We want to understand how hormones influence the way that teenagers make decisions about things that could be risky – like whether or not to try alcohol or whether to drive a car very fast. We would schedule your twins or multiples to visit our lab here on the UH campus for a 4-hour appointment. During that appointment, they will do four things. First, we will collect a sample of their saliva to m
easure the levels of hormones involved in puberty as well as a small hair sample which will measure stress. We’ll also take a picture of both of them to look at their physical similarities. Second, they will fill out a survey that asks about their personality, their relationships with friends and family, and what kind of risks they have taken. Third, they will play some computer games that look at their ability to plan, respond to things quickly, and make decisions between possible rewards and risks. Finally, they will take a brief test of reasoning and memory, where they will interact one-on-one with a research assistant in the lab. At the end of the study, each twin will receive up to $50 for participating OR up to 5 hours of community service. Also, we will send the parent a survey that you can either complete online or fill out on paper. This survey gets your perspective on each of the twins, and also asks about things around the home. We would ideally like you to fill out this survey before your twins come in for their lab visit, but you could also complete the survey in the lab during your twins’ lab appointment. Typically, we offer appointments on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 AM to Noon, 10:30-2:00PM, 1:00-4:30PM, 2:30-6:00PM
If you are interested send us an email to [email protected] or give us a call at 713-743-4847!
