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Research

Sleep and Cognition Study

Why study sleep in young children?

 

The preschool years are full of remarkable changes - children develop complex skills in their play behavior, expression and regulation of emotions, thinking, language, and motor activity. The brain is also changing as young children mature. Little is known about the “biology” of sleep and rhythms in early childhood and its influence on children’s overall development. The primary goal of this study is to better understand these biological processes across early development and to find out how sleep and daily rhythms are linked to the way young children express and regulate their emotions.

 

Who should get involved?

 

We are interested in healthy children with no sleep problems who are between the ages of three and a half and five years. Children must take daytime naps and a parent must be available for at-home assessments.

 

How can my child qualify for the study?

 

In a brief telephone interview, we ask you questions about your child’s sleep and developmental/health history, family schedules, and parental health history. We also ask you to complete questionnaires that help us determine if your child fits into the study. If your child is eligible, we will visit you in your home for an orientation session.

 

What will my child and I do in the study?

 

This study lasts 2.5 weeks and begins with an orientation session that gives you information about study procedures. These include:

 

  • Training visits. We make brief visits to your home during the first week of the study to introduce the procedure used to measure sleep.
  • Sleep Schedules. Your child is given a strict bedtime and rise time schedule, which includes daytime naps and nighttime sleep periods. Following this sleep schedule is a very important part of the study.
  • Activity Monitoring. Your child wears a small watch-like wrist monitor for the duration of the study. This monitor records movement and lets us keep track of your child’s sleep patterns throughout the study.
  • Sleep Diary. You are asked to complete a brief sleep diary and telephone the lab each day to report your child’s bedtimes and rise times.
  • Cognition Assessments. Your child participates in activities (“games”) that measure his/her learning through exploratory play, as well as his/her ability to control and inhibit responses to certain situations. We do these activities on two afternoons: one on a day that your child has taken a daytime nap and another on a day the nap is missed. These assessments allow us to understand the relationship between sleep and cognition in children.

 

Thinking your child will never do these things?

 

Think again! Our research team is experienced in working with young children and making study activities fun, rewarding, and interactive. We use games, books, and other play activities to introduce your child to the study procedures and to develop rapport with your child.

Want more information?

Call 401-863-6466 or email sleep@brown.edu.