Is the MEG machine safe?

Yes, the MEG machine is completely safe. It does not physically affect you — it only measures the magnetic activity that your brain is generating all the time. The electromagnetic markers we use to measure the location of your head in the machine are actually less magnetic than refrigerator magnets!

How long does the visit take?

The study takes 2 hours at most per participant.

Where is the lab?

The address of the MEG Lab is Room 284, 6 Washington Place, New York, NY, 10003 (link opens in Google Maps). You can get to it via the R and W trains to the 8th Street/NYU station, or the A, B, C, D, E, F, and M lines to the W 4th St/Washington Square station. The outside of the building says Department of Psychology.

Will my child receive compensation?

Children will receive a small prize of their choice and a certificate of achievement for participating. 

What’s a visit like?

 

Here’s what it’s like to participate from start to finish. For more detailed information, check out our general lab FAQ.

First, we’ll schedule a time for you to come visit the lab. When you get here, we’ll ask for your consent to participate in the experiment and, if you agree, we’ll have you sign some paperwork. 

To start, we’ll draw five dots (with a washable marker) on your head, where we’ll later place electromagnetic sensors. Then, we make a digital model of the shape of your head with a laser scanner. We’ll need the shape of your head later, when we try to see where exactly your brain activity is happening.. Fun fact: the laser technology we use for this is the same as for virtual reality technology!

After the headscan, we’ll practice the games in the experiment outside of the MEG machine before moving into the machine.

Since the magnetic fields in your brain are very tiny, we need to make sure it’s as magnetically ‘quiet’ as possible so the machine can detect them. That’s why our experiment room is magnetically shielded with a heavy door. Inside, you’ll lie down on a soft cot while the experiment takes place. The experiment itself takes around half an hour, but it varies depending on whether you take longer breaks between each part. After you’re done with the experiment, we’ll remove the sensors and you can ask us any questions you have!

What data and information do you collect?

With your consent, we collect information about your:

  • language background
  • daily language use
  • musical experience
  • race and ethnicity
  • highest degree and occupation of parents/guardians
  • handedness
  • any problems you may have experienced with your vision, hearing, or neurological health

We care about keeping your information private and secure. Your identifiable information is password-protected and any other participant information stays in a locked file cabinet. The data we share will be untraceable to you.

I have more questions!

For more information about our research, please don’t hesitate to contact us by email at NYUneurolinguisticslab@gmail.com.