Experiment: This study aims to understand how action capabilities are perceived in adults aged 18-55 years with and without Anorexia Nervosa. You will be asked to complete three different tasks which will assess the distance you believe you can reach (reachability), the size of object you think you can grasp (grasp ability), and the size opening you think you can walk through (aperture passing) in virtual reality. This study should help us to find out more about perceptions of action capabilities in Anorexia Nervosa and how these compare to individuals without Anorexia Nervosa.
If you wish to take part in this study, you will first complete a consent form and you a series of demographic and clinical questionnaires. These should take approximately 30 minutes to complete. You will then complete three tasks in virtual reality. In the aperture passing task, you will be presented with different sized openings and asked to judge whether you could pass through the opening without rotating your shoulders. In the grasp ability task, you will be presented with different sized blocks and asked to adjust the size of the block to the maximum size you believe you could grasp. In the reaching task, you will see a dot and will be asked to move the dot towards or away from you until it is at the maximum distance you could reach without leaning forward.
Additionally, in each study, the size of the body part required to perform the action (hand, arm, or torso) may be altered using virtual reality.
Following completion of each task, the researcher will measure your actual reaching/grasping/aperture passing capability.

Benefits: All participants will be entered into a draw to WIN one of two £25 Amazon vouchers as a thank you for taking part. You may also find it enjoyable to participate in a research project that may inform Anorexia Nervosa therapies and to have the opportunity to ask the researcher questions.

Participant Requirements: You are eligible to participate in this study if you either have (a) a diagnosis of Anorexia Nervosa and are actively receiving care or (b) you are a healthy individual aged 18-55 years with no known current or past diagnosis of an eating disorder, cognitive impairment, neurological impairment, psychiatric illnesses or rheumatic illnesses, and a healthy body-mass index.

Duration: The study will take around 90-120 minutes.

Location: The study will take place at Lancaster University.

Registering your interest: You can register your interest for the study by filling in this form https://lancasteruni.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0jsiQtuCLJPorP0 or you can sign up directly via SONA https://lancs.sona-systems.com/exp_info.aspx?experiment_id=2624.

For further details/questions please contact the Lead Researcher, Lettie Wareing at l.wareing2@lancaster.ac.uk

We are conducting a study with expecting mums between 32-34 weeks gestation with and without family history of autism.
Our study is investigating how babies process language and emotions experienced by their mother in the womb. We are using 4-D ultrasound technology to measure head movements and heart rate changes of foetuses when they are presented with different kinds of speech. After the study, we will also ask mums to complete a few questionnaires about their recent experiences with a range of emotions. The study will take approximately 45-60 minutes to complete at the Lancaster University BabyLab. Parking is free and we provide £5 contribution towards travel costs. Mum and baby will receive a small gift as a thank you for taking part.