A few years ago, I saw a posting for a research project at Penn State. They wanted to follow 2 years old until they turned 3.5. At that point, they wanted these kids to come into the TIKES Lab at Penn State and complete a series of tasks. I signed her up a year ago and we just went in this past Tuesday for the question/answer part. They had to swab her mouth at the beginning and end so they could measure something or other and then they had to stick heart monitor pads on her chest so they could measure her heart rate throughout the tasks. I had to suck on the swabby thing first so she would do it...I felt like an idiot. And then I basically had to hold her down to get the sticky pads on her chest and stomach. I got 3 out of the 6 on but she hated the cords that were connected to them. She spent the first 30 minutes whining about them. Part of the time I was in the room with her and at other times I was watching through a 2 way mirror. She played games, worked on the computer, took standardized tests, read books, and did large motor activities.
From what I can gather, they were looking for a direct correlation between the parent's emotions and their children. I had to answer about 100 questions regarding my views on parenting and how I think Isabella's emotions have developed over the years. After 2 hours, I was exhausted but 25 dollars richer and she was wound up and the owner of very tiny piece of playdough.
At one point, she was bouncing on a hippity hop with the research assistant and smashed her face into the wall. The picture is of her being held by the assistant looking at her 'boo boo'.
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