Eyetracking and Headturn (for RAs)

Setting up and running an eyetracking/headturn lab visit

1. Prep the experiment room [RA]

(a) Eyetracker [DSC, PLEARN, SemPhonD]

  • Turn on both computers (host + PC)

  • Turn on the small white iPad

    • Make sure it is charged (there is an available charger on the floor)

  • In Settings under Bluetooth, click "Forget all Devices" for all Looxcies that were previously connected.

  • Connect the Looxcie to the iPad

    • Grab a Looxcie from the 'Looxcies to be used' pile (to the right of the 'yarrow' computer)

    • Turn on the Looxcie by first pressing on the thin button on the front, then pushing up the power button

    • Open the Looxcie app on the iPad

    • If it doesn't connect within ~10 seconds, then troubleshoot

    • Once it is connected (i.e. you can see it streaming video):

      • Make sure it is sufficiently charged (>40%)

      • Make sure it has enough memory (>30mins)

      • If not, then get a new one and place the dead one in the 'Looxcies to be imported' pile (to the right of the 'yarrow' computer)

  • Document the subject ID and date

    • Write the subject ID and date on the white board

    • Record the contents of the white board using the Looxcie (~5sec)

  • PLEARN only: the add'l recording microphone

    • Plug the small microphone into the USB port of the Display computer (this is the rightward computer on the floor)

    • Hide the microphone behind the iPad (we will unveil it later)

  • Tidy the space

    • Table should only have one sticky pad and pen (everything else can go under the table)

    • Visor + headphones + game controller are easily accessible

    • Room lighting is dimmed (between the taped lines)

    • Close the blinds

  • Bring the 'please be quiet' signs to display in hallway

    • Place one sign facing the stairs and one sign facing down the other side of the hallway

(b) Headturn procedure sound booth [SRD, TVS]

  • GoPro is good to go

    • GoPro has enough memory, is set to video mode, and is charged (press button in the back to turn on, the GoPro turns off on its own).

  • Computers are turned on

  • Monitors are turned on (both side monitors and center monitor).

  • Write subject ID and date on whiteboard

  • Tidy the space

    • Chair lined up with tape on the floor

    • Light dimmer is all the way down

    • Fan is turned off

  • Bring the 'please be quiet' signs to display in hallway

More info on Head Turn studies (FYI only):

2. Prep the clipboards, paperwork, and reimbursement [RA]

A participant's (a) name/initials and (b) subject# should never both appear on the same sheet of paper

(a) Clipboard 1: For parents to hold

  • Consent form

  • Demographics Info sheet

  • Photo/Video release form

  • Laminated Scale

(b) Clipboard 2: For us to hold

For these items, be sure to write in the subject ID, date, and experimenter where necessary!

  • Lab visit checklist for the particular study you are running

  • Parking pass: whichever of {P39, P40, P41, P42} is reserved for the visit according to the 'Parking' google calendar

  • COVID-19 screening questions

  • Babbling/Feeding - also fill out subject #, date, experimenters

  • Laminated scale

  • Vocab exposure

    • For SemPhonD vocab exposure- also fill out subject #, date, experimenters

    • DSC vocab exposure: more to fill out!

      1. On the Google Calendar event, find the Seedlings Control. (Pay attention to BOTH the subject id and the month, e.g. 02_08.)

      2. On Opus, go to the Seedlings subject folder (AKA the subject id and month you just got from the Calendar). Seedlings/Subject_Files/[subject id]/[subject and month]/In-Lab_Visit/Stimuli/SS_MM_stimuli.xlsx

      3. Open this spreadsheet and write down Words 1-16 (NOT the four practice trials at the top) in the Word List column of the Vocab Exposure paper. Do not fill out anything else besides the subject number and date.

  • Mileage reimbursement + payment form

    • Find out what the participant's home zip code is via RPAD or google calendar

    • Open BergelsonLab/Paperwork/Travel_Compensation.xlsx

    • Search their zip code on the spreadsheet

      • Bold and gray means they get $5

      • Plain font means they get $10

    • Money is in the cash box (ask any lab member about where it and where the key is if you don't already know)

    • Let Lilli know if the last $5 or $10 bill has been used up or if the supply is running low

(c) iPad (possibly)

  • Studies that definitely need the iPad:

    • PLEARN

    • Single Monitor Booth Studies

  • Need to bring the iPad if the participant has not pre-completed their WebCDI (and motor survey if applicable)

    • Navigate to the WebCDI website > the study you are running > see if participant's link has a checkmark

      • ✓ = completed

      • x = not completed

    • If not yet completed, then bring an iPad as well

      • Open their WebCDI link in Safari/Chrome for easy acess

      • Motor survey (applicable to DSC + VNA only) is done through the Qualtrics app

What if two siblings/twins are participating together?

3. Collect the family from the parking lot [RA]

  • Wait outside 10 minutes before the appointment time

    • Before going outside, check the google calendar for the participant's name and the family's vehicle (if applicable).

  • Stand by “25mph” sign until you see the participant's car

    • To get to this sign: turn left out of the lab, walk to the end of the hall and go down the stairs. Then, follow the pathway down the hill to the parking lot.

  • Introduce yourself = tell the parent that you are going to help them into the parking lot

    • Hi! Is this (participant's name)? My name is (your name) and I'm a research assistant in the Bergelson Lab. I have a parking pass reserved for you to park in this lot. I am going to help scan you in once you pull up to the red and white bar. Parking space number 42 is reserved for you. It's the first one on the right!

  • Scan them into the gate

  • Leave the parking pass in their windshield.

    • These are for your dashboard.

  • Show the family into the building and into the waiting room

    • Always offer the option to take the elevator. It can be difficult for parents to carry their infants up the stairs.

  • Possible conversation topics:

    • Talk about yourself

      • Talk about your role in the lab and why you got involved in language learning research

    • Talk about the baby

      • Compliment the infant's outfit

    • Talk about the lab. We are the Bergelson Lab at Duke. We are a part of the Duke CHILD studies group, which is a group of six labs in the Psychology & Neuroscience department that studies different aspects of language acquisition. Our lab focuses on child language acquisition, so we typically run experiments on children who are three years old or younger. Other CHILD labs are interested in development relating to social interactions, communication, morals, gestures, and other aspects of child development.

    • Talk about the weather

  • What if the participant is a no-show?

    • Wait outside for an additional 10 minutes past the appointment time to ensure that family is not just running late.

    • Keep your Slack accessible (have the app downloaded on your phone with notifications on) in case the family called the lab to notify them of a cancellation.

  • What if the parent does not have a mask?

    • It is required for parents to wear a mask during the visit. If they did not bring one, offer to provide a disposable mask (located on the shelves inside the lab).

    • If the parent is unwilling to wear a mask, check-in with Lilli about how to proceed. Don't worry -- this is unlikely.

4. Complete pre-experiment paperwork [RA]

  • Bring the participant upstairs

    • Guide the participants into the waiting room (RM 122H)

    • If the door is locked, it can be opened with the keys attached to the giraffe keychain.

    • The room contains a variety of toys for the infants to play with while their parents fill out paperwork. As an RA, it is your responsibility to play with the infants if you are not actively explaining the consent form.

  • Introduce yourself

    • My name is (your name) and I am a Research Assistant in the Bergelson Lab. I am here help you fill out some paperwork.

    • The experimenter will explain more when they come in. If you have any questions before we get started, I can answer them now or get the experimenter at any time.

  • Consent form

    • Explain the study

      • The experiment is an eye-tracking study. We will bring you and Baby into a room where Baby will look at some words and pictures on a screen.

      • You will sit down in a chair with Baby on your lap--your job is to be a comfy chair for Baby. You will be with Baby the whole time.

      • We do not analyze individual data, and there is no right or wrong answer to any part of the experiment. We only look at aggregate data as a whole, and during analysis we completely anonymize all data such that the eye-tracking data will not be tied to Baby's name.

      • If at any point of the experiment you feel uncomfortable or if Baby is not able to complete the experiment, that is completely okay and we can stop at any time.

      • Here is the consent form; you can read it over if you would like.

      • There are no risks or benefits for participating in this study.

    • Point out that the italicized section in the middle (the PB info) does not pertain to this present study; thus please ignore it

    • Sign the back page (except where it says 'research personnel signature')

  • Information Demographic Form

    • Make sure they know that they only need to fill out as much or as little as they would like; it is not mandatory to fill out any of the information

    • The first page is about your child, the second page is about you, the third page is about Baby's other caretaker or your spouse, and the fourth page is about your family. You can fill out as much or as little as you would like.

  • Audio/Video Release Form

    • We do record video during the experiment, but we only use it for coding purposes during data analysis. We won't use it outside of our lab except with your permission.

    • Here are some options where you can select how comfortable you are with us using your images in different contexts

    • Sign the back page (except where it says 'research personnel signature')

  • Vocab exposure

    • How often Baby HEARS these words, according to the 1-5 laminated scale

  • Babbling/Feeding

    • What kinds of {sounds, words} is Baby making?

      • babbling = repeating syllables (bababa, mamama)

      • words = the baby is saying words

    • Is Baby breast-fed, bottle-fed, both, or neither?

      • If the parent is wondering 'why are you asking me this': Some of our stimuli include milk stored in a bottle, except some babies don't know what that is so we just want to check

  • Experimenter's turn

    • At some point before you finish talking with the parent, the experimenter should come into the room. If the experimenter has not yet arrived in the waiting room and the parent is done with their forms, then please go fetch the experimenter -- the experimenter should either be sitting in 114 (lab) or 102 (grad student space) or possibly 002 (post doc space)

    • The experimenter will now chime in to tell the family about the procedure and their particular experiment

5. Be in the room during the experiment

(a) Eyetracking

Directly before the experiment:

  • Turn on the iPad

  • Turn on the Looxcie -- make sure it is connected to the iPad

  • At some point during the practice trials, press "record"

During the experiment [DSC, PB only]:

  • Hold the game controller in your hand

  • Press the green button at the ONSET of the target word

    • This usually means pressing the button when the parent says the word right before the target word, usually a "the"

    • Example sentence: "Do you see the doggy?" Press the button when you hear "the"

After the experiment

  • Turn off the Looxcie

  • Put the iPad to sleep

(b) Headturn

Before the experiment

  • The experimenter will make sure the GoPro is recording -- remind the experimenter if they have not done so

  • The experimenter will explain instructions to the participant -- remind the experimenter if they have not done so

During the experiment

  • The experimenter will control the computer

After the experiment

  • Pause the phantom of the opera on the iPod

  • Turn off the lights in the soundbooth

  • Tidy up the space: headphones nicely hung on the chair, wires out of the way

  • Prop the sound booth door open

6. Complete post-experiment paperwork [RA]

  • Show the family back into the waiting room (RM 122H)

  • WebCDI if they did not already fill it out

  • Have parent sign the payment form + take mileage reimbursement

  • Let the family pick out a gift

    • If the toy box is running low, notify Lilli after the visit so that she can replenish.

    • If you give out the last size of a Blab t-shirt, replenish it from the white box sitting on top of the shelves inside the lab.

  • Optional: If they signed the release form and gave us permission to post images online, ask if they are interested in taking a picture for our Facebook page or website

  • Optional: If parent seems interested, ask if they might be willing to share our information with friends, parent groups, neighborhood listservs, etc.

    • (described in section 8 -- remember to send the follow-up email afterwards)

7. Deliver the family out of the parking lot [RA]

  • Walk them back to their car

  • Thank them for coming

  • Ask them for the parking pass materials back from their dashboard

  • Slowly and awkwardly walk over to the other end of the parking lot

  • Scan the family out

  • Thank them again for their time

8. Close shop [RA]

  • Return the 'please be quiet' signs back into the Testing Room (RM 113)

  • Disinfect anything the child touched (COVID-19 protocol)

  • Tidy up the waiting room (RM 122H)

  • Turn off the lights

  • Shut the door (do not lock it, except if it is ~5pm)

  • Remind the experimenter to sign their paperwork (if the experimenter has run away -- lab coordinator can also sign)

  • If applicable: send the follow-up email about signing up to participate in the next study (Carla will send the VIMP_EEG ones; please let her know)

  • If applicable: send the follow-up email about sharing our information with friends

  • Remind the experimenter to lock the door to the Testing Room (RM 113)

9. Put paperwork away on the shelf [RA]

RAs should file them into folders right after the visit

  • Put consent + demographics + AV release into a manila folder; label the folder with the participant’s last name; file the folder into its slot in the slot organizer

  • Put payment onto the rack

  • Put babbling/feeding onto the rack

  • At some point during the week, RAs should enter that info into the Excel spreadsheets, then file it into the filing cabinet. It should be cleared once per week.

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