Information
What is our research about?
The CATT Lab is interested in children's emotional development: especially how they develop fears and anxiety, anxiety in families, and what makes children confident and brave. We hope to use what we learn from this important research to help develop better treatment options for young children who experience difficulties with anxiety disorders.
Who can take part?
We are currently looking for as many children and their parents to take part in our research as possible. There are no specific criteria for taking part although currently we are looking for children aged between 3 and 10 years old. The only restriction is that typically only one child per family can participate in each CATT Lab study.
How much time is involved and where does the research take place?
Very little…if you decide to participate then you and your child would be invited to attend a single study session at the School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton. These sessions will vary in the length of time depending on the particular CATT Lab study, but this will usually be between 1-2 hours. We can be very flexible about when we schedule this study session so as to fit in with your other activities and commitments. It is also fine if you need to bring an additional child along too as we have lots of puzzles and activities to keep them occupied while you and your child take part in the research - but please let us know in advance so we can make sure we have these to hand. Sessions are available now and during the school holidays, during the day, evenings and some weekends. Transport to the University is very easy and we can send you a parking permit to park for free. Travel information and a map showing the location of the School of Psychology is available here.
What are the benefits of taking part?
All families who take part are awarded a cash payment to cover your expenses and as a token of our appreciation. The children also receive a small gift…a CATT Lab t-shirt! We typically find that families find the experience an enjoyable and educational experience.
Are there any risks of taking part?
All of the tasks that you and your child will be asked to do are safe and have been used with children before, and in most cases with hundreds of children. At most the tasks may create a short-lived feeling of apprehension but they will not cause any psychological or physical harm. In past experiments, using similar procedures, the children have enjoyed the experience. You and your child are free to withdraw from CATT Lab studies at any time without explanation. You and your child are automatically assigned a code so that your names will never be attached to the data collected, so the information is completely confidential.
Has the study been approved?
Yes: all CATT Lab studies are reviewed and approved by an ethics committee. Depending on the specific study, this will either be the University of Sussex School of Psychology and Life Sciences Clinical Research Ethics Committee, or the National Research Ethics Service.
What should you expect if you take part?
The exact nature of the tasks will vary depending on which CATT Lab study you take part in but you’ll be told what you will be asked to do before you decide whether you want to take part. Typically, CATT Lab studies include some or all of the following: questionnaires, computer tasks where you are asked to make judgements about what you see, and tasks where you are asked to interact with some objects that you might feel a little bit nervous about (but not too nervous, and remember you can stop at any time you like and we won’t mind). Sometimes your responses may be electronically recorded (video) for later evaluation by the researcher, sometimes we might invite you to wear a non-invasive heart rate monitor that clips on your finger, and sometimes we might ask you if you would be willing to provide us with a sample of your cheek cells (you just have to rub the inside of your mouth with a cotton bud, which doesn’t hurt but might tickle!) so that we can look at the role that genes play in how scared or brave we feel.
What will be expected of your child?
Again, the exact nature of the tasks that your child will take part in will depend on which CATT Lab study your child takes part in, but we will always tell you and your child what the task involves before you decide if you want your child to take part. We will make sure your child is happy to take part too. The kinds of tasks that children are typically asked to do as part of CATT Lab studies include the following: responding to faces or ambiguous situations on the computer and making judgements about these, answering questionnaires, and approaching objects after they have received information that might make the child think the object is good or bad, safe or a bit scary (we will make sure your child isn’t too scared, and we will make sure they know that they can stop at any time without anyone minding). Your child’s responses may be electronically recorded (video) for later evaluation by the researcher. We may also invite your child to wear a non-invasive portable heart rate monitor, which clips to their finger for a short period of time to assess their physiological responses. Finally, in some CATT Lab studies we may ask your child to provide a sample of their cheek cells (by asking the child to rub the inside of their mouth with a cotton bud – you can help them do this) so that we can look at how our genes affect feeling brave or scared.
What if you change your minds after registering?
No problem! Completing the form does not commit you and your child to taking part in the research and you and your child are free to withdraw at any time without having to give a reason.
Can you ask more questions?
Absolutely! Either email cattlab@sussex.ac.uk and we will be happy to answer any questions you or your child might have.
