Parents

Our research depends on the generous support of parents and children who take part in our studies. We are always looking for volunteers to participate in our studies. You and your child could help. Please, have a look at the information below and then see if you would consider to bring your child to our lab.

Lab sessions are scheduled by appointment arranged with the volunteers. Prior to your appointment, you will have been contacted by a member of our team who will give you information about the specific study in which your child could participate.

What happens in a lab session?

The day of your appointment, we will welcome you and your child in our lab, provide further information about the particular study in which she/he will take part and answer any questions or concerns you may have.

Before starting the actual study session, the child will be given some time to familiarise with the space and with the researcher. Then, once the child feels at ease, we will start the actual working session.

At this point, the researcher will present the child with some tasks. The tasks we use are always adapted for young children; they consist of either an enjoyable game or narrative that is engaging for the child. For example, the child can be presented with pictures in a computer screen while they hear a short story, or with a little play enacted by puppets. The researcher may ask some questions during or after the presentation of the task and/or register some other indicators of the child’s understanding –such as where the child is looking at and for how long. The parent/guardian accompanying the child will be present throughout the whole session.

After the study session, your child will be given a little souvenir to thank her/him for her/his participation. A small amount to contribute towards your travel expenses will also be available.

We will be happy to provide some feedback on the session at this point, if you are interested. Most of the studies, however, will need the data from a large sample of children of the same age before any actual findings can be reported. If you are interested in learning about the final results of the study in which your child took part, we will forward a summary of them once the study is completed and inform you about any publication resulting from it.

How long does a lab session last?

It will depend on the particular study but we usually programme the session slots for a max. of 45 min to 1 hour in total. This time includes the welcoming/ ‘warm-up’ period and the feed-back post-assessment.

Can you and your child help us?

If your child is between 15 months and 6 years of age and you would like to help us, please fill in the volunteer participation form below or contact us. We will get back to you and let you know about any study in which your child could take part at the time; with this information in hand, if you wish to participate, we will then arrange an appointment with you.

Registering your child in this site does not commit you or your child to take part in our studies. Data provided will remain confidential, will only be used for the purpose of volunteer participation in our research and, upon your request, will be deleted at any time.

Thank you for your time and collaboration!