Facilities

The most important resource for the BSI is the availability of participants. For this, the institute has established a large network of schools, healthcare and youth care institutions and governmental institutions. Much of the research is conducted at these locations, using mobile technology. Laptops, tablets, smartphones and wearable devices enable researchers to gather data outside the classic lab setting.

The Behavioural Science Institute also has excellent in-house facilities that are used to test participants under more standardised conditions:

• Two Virtual Reality Labs with sophisticated computers, utilizing high-end stereoscopic video processors, projection, and tracking systems to create immersive, three-dimensional computer generated environments in which participants can move around freely.
• The observational laboratory comprises several child-proof rooms with one-way screens and multiple cameras.
• The computer laboratory consists of 22 identical cubicles, each with a PC and software designed for computerized experiments. Licenses are available for various research-related software packages, including packages that enable on-line research.
• The Physiological Measurements laboratory has state-of-the-art facilities (including EEG) for measuring the neurocognitive and biochemical mechanisms involved in behaviour. These facilities are shared with the Donders Centre for Cognition.
• The Bar Lab (with unobtrusive cameras and recording devices) is used for observation studies of social behaviour in a natural setting.
• The SportLab has new state of the art equipment, such as a professional treadmill and a computer workstation with specialized software for experimental data collection and data analysis. Other SportLab facilities include widescreen television, digital video cameras, sleep-managers and heart rate monitors.
• Eye-tracking equipment with high temporal resolution (500-1250 Hz) is available for research on visual attention and eye movements. For mobile use and 3-D stimuli, two Tobii T120 Eye-trackers are available.
• Three stabilometric platforms allow for research on automatic freeze behaviour and approach-avoidance responses to stimuli.
• Through its participation in the Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging (DCCN), the BSI has full access to neuroimaging facilities.