What is psychology research?
Psychology research is research that asks questions about people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Typically, psychology researchers identify a question, come up with hypotheses, design a study, collect and analyze data, and then share their findings with the scientific and broader community.
What are my rights as a participant?
Before they can begin, all psychology studies must receive approval from an Institutional Review Board of experts who review the study to make sure it is safe, ethical, and scientifically sound. The purpose of this board is to protect your rights and welfare. Researchers are required by law to explain the benefits and risks of participation in a way that is simple to understand. This is called informed consent. As a research participant, you are entitled to informed consent. Additionally, you are entitled to withdraw your consent at any time and for any reason. If you have questions or concerns about your rights as a research subject, or if you would like to obtain information or offer input, you may contact the Institutional Review Board at 919-966-3113 or by email to IRB_subjects@unc.edu.
How will I benefit from participating?
While you may not directly benefit from participating in this study, the scientific community will benefit by learning more about the role of the brain and body in social interactions and social information processing.
Will I receive anything if I participate?
Incentives include parking subsidies and compensation of $90.
WHERE WILL I PARK?
Please let a member of our study team know at least 24 hours in advance of your session if you will need parking. Based on what is available, you will either park behind Davie Hall (235 E. Cameron Avenue) in participant spaces. If these spaces are full, we will give you tickets to park in the Morehead Planetarium Lot (250 E Franklin St).
Are there any risks to participating?
We do not anticipate any significant risks from study participation. Nonetheless, some potential risks are below.
It is possible that completing some tasks may cause you to experience mild discomfort or distress. However, your response will not be linked to your name nor be reproduced outside of the laboratory. If at any time you wish to stop participating, you may stop and receive compensation for the time you spent.
All physiological devices we use are non-intrusive and cause no physical pain. The sensors, which are similar to adhesive bandages, allow us to monitor your heart rate. Sometimes after removing these sensors, people may experience skin irritation which typically goes away within an hour.
All blood draws will be carried out by trained phlebotomists. You may experience some mild pain or discomfort from the needle prick. After the blood draw, bruising may persist, but typically goes away within a few days. If you experience any problems, the research team will help you to determine next steps.
The allergy test will cause a slightly swollen, red, itchy bump (i.e. wheal) to appear, similar to a bug bite. This is the expected reaction and the sensation should go away in 30-60 minutes. While there may be temporary discomfort, no additional side effects are anticipated.
You can withdraw from this study at any time and for any reason without penalty. The investigators also have the right to stop your participation at any time. If you end your participation early, you will still receive compensation for your time and effort.
What if I want to stop participating?
Will it cost anything to participate?
It will not cost you anything to be in this study.
What data will you collect?
You will answer several surveys about your mood, thoughts, and emotional experiences. We will also monitor your heart rate and blood pressure for a portion of the study. Additionally, we will be taking blood samples and doing an allergy test procedure.
Who has access to my data?
Your identifiable data (e.g., name, email, phone number) will only be viewed by research personnel. Privacy and confidentiality will be maintained through the de-identification of all data (this means that we will remove any information that could identify data as belonging to you).
How will you use my data?
Data from all our participants will be analyzed to answer a variety of questions related to social information processing and physiological response. Anything we find may be published in academic journals and posted online. Any data we publish will not be linked to your personal information. Our research team is also dedicated to making results of this study available to our participants and the communities they come from. To this end, results will also be shared with participants (if they opt-in to receiving updates) and we will make special efforts to publish our results online in a format that is easy to read and understand.
Who is sponsoring this study?
This study is sponsored by the National Science Foundation. The researchers do not, however, have a direct financial interest with the sponsor or in the final results of the study.