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How
can you contact us?
You can call us at (865) 974-9228 to schedule an appointment or find out more
about our research. You may also e-mail the IDRC at idrc@utk.edu or Dr. Wass at
twass@utk.edu.
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How do we get parents’ names?
Local hospitals have agreed to distribute information about our projects to
parents who deliver a baby in their hospital. They do not give us any
information about you, rather the decision to find out more is yours. If you
return the postage paid postcard to us, then we will contact you with more
information and see if you want to come in for a project. There is no obligation
to participate.
In addition, we can identify parents who have recently delivered through
the use of state databases. We send letters to new parents. You only receive
this letter via mail if you deliver at a hospital that does not distribute
our information. Immediately after sending the letters to parents, we
destroy their contact information. We have no way of contacting parents
a second time, unless they contact us to express an interest in
participating.
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Who can participate?
We recruit babies who range in age from 8 weeks to 9 months old, as well as
their moms and dads, to participate in our studies. Usually, we focus on typical
developing infants; however, we are planning future studies that will
incorporate infants with special needs. In addition, in the spring we will be
inviting pregnant women to participate in a study looking at the brain
development of the fetus during pregnancy using 3-D ultrasound.
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Where do the studies take place?
Most of the projects take place in our office. We are located in room 116 of the Jessie
Harris Building at the University of Tennessee. Free parking is provided and
directions can be found on this web page.
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How much time does it take to participate?
For most studies, you should plan on spending 30 minutes in our office. During that
time, we will explain what we do and give you the opportunity to ask questions
before you decide whether you and your baby will participate. The games that
your baby will play typically only last 10 to 20 minutes. If you are asked to
participate in a study that requires a bigger time commitment, we will tell you
before you schedule your appointment with us.
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Will we be compensated for our time?
For most studies, we pay families $10 for coming to our lab to participate.
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Will I be able to watch my child during the study?
Yes. Parents are in the same room as their child during the entire session. If
you ever want to stop the session, you can do so at any time.
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Can I bring my other children?
Yes. We have a waiting area with books and toys and will arrange for an extra
person to be available to watch your other children if you tell us that you are bringing them with you.
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What if my baby gets fussy?
We can stop the session or take a break if you think it is necessary for any
reason. You will not be separated from your baby at any time, so you can tell us
if you want to stop the session or take a break.
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What do we do with the results?
The results from the studies are analyzed and then
presented at professional conferences and published in professional journals. We
will post the results on our web page and can notify you of those postings if
you provide us with your e-mail address. We never identify individual children
in any of these forums. Rather, we present data that summarizes the performance
of groups of infants.
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How can I sign up to participate?
If you have not already signed up to participate, you can do so now by clicking
on the "Contact Us"
icon located in the left column. You will be redirected to a page where you can
enter and submit your contact information. Once you contact us, your name will be added to our database and we will contact
you when your child is eligible to participate in one of our studies. You may
also e-mail us directly at idrc@utk.edu.
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