How does it work?

By reading the stories with your child and sending us their answers, you help us better understand how children see the world. Amy is our main character, and she is going on four adventures. Caterpillar is our narrator, and he is going to ask questions about the story.

To begin, read the introduction story with your child. Then, your child can choose one of four coloured doors to send Amy on an adventure. Read them the corresponding story, and ask them Caterpillar's questions, which are embedded throughout the story. Record their answers as you go. Then, simply send us their answers using our online quesionnaire. Finally, download a printable "thank you" certificate for each story they complete. There are four to collect - one for each of Amy's adventures!

What are you trying to find out?

As we grow, the way we perceive the world changes and develops. Typically, children in this age range are learning to deal with multiple points of view when it comes to truth and belief. When reading a story, for example, do they stay with the narrator, or do they put themselves "in the shoes" of each character? What can this teach us about the way kids' brains work? This is the type of question this experiment will help us to answer.

Why do you need to work with kids?

Kids' minds are amazing! Every stage of their development is unique, and capturing data at each of these stages gives researchers valuable insight about the way we acquire knowledge and skills. This research helps to inform educational practice to the benefit of teachers and pupils alike.

Is it a test? Can my child fail?

Because children's brains are different to adults' brains, they see the world differently. This is precisely why there are no wrong answers in this experiment.

Sometimes, your child may provide an answer that's the same as the one you would give. We call this an "adult-like" response. Other times, they may provide an answer that doesn't match what you would say, but may match the viewpoints of a character in the story....or not! We call this a "non-adult-like" response, and it tells us a lot about what's going on inside kids' minds.

Of course, all children are different, and lots of things can influence their responses - not just their rate of development, but also how imaginative they are feeling, how engaged they are with the story, what other narratives may be floating around in their minds at the time, how tired/hungry they are, etc. Please be assured, this experiment is NOT meant to be a test of how "adult-like" your child's responses are - we're genuinely interested in what they have to say, and all responses are equally valid.

What about data protection?

The only personal data that you will need to send us is your full name and your child's age in months and years. You can also send us your email address if you'd like to be updated with the results of the experiment and our work. All the data will be encrypted and stored safely on a password-protected University drive. At any time, you are free to request the removal of your data from our system, without needing to provide a reason.

What if I still have questions?

We're happy to hear from and speak to you directly. 

If you have any questions or concerns about the manner in which the study was conducted please, in the first instance, get in touch with us using the information provided on the Contact Us page.

If this is unsuccessful, or not appropriate, please contact Wendy Davison, PA to the Dean of Research for the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, at wendy.davison@ncl.ac.uk.