Weaning is an important developmental milestone. It’s an exciting time for parents and babies, if sometimes a bit messy! We are interested in how babies’ motor skills improve as they learn to use spoons to feed themselves, and we are exploring how different types of utensils influence the development of these skills.

In this fun, exploratory study, we will give your baby the chance to try out some weaning spoons at the UCD Babylab. We will use cameras to record them while they do so. We will then give you some spoons to take home and try out for the week, and invite you back about a week later so we can record your baby’s self-feeding again - and see how they have improved! The sessions are short, baby-led, and designed to be enjoyable.

We are inviting parents and caregivers who are thinking about weaning their babies to take part. We are looking specifically for babies aged 6 months (give or take 2 weeks), who will not have had more than 2 weeks of weaning experience before coming to the Babylab.

If you are interested in taking part, please fill in this form.

If your baby is not yet at the right age for the study, you can still register your interest in taking part.

What is this study about?

The Grasping, Learning and Observing project (GLOVE) is an MSc study being conducted at the UCD Babylab. We are investigating how babies’ motor skills help their social development. Babies learn to relate to other people by watching what others around them are doing. We know that the parts of the brain involved in how we move and perform actions (the “motor system”) are also active when we watch other people. In this study, we are recording brain activity to understand how babies use their motor systems to learn about other people’s actions. We also want to understand what happens in the motor system when it is difficult for the babies to match their own movements and actions to other people’s.

What will happen during the study?

During the session, your baby will wear a soft cap and gloves, and participate in fun, attention-grabbing activities. They will watch one of lab members reach for and play with different toys while we record their brain activity with non-invasive technology called EEG (electroencephalography). EEG measures brain activity through sensors which are inside sponges attached to a special cap. This is not painful and does not cause any more discomfort than wearing a swimming cap. The sensors on the cap record “brain waves”, little electrical pulses that everyone’s brain generates all the time. By recording these little pulses, we can look for changes in your child’s brain as they watch the actor’s movements.

For part of the study, your baby’s hands will be free and unrestricted. For another part, we will gently restrict their movements with gloves and hypoallergenic, sensitive skin tape which is designed to be easily removed. This method has been used in research before.

We invite you to take part if your child:

• is 9 months of age (+/- 2 weeks)

• is born >37 weeks (i.e., full-term)

• has not received a clinical diagnosis or is not awaiting further investigation of a potential neurological or developmental condition.

Who is leading this study?

This study is being conducted by Lydia Mc Gee and Elena Pavalachi, who are MSc Behavioural Neuroscience students at the School of Psychology at University College Dublin (UCD). They are supervised by Dr Áine Ní Choisdealbha and Associate Prof Nuala Brady.

How can I get involved?

If you are interested in participating, please complete this registration form!

What is the STAMP Project ?

We know that the ability to reason about space is closely linked to doing well in maths and can even influence the types of careers children might choose in the future, especially in science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) fields.

The Spatial Thinking and Mathematics Performance study is an ongoing project which aims to understand how children, aged 8- 12 years, think when solving spatial puzzles (such as rotating objects in their heads or reading a map) and how this relates to maths performance.

We are also interested in whether children’s experiences and backgrounds, including aspects such as family context, parents’ education and gender, are related to the ways they approach these tasks.

Collecting this information helps us understand how different experiences might shape children’s thinking and learning.

We explore this by focusing on where children look on the screen when completing these tasks, as well as asking them to talk through their thought process.

What will happen during the study?

If you choose to take part in the STAMP project, you will first be asked to complete a digital questionnaire on your child’s development. You will then be invited to visit the eye-tracking Lab at University College Dublin.

During this visit your child will first complete short maths (WIAT-III Maths Problem Solving Subtest) and reading tasks (WIAT-III Word reading Subtest). We will then demonstrate the eye-tracker and adjust it to your child’s eyes. Your child will not need to wear any equipment, but they may rest their chin on a chinrest, similar to an optician’s exam. This is not restrictive in any way. The eye-tracker will record where your child looks on the screen while they complete the spatial tasks.

After this, your child will be asked to talk through their thought process as they solve similar problems. To help us understand how children solve these tasks, we will audio record their responses.

These recordings will be kept confidential, used only by the research team for the purposes of this study, and securely deleted at the end of the study

The full visit in the UCD lab will take approximately one hour, excluding breaks. To thank you and your child for your time, we will provide a €10 voucher to help cover potential travel costs. Your child will also receive a small token gift (e.g., colours or stickers) and a “Child Scientist” certificate

for taking part.

How can I get involved?

Click here to learn more about the study and to see if your child can take part. For any additional questions email shannon.rosbotham@ucdconnect.ie

The impact of E-cigarettes during pregnancy on Childhood Health Outcomes (ECHO) study is an observational study being carried out across three Dublin maternity hospitals (The Rotunda, The Coombe, and the National Maternity Hospital) examining the health impact on babies born to women who use e-cigarettes during pregnancy.

Throughout the study, we aim to collect a wide range of information on pregnant mothers and their babies.

Postnatal data collection is now underway at CHI Crumlin. Our paediatric research team will reach out to you (via email or phone call) as your child reaches their 1st and 2nd birthdays to book an appointment for assessment. Be sure to check your spam folder if you have not received an invitation.

Toddlers’ Executive Development and Pretend Play (TEDDY) is an ongoing PhD project at the UCD Babylab. It aims to study how play can contribute to the development of executive functions in toddlerhood using previous literature and two original, empirical studies with toddlers and their parents.

What does TEDDY stand for?

TEDDY stands for Toddlers’ Executive Development and Pretend Play but was also chosen as a name for this project for thematic reasons. For many children, their first toy is some form of plush toys, like a teddy bear, which soon takes on an important role in a child’s early life and in a way is their first pretend play partner. Children give voices to their teddy bears, imagine their thoughts or their feelings and are a way for children to explore new social roles, such as a caring and nurturing parent or friend to their teddy bear. As such, TEDDY both stands for the title and the thematic focus of this project.

How can I get involved?

The TEDDY project is currently entering the second phase of data collection! If you are interested in finding out more, browse through our pages on the UCD Babylab website and reach out to Tobias via the contact form below any time!

This study investigates Fantastical Animation, Cognition, Technoference, and Sleep (FACTS) in toddlers aged 18 - 24 months, led by MSc Behavioural Neuroscience students Ella Byrne and Theodora Coroliuc.

Toddlers are exposed to screens actively (to entertain, educate, distract) and passively (background TV, parent phone use) from very early on in life. With the ever-growing use of technology, we are interested in exploring fantastical cartoon content (cartoons with unrealistic events), screen exposure and toddlers’ emerging behaviour, through the use of eye-tracking technology, behavioural tasks and questionnaires. 

In this modern world screens are a part of everyday life from very early on. However, despite the increasing use of screens, very little research has explored the links between screen use and development in young children. We are doing this research as it will help us to better understand how technology, specifically different types of cartoons and TV exposure links to toddlers’ executive functions.

If you are interested in taking part, please complete this short questionnaire!

Body Imagery and Postural Effects on Development and Learning (BIPEDAL) is an EU-funded project investigating how babies learn about their own bodies, movements, and actions, and how this helps them to understand other people too.

What is this study about?

As adults, we can reason about other people and what they might be thinking. Babies learn about the world directly, through what they see, hear, and touch. There are a lot of steps in between! One way that we think babies might begin to learn about other people is by matching their own experiences of doing things, to other people’s activities. For example, after learning how to bash two objects together to make a fun noise, the baby might figure out that an adult wants to make noise when they see the adult banging two objects together.

What will happen during the study?

In the BIPEDAL project, we want to study what is happening in the baby’s brain when they watch other people doing something, and what’s happening when they are doing the same thing. We use EEG, a baby-safe modern technology that records brain activity using sensors inside a comfortable cap that is worn on the head. We can record EEG while your baby sits in a chair or on your lap. In this study, we’ll show your baby videos of people playing with toys using their hands and feet. We’ll also give your baby a chance to play with the toys too. We will ask you to fill in a short questionnaire about your baby’s motor development, that is, what sort of actions and activities they have learned to do so far.

Who can take part?

We are looking for babies between the ages of 4 and 6 months, 8 and 10 months, or 12 and 14 months. We are asking for you to bring your child to the Babylab for just one EEG session. If your baby is 10 months or younger when you visit, and you would like to return for another session, we would be delighted to have you back.

More information

If you would like more information, you can read our full document here.

The study, titled “An exploration of executive function in children with and without ADHD: using eye tracking technology!”, is part of an ongoing PhD project at UCD Babylab. It aims to explore the cognitive mechanisms underlying potential behavioral differences in children with and without ADHD during two computerized "TeleFE" tasks, developed by researchers at the University of Genoa, Italy. The study will help identify differences in inhibitory control and visual attention.

What are Executive Functions and Eye-Tracking?

Children with ADHD often struggle with executive functioning skills, such as inhibitory control, which may lead to difficulties like speaking out of turn in class. This study aims to understand whether these children exhibit differences in visual behavior, such as reaction time and attention focus, during computerized tasks designed to assess executive functioning.

Eye tracking, a non-invasive method, allows researchers to explore attention networks and inhibitory control by analyzing specific neurophysiological and behavioral components that are not easily detectable through traditional methods. This pilot study will enhance our understanding of executive functions in children with ADHD and inform future research that incorporates eye tracking to study these cognitive skills.

Executive functions are crucial cognitive skills that help us manage our behavior, remember information, adapt to new situations, and control impulses. These skills are essential for success in school and social interactions. During the study, children with and without ADHD will play two short video games while their eye movements are monitored to analyze visual reaction time and attention patterns.

How can I get involved?

The project is ready to start, and there are many ways to get involved! If you're interested, contact Alice through the form provided.

We are inviting all children aged 6 to 10, with or without an ADHD diagnosis, to participate. Children with other neurodevelopmental disorders, or a history of visual, sleep, motor disorders, or brain injury, are also welcome but may be excluded from the final data analysis.

If you decide to participate, you and your child will need to complete consent and assent forms. The in-person study will take place at the UCD Neuropsychology Lab in Dublin. During the session, your child will play two short video games while their eye movements are tracked to analyze visual reaction times and attention focus. The session will last approximately 30 minutes.

You will be asked to fill out questionnaires regarding your child’s medical history, executive functions, sleep patterns, and screen use. As a token of appreciation, you will receive a 10 euro voucher, a small gift for your child, and a “Kid Scientist” certificate.

Who is leading this study?

The project led by Alice Bazzurro, is a PhD candidate in Psychology and Cognitive Sciences at the University of Genoa, currently at UCD as a visiting PhD student.

Her research interests focus on executive functions and self-regulation skills, particularly in relation to neurodevelopmental disorders during school age. Alice is especially interested in integrating technology for assessment and intervention, both in-person and remotely. She is excited to join the BabyLab team and work on a project examining executive functioning in children, both with and without ADHD, using eye-tracking technologies.

She is supervised by Michelle Downes, the principal investigator of the UCD Babylab, and Assoc. Prof Paola Vierbori, from the University of Genoa.