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Brigham Young University
What is this for?
The goal of our research program is to gain an understanding of early infant development. In particular we are interested in studying what young infants know and what are the processes that help them in learning. See our publications section for more information about the types of things we tend to investigate.
Will I receive any compensation?
Unfortunately we are not able to offer any monetary compensation. Without parents who are willing to have their infants and children participate in various research projects our overall understanding of child development would be very limited.
Who is this research being done under?
Ross Flom who is a professor of psychology here at Brigham Young University is the director of the Infant Development Lab. In addition to Ross there are about 10 undergraduate psychology and neuroscience majors who oversee the daily operations of the lab including the scheduling and testing of participants.
How did you know I have a child?
Through an agreement with the Utah Department of Vital Statistics we receive the names and addresses of those persons who have given birth in Utah County. These records are confidential. The names, addresses, and child’s date of birth are in no way shared with anyone.
How did you get my phone number?
Based on the names and addresses we simply use an electronic phone book (i.e., Qwest dex) and look up each individual record. If we contact you and you do not want to participate that is fine. If you do not want to participate in the current experiment, but perhaps another experiment later, be sure to let us know. Finally if you do not want to be called ever again be sure to let us know - that way we won’t call for an upcoming study and we can mark your record as “Do not call”.
It is absolutely essential to reiterate at this point that everyone’s participation is voluntary. If we contact you, you will have the experiment explained to you and we will answer any question that you may have about the experiment in terms of what will be done, why it is being done, the purpose of the experiment – until you are satisfied. Also once you arrive you will again be given the chance to ask any question whatsoever regarding the experiment.
How long does it take to participate?
Most experiments will take no more than thirty minutes from the time you arrive until the time you leave.
Do I get to be with my child during the experiment?
Yes, you are always with your child.
Who makes sure that your studies are ethical?
Each experiment is reviewed by Brigham Young University’s Institutional Review Board. This board consists of various BYU faculty and they evaluate each and every study at BYU involving human participants at least once a year to make sure that they conform to Federal and University guidelines for the protection of human participants.
Where do I park?
We will come out to give you a parking pass and direct you as to where to park. We will be waiting outside at the gate to meet you. If we are not there, simply let the person at the gate know and they can call us.
What do I do if I suddenly can’t come?
Just call the lab at (801)-422-9409 and you can reschedule or cancel.
Will you tell me how my baby did?
Only in a very general way – all of our studies are based on the average performance of several infants (usually about 30 or so). In addition, babies are highly variable depending on the time of day, their own mood, whether or not they are hungry etc. As such it is hard to tell much about any one baby’s performance. We can, and will tell you however, something of the general pattern of results for any given study.
How many babies do you see in a week and when do you see them?
We tend to schedule about 25-30 infants per week. All babies come in between about 9am and 2pm or thereabouts.
Question not here? Call us at: 801-422-9409 if we are unavailable please leave a message and we'll get back to you.
