Learning from your baby and family's journey
Study Purpose

Before they are born, do babies react differently to speech than other noises in the womb?

How do newborn babies learn what is important, focusing on relevant sounds and objects?

How do parents help their babies recognize the range of human-like faces and voices?
PIPKIN Participation Video

An empirical snapshot of your unique baby
Parenting or Expecting a Baby? Get involved!
We are actively recruiting expectant parents and parents of babies younger than 6 months.
Email us: PIPKIN@ psychol.cam.ac.uk

Participation Timeline

Welcome
20+ weeks: Questionnaires
~30 weeks: Ultrasound
34+ weeks: Ultrasound 2

Congratulations!
Week 1: Home Visit
Week 2: Home Visit
1 Month: Home Visit

Your Growing Baby
2 month: Parent Recording
4 month: Parent Recording
~5 months: Lab Visit
Our Imaging Approaches

4D ultrasound images a time-stamped video of your baby in the womb, allowing healthcare specialist and researchers to record a video of your baby's movements. Like other ultrasound scans, 4D ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to generate images of organs and tissues inside the body. These sound waves are emitted by a probe or transducer, which is passed over the region to be scanned by the sonographer, an NHS employee at the Rosie Maternity Hospital.

Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a non-invasive optical neuroimaging technique that assesses localised brain activation. It measures absorption of near infrared light within different areas of the cortex in response to our stimuli. The more light is absorbed, the more oxygen is being used within an area, which indicates neural activity. The relative transparency of the biological tissue allows the near infrared light to capture these distinct absorption characteristics of oxy- and deoxy-haemoglobin concentration changes. Low light levels are used and continuous measurements can be performed with no risk of damage to the tissue.

The infant electroencephalography (EEG) system measures the natural electrical activity in your baby’s brain, which is generated by your brain cells (neurons) and can be passively measured on the surface of your head. Event-related. The EEG signals are measured by gel electrodes that are placed in an easy cap. Our system, a portable, wireless Enobio 20-channel cap custom-made for infants small heads, sits comfortably on babies' heads like a winter hat, then transfers the signals wirelessly to the computer.
Learn more about the fellowship and purpose of the PIPKIN study
Learn more about CoCoPIP's purpose and insight into 'Generation COVID'
Learn how our CoCoPIP study provided insight into the concerns of new and pregnant parents during the pandemic