you have two dogs."
Martha Ahrendt said her son, Liam, had a blast during the study, and they were able to contribute to research that could help all parents.
"To participate in this seems like it's giving back, in terms of being able to help forward knowledge about childhood development," Ahrendt said. "I think it's important to support this kind of research."
As a professor and a parent, Zapf said the research is fascinating because of all that can be learned of the child's development.
For now, Zapf said she just needs more participants.
Research assistant Robyn Gabel, a senior psychology major at UW-Green Bay, said the experience she's gained already has helped her understand her field more in-depth.
"It's completely different than sitting in a lecture hall," she said. "It's like finally getting to do a hands-on application."
Ahrendt said participating in local studies is important, and she would encourage any parent to get involved.
"This is knowledge that is good for everyone," she said.
"One participant is not going to tell you anything. It's easy, the kids enjoy it, it's not overbearing in terms of time — and it's great to participate in something that could lead to more information that I could use about my child, or that someone else (could use) to understand their child better."
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