UEA Developmental Dynamics Lab

02/06/2026

Are you a parent with a migrant or international background living in the UK with a young child? We are looking for a few final participants to help us complete a research study at the University of East Anglia.

Parents of children aged 1.5–7 years are invited to take part in a short online study exploring:
• Experiences of living and settling in the UK
• Family wellbeing and challenges
• Children’s attention, behaviour, and development

⏱ Takes ~15 minutes
🔒 Anonymous and confidential
🎁 £30 prize draw

Help ensure migrant families are represented in research that shapes future support and policy.

👉 Sign up:
Parents of 1.5-3 year olds - https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/ueapsych/toddler-survey-1-5-3-years-duplicate-2
Parents of 4-7 year olds - https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/ueapsych/childhood-survey-4-7-years-duplicate

01/06/2026

Did your baby weigh less than 1.5kg (3lb 5oz) at birth?

We're looking to speak with parents of very low birthweight babies to learn about their experiences and help shape future support services for families.

Taking part involves a short 5–10 minute phone or video call at a time that suits you.

If you'd be willing to share your experiences, or would like to find out more, please get in touch.

Please feel free to share this post with other families who may be interested.

29/05/2026

Can you help our colleagues with their research? If you know a family who may be interested, please share..

Dr Sharon Black is looking for deaf children aged 7–11 years to take part in a study investigating subtitles for TV and films.

Children with severe to profound bilateral deafness are eligible to participate, including children who use cochlear implants or hearing aids, and those whose first language is either BSL or English. Participation will help advance research on subtitles for deaf children.

Participants will receive a £60 Amazon voucher as a thank you for their time. The session lasts approximately two hours, and a BSL interpreter is available.

BSL information video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aRExovTMG4
With thanks to Holly Lane RSLI RSLT for creating the BSL information video.

To sign up, click here: https://forms.office.com/e/GezCF2T9sS

For further information, please contact Sharon at [email protected]

22/05/2026

Exciting news from the UEA Developmental Lab 🎉

Professor John Spencer is part of a major new £3 million project exploring how AI is shaping children’s cognitive, social, and emotional development.

The work forms part of the Educational Neuroscience Policy Research Centre (ENPRC), a Department for Education–commissioned research centre designed to inform policymakers with robust evidence.

Bringing together expertise in developmental science, AI, and public policy, the research will help explore how AI may influence children’s learning, wellbeing, and development as these technologies become increasingly embedded in everyday life.

Read more here:

Researchers at the University of East Anglia will investigate how AI influences children’s cognitive, social and emotional development as part of work commissioned by the Department for Education.

21/05/2026

📢 Calling parents of toddlers in Norfolk!

Will your child be 16-21 months between now and Sept 2026?
Researchers at the University of East Anglia are looking for toddlers born preterm or with a family history of ADHD to take part in a fun, baby-friendly study on early attention and memory development.

✨ Short session (under 1 hour)
🎁 £10 voucher + small gift
🚗 Free parking/transport
📅 Weekend appointments available

Interested? Register here to find out more:

18/05/2026

NEW postgraduate course available! Find out more: https://www.uea.ac.uk/course/postgraduate/msc-developmental-psychology-clinical-applications-to-children

15/05/2026

Are you a parent with a migrant background living in the UK with a young child?

We are looking for parents of children aged 1.5–7 years to take part in a short online study from the University of East Anglia.

The research explores:
• Experiences of living and settling in the UK
• Family wellbeing and challenges
• Children’s attention, behaviour, and development

⏱ Takes ~15 minutes
🔒 Anonymous and confidential
🎁 £30 prize draw

Help ensure migrant families are represented in research that shapes future support and policy.

👉 Sign up:
1.5-3 year olds - https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/ueapsych/toddler-survey-1-5-3-years-duplicate-2
4-7 year olds - https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/ueapsych/childhood-survey-4-7-years-duplicate

08/05/2026

We’re looking for children aged 12–24 months to take part in a research study at Norwich Castle Museum 👶🏛️

You and your child will explore museum exhibits together while your child wears a small, lightweight eye-tracking headband. This will help us understand how young children engage with museum spaces and what captures their attention during a visit.

⏱ The study takes less than an hour, and you’ll stay with your child throughout.

📅 Research sessions are available on selected Monday afternoons across May, June and July.

🎁 Families who take part will receive:
• Free entry to Norwich Castle Museum for your visit
• Parking or bus costs covered
• A voucher for future entry to Norfolk Museum sites (for up to five people)
• A book for your child

If you're free on Monday afternoons and fancy trying something a little different, we’d love to hear from you! Please get in touch and we can run through a few quick screening questions with you

08/05/2026

🧠 Join us for Pint of Science: Lost in Translation!

How do humans learn to communicate — and how do babies learn what things belong together?

In “Communicating with Aliens and Human Babies”, Prof. Teodora Gliga explores how parents and babies establish communication from the very beginning of life, what happens when communication barriers exist, and what this can teach us about human connection, language, and even communicating with aliens 👽👶

In “How Do Babies Learn Which Things are the ‘Same’?”, Jade Archer explores how babies begin to understand categories like “dog” and “cat”, and how their everyday experiences and language knowledge shape the way they learn about the world around them 🐶🧸

This event will also be fully BSL interpreted.

📅 Tue 19th May at 7.30pm
📍 Norwich
🎟️ Tickets & details: https://pintofscience.co.uk/event/lost-in-translation-bsl-interpreted/

Come along for an evening of science, conversation, and discovery!

Language is more than words. It shapes how we learn and understand the world. Join us to explore the remarkable flexibility of human communication and what…