Register

Dear parent/guardian,

At the Brookes Babylab, we are always looking for more participants to take part in our studies. Before you decide whether to join our database, it is important for you to understand what joining the database will involve. Please take time to read the following information carefully.

What is the purpose of the study?

The Oxford Brookes Babylab runs studies exploring language and cognitive development in infancy and early childhood. For example, we have studies on abstract word learning (e.g. emotions, prepositions, adjectives), development of word-learning strategies, and accent perceptions. 

Why have I been invited to participate?

Parents/guardians of children aged between 0-to-5-years-old can sign up to join our database. When we have a study for your child's age range, we would then contact you to see if you are still interested in taking part. 

Does my child have to take part?

Giving your permission and allowing your child to take part in the study is entirely voluntary. If you would like to register your child, please complete the above form. If you do decide to take part you will be given an information sheet about the study to keep and be asked to sign a consent form during your visit. You will be free to withdraw at any time without giving a reason.

What will happen if my child takes part?

If you take part in a study at the Babylab, your child will be with you all along your visit. During the observation, your child will sit on your lap in front of a screen, where images accompanied by words will be presented and we will measure your child’s attention to these words using an eye-tracker. This is a special camera that uses infra-red light to create a reflection on your child’s eye and uses this reflection to compute where your child is looking.  The observation of your child takes only 10 mins. However, we expect that the whole visit to the university will take up to one hour.

What are the possible benefits of taking part?

You will hopefully benefit by learning something about early language development and gaining insight into the nature of psychological research.

What should I do if I want to take part?

You should complete the above registration form. 

What will happen to the results of the research study?

In order to have a record of what happened during the study, we will use a video/voice recorder to record the session. This will only happen if you give your permission on the consent form. All data collected will be strictly confidential and stored anonymously and securely. During the session, you will be asked a few questions about you and your child (e.g., date of birth, gender, hearing or language problems…). All information supplied will remain confidential (within the limitations of the law). Our privacy notice can be found on our website ([link to be added after ethics approval of privacy notice]) and we have printed versions at the Babylab if you would like to keep a copy. In line with Oxford Brookes University policy, we will use Google services (e.g. Google Drive) to store all data securely. To maintain confidentiality it will not be possible for parents to have access to individual results. A summary of our findings will be available for interested families via our website (https://babylab.brookes.ac.uk/home). We also aim to publish our findings in scientific journals, but this may be two to three years from the end of the study.

Fully anonymised data from this research study will be archived and shared with other researchers using a secure platform. The anonymised data will not include the video/voice recording and the data cannot be linked back to yourself or your child. Data sharing maximises the contribution of your data as it can be used by other researchers with other research questions. If you wish to withdraw your data, you can do so via email or phone within one week of visiting the babylab and taking part in the study.

Who is organising and funding the research?

The Babylab research is conducted by staff and students at the Department of Psychology. All researchers, including students, have DBS (previously CRB) clearance.

Who has reviewed the study?

This study has been approved by the research ethics committee at Oxford Brookes University. If you have any concerns about this please contact the Chair of the Ethics Committee: ethics@brookes.ac.uk

Contact for Further Information

If you want to discuss the research further you can contact: Dr. Nayeli Gonzalez-Gomez, e-mail: ngonzalez-gomez@brookes.ac.uk or contact the Babylab, email: babylab@brookes.ac.uk or telephone: 01865 483676

Thank you!                                                                                            

Dr. Nayeli Gonzalez-Gomez

ngonzalez-gomez@brookes.ac.uk

This Privacy Notice provides information on how Oxford Brookes University (Oxford Brookes) collects and uses participant’s personal information when you take part in one of our research projects. Please refer to the research Participant Information Sheet for further details about the study and what information will be collected about you and how it will be used.

Oxford Brookes is the Data Controller of any data that you supply for this research. This means that we are responsible for looking after your information and using it lawfully. We will make the decisions on how your data is used and for what reasons. 

Why do we need your data?

We need your and your child's data to sign you up to join our Babylab database. Once you are registered in the database, you will be invited to take part in studies on language and cognitive development in infancy and early childhood.

The legal basis for collecting this Personal Data: 

Public task: your Personal Data will be used in academic research. Oxford Brookes University is a public body and staff and students carry out research in line with the University’s legal powers and constitution.

Your consent is an ethical requirement.

Oxford Brookes University’s legal basis for processing your Personal Data (or information) is as set out in Art 6 UK GDPR.

What type of data will University use in this research? 

As part of this research, we will collect different types of data, such as questionnaires, eye-tracking data, video material and contact data. This includes: 

Family Information:

·         Contact details of the parent or guardian (i.e., email)

·         Languages heard/spoken at home

·         Siblings

·         Parents’ educational attainment

·         Household income

·         History of Language Problems

·         Postcode 

Child’s Information:

·         Date of birth

·         Gestational age

·         Problems at birth

·         Ear Infections

·         Developmental disorders

We will also collect quantitative data about words that your child understands/says. Data will be analysed and publish in journals. Your child will not be identifiable from any of our published findings. Anonymous data files will be used for academic archiving and stored using RADAR. This archive is not publicly available and data will be used only for academic (rather than commercial) use. A summary of the results will be available on our website and social media.

Will the University share your data?

The research will be read within the University and where it is intended that it is published and it may be seen by members of the public. The University will use Google services (e.g. Google Drive) to process your data securely. There is additional information about this in the Participant Information Sheet. Appropriate safeguards will be put in place to make sure that your child’s privacy is protected.

Will OBU transfer my data outside of the UK?

Yes, Google uses EU based data centers for data storage. For more information, please see https://policies.google.com/privacy.  

What rights do I have regarding my data that OBU holds?

• You have the right to be informed about what data will be collected and how this will be used

• You have the right of access to your data

• You have the right to correct data if it is wrong

• You have the right to ask for your data to be deleted within one week of taking part in the study

• You have the right to restrict use of the data we hold about you within one week of taking part in the study

• You have the right to object to Oxford Brookes using your data within one week of taking part in the study

Your rights will depend on the legal ground used to process your data

Where did Brookes source my data from?

Some of the information about your child will come from you and some will be generated during the course of the research.

Are there any consequences of not providing the requested data?

There are no consequences of not providing data for this research. It is purely voluntary. If you like to withdraw part way through the research, the Participant Information Sheet includes this information. It may be that some of the data that you have provided has already been used in the research. If you would like more information about this, you should feel free to contact the research team.

Will there be any automated decision making using my data?

There will be no use of automated decision making in scope of UK Data Protection and Privacy legislation.

How long will Brookes keep your data?

Data generated in the course of research is kept securely electronic form for at least ten years after the project has ended in accordance with University’s policy. After this point, all data files will be permanently deleted from OBU.

Fully anonymised research data will be stored in the RADAR repository to be shared with other researchers. The anonymised data will not include any identifiable information (e.g. date of birth, postcode, etc.) or video/voice recording. 

Whom can I contact if I have concerns about:

Research:

In the event of any questions about the research study, please contact the research team in the first instance (Dr Nayeli Gonzalez-Gomez: ngonzalez-gomez@brookes.ac.uk). Their contact details are listed on the Participant Information Sheet. If you have any concerns about the way in which the study has been conducted, please contact the Chair of the University Research Ethics Committee at ethics@brookes.ac.uk. For further details about information use contact the Information Security Management team on info.sec@brookes.ac.uk or the Data Protection Officer at brookesdpo@brookes.ac.uk. You can also contact the Information Commissioner’s Office via their website ico.org.uk.

About Data Protection: 

You can contact the Information Compliance team at info.sec@brookes.ac.uk, telephone 01865 485420 or write to the Information Compliance Team at Oxford Brookes University Gipsy Lane Headington Oxford OX3 0BP. We deal with any queries or concerns about how Data Protection law has been applied or if you wish to access your rights as a data subject. You can email the Data Protection Officer at: brookesdpo@brookes.ac.uk in the alternative or you can contact the national regulator via https//: ico.org.uk if you want to contact an organisation which is independent from the University.