A visit to the Baby and Child Lab

If you have registered with us and your child is the right age for one of our studies, we will give you a call or email you. We will describe our study, and if you are happy to take part, arrange a convenient time for your visit. If you let us know in advance you can bring along siblings and one of our researchers will play with them while your child is taking part.

When you arrive outside the building we will meet you and take you to the Baby and Child Lab.

Once there we spend some time in the play area. We will offer you tea or coffee and give you more detailed information about the study. Then we will ask you to sign a consent form for your child’s participation.  This gives children time to become familiar with our staff and play with toys, read stories or draw.

After getting to know each other, the parent, child and researcher go to a study room where children discover new games and apply themselves to new tasks. Parents have the opportunity to watch but do not actively participate. Our studies are always designed as fun games using familiar toys or using new invented fun objects.

If you are not in the room with your child, there is a special observation room where you can watch.

Studies normally last between 20 and 30 minutes. Afterwards children receive a present as a little thank you for participating.

The whole experience is designed to be fun for the children from beginning to end!

Research with older children often takes place at primary schools. When we visit we take time to get to know the children and then invite them to play games that we bring with us for our studies.