"We are taking our research to the people and offering them an easily accessible opportunity to participate - in day-care centers, schools, or residential areas," said the director of the FBZ, Prof. Dr. Silvia Schneider, at the inauguration of the mobile laboratory on Wednesday (20 March) in Bochum city center. The new spatial and temporal flexibility will improve the validity of studies and thus make an important contribution to psychological research.
"At the moment, we are repeatedly faced with the problem of not reaching certain target groups or study participants missing follow-up appointments." For studies involving families with children, for example, home visits with the mobile laboratory can significantly reduce the time needed. "This allows us to better analyze mental health across the lifespan - as well as the relationship between mental disorders and socio-economic status," says Silvia Schneider.
The "question-about-questions mobile" is equipped with the latest technology: it brings together all types of laboratories at the FBZ in one vehicle and enables the measurement of physical reactions in addition to behavioral observations. The laboratory was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Source: Press release of the FBZ - Research and Treatment Center for Mental Health, Ruhr University Bochum
