Want to learn more about your baby's cognitive abilities? Two USC research labs studying infant cognition are soliciting participants for ongoing research projects involving infants from birth to 24 months old.

Psychology professor John Richards studies the development of attention in young infants, primarily from the ages of 2 months to 6 months. He is interested in how babies pay attention, to what types of visual and sound patterns infants direct their attention, and how this attention changes with age.

Psychology professor Jeanne Shinskey studies the development of infants’ knowledge about objects, from approximately 4 to 12 months. She is interested in how and when babies acquire object permanence, or the understanding that objects continue to exist when hidden.

All studies have been approved for safety and ethics by the USC Office of Research Compliance. Infants participate in the study for one visit lasting 30 to 45 minutes; participation can stop at any time for any reason.

This basic research on cognitive development in infants is necessary to inform prevention and treatment for infants who are not developing typically.

Participants receive a small gift regardless of whether the baby completes the study.

To learn more about these research projects or to volunteer, go to http://jerlab.psych.sc.edu/BabyStudies (Richards lab) or www.cas.sc.edu/psyc/facdocs/shinskey.html (Shinskey lab), or call 7-3293 or 7-2558; e-mail stevenml@gwm.sc.edu or shinskey@sc.edu.

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