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Our research depends on volunteer parents, children, and college students. Volunteers sign up for short 30-minute to 2-hour studies so that we can measure how humans learn. Many of our studies ask participants to answer survey questions or play video games. Some of our studies use imaging methods to detect brain activity, such as EEG monitors. We love meeting everyone who comes in and we try our best to ensure everyone who comes in here leaves having had fun and learned something new!
Sign Up for Our Participant Pool
Sign Up for Our Participant Pool
If you might like to participate in a study, you can sign up for our participant pool and, in the future, we will reach out via email or text to see if you want to visit the lab for a study. When we contact you we will go over what the study is about, what will happen in the study, as well as other small details. You can also ask us any questions you have about the study. If you decide you want to participate we will then work on scheduling an appointment for you. Participation in any study is completely voluntary.
How a Session Runs:
How a Session Runs:
Every study we do has different tasks and events, but they all have a similar structure. We have two main kinds of studies: Behavioral studies and MRI studies. Click the relevant tab below to find out what will happen during each study. If you're scheduled for an appointment, the Researcher should have made it clear which kind of study you'll be doing. If you are not sure, please contact us and we can clarify any confusion.
To start the study we will meet you outside of our testing space to guide you in if possible. Then we will reiterate what you'll be doing during the study. We will go over the necessary paperwork with you and your child will have the chance to pick out a toy to keep at the end of the session.
Behavioral Studies
Behavioral Studies
Your child’s participation in the behavioral tasks will last anywhere between 15 and 120 minutes. Testing will take place at Margaret Morrison Carnegie Hall Room A15D, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. We will provide your child with frequent breaks, and they will also be encouraged to ask for breaks when they need them.
If your child is participating in behavioral tasks, your child will be asked to play games on a touch-screen computer. These games will ask your child to match and compare objects based on categories such as color, size, shape, or amount.
Your child will also be asked some standardized test questions on the computer and/or by one of our experimenters. Such questions may include age-appropriate math problems (e.g.: What is 3 + 3?), categorization tasks with blocks (e.g.: Do these three blocks have the same color? Do they have the same shape?), memory tasks (e.g: Can you repeat the following list of numbers back to me? 2, 5, 6, 1), or vocabulary and reading questions (e.g.: What does “ c-a-t” spell?). Throughout these tasks, your child will be rewarded with stickers.
MRI Studies
MRI Studies
The MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) machine is an amazing scientific and medical tool. With it we can get a clear picture of your brain and see which parts of the brain are active during certain tasks! And since we are using magnets to get these images, the use of MRIs is completely non-invasive.
However, while the use of and exposure to the MRI is completely safe, we do like to take precautions. The MRI is a big magnet, so we want to be careful about what we bring or wear when we do a study involving it. Before scheduling you for a study we will go over some screening questions with you and we will give you some advice about what to wear to the session. You will also be screened again at the beginning of the study and right before you step into the MRI room.
Neuroimaging sessions will last approximately two hours (45 minutes for paperwork and questions, 30 minutes in the practice scanner, and 45 minutes in the real fMRI scanner) including breaks. The neuroimaging tasks will be done at the Brain Imaging Data Generation & Education (BRIDGE) at Carnegie Mellon University.
If your child is participating in neuroimaging tasks, they will first be introduced to our simulation scanner. It is a model of the actual scanner they will perform the study’s tasks in. In the simulation scanner they will practice the tasks to be done in the real scanner. They will also be introduced to the sounds they should expect in the real scanner and they will practice laying still for the real scanner.
For the actual scanning, your child will be asked to lay down on a table which will slide into a large scanner which will allow us to take images their brain. While in the scanner, your child will be asked to play games on a screen in the scanner. These games will ask your child to match and compare objects based on categories such as color, size, shape, or amount. They will also watch a clip from a popular movie.
Your child may also be asked to participate in behavioral tasks which generally consist of short standardized tests or games similar to MRI tasks done on a touchscreen computer.
Directions:
Directions:
We have three locations where participants engage in our studies: The CMU Children's School (for child behavioral studies), Baker Hall (for adult behavioral studies), and The Mellon Institute (for MRI studies). We will provide you directions about which location you should visit.
Children's School
Children's School
Our Behavioral Studies with children are held in the lower level of Margarat Morrison Hall on the Carnegie Mellon University campus near the Children's School. Someone will be waiting for you outside of Margaret Morrison Hall facing Frew Street to guide you to our lab space.
If driving you can navigate to 5130 Margaret Morrison St, Pittsburgh, PA 15213.
Baker Hall
Baker Hall
Our Behavioral Studies with adults are held in the 327 & 329 wing of Baker Hall on the Carnegie Mellon University campus. Someone will be waiting for you outside of the wing to guide you to our lab space.
If driving you can navigate to 4909 Frew St, Pittsburgh, PA 15213.
Mellon Institute
Mellon Institute
Our MRI studies take place at the BRIDGE Center located in the Mellon Institute on the Carnegie Mellon University campus. Someone will be waiting for you at the Dithridge St Parking Garage to swipe you in and bring you to our lab space.
If driving you can navigate to 252 S Dithridge St, Pittsburgh, PA 15213.
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