UQECDU
20-11-2008, 08:36
Hi mums and dads!
I've come here before to post about social and developmental research involving babies and children at the University of Queensland, and I've always gotten a good response. We are currently in particular need of babies aged 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, and 18 months to participate in some studies we are running in November and early December (though we welcome all parents of children aged 5 and under to express their interest, as we are constantly running new studies!). Participation in these studies involves coming to the University of Queensland, St Lucia, for a one-off session that lasts between 30 and 45 minutes. Kids are never separated from their parents and they receive a small gift and certificate for participating as a thank-you. We make every effort to ensure that kids enjoy themselves, and our studies focus on their natural behaviour, cognitive development, language ability, play, imitation, etc - no injections or electrodes! :p I've included details of the studies involving the age groups I mentioned below.
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6- and 9-month-olds:
What do babies expect to be attached to hands? In this study, babies watch human hands (the "owner" of the hands is hidden behind a curtain) playing with a toy. The curtain is drawn back, and babies see either a person or something surprising, like a shop dummy - do they look longer if they see something one wouldn't expect?
6-, 9- and 12-month-olds
How good are babies at imitating an adult's approach towards grasping an object? Different objects need different types of grasping in order to be held properly. If a baby watches an item being grasped by an adult in a particular way, how well can they copy that?
Can babies tell the difference between normal and scrambled bodies? We show babies pictures of normal bodies or scrambled bodies (e.g., with the arms where the legs should be). Do they prefer looking at one type of picture over the other?
9-, 12-, and 18-month-olds
Can babies tell the difference between male and female bodies? We show babies pictures of male and female bodies, wearing the same clothes and with their heads covered. Do they prefer looking at pictures of one gender over pictures of the other?
18-month-olds
How well can babies learn from picture books? We read babies a book about making a toy, then after a delay, we see how well they can make the toy themselves. What qualities of picture books can help maximise babies' learning?
Can babies tell the difference between correct and incorrect counting? We show babies a video where fish are counted either correctly or incorrectly. Do they discriminate between the two types of counting?
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So as you can see, we have a lot of studies! The roughly half-hour session you come in for will include all the studies focusing on your child's age. If you are interested in participating, or would like any more information, please feel free to contact me using the details below - I test kids whenever parents are available, including weekends. The final day I will be testing will be December 5th, as I am then going overseas! But many of the studies will continue without me.
My contact information:
Philippa Neary (Research Assistant)
Early Cognitive Development Unit, School of Psychology, UQ
http://www2.psy.uq.edu.au/research/ecdu/ (http://www2.psy.uq.edu.au/research/ecdu/)
Lab phone: (07) 3365 6323 (if you get the answering machine, feel free to leave a message – I check it frequently!)
Email: p.neary@psy.uq.edu.au (p.neary@psy.uq.edu.au)
Many thanks! :)
I've come here before to post about social and developmental research involving babies and children at the University of Queensland, and I've always gotten a good response. We are currently in particular need of babies aged 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, and 18 months to participate in some studies we are running in November and early December (though we welcome all parents of children aged 5 and under to express their interest, as we are constantly running new studies!). Participation in these studies involves coming to the University of Queensland, St Lucia, for a one-off session that lasts between 30 and 45 minutes. Kids are never separated from their parents and they receive a small gift and certificate for participating as a thank-you. We make every effort to ensure that kids enjoy themselves, and our studies focus on their natural behaviour, cognitive development, language ability, play, imitation, etc - no injections or electrodes! :p I've included details of the studies involving the age groups I mentioned below.
----------
6- and 9-month-olds:
What do babies expect to be attached to hands? In this study, babies watch human hands (the "owner" of the hands is hidden behind a curtain) playing with a toy. The curtain is drawn back, and babies see either a person or something surprising, like a shop dummy - do they look longer if they see something one wouldn't expect?
6-, 9- and 12-month-olds
How good are babies at imitating an adult's approach towards grasping an object? Different objects need different types of grasping in order to be held properly. If a baby watches an item being grasped by an adult in a particular way, how well can they copy that?
Can babies tell the difference between normal and scrambled bodies? We show babies pictures of normal bodies or scrambled bodies (e.g., with the arms where the legs should be). Do they prefer looking at one type of picture over the other?
9-, 12-, and 18-month-olds
Can babies tell the difference between male and female bodies? We show babies pictures of male and female bodies, wearing the same clothes and with their heads covered. Do they prefer looking at pictures of one gender over pictures of the other?
18-month-olds
How well can babies learn from picture books? We read babies a book about making a toy, then after a delay, we see how well they can make the toy themselves. What qualities of picture books can help maximise babies' learning?
Can babies tell the difference between correct and incorrect counting? We show babies a video where fish are counted either correctly or incorrectly. Do they discriminate between the two types of counting?
----------
So as you can see, we have a lot of studies! The roughly half-hour session you come in for will include all the studies focusing on your child's age. If you are interested in participating, or would like any more information, please feel free to contact me using the details below - I test kids whenever parents are available, including weekends. The final day I will be testing will be December 5th, as I am then going overseas! But many of the studies will continue without me.
My contact information:
Philippa Neary (Research Assistant)
Early Cognitive Development Unit, School of Psychology, UQ
http://www2.psy.uq.edu.au/research/ecdu/ (http://www2.psy.uq.edu.au/research/ecdu/)
Lab phone: (07) 3365 6323 (if you get the answering machine, feel free to leave a message – I check it frequently!)
Email: p.neary@psy.uq.edu.au (p.neary@psy.uq.edu.au)
Many thanks! :)