Hayden donated his body to science today. Well, really, he just lent his ear. We signed up to participate in infant studies put on by students at the University of Washington. From time to time they need subjects to undergo testing to prove a hypothesis and support their research (no this doesn't mean that torture or injections are involved for all of you concerned family members and friends who may be wondering).

For this study, they were testing how infants respond to different tones or sounds when they are accompanied with background noise and without. If the child responds (turns towards it, raises eyebrows, smiles, etc) to the noise they are rewarded with lights and mechanical toys to reinforce their reactions.

So, they placed Hayden and I in a sound-proof booth with another researcher. Then they placed a soft speaker tip inside Hayden's ear (and headphones on me - so that technically I am a "blind" participant). The other researcher sat outside the booth and observed us through a window while the sounds were played. If Hayden responded to the sounds (which were no louder than normal conversation level), she would light up the mechanical toys and record his reaction. We did that for about 15 minutes. After that part was completed, they tested the pressure in his ears (to see if he had fluid in his ears, etc).

To read more about their research, go to the UW Hearing site. This study was for 6-7 month olds, so as Hayden gets older if they need participants for his age range, we may be called again. This time, he seemed happy to oblige. -- mam