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Cognition and Motivated Behaviour Lab

Department of Psychology
 

 

 

We are running 2 studies investigating memory and cognition in babies (the BaM study) and mothers/women (the WaM study).

If you are a mother of a child/children aged between 1 and 4 years AND you are based in Cambridgeshire, you are invited to BOTH the BaM and WaM studies! Participating in both studies will be incredibly helpful in aiding with research investigating the interaction between child development and mother’s lifestyle. (Of course you may take part in just one of the studies if you wish – this is equally helpful!) 

– No children or not based in Cambridgeshire, but still want to take part?
No problem! The WaM study may be the option for you! –

If you are a woman who has never been pregnant, who is currently pregnant, or who has been pregnant in the past 3 years (up to 42 months), wherever you are based in any part of the world, we welcome you to the WaM study. The WaM study is fully ONLINE aiming at understanding how pregnancy/motherhood and lifestyles factors impact women’s cognition.

Interested? Read details below and sign-up via these links:

BaM study information sheet and sign-up link: https://forms.gle/uJ1EAzcQgoHZAXum8 

WaM study information sheet and sign-up link: https://forms.gle/nAwADiHLJG25gHJc9

 

BaM: the Baby and Memory study

For this study, we are conducting an experiment investigating memory and cognitive development in infants and toddlers. We will also be exploring health-related factors that may contribute to individual differences in these developments.

Who can participate?

We are currently recruiting infants and toddlers between 11 months and 49 months and a parent. Any parent can take part in BaM - however only the birth mother can take part in both this and the WaM study.

What will happen if I take part?
If you choose to take part, you will be invited to the BabyLab in Cambridge where you, the guardian, will be asked to fill out some parent-reported measures (such as demographics, health information about your child etc.) This questionaire is availbable online and can be finished off at home if needed. Your child will be asked to complete a series of tasks and games designed to measure memory. We have designed this study to be as engaging and interactive as possible. The child measures include taking part in memory-testing card games, toy games and tablet-based tasks. The entire session is expected to take 2.5 hours. Those taking part will recieve a plush toy for their child and reimbursement of all travel expenses.

For more information on this study, find the information sheet as well as sign up form here: https://forms.gle/uJ1EAzcQgoHZAXum8 

 

WaM: the Cognition in Women and Mothers study

This study is designed to understand women’s cognition and its association with pregnancy, motherhood and health factors. Women’s health has been gaining more research attention in recent years; however, cognition in women is a relatively under-studied topic. While cognitive ability is crucial for guiding our everyday life – ranging from completing tasks at work to taking care of children, it remains largely unknown how it may interact with a number of factors. These factors may include our health,  lifestyle, as well as pregnancy and motherhood experience. This study will invite you to share your experience, so that we can understand how these factors may influence women’s cognition, both in the short and long terms, with a hope to promote awareness of cognitive health in women

Who can participate?
We are recruiting women who have not been pregnant, who are currently pregnant, or who have given birth in the past 3 years. All participants must be aged between 18 and 45. We particularl welcome non-carrying and adoptive mothers (who have never experienced pregnancy) to take part.

What will happen if I take part?
You will be invited to complete the self-reported measures and a set of cognitive tasks that can be done fully online. The self-reported measures will ask about demographics (e.g. age, ethnicity, education) and some health-related (e.g. height and weight, medical history, pregnancy and birth, pandemic-related experience, mental health) and lifestyle (e.g. physical activity, diet, sleep, mother-child interaction, if applicable) information. They will take around 40–50 minutes to complete. The cognitive tasks are some memory and facial recognition games that will take around 20 minutes to complete. The entire session will last around 1 hour.  Those taking part will be entered into a prize draw for a £50 amazon voucher!

For more information on this study, find the information sheet as well as sign up form here: https://forms.gle/nAwADiHLJG25gHJc9

Want to do both? Great! We are particularly interested in investigating the overlap between these studies - how womens experience during pregnancy influences both their own and their child's cognition. Those completing all elements of both studies will qualify for an additional £30 amazon voucher on top of the other study-specific incentives.  Simply sign up for both studies with the same email address, and/or email us at Campsychresearch@gmail.com with the subject: Combined mother and baby study.

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Volunteer:

If you would like to take part in a particular study, or to be added to our contact list of interested volunteers, please drop us an email on campsychresearch@gmail.com