As you’ll soon realize from reading about our research, MAPS is comprised of a variety of studies. These different projects are all steps towards our goal of mapping the diversity of emotions and behaviors of preschool-age children. At each step of the way, we learn more information about all of the preschoolers in our study and the families they come from.
If your family is already participating in MAPS you probably remember meeting us at your child’s doctor’s office. We meet all of the families enrolled in our study at one of five clinics throughout Chicago, IL; Valparaiso, IN; and Michigan City, IN. You probably also remember filling out a questionnaire packet about your child. This questionnaire gives us valuable information about the development of your child and his or her emotions and behaviors. Our goal is to have 3,700 families complete this questionnaire! With 2,976 families enrolled so far, we are nearly 80% of the way there!
Our second stage involves a visit to our offices at Northwestern University in downtown Chicago. During these visits, we gain a unique perspective on the development of all the preschoolers in MAPS by meeting families face-to-face! During the visit, children work with our friendly staff on a variety of activities and computer-based games that offer insight into underlying processes, such as how children learn new tasks, problem solve, and manage their emotions. Mothers sit with another staff member and discuss the development of their child. We aim to meet 500 of the families who we previously met at the clinic. Because one of our central goals is to capture the diversity that exists around our communities, we select participants for these lab visits from all five clinics where we first meet families. For more information about these visits, browse the Lab Visit section.