Frequently asked questions

How do I get to you?

If you are driving to us, some of our sites have free on-site parking. Please ask our researcher in advance if you would like them to arrange a parking space for you. Alternatively we are within easy reach of public transport. If either of these options is hard for you, please mention this to our researcher we can discuss other ways of getting to us.

 

My child has an older brother or sister. Can I bring him/her in for my visit?

If necessary, and you let us know in advance we can arrange for someone to sit with an older sibling while you and your and your younger child take part in a study.

Is participation in the studies paid?

Apart from giving you a small present to thank you for your participation in our studies, we are unfortunately not able to pay our participants.

How long do studies take?

Each visit usually takes about 1-2 hours, although the actual length of the study will be much shorter than this as we like to allow time for babies to get accustomed to their new environment by playing with toys before they start the study. Some of the studies involve just one visit to the lab, others are spread across several separate visits.

What if my child does not want to participate on the day?

We try to make our studies as fun and enjoyable as possible for the children to participate in, but we recognise that young children change day-to-day, hour-to-hour, and there are many reasons why your child may not feel like participating on the day of the appointment: teething, illness, tiredness, and so on. If it does not work out on one day, we can always rearrange participation in the study at a later date. We have changing and feeding facilities at the centre. Water, tea and coffee are always available for parents and carers.

 

Can I find out if my child is developing normally from the data you collect during your studies?

Our studies are not intended to be diagnostic tests that give results on the development of an individual. The information we receive from the babies is grouped to provide overall results. We do not study the performance of individual babies.

 

 

How are my baby’s details stored?

We keep your baby’s details in a secure database. The data we store are only disclosed to registered researchers.

 

 

Where are you located?

The studies we run are hosted at different sites in Cambridge. The researcher who contacts you will email you a map showing the location of the centre where the study is being hosted.