What is ManyBabies?

The ManyBabies consortium was born in 2015 committed to Open Science and to collaborative research practices that allow teams to test hypotheses about infant development that individual labs could perhaps never adequately test. You can read the blog post that led to the formation of ManyBabies here.

MB’s collaborative nature implies that all project decisions (e.g., research question, study design, stimulus creation, piloting, data collection, analysis, interpretation of the findings, and writing) are made using a consensus-based approach.

We strive for an environment of trust and equality that can engage researchers from a broad spectrum of backgrounds. To learn more about MB’s vision for the role of large-scale collaborations, see Frank et al. (2017) and Byers-Heinlein et al. (2020).


Code of Conduct

All MB contributors are expected to abide by our Code of Conduct. Please read the Code of Conduct for a full description of our pledge, standards, responsibilities, and scope.


Guiding Principles

ManyBabies activities are guided by the principles of:


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Transparency

All decisions in a MB project, from design to publication, are as transparent as possible

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Collective Governance

When possible and feasible, decisions are made jointly and transparently

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Inclusivity & Diversity

MB explicitly encourages efforts to increase inclusivity and diversity in regards our contributors, populations we study, and research questions

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Ethical Research

MB projects are committed to best practices and high ethical standards

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Respect

MB contributors agree to a general Code of Conduct which ensures respectful interactions


Aims

ManyBabies projects aim to test hypotheses about:


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Validity

Assess the replicability, generalizability, and robustness of key findings in infancy (effect + effect size + moderators) in consensus paradigms. Note that these paradigms are not necessarily exact replications of seminal studies

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Theory

Understand infant development across a wide range of ages and experiences (e.g., language and cultural background)

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Methods

Quantify sources of variability across labs and establish best practices


Roles

ManyBabies contributors come from 50+ nations on 6 continents (View the MB Contributor Dashboard)

Contributors can serve as:

  • Governing Board Members: Responsible for governance decisions, including decisions about funding, new projects, and other project-wide concerns (see current members here)
  • Project Leads: Coordinate all aspects of a study (e.g., setting up work groups, guidelines) and ensure that all aspects adhere to the MB Code of Conduct (see Project Leads here)
  • Project Contributors: Create stimuli, protocols, analysis code, and any other relevant tasks
  • Data Contributors: Collect data following an experimental protocol
  • Committee Members: Help develop policies, initiatives, etc.

Learn how to join or update info on the MB Contributor Dashboard.


Funding

ManyBabies gratefully acknowledges funding from:


Awards


Get involved

We encourage everyone who is interested in developmental research to get involved! Access to infants/infant lab is NOT a prerequisite for contributing to an MB project.

All collaborators are encouraged to join the MB Contributor Dashboard or update your information.



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