Does having a pet dog in the home contribute to a baby’s healthy development?
That’s the question postdoctoral fellow Nicole Sugden and Professor Janet Werker in the UBC department of psychology are trying to answer—and they need your help. They are seeking families with infants to take part in new research examining how the presence of a dog in the home of an infant may contribute to enhanced language abilities in very young children.
Interested families with infants between two and six months of age are invited to participate. Both families with and without pet dogs are eligible. We typically schedule a one-hour appointment at our centre on the UBC campus. Although the tasks themselves only take about 15 and three minutes respectively, we always allow extra time for parents to chat with the researcher, fill out some paperwork and to meet any of the baby’s needs during the visit. Parents interested in taking part can sign up online here or contact us directly by phone at 604-822-6408 or by email at infants@psych.ubc.ca