Young Children’s Active Play
This study aims to understand what kind of activities young children like doing, and the different ways that mothers and fathers react to children being active. We are recruiting families with children aged 3-5 years who can commit to two sessions. One online session with you and your partner, and one in person session with you, your partner, and your child on campus. Our lab can provide babysitting for siblings if needed. Families receive $60 worth of gift cards as a thank-you for participating. Children have a lot of fun in our indoor playground!
2-Lane Road Crossing Study
The CDRU would like to invite your child to participate in a virtual reality road crossing study that examines the factors that influence children’s risk of injury when crossing the street. We are seeking 8 – 10 year old children (cannot have participated in the Safe Peds program)
Time commitment: 2 sessions, each 1.5 – 2 hours in length for a total of 4 hours maximum
Incentive: $10 for their first session, $15 for their second session, for a total of $25.
ALTER for Child Safety Project
The ALTER intervention is part of the Supervising for Home Safety program, developed by Dr. Morrongiello and colleagues. This intervention aims to help parents implement strategies to promote safety at home for children between the ages of 1-5 years. The current research is testing the feasibility of delivering the program to parents online in order to increase accessibility. We are recruiting parents under the age of 25 to participate in this online 4-session research study.
Understanding Skateboarding Experiences
This study examines perceptions and experiences regarding the current skateboarding environment through skateboarding community members. For this study we are looking for skateboard community members aged 14-17. You will be invited to an online interview that will take about 50 minutes regrading your skateboarding experiences. Participants receive compensation for their participation.
Promoting Children’s Safety in the Kitchen
In this study we aim to teach children about kitchen safety. As part of the intervention, children between the ages of 10 and 11 years-old and 13 and 14-years old will learn which sharp and hot-handling kitchen behaviours are unsafe and what alternative safe behaviours would reduce their risk of experiencing a burn or cut in the kitchen. Children will complete a series of activities over three short sessions, including a card-sorting task, a kitchen-safety knowledge quiz, and a task where they identify unsafe kitchen behaviours and act out how to safely complete a few kitchen activities. Parents will participate by using the card-sort task to tell us what unsafe kitchen behaviours their child is likely to know. Children do not need to have any prior cooking experience to participate – everyone is welcome! Parents and children will each receive compensation for their participation.
Middle Childhood Study
Middle childhood is a time when children ages 8–12 are granted more independence, making it important to understand how families navigate risks and safety together. The Safety in Middle Childhood Study examines how kids learn about safety and how parents guide children to make safe choices as during every day activities and as youth spend more time on their own. Families take part in four brief home visits over six months and complete quick daily check-ins (about five minutes per day). These activities will help us learn how parents and children negotiate about safety during this developmental stage when children are often wanting to spend more time on their own and without adult supervisors. Families receive $200 in e-gift cards as a thank-you for participating.
Teens Driving With Peers
This study takes place in a driving simulator at the University of Guelph. The primary aim is to understand how having peers in the car influences teen drivers. We are seeking pairs of friends between 17-19 years old, and one must hold a G2 license to drive in the simulator. The pairs will drive together in two sessions, and during one session music will be playing. The driver will wear two skin conductance sensors on their left wrist while driving so we can monitor arousal level and relate this to driving performance. Participants receive compensation for their participation.
Children’s Experiences in the Kitchen
This study investigates children’s experiences and activities in the kitchen. We will be conducting online surveys for parents of 10-11 and 13-14 year-olds regarding their child’s kitchen practices. We also plan a home visit during which the parent and child will complete selected activities in the kitchen. Children do not need to have any prior cooking experience to participate – everyone is welcome! Parents and children will each receive compensation for their participation.
Roadside Training Study
Over the last few years we have been using a virtual reality system here at the University of Guelph to study children’s street crossing behaviour in addition to teaching them safe street crossing practices. We have seen great success from this training system and have since created a roadside training program that is based on the same fundamentals that are taught in the virtual reality system. Our goal is to investigate whether a roadside training program can be equally as effective as our virtual reality system in teaching children where and how to cross the street safely. For this study, we are looking to recruit children 7 to 9 years of age. Participants will be invited to attend three sessions. Children receive compensation after each session, as a token of our appreciation for seeing the study through. Due to the nature of this study, it is necessary for the parent or guardian of the participant to have access to a vehicle in order to drive them to various roadside locations throughout the community. Watch the video below to learn more about our Virtual Reality program.
If you and your child are interested in participating in any of these studies, please do not hesitate to contact us!