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How much time is required?
This depends on which study you have signed up for. If you are participating in the Preschooler Emotions Project (for children aged 3-4) and this is your first visit, your visit will last approximately 2 1/2 to 3 hours. If you are participating in the Preschooler Emotions Project and this is your second visit, your visit will last approximately 2 - 2 1/2 hours. If you are participating in the Emotion and the Brain Project, your visit will last approximately 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
Do I get any type of reimbursement for participating?
To acknowledge your and your child’s time and effort, you will receive monetary compensation in the amount of $20 - $50, depending on the study. In addition, your child will receive some gifts to take home, including toys and a certificate, and your child also gets snacks and performs fun activities during the session.
Do I need to be present at the lab myself, or can I have a babysitter or nanny bring my child to the study?
All of our participants are pairs consisting of mothers and children and all of the questionnaires must be completed by the child’s mother. For these reasons, we would ask that the participating child’s mother be present at the lab with her child during the study. If, for whatever reason, a child’s mother is unable to attend, please let us know in advance. We can possibly arrange to send the questionnaires to his or her mother by mail if necessary. The only exception to this is if you are coming into the lab for your second visit as part of the Preschooler Emotions Project. In that case, the child’s mother must accompany her child to the lab because there are a series of tasks in which children and their mothers play games and work on activities together.
Does the study include any invasive measures?
No. The Emotion and the Brain project involves putting a special cap on your child’s head and electrodes will be snapped into the cap. This allows us to record brain activity while your child plays a computer game. During your second visit as part of the Preschooler Emotions Project, we will apply two electrodes to your child’s skin, one near your child’s chest and the other near your child’s belly. These electrodes stick on like stickers. Both of these measures are completely non-invasive.
What is EEG?
EEG, or electroencephalography, is a method used to non-invasively observe human brain activity. An EEG is a recording of the brain waves, or the electrical signals naturally produced by the brain. This is done by placing electrodes on your child's scalp. The electrodes send the signals to a computer that reflect the brain's activity. The procedure is painless, and there are no risks to your child. The assessment will be conducted as part of the Emotion and the Brain project during which your child will play a fun computer game. The session has a space theme in which the children are astronauts and the room your child will be in is decorated like a spaceship.
How are families selected?
Families are recruited through flyers that are sent home to daycare centers and schools in the New York City area and through postings on the Craig’s List website. Interested families contact the lab by phone at (212) 650- 3878 to learn more about the study and schedule a visit to the lab.
Are there certain days or times that visits can occur?
We try to be as accommodating to our participants as possible because we understand your busy schedules and appreciate your commitment. We encourage you to provide us with times and days that work best for you. We are able to schedule sessions during the week and on Saturdays if necessary, and we can schedule sessions for as late as 5:00 p.m.
How do I get to the Emotion Regulation Lab?
We are located in the North Building of Hunter College. Please see our Directions page for specific information on how to get to Hunter College by public transportation or by car.
What should I bring?
If you are coming in for the Emotion and the Brain project or for your first visit as part of the Preschooler Emotions Project, we will send you one questionnaire in advance of your session. We would ask that you please bring this questionnaire with you when you come into the lab for your visit.
How should my child dress for the visits?
Your child should wear clothing that is comfortable for indoor play. One of the tasks involves blowing bubbles and another involves drawing with markers. Also, your child will be given a snack during the session. Therefore, we recommend that you avoid dressing your child in clothes that you are concerned might become soiled during these tasks.
If you are coming into the lab for your second visit as part of the Preschooler Emotions Project, we would ask that your child wear a t-shirt or a similar style shirt to facilitate the application of the electrodes. Please do not have your child wear a turtleneck-style sweater.
What should I tell my child before the visit?
We recommend that parents tell their child that he or she will be playing with some new toys and playing games with a new person. Please do NOT tell your child about any of the specifics of the tasks that we have discussed with you. It is very important for the study that each child has the opportunity to react to each of the tasks naturally, without any expectations of what will occur.
I have other children. Can I bring them?
It would be best not to bring any other children so that you and your child are not distracted. Please keep in mind that we will ask you to complete a series of questionnaires during your visit while your child interacts with our research staff. However, if you cannot make other arrangements, you can bring your other children and we will try to provide someone to watch them. If you are planning to bring other children with you, please give us several days advance notice by calling our project coordinator, Beylul Solomon, at (212) 650-3878 or e-mailing us at emotionregulationlab@gmail.com.
What should I do if I have to cancel a visit?
If you are unable to keep your scheduled appointment time, please contact our project coordinator, Beylul Solomon, at (212) 650-3878 or by email at emotionregulationlab@gmail.com as soon as you can. We would be happy to try to reschedule for a more convenient time. Please also keep in mind that we will call you two days before your scheduled appointment to remind you about your visit. If, at that time, you know that you will need to reschedule your appointment, please let us know.
What will you do with the results?
The results from the project will be published in various psychological research journals and books. We will also send you updates about the results periodically in our study newsletter. Only group data will be reported in any reports or publications derived from this research, and none of the information from any single child or family will be reported or published. If you wish to discuss your child’s specific results, please contact our project coordinator, Beylul Solomon, at (212) 650-3878 or by email at emotionregulationlab@gmail.com and we will schedule an appointment for you to come into the lab to meet with Dr. Dennis, our director.
How long will the study last?
We are planning to conduct follow-up studies for both the Preschooler Emotions Project and the Emotion and the Brain project. We hope to be able to follow participating children and their families through elementary school in order to understand the long-term development of emotion regulation.
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