Babies' social development
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Babies' social development
IRAS ID
173952
Contact name
Laura Bozicevic
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Reading
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
We propose to study a sample of 26 healthy infants and their mothers in naturalistic conditions in the home over their first nine weeks, and make follow up assessments at 6, 10 and 16-18 months, using procedures we have employed in our recent and ongoing research (REC reference: 11/SC/0242; University of Reading Ethics Committee reference number 13/29; University of Reading Ethics Committee reference number 14/35).
Following on the study we have already conducted on rhesus macaque mothers and infants, we will use similar naturalistic procedures, at equivalent critical ages of social development, to collect new data in human mother-infant pairs. The findings from this new sample will be compared with those from non-human mothers and infants, and this will allow us to understand more about the evolutionary roots of human parent-infant relationships and their association with later socio-cognitive abilities.
To do so, observational assessments of early mother-infant interactions will be conducted at the participants' homes recording both 15-minute ‘spot’ films, three times a day, on five days spread over the infant’s first nine weeks, and 5 minutes of mother-infant face-to-face interactions on just one occasion on each of the five days when visits are made.
Follow-up at critical later ages (6, 10 and 16-18 months) for evaluation of infant social, emotional and cognitive functioning will be also conducted in the baby-lab at the University of Reading. Infants’ reactions to a new room, an unfamiliar adult, and new toys will be recorded, and mothers and infant will be also recorded when playing together with and without toys, and when playing with another mother-infant pair. Mothers will be also asked to fill in questionnaires to assess maternal mood and infant temperament.REC name
South Central - Berkshire B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/SC/0214
Date of REC Opinion
29 Apr 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion