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Aug. 2, 2012 |

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How often do new parents watch lovingly the expressions andgestures of their infant child? What thoughts churn in that new littlemind, if any, they wonder? Why is their infant attracted to certainshapes and colors, and why does the child reach for one objectinstead of another?

A new infant and child cognition lab in the Department ofPsychology at Denison University now is open to work with thepublic in finding answers to some of the age-old questions of natureand nurture in infants.

Babylab opened its doors just weeks ago and now invites localparents to join in the fun and exploration of their child's cognitivedevelopment.

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Rebecca Rosenberg plays with 7-month-old Atiya Kilili before conducting a study that looks at children's cognitiveabilities June 29 at Denison University in Granville. (Photo by Zach Gray)

Written byEvelyn FrolkingContributing Writer

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The lab is under the direction of Assistant Professor RebaRosenberg, who trained with several of theworld's leading developmental psychologists.

"Dr. Rosenberg is among a relatively smallnumber of developmental psychologists inthe world who are working on the cuttingedge issue of the nature of the baby's mind,"said Harry Heft, professor of psychology.

Infants and toddlers between the ages of 7and 20 months old are invited to participatein studies that explore short-term memory forhidden objects, their reasoning about objectsmade from different types of materials, andtheir earliest numerical knowledge,Rosenberg said.

"Infants know a lot more than we thought.We just need to know how to ask them," shesaid.

In one study, for example, the child watchesas three yellow plastic ducks are placed ontop of a black box. Rosenberg engages thechild with the toys and then places them, one

by one, inside the box, out of sight, showing the child as she doesso how the toy goes into the box. The child is then prompted toretrieve a duck. The study is looking at how infants spontaneouslyrespond. Will the child reach into the box and retrieve a duck? Willthe child continue to reach and retrieve all of them? Just how manyobjects will a child retrieve before losing interest?

"The studies take the form of simple games," Rosenberg said.

Parents are with their children at all times. The child either sits ontheir lap or in an infant seat. As the child engages in games withsolid objects, such as the ducks, or watches non-cohesive objects,such as sand, sift to form a small pile on the floor of a "puppetstage," Rosenberg measures the baby's spontaneous reaction.

"How long do babies look at events? If they are interested, they'lllook at it, and typically if it is new, they will look longer," she added.

"Since babies typically look longer at things that they find new orsurprising, we can make inferences about how they perceive andunderstand our displays by examining patterns of looking across agroup of infants," she said.

Adaline Henshaw, almost 2, was an early "trial run" participant. Asthe lab was being set up, Adaline and her mother, Dr. ErinHenshaw, a colleague in the psychology department, helpedRosenberg and her two student assistants, Dora Moore andMichael Wang, seniors, as they set up the studies.

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IF YOU GO» What: Babylab, an Infant and ChildCognition Lab at Denison University, forchildren ages 7 to 20 months.» When: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondaythrough Friday» Where: Denison University, KnappHall, fifth floor» For more details: Call 740-587-5665 toschedule your child's participation, logon to http://babylab.denison.edu or emailbabylab@denison.edu.

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"Although she was too old to be a true 'participant,' Henshaw said,"she was able to help with a practice run of two differentexperiments. She had a very good time playing with the toys in thewaiting room while the research assistants explained the study tome."

Adaline enjoyed the "memory chunking" experiment with the ducksand the box.

"Our biggest challenge," Henshaw said with some amusement,"was that Adaline, being a little old for the study, already hasentered the 'mine' stage of childhood and was reluctant to giveback the toys. Dora, the research assistant, was kind and patientand always made sure Adaline was still comfortable and enjoyingherself."

"I really appreciated that the researchers took the time to explainthe purpose of the study so that when Adaline participated, I was ascurious as the researchers to see how she would respond,"Henshaw said. "It seems like a fun game you might play to amuse achild, even though the results help us to understand something veryimportant about infant cognition."

"Professor Rosenberg's lab is unique in that it is intended tooperate on a continuing basis solely through the involvement andgenerosity of the local community," Heft said.

Participation in the Babylab studies requires only one visit, andalthough families might enjoy returning to participate in differentstudies as their child grows, there is no further commitment. Thestudy takes only about 15 minutes to complete, and Rosenbergadvises a 40-minute time period be allowed for time to play and getacquainted with the classroom and time to explain the study.Siblings can attend and play with the research assistants whilethere.

Small stuffed animals, T-shirts and other thank-you gifts go homewith the infant as appreciation for participation, Rosenberg said.

"Adaline received a certificate and a small stuffed polar bear, whichshe really enjoyed," Henshaw said.

"Already we have seen Dr. Rosenberg's skill and knowledge in thecare in which she has planned and carried out the design of herlaboratory," Heft said. "If she can receive sustained support fromthe community, I have no doubt that she will make importantcontributions to our understanding of babies and children."

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