Hello, and welcome to
the Infant Cognition Lab! The purpose of this page is to give you a
better idea of what parents and children experience when they come to our
lab at Carnegie
Mellon University
to participate in our studies. This virtual lab tour will provide a
step-by-step walkthrough of a typical visit to the Infant Cognition Lab.
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Once you ring the buzzer at the gate to our parking
lot, a research assistant will be out shortly to open the gate and walk
you to our lab in Margaret Morrison. As soon as you enter, you will be in
the greeting area. Here the experimenter will explain a little more about
what's expected of the parent during the study and answer any questions
you may have. If you decide to bring other children with you on your
visit, another research assistant will stay behind and play with them in
the greeting area while you and your child are participating in the
study.
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After the necessary paperwork has been signed and the procedures
explained, the experimenter will take you down the hall to one of our
study rooms. Currently, we run two types of studies at the Infant
Cognition Lab, and a typical visit will usually involve one of each. To
learn more about our individual studies, visit the "Current
Studies" page.
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The first type of study is called a video study. You
will be seated at one end of a table and there will be a TV monitor on
the other end. Your child will sit on your lap and watch a series of
simple, animated geometric figures on the screen. Meanwhile, the
experimenter will be seated at a nearby computer where he or she will be
keeping track of how long your child looks at the screen.
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When the video study ends, the experimenter will take
you across the hall to participate in a toy study. Once again, you will
be seated at one end of a table with your child on your lap, and the
experimenter will sit at the other end. The experimenter will then model
a few simple actions with some toys while your child watches. Your child
will then have a turn to play with the toys. After observing your child
play with the toys for a few minutes, the process will repeat a few more
times. After that, you're finished participating!
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Here at the Infant Cognition Lab, we are always
grateful to have you participate in our studies! As a thank you gift for
coming in, you'll get to choose from a T-shirt for your child that says
"I'm a Scientist!" or a mug for you that says "My baby is
a sientist!"
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Thank you for your interest in our research here at
the Carnegie Mellon University Infant Cognition Lab! We hope to see you
soon!
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