Our experiments are short and playful, adjusted to the needs of babies, with the parents present throughout the time - just like in a playhouse.
By studying infants and toddlers, countless interesting things can be uncovered about our mental processes and their developmental stages. Thus, babies can aid us in the thorough exploration of the human mind.
It might be an exciting discovery for parents, as well, to see and interpret their babies' behavior from an other aspect, too!
The researcher and the assistants welcome the baby and the parents. In a short, free-form play, the baby gets acquainted with the researcher who tries to build rapport with the baby to create a pleasant atmosphere. Meanwhile, the parents are informed about the exact course of the research (5-15 minutes).
As the baby gets comfortable in the lab, the research begins! The research can be conducted by various different methods (see below), always in a playful way, with the parents present at all times (5-30 minutes).
After the experiment, the baby can still play in the lab. In the meanwhile, we explain to parents what we have found out about babies' understanding of the situation and their way of thinking (5-10 minutes).
BEHAVIORAL EXPERIMENTS
How the tested ability (eg, theory of mind, memory) can be found in the actions and choices of young children in a playful, structured, experimental situation?
EYE-TRACKING EXPERIMENTS
Using the so-called eye tracker, eye-tracking monitor, we conclude on the thinking processes of young children. What and how long is the baby watching the story, video, or images shown on the screen?
EEG EXPERIMENTS
Based on the baby's brain waves, we conclude that brain activity is associated with which mental process.
During our registration, our staff will sign your child in our database. Your child’s data will be stored in a secure, password-protected database, accessible only to researchers and assistants. All of our research is conducted in a specific age zone when there is a research starting in the age of your child, we will contact you by phone. During the telephone consultation we try to find the best time for the family to visit. Participation is, of course, voluntary for all our research and can be modified or canceled at any time.
Our online experiments are similar in many ways to face-to-face testing. When a child reaches an age group where we are currently researching, our colleagues contact you by email and/or phone.
The exact course of the testings may vary slightly from research to research. In general, all you need is a quiet room, a laptop/desktop, a speaker and microphone, and a webcam to participate. The length of the situations may take up to 15-25 minutes. Our colleagues share with you the exact details and technical condition of the processes and the information-consent statement related to the research when contacting.
We use screen recordings to videotape online experiments. According to our data management rules, we store these in strict confidence on a password-protected computer or an external storage device.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our colleagues at elte.babalabor@gmail.com or babalabor@ppk.elte.hu.
In connection with COVID-19, our lab has taken safety precautions such as increased disinfection of surfaces and toys, ensuring continuous street ventilation of rooms, and so on.
The experimenters wear face masks during testing, which is also mandatory for children’s companions.
When our staff contacts you to make an appointment to participate in one of our research, we will inform you in detail about our actions. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact our colleagues at elte.babalabor@gmail.com or babalabor@ppk.elte.hu.
The Baby lab can be reached by public transport or by car. Our address: 1064 Budapest, Izabella street 46. If you are coming by tram (4, 6), you must get off at Oktogon and the Izabella is the fourth cross street. It is the first cross street from the M1 stop Vörösmarty Street (Puppet Theater). Trollies 76 and 73 stop almost in front of us. Parking is available only on the street, unfortunately it is not free.
No official document and no participation fee in the research is required.
Yes of course, we are glad to welcome small and big brothers, sisters and family members. The accompanying brothers and sisters also have the attention of our assistant during the research period, and there are also many games waiting for them as well in the playroom.
Yes of course, we try to adapt to the baby’s daily routine and needs. We can provide a separate room upon request.
None. Our experiments are completely safe, they are much like a playhouse experience. Our experiments are made in a fun, playful situation for the babies. You can stay with your baby all the time, during most of the experiments mothers keep babies sitting in their lap. Of course, at the request of a parent, the experiments can be interrupted at any time, or if we see that the baby is feeling unwell, the test is discontinued.
Completion of a baby test is usually a long process: after the examinations, the researchers are still working on data processing and statistical calculations. While data is being processed, the recordings of the experiments are preserved in the Psychological Institute. The results will be published in the form of scientific lectures and studies, and will be made available here on our website as well. Your child’s data is handled confidentially, in these studies the results are analyzed solely in summary, your child will not be mentioned specifically and will not be identified in any way.
The participation is always voluntary. If you no longer wish to participate in our experiments, please write to elte.babalabor@gmail.com
ELTE Babalabor
1064 Budapest, Izabella street 46.
(+36) 30 806 3000/5654
elte.babalabor@gmail.com