Franklin & Marshall College

We're always looking for kids and parents to participate in our projects — and the good news is, it's easy to get involved!

If you have children from birth through early adolescence, email us at or call us at 717-291-3825 with the following information. We'll add you to our database and, if your child is the right age for a current study, we'll talk about scheduling you for a visit.

• Parent name(s)
• Child's name
• Child's date of birth
• Contact phone
• Email address

In 2008 we were highlighted in the Lancaster New Era. Click here to read the article, and here's a short video they produced about us.

Here are some typical questions parents ask us:

My kid is (relatively!) normal. Don't psychologists study kids with problems and disorders?

It's true that many psychologists are studying important topics in atypical development (for example, studying ADHD or behavior disorders). However, Dr. Casler is a developmental psychologist who primarily studies normal development in order to better understand how typical kids are growing and learning about the world. (This sort of research often has effects in areas such as educational programming, social policy, and theory development.) The research conducted in the Child Development Lab focuses especially on cognitive development. For us, the big question is "How do kids think?"

Do you need children who are a particular age?

Right now most projects focus on toddlers and preschoolers. However, we maintain a database of local families with kids of all ages, because from time to time projects come up that require the participation of older children and teenagers. This database is kept very securely and no information is shared or sold from it. Please get in touch if you'd like to be added to our database (see above).

What do children do in your projects?

The projects we run are always games as far as children are concerned -- they're designed with little brains and bodies in mind! In other words, everything is made to be fun, short, and interesting. For example, one current study involves preschoolers learning about some unusual new objects, such as a "blicket" that rings a bell and a "dax" that's for crunching up crackers. Subsequently, we watch to see how children use these objects to achieve other goals. The kids usually have fun playing with us; many don't want to leave when they're done!

What do parents do in your projects?

Before we schedule a visit with you, we'll give you details about that specific project, and we'll fully answer any questions you have. When you arrive here, you'll sign a consent form, and we'll take some time playing and chatting to be sure your child is comfortable. When we move into an adjacent room for the session itself, you're welcome to sit with your child the entire time -- although of course we ask that you don't do the project for your child.

How long do the projects last?

Not long! Because we're generally dealing with very little people, most sessions last under 30 minutes, and usually they are single-session events. Occasionally, some studies require two sessions scheduled a few days apart.

Tell me more about your lab space.

In August 2007 we moved to a beautiful, new research suite. It's a kid-friendly place with a toy-filled waiting room, and if you come with other children, we can arrange for a friendly college student to play with the sibling(s) while the "target" child does the study in another room. We have a diaper changing station, a sink, and a fridge stocked with snacks, all of which come in handy for our littlest participants! The study rooms themselves are equipped with wall-mounted cameras and microphones so that we can record the sessions and review them later.

How do we get to you? What if I don't have transportation?

See our directions link at left, or click here. We are located on Old Harrisburg Pike and have free, reserved parent parking right in front of the building. If you are interested in having a child participate but cannot make it to us at F&M, sometimes we can see children at home or day care. Get in touch with us to discuss this option.

What's in it for me?

First, you know you're advancing the cause of science and knowledge! In addition, children receive a small thank you gift for participating, such as a book or a cute "Child Scientist" t-shirt. You also get to learn a little something along with us; although we don't analyze or report individual children's data (because we're looking for overall trends across entire groups of children), we send families a short report on our findings at the close of the study -- after all of the children have been tested.

Still have questions?

Call Dr. Casler at 717-291-3828 or email her at .