Generally our studies take the form of simple games in which we present babies with
various interesting things to look at and listen to. In some studies we show the
babies short video clips or cartoons on a computer screen. Other studies are more
interactive and involve showing babies different toys or objects.
In addition to studies where we simply observe babies behaviour whilst playing with
them and showing them different objects, in some studies we also use methods for
measuring brain activity and following eye movements. All these methods are of course
completely safe for you and your baby, and everything will be explained to you before
you agree to come and visit us. All procedures are appraised by the University Ethics
committee before studies commence.
When babies are thinking of something, listening to sounds or looking at pictures,
their brain produces very weak electrical signals. We know that in older children who
have difficulties with language and learning, these brain signals look different, and
we know that the earlier these children are identified, the better their chances of
fulfilling their potential!
Electric activity in the brain is produced by all of us all the time and it varies according to what kind of activity we are engaged in. It can be recorded by sensors that are gently placed on the head.
These are passive sensors — that is, they only record information — and nothing comes out of sensors like nothing come out of thermometer measuring your body temperature. We use a well-known Geodesic Sensor Net system, which is used world-wide for infant studies and is absolutely safe! Usually babies do not mind wearing this funny hat for 5–10 minutes it takes to do our quick study!
If you decide to come and visit us, you will be with your baby at all times. Your baby will either sit on your lap or in a baby chair.
The whole visit usually takes about 45–60 minutes, but the tasks themselves are quite short, usually 5–15 minutes.
Babies grow up quickly so we always need more babies for our studies. At the moment most of our studies involve babies under 9 months of age, but we are planning to have several studies for toddlers. If you sign up, we will phone you whenever your baby is the right age for one of our studies. Of course you are not obliged to participate and may drop out at any time.
We keep your baby’s details in a secure, password-protected database. We also will keep your contact details and some information about the pregnancy and delivery. The data we store are not disclosed to anyone outside the research team.
We will usually phone you 1–2 weeks before your baby is the right age for one of our studies. Participation in studies at the IRCD is on a voluntary basis, so although you may be asked to come in several times, you can always decline participation in a study. You are of course also free to let us know if you no longer wish to be contacted.
If you are coming by car, free parking is available. Otherwise, we will refund your travel expenses.If you live in East London we may be able to book you a cab. See section How to find us.
There is a waiting room with toys, so you can bring your other children too, however, please inform us in advance so that we can arrange for an additional staff member to be present.
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