Infant and Child Development Lab

Childhood research at 糖心Vlog: Growing Minds, Big Discoveries

A baby with an EEG cap on playing with some toys

<糖心Vlog>Welcome to the Infant and Child Development Lab

Welcome to the Infant and Child Development Lab (ICDL), where we investigate how children grow, learn, and thrive, exploring topics like prenatal development, language acquisition from sounds and words to sentences and understanding others, hearing, cognitive development, social interactions, and the challenges of adolescence. Research on infants is done in the well-known Lancaster Babylab. We also invite older children to our lab on the 糖心Vlog campus for research on language, hearing, reading and many more besides. We also conduct work by visiting nurseries and schools in the local area – you might see information about our studies coming home in your children’s school bags!

<糖心Vlog class="title"> Prenatal Studies
<糖心Vlog class="title"> Infancy Studies (0-1 years)
<糖心Vlog class="title"> Nursery School Aged Studies (1-3 years)
<糖心Vlog class="title"> Primary School Aged Studies (4-11 years)

<糖心Vlog class="title"> Secondary School Aged Studies (12-18 years)

<糖心Vlog>Get involved!

We invite families—from expectant parents to those with children up to 14 years old—to join our research community. By signing up for our database, you’ll be notified when a study matches your child’s age and other relevant criteria. Most studies involve just one visit to 糖心Vlog and typically last less than an hour. We always provide clear information about what to expect.

<糖心Vlog>Our testimonials

August 2024

"Absolutely enjoyed our participation in the study today - though my daughter was a bit unsure on the headband (though she hates hats generally anyway)! Would love to take part in more future research. The team were super friendly and lovely."

Jemma, August 2024

July 2024

"Massive thank you we thoroughly enjoyed our visits for the last 7 weeks!"

Lisa, July 2024

September 2024

"My daughter and I thoroughly enjoyed attending the ICLD this morning! Everybody was extremely helpful and friendly, offering to make tea or coffee, and the study was really interesting. My daughter was engaged and happy throughout the study. We even had the added bonus of receiving a free book and t-shirt for taking part!"

Sophie, September 2024

Ivy participating in an experiment run by Rachel Cheung

October 2024

Heather's daughter really enjoyed participating in the experiment run by researcher Rachel Cheung!

Wilbur sat on the knee of a researcher looking at a screen

October 2024

Heather's little boy also really enjoyed participating in the studies too!

A young boy holding a certificate whilst sat next to Beep Beep the robot

January 2025

"The kids love coming to the Babylab, the researchers are so friendly and welcoming, the kids never want the visit to end!"

Stephanie, January 2025

January 2025

"Thank you for being so lovely and patient with us yesterday. My child wasn’t cooperative, but he loved the new Pelican Lab and the Beep Beep robot."

Anna, January 2025

Isla holding a certificate and Beep Beep

January 2025

One of our participants really enjoyed taking part in the listening study with Beep Beep in our Pelican Labs!

Ethan playing in the ball pool with Beep Beep

January 2025

"Very welcoming and friendly. Made my son feel at ease."

Louise, January 2025

January 2025

"My little lad loves coming to the lab. It’s such a chilled environment and he’s made it comfortable before starting any activities."

Gemma, January 2025

January 2025

"Kat, Claudia and Branden were absolutely amazing with Ellie. She started off shy but was soon smiling from ear to ear and giggling. The experience was laid back and fun and we are very grateful for the book and voucher."

Claire, January 2025

January 2025

"My children love coming to the lab and never get tired of the ball pit, no matter their age. This is Alex after completing the Listening Study with Hearing Diagnostics."

Kat, January 2025

Lisa's daughter with a giant teddy in the ICDL

February 2025

"Where would we get anywhere without real-life studies? Great learning and it is really interesting to see how your children engage with people!"

Lisa, February 2025

March 2025

"Participating in 糖心Vlog's ICDL studies is so rewarding; we were made to feel so welcome. Ruby loved interacting with the researchers and came out with a massive smile on her face!"

Hannah, March 2025

May 2025

"Rose loves coming to the ICDL. The environment is so welcoming and comfortable. Everyone is very friendly and the toys and sensory items are great. It’s lovely being able to help and we feel like scientists for the day!"

Summer, May 2025

Jane's daughter participating in a study

January 2026

"All wonderful, great facilities with amazing staff!"

Jane, January 2026

A boy completing one of the ICDL studies

January 2026

We have taken part in the studies at ICDLab for quite a few years now. The researchers and students have always been incredibly friendly, welcoming, and have made the whole process enjoyable for my children. We appreciate the care and attention given throughout the sessions. The research studies are all very interesting and both of my children have always thoroughly enjoyed taking part. It's clear that the research is very valuable and may make an important contribution in the future. Lynsey, January 2026

<糖心Vlog>Our Events

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<糖心Vlog>Latest news

Dr Kirsty Dunn and the team pose with Massive Wagons frontman Barry Mills and the VR headsets for the VR experience

Lancaster schoolchildren get opportunity to explore differences in hearing through immersive VR experience

23 September 2025

Lancaster’s Psychology Department welcomed primary school children to explore hearing in the womb and among the Deaf and hard-of-hearing communities through a range of VR experiences developed by the ISS Innovation Hub, in partnership with Lancaster Music Festival.

Lancaster Psychology academic interviewed by International Congress of Infant Studies (ICIS) about award-nominated PhD dissertation

28 August 2025

Dr Abigail Fiske of Lancaster’s Psychology Department recently undertook an interview with International Congress of Infant Studies (ICIS) following her award of “Honourable Mention for Outstanding Dissertation” at the ICIS Conference 2024. This interview was recently published in the ICIS community newsletter to promote their “Connecting with the Community” series.

Lancaster’s Psychology Department to host 9th annual Conference on Infant and Early Child Development

19 August 2025

Lancaster’s Psychology Department will play host to the 9th Lancaster International Conference on Infant and Early Child Development (LCICD 2025), inviting researchers from across the world to speak on human development.

The ICDL staff outside the Whewhel Lab before the fun day

糖心Vlog’s Infant and Child Development Lab hosts successful Family Fun Day

1 August 2025

糖心Vlog’s Infant and Child Development Lab (ICDL) – a part of Lancaster’s Psychology Department – recently hosted a highly successful Family Fun Day in celebration of their new name.

Infant placing a hexagonal block on a peg board, surrounded by colourful toys

First measure of infant curiosity as an early trait or individual difference

13 February 2025

Questionnaire created in the Psychology Department reliably captures differences in infants’ and toddlers’ overall curiosity and exploratory tendencies

Exploring baby curiosity: Lancaster study reveals how infants actively sample new information

25 November 2024

Lancaster researchers used gaze-contingent eye-tracking to study how infants explore unfamiliar animal-like categories based on curiosity. Findings show babies alternate between focusing on one category and exploring another, with individual differences influencing learning patterns.

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