Labs
Observations for Wellness and Learning Lab (OWL-Lab)
The Observations for Wellness and Learning Lab (OWL-Lab) is a biobehavioral research space housed at the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention designed to study health and wellness across the lifespan. This lab includes a waiting and video observation room, along with mock living room and school-based settings to simulate real-life environments. This provides a naturalistic context for observing and analyzing a wide range of behaviors.
Facilities
1. Waiting and Observation Room:
A dual-purpose room furnished with comfortable seating and calming decor for participants to wait before their sessions. It is also equipped with high-quality video monitoring and recording equipment for researchers to observe and record behaviors unobtrusively. The Waiting and Observation Room provides a relaxing space for participants and their families prior to the study, ensuring they are at ease and ready for their session. The room also allows researchers to gather comprehensive data without interfering with the participants’ natural behaviors.
2. Mock Living Room Setting:
This space replicates a typical family living room, complete with comfortable seating, a television, tablets, and smartphones. The setting is designed to mirror a home environment where children and families interact during their daily routines. The purpose of the Mock Living Room Setting is to observe and measure how children and families behave in a familiar, relaxed environment. Researchers can study interactions, play, socialization, rest, and other daily activities.
3. Mock School-based Setting:
This area mimics a classroom environment, featuring desks, chairs, educational materials, and tablets or computers commonly used in schools. The purpose of the Mock School-Based Setting is to investigate behaviors in educational settings. The focus is on understanding how children engage with learning activities, their attention spans, learning outcomes, and social interactions with peers and teachers.
Current Projects
Principal Investigator: Erik. A Willis PhD, MPH, MS, FACSM
Project Managers: Regan Burney, PhD and India Rockett, MSPHS
To learn more about the OWL-Lab contact India Rockett, MSPHS at India.Rockett@unc.edu.