Research

Experiment Room — Where subjects play fun games on our touchscreen computer

Waiting Room — Parents/guardians and other children can hang out here while child is in the experiment room

We are interested in having preschool- and kindergarten-aged children play special computer games. While the children are playing these games, we use the child-friendly brain imaging technology, fNIRS, to see what parts of the brain are being used.

Current Study

EarlyScreen Study

The goal of the EarlyScreen study is to create a short (approx. 10-minute long) preschool friendly mobile app that will help identify broad mood and behavioral problems in children. We would do this by analyzing facial expressions when children are playing a fun game on an iOS device. This study will inform future research to aid parents who are worried about their young child’s behavior, in part pointing to areas where support may be needed early so that the most effective treatment can be employed.

We are currently recruiting families and children between the ages of 3 and 5 years old to participate in the EarlyScreen Lab. Participation would involve playing a game called the “Incredible Cake Kids (ICK)” where your child will pick “the most delicious cake,” and virtual customers will give them feedback.

If you are interested in finding out more about this study, email us at seedlab@umass.edu

Previous Studies

Tantrum Study

The goal of the Tantrum Study is to better understand young children’s tantrum behaviors. We hope to achieve this by having children and parents wear wearable devices to inform us on what is happening in children’s and parents’ bodies (e.g., sleep, stress) before, during, and after tantrums occur. One long term goal of this study is to see if we can use advanced computer science methods to predict tantrums before they happen!

We are no longer recruiting for this study.

I ❤ Brains Study (The Self-Regulation Study)

The goal of the I Heart Brains Study is to better understand how young children’s brains and bodies work together to regulate their emotions.

We are no longer recruiting for this study.

LEAF Study

The goal of the Learning About Feelings (LEAF) study is to better understand how young children manage their feelings, and how this predicts their behavior in the future.

We are no longer recruiting for this study.