BABYPAL - LEARNING
The study will take place at the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge.
We are recruiting infants between 5- and 8- months-old, as well as between 11- and 13-months-old.
What is the purpose of this study?
We are interested in exploring how infants' learn about their environment through building associations between sounds and pictures, how they form predictions, and once they have learnt these associations, how their predictions change with new information. We think this process may be disrupted in some developmental disorders, but first it’s important to understand how this learning occurs in typical development.
What will happen if I take part?
You will be asked to visit the Cambridge Babylab on at least one occasion and may be asked to return to participate on subsequent occasions. However, it’s up to you to decide if you want to return to take part in future studies.
Your infant will always be with you during your visit to the Babylab. During the experiment they will be seated comfortably in a high-chair in front of a computer monitor. You will be able to sit next to them. They will see pictures and hear sounds while their looking behaviour is recorded using an eye-tracker. All the pictures are designed to be engaging and infant appropriate. If they do not enjoy the experience, then the experiment will end.
During the BabyPaL study there are 2 short paradigms to complete (approximately 5-minutes each), with the opportunity to play in between! We anticipate that this part of the study will last around 45-minutes.
A typical visit to the Babylab will also involve filling out some questionnaires. This may take an additional 30-60 minutes or so. However, to save time we will send you a personalised online link so you can complete the questionnaires online.
How are we ensuring you and your family, as well as the Cambridge Babylab Researchers are as safe as possible in the current climate?
We have developed innovative ideas to make the Lab space safe for you and your family to visit, so we can begin testing again. See this document to understand the COVID-19 related changes we are making. These will be updated every few weeks according to the most up-to-date Government Guidelines.
If you are interested in helping us with our research then please email Addie Billing directly (ab2712@cam.ac.uk), Levi Baljer (lb934@cam.ac.uk), or the Cambridge Babylab (babylab@psychol.cam.ac.uk).
