In this study, for instance, video cameras were set up in homes to monitor not only how long children watched TV each day, but what they were doing while they were watching. A follow-up to that study is currently being conducted now that the children who originally participated are in high school. Other studies have investigated the development of reaching behavior in infants, the effects of eyewitness testimony on children, problem solving in toddlers, and representational and mathematical abilities in older children. Approximately eight to ten studies are conducted at the center each year, said Daehler, noting that the number of studies done is often limited because of the size of the facility. Over the years, the findings from the studies have been reported in a variety of professional journals and the work on television viewing, memory development, social development, and other topics have gained widespread attention.
Studies depend on parents who are willing to let their children participate.
When a research project is being developed, project leaders obtain information provided by the Bureau of Vital Statistics to find children at ages appropriate for the study. Parents are then contacted by mail and follow-up phone calls to see if they would be willing to take part in the project. The number of willing participants often depends on the type of research being conducted, said Daehler, noting that usually about 25 percent of those contacted agree to participate. Once a family is involved in a project, they are usually willing to participate again, he said. Now that my daughter is old enough to decide for herself whether or not she wants to participate, she's always ready to go.