University of California

Institute of Human Development

Harold E. Jones Child Study Center

INFORMATION SHEET FOR RESEARCHERS

The Child Study Center is a research and educational facility featuring two classroomswith 3- and 4-year-old children and several individual research rooms. The unique designof the Child Study Center includes facilities allowing observation of both indoor andoutdoor areas of the classrooms as well as all individual research rooms. In addition thecenter has a large conference room and on-site administrative staff.

Because of the unique nature of the facility, research and laboratory class demands atthe Child Study Center are quite heavy. The following guidelines help to make the Centermaximally useful to all concerned.

Prior to beginning research:

1. All researchers must fill out a Child Study Center (CSC) research application and submit a written description of their study, including any interview forms, and a copy of their informed consent letter. The application, study description, and letter will be evaluated by the Research Coordinator (RC), who may request revisions and who will distribute the information to the head teachers. Requested revisions generally apply to protocols which do not fulfill the requirements described within this document. In addition, we make suggestions to increase the chances of a successful research project.

Providing the CSC with information about your research will help expedite the research approval process, which may require additional approval by the UC Berkeley Committee for Protection of Human Subjects (CPHS). In many cases CPHS will not grant approval to a project using CSC children without the written approval of the CSC. If a researcher submits to CPHS prior to approaching the CSC, the approval process may be prolonged. For example, if a consent letter does not comply with CSC requirements, even though it has CPHS approval, it may need to be modified to fulfil CSC requirements and be returned to CPHS. For example, the CSC's licensing agreement requires that the consent letter for a research project in which the researcher withdraws children from the classroom include a specific statement that while participating in the research children will not be under the direct supervision of the classroom teacher. As this statement is not a CPHS requirement, a consent letter can be approved by CPHS, but require modification prior to distribution at the CSC. The RC will review and provide comments on drafts of CPHS applications, if a researcher wishes. In the past, CSC comments and edits have facilitated approval by CPHS. If you are not sure whether you need CPHS approval, check with the RC or the CPHS printed guidelines.

2. When a project receives CPHS approval, provide the CSC with a copy of your CPHS approval letter. Researchers whose projects require informed consent letters may not distribute those consent letters prior to receiving CPHS approval. As of November 1995, CPHS has been returning a stamped copy of consent letters to researchers. Researchers must distribute copies of the stamped letter. The stamped letters include an expiration date, which must be respected.

3. We recommend that informed consent letters be distributed to parents at least 2 weeks before you would like to begin testing children. Provide the CPHS stamped informed consent letter to the secretary to copy and distribute to the parents. Please indicate if you are interested in testing only a specific group of children, such as 3-year-olds or boys. Parents will be instructed to return consent forms to a box attached to the refrigerator in each classroom.

4. The CSC will provide lists of the children in each class, giving birthdate, and birthdate of any siblings. In addition, a file of infants and children on the waiting lists can be made available for those needing children under 3 years of age. We ask, however, that you check with the secretary before contacting the parents of any of these children in order to avoid disturbing families whom we know to be unavailable during a certain period. We request that you provide the secretary with a list of those children (or infants) from the waiting list who have participated in your research projects, indicating the number of times each child was seen. Investigators should not give the impression to parents of children on the waiting list that their participation in any research study will enhance the likelihood of the child's admission to the regular CSC programs.

5. The CSC must retain a photocopy of each signed consent form, to place in children's files. The secretary will assist with these copies. In addition, we request that you maintain a list of the names of children for whom you have consent, and the dates on which you tested them. Skeletal "current consent lists" are available and should be updated each time you receive a signed consent letter or test a child. Having this information allows us to determine how frequently each family is agreeing to participate in research, and how many times a child actually participated.

6. Researchers withdrawing children must arrange for preliminary visits in each class room so that they are not viewed as "strangers" by the children at the time of testing. Please arrange for your visit through the CSC admnistration, not directly with the classroom teachers. You will be introduced to the children at the circle time in each classroom, and may be required to spend additional "warm-up" time with the children. Please see the Information Sheet for Observers for guidelines on behavior in the class room.

7. Undergraduate students may withdraw children from the classroom ONLY if they are collecting data for an undergraduate honors thesis OR if they do so under the direct supervision of a graduate student, faculty member, or the CSC RC.

8. We ask that researchers wear name tags at all times they are with children. A name tag allows teachers, observers, parents and children to identify you as someone who belongs at the CSC.

9. If you would like to interact with any of the children during your visit to the class room, ask the head teacher for a suggestion as to what might be an appropriate activity. Do not engage children in play or conversation without the permission of the head teacher.

10. While in the classroom, do not engage teachers or student assistants in conversation. Any questions concerning specific children should be directed to the head teacher, and if they require lengthy answers should be discussed when the teacher holds office hours.

11. Do not bring toys or pieces of your experimental apparatus into the classroom during your introduction to the children or at any other time. Such objects are inappropriate enticements to young children. Not all children will be able to participate in your study and those who do not participate will be disappointed that they did not have the opportunity to play with the enticing toy.

12. If your method undergoes changes from the protocol approved by CPHS and CSC, inform the RC immediately. Substantial changes may require notification of the CPHS and an additional parent consent form. The RC will be happy to assist with any required changes.

When you are ready to test children:

1. The use of rewards or gifts to the children is not permitted. This prohibition includes stickers, stamps, or art work children may have completed during the testing session. Bringing such prizes back into the classroom can act as an unfair enticement to children who are not able to participate in your research project.

2. See the administrative assistant to sign up for a research room. Equipment used at the CSC should be mobile so that it occupies research space only during the period each day that data are actually being collected. Storage space is available, and there is a dolly for moving equipment. After finishing data collection for the day researchers should return the testing room to the condition it was in prior to their use.

3. When withdrawing children, consult the posted list of times when it is appropriate to test children. Also consult the sign-out sheet in the classroom to see which children have gone out of the class that day and that week. No child may be withdrawn more than once in any day, or more than 3 times in a week, or for more than a total of 60 minutes of research in any week.

4. Approach the head teacher with the names of children you would like to test and who have permission to participate in your study. Allow the head teacher to ask each child if he/she wishes to participate. Each child has the right to refuse to participate in any study and that refusal will be honored by all concerned.

5. Before leaving the classroom with a child fill in the sign-out sheet with the name of the child and the time you leave the classroom. Always use the front door to the classroom when you withdraw or return children.

6. Do not keep children out of the classroom for more than 20 minutes (unless your consent letter to parents stated that your procedure would last longer).

7. When you return the child to the classroom be sure to log in the time on the sign-in sheet and return the child directly to the head teacher, or teacher in charge.

8. Daily schedules for each class are available to help investigators in planning their schedules. Children should be returned to their classes ten minutes before transitional episodes like lunch, rest time, and departures.

After completing your data collection:

1. Please remove all of your research materials from the CSC. Our storage space is limited, and we would like to be able to offer storage space to all incoming researchers.

2. Finally, after completing a project, we request that researchers provide the CSC with a brief description of research findings, which can be shared with the staff and parents. In addition, we would appreciate copies of reprints or manuscripts describing studies that were based on or included Child Study Center research.

1999 - 2000

Times when researchers may be in classrooms for introduction:

East Classroom:

West Classroom:

Additional warm-up time with the children can occur during snack times (see class schedule for exact times).

Times when researchers may test children:

Children begin arriving at 7:45 but may arrive as late as 9:30. Researchers may test children 8:00 - 8:45. In addition, researchers may test as follows:

East Classroom:

West Classroom:

rev 9/98

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