Babylab Utrecht
Protocol ZEP Experiments
Name Project
0. Keys
 (1) Locker (2) secretary or (3) JKH 15concierges.
1. Technical start-up
The experimental room
 Turn the light switch on in test cabin (next to the door)
 Visual fixation:
o Make sure the computer screen is in the right place and not covered with a
fabric screen (be careful when moving behind the test cabin and switching the
green light for the computer screen).
 Head turn preference:
o Make sure the green light is in it’s place with the fabric covering the rest of the
opening (the piece of fabric is placed on left-hand side of the top shelf of the
research area in the lab) (be careful when moving behind the test cabin and
sliding the computer screen to the side as well as putting the green light in
place).
o Make sure the computer screen is moved to the side, out of view.
The research area
 Push the red button on the floor next to the computer (the extension cord):
position 1 = on
 Start the right-side computer; default modus Ubuntu real-time linux, turn screen on.
 Switch DENON Amplifier on and make sure that the buttons are correctly turned on/off:
Visual fixation: button A (side) = off
button B (front) = on
Head turn preference: button A (side) = on
button B (front) = off
 Switch on the headphone amplifier.
 Turn on the DENON CD-player and check whether there is a CD in the CD player.
 Turn the screen on the left-hand side on, with the lower button on the right-side of the
screen
 With button on the top on the right-side of the screen you press until AV2
 Place scoring box with buttons in front of TV
Experimental Computer
 Log in
Solis-id
Password
 Open terminal in taskbar (top of screen)
 Type:
cd
video-recorder [enter]
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Babylab Utrecht
Protocol ZEP Experiments
Name Project
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A new window has opened: browse to the video folder of the experiment
Give the video file the following name(leave the date and time intact, write in front of
it):
XXXXX
go back to terminal and type:
zep xxxx
A new window has opened: the experimental window
Click ‘researcher’ and select your name. If you do this for the first time, click ‘new’ and
create a new researcher
Click on ‘participant’ and then click on ‘new’. Fill in the data that is asked for.
Then click on ‘edit’ and edit the data of your newly created participant.
ID: QUAXX (and XX is the participant number which has started with 01)
Gender: write female or male (not f or m)
Date of birth: year-month-day (2011-01-03)
Click on ‘start’ and then ‘continue’
NB!! Make the experimental window small so you can still see the window of the video
recorder
2. Procedure
Test procedure
 Pick up parent and child. On your way to the babylab, shortly tell them that you would
like to start as quickly as possible: immediately after taking of bags and coats and that
there is time after the two other tasks to ask questions. Tell them that you will first run
an experiment and afterwards 2 tasks will be taken.
 Coats and bags off, take place in the cabin.
 Instruction parent:
- Parent may sit down with the child on their lap (back against belly).
- Tell the parent that he/she will wear headphones and why (because than
the parent cannot unconsciously influence the child).
- NO interaction! But smile (minor reaction) when child looks up
- NO resitting, but if necessary do it when light are frontal (green)
- NO pointing towards the lights when the child is distracted (this is of
interest too)
- Try to keep the child on the lap, when it is not on the lap, the experiment
will be terminated.
- Explain shortly that the parent doesn’t have to do anything, just to function
as a chair
- Any additional information?
 Turn the light switch on (in the far left-hand corner when entering the experimental
room) to indicate no use of the bathrooms upstairs.
 Close the door of the test cabin
 Turn the music on (press play on CD player)
 Press PLAY in video window
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Babylab Utrecht
Protocol ZEP Experiments
Name Project
 Press F11 to full screen size of the exp. window
 The experiment is now ready to run: the button box is now operable. At all times use
the scoring box to measure the looking times. Make sure you don’t talk, the microphone
is on! (or you can talk to the parents to give some instructions)
Scoring
Describe scoring as it applies to your experiment.
Finishing the experiment
 CLOSE the experimental window
 PRESS ‘finish’ in the video window
 CLOSE the terminal
 PRESS ‘stop’ on the CD-player
 Tell the parent that you are finished and pick them up; explain what the child was
listening to and what the purpose of the experiment was.
 Give the child a present
 Make sure the parent fills in the consent form
 Check if the anamnesis/other questionnaire was filled in online. If not, remind the
parent of the questionnaire.
 Ask if they want a reimbursement of the travel costs. If so, take care of that.
 People travelling by car, we reimburse parking costs.
 If parents ask, we reimburse gas money. Read “How to calculate gas costs” on
how to do this.
 Fill out the WBS code for the project you are working on. If you do not have this,
write down the name of the researcher.
 Ask if the parent would want to participate again.
 Walk the parent and child to the front door, thank them for their participation.
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DO NOT FORGET: Complete the test session in the babylab online system.
Back-up the acquired data files.
Clean up any toys/garbage that was left on the floor/tables.
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Switch off the screens, devices and lights. Make sure that everything is turned off
before you switch off the extension cord!
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