FAQ

Q: Who are we?
A: We are a research group headed by James L Dannemiller, Ph.D. at the Rice University. We conduct scientific studies on the development of visual attention during infancy. We hope to learn more about how infants attend to their environments, and we are particularly interested in studying changes in early visual system of 1-to-6-month old infants.

Q: What are the requirements for our studies?
A: Our studies generally require infants to be born within 2 weeks of their due dates. Some of our studies also require us only to test infants who have no family history if color blindness.

Q: Why should I participate?
A: The studies are fun and interesting, and your infant’s participation will help further scientific research. We hope to learn more about how infants attend to things in their environment. You might also be surprised at how attentive your infant can be in the lab setting.

Q: What age groups do you study?
A: We study infants from 1-to-6-months of age.

Q: How long do the studies take?
A: Studies can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, and they require only one visit to our lab. We usually schedule an hour in case your baby needs to nurse or rest.

Q: What will my baby do?
A: For about 15 minutes your baby will be comfortably sitting in an infant seat in front of a computer monitor and various patterns will be presented on the screen. We will simply observe your infant’s eye movements.

Q: Where will I be during the visit?
A: You will be with your infant during the entire session.

Q: What happens if my baby gets fussy?
A: If at any point during the session your baby should become fussy, we will stop the session. The comfort of your infant is more important to us than the study.

Q: Will my infant’s session will be confidential?
A: Yes. All of the information we obtain from your infant’s session will be kept confidential. Each infant will be assigned a code number and only the experimenters associated with the project will have access to the information.

Q: Will I know the results of my infant’s session?
A: Yes. After your infant's session is completed we will discuss the results with you. After the study is completed, we will send you a letter summarizing and interpreting the results.

Q: Is there any compensation for participation?
A: In appreciation for your participation in our study we will give your infant a T-shirt or a new book and reimburse you $10.00 for travel expenses.

Q: Can I bring my other children to the session?
A: Yes. You may bring any older siblings who will be looked after in a separate room.

Q: Where are you located?
A: Rice University, Sewall Hall, 3rd floor, Room 357. (Click here for the map and directions)