Welcome to the Social Cognitive Development Lab (SCD Lab)! Participants are always welcomed and appreciated. The SCD Lab offers a variety of fun research opportunities for children ranging between the ages of 3 months to 13 years old. If you would like to get your child involved, you can contact us by filling out a Google form which will be linked below once a study is underway. If you have specific questions about the studies, you can reach out to us at infantlab@siu.edu or siuinfantlab@gmail.com.
What happens in a typical study?
The procedures of our studies tend to be very simple and safe for participants. Our research studies typically last between 15 minutes to an hour, depending on the age of your child. Here is an idea of what happens in a typical study:
In Person
- When you and your child first arrive, we will bring you to a child-friendly waiting room to describe the specifics of your visit and give your child time to play and get used to the researcher and the lab space. Meanwhile, you will be asked to fill out any necessary paperwork.
- The child will enter the study room and be seated either in front of a small stage, a TV monitor, or be seated with a researcher.
~Above is an example of a small stage~ *Note: If your child is younger than 3 years of age, you will stay with your child through the entire study. If your child is older than 3 years of age, your child can decide whether he/she wants to participate in the study alone or with you. Of course, you are always welcomed to be present in the lab space as the study is being conducted. - The formats of the study vary depending on the research questions and/or the age of the participant. Your child either watches a researcher’s live actions, watches an image/video on a TV monitor, interacts with a researcher, or listens to a story being told by a researcher.
- During a study, your child’s live reactions (e.g. looking-time, verbal responses, choice behavior, etc.) will be captured on camera and will be analyzed by researchers.
- Once the study is complete, you and your child will be debriefed, and then offered the options of receiving a travel reimbursement or a small gift for the child.
- Before the study, we will have you fill out an online consent form for your child to participate. We will also send you a link for a Microsoft Teams video all.
- When you and your child log on to the video call, we will walk you through how to set up your screen.
- We will then obtain recorded verbal consent from you stating that your child is allowed to participate in our study.
- The formats of the study vary depending on the research questions. Typically, your child watches an image/video on the screen, interacts with a researcher, or listens to a story told by the researcer.
- During the study, your child’s live reactions will be recorded on camera and stored securely in our lab, with only our lab members allowed access to it.
- When the study is complete, we will debrief you and your child and offer an online gift card.
Can I bring the rest of my children to the appointment?
All of your children are welcome to attend the appointment, even if they are not participating! We have a waiting room full of fun activities and would be more than happy to provide complimentary babysitting services during the trial of the study.
Will I be informed about my child’s performance?
Our studies do not typically look at individual performances, as we are interested in the general trends of the sample as a whole. We would be more than happy to share with you the results of the study overall once it has been completed.
Where should I bring my child?
The lab is located in the Life Science II Building at SIUC in room 212. There is parking in lot 1 located Northwest of the building. For more information please click here