The Friendship Project is a group of scientists at the University of Texas at Dallas interested about what third grade is like. We want to know about how third graders make and keep friends, and also what happens during those friendships.

This page is devoted to answering any questions you might have.

What is a "psychology lab"? 

Psychology is the study of people and the many ways we think, act, and feel.

Psychologists work in a variety of ways and places. Some psychologists have offices where they meet with people who come to them when they are troubled by something - maybe they are having problems in their family, or are feeling sad or afraid. Some psychologists work in companies, helping people
succeed in their jobs. You probably even have a psychologist in your school, helping kids who might be having trouble with their schoolwork, or maybe are fighting with a friend, or who are just feeling worried, angry, or sad.

All these psychologists are trained to do their jobs by studying research done by psychologists who work in psychology labs (short for laboratories), like The Friendship Project.

Psychologists do research like any other scientists -- by conducting experiments as well as watching people do ordinary things. Sometimes psychologists do their work in actual laboratories and sometimes they go out in the "field" - to people's homes, schools, places of business - to do their work. By conducting interviews, filling out questionnaires, and sometimes giving people special tasks to do, psychologists gather information, called data, and look for patterns in that data that show them things about how people think, act, or feel.

Research done in psychology labs is important to understanding ourselves and others, just as research done in medical laboratories is important to understanding our bodies and keeping them healthy.

By participating in the Friendship Project, you are helping us to understand how young people make and keep friends, and how special qualities of friendships are related to doing well at school, and feeling good about yourself. 

If you agree to be part of the Friendship Project, you would be invited to be interviewed at the beginning and the end of the five-year study, come to our Friendship Project lab every year just after your birthday with your parents and your best friend, and do some short testing at school every year for about 30 minutes. 

Even if your parents agree for us to invite you to be part of the Friendship Project, the choice is still up to you and you can choose not to answer questions or to stop participating at any time. 

Thank you for considering being part of the Friendship Project!