Project Description:

Development of social and intellectual integrity is a primary goal in education. In our Labs, we have long studied the moral development of children and youth. We engage children in stories and games that allow us to observe their judgements of honest and deceitful story characters and provide participants with opportunities to consider whether they should break rules or resist the temptation to do so in different situations.

In this study, your child will engage in 10 sets of games and stories with us on an electronic device. The activities will take place over Zoom at a mutually convenient time; we will need your assistance to set up some of the games for us (detailed instructions will be sent in advance). There are several stories that focus on characters who choose to act in honest or dishonest ways, during these stories we will ask your child what they think of the characters' choices and why, to gain insight to your child's perspectives. During the games, your child will be given opportunities to break the rules of the games, which is an entirely age-appropriate behaviour and is what interests us. We will also ask parents to answer a few short surveys about your child.

Our plan is to conduct the study over a 3-year period to discover how, over time, children develop moral perspectives, but we do not ask families to make such a commitment when they sign up for our study; We'd check in with you annually. Furthermore, you and your child are free to withdraw from the study without penalty at any time.

Each session will be recorded and stored in a secure and encrypted location. We will also provide an identification code to ensure the anonymity of you and your child. We have UBC ethics approval #H20-03126 for this study.

Eligibility: We are currently seeking interested parents with children from ages 5 to 7. A computer/laptop/tablet with a working webcam and microphone and a stable internet connection are necessary.

Study Duration: The activities will be completed over two sessions. Each session lasts for one half to one hour.

Compensation: Whether you and your child complete the study or not, your child will receive a certificate of participation and families will receive an honorarium in the form of a $25 gift certificate for your participation.

Contact us: If you are interested in helping us out or have any inquiries, please respond to this webform, and we will respond to you within a week! You can also call us at 604.947.2066 in British Columbia or 506.477.8679 in New Brunswick if you are interested in helping us out. Thank you!