Where can I park if I participate in a study?
You provide free parking adjacent to our building for all research participants.
How will I be compensated?
All participants are compensated for taking part in all of our studies, depending on the time commitment for the study and the nature of the particular study. Most compensations are in the form of gift cards or debit card.
What is the research going to be used for?
We collect data and information to publish in scientific academic journals on child development. We also use the information we learn from our research work to inform educators, health professionals, and policy-makers.
What happens if I say “Yes” to participating, but change my mind later?
You and your child can leave the research study at any time, even if you have already started, and no one will be upset by your decision.
I would like to participate in research but there aren’t any current studies that fit my child. What should I do?
To hear more about new studies through our laboratory and other laboratories at the Institute of Child Development, you can sign up for the ICD Participant Pool. For adoption-specific studies, you can sign up for an International Adoption Project Registry. Once on the registries, we will contact you about new studies that fit your family. You may also look through our website Projects page or the ICD research page.
If we participate in a research study, do you share any of our information with the University or other individuals?
Efforts will be made to limit the use and disclosure of your personal information, including research records, to people who have a need to review this information. We cannot promise complete confidentiality.
Organizations that may inspect and copy your information include the representatives of the National Institutes of Health, the Institutional Review Board (IRB), the committee that provides ethical and regulatory oversight of research, and other representatives of this institution, including those that have responsibilities for monitoring or ensuring compliance.
All personnel at the University of Minnesota are mandated reporters. We will not ask you or your child about child abuse, but if you or your child tell us about child abuse or neglect, we may be required both by law and by University policy to report this information to appropriate authorities.
Biological samples (i.e. saliva, hair) that are collected will not be used or distributed for future research studies and will all be deidentified.
If my child participates in a study, will I receive his or her personal results?
Most tests done in research studies are only for research purpose and have no clear meaning for health care or education. We will not contact you or share your child’s individual test results with you, except in the case we find something that concerns your child’s health.
Can I hear about the results of the study?
Participants will be able to access our newsletter from our website. The newsletter will discuss results of studies conducted in our lab.
I’m familiar with the International Adoption Project but not the Human Developmental Psychobiology Lab, how did you get my information?
The International Adoption Project and the Human Developmental Psychobiology Lab are one and the same. The International Adoption Project refers to our work with families who adopted internationally, while the Human Developmental Psychobiology Lab is the name of our laboratory here at the University of Minnesota. We are so happy to have you participate in research through our laboratory, as it helps us better understand the unique experiences of families created through adoption.
Does the International Adoption Project or the Human Developmental Psychobiology Lab provide clinical services?
No, we are a research-focused laboratory and do not provide clinical services or individual evaluations. If you are interested in receiving adoption-related information from clinical professionals, you can find out more information at the Adoption Medicine Clinic.