Participant Information
Cards Problem
Please take time to read the following information carefully.
What is the purpose of the study?
We are interested in how people solve problems when the answer is not immediately obvious.
Why have I been invited to participate?
This study is on adults in the UK aged between 18 and 70 who can read English fluently. A total of between 150 and 200 people will be asked to participate.*
Do I have to take part?
No. It is up to you to decide whether or not to take part. If you do decide to take part you are still free to withdraw unprocessed data at any time before reaching the end of the survey by closing the browser before pressing the 'submit' button.
What will happen to me if I take part?
There are three blocks of puzzles comprising a card arrangement puzzle, various language puzzles, and a further card arrangement puzzle. You will be given five minutes to attempt each block of puzzles.
What are the possible benefits or disadvantages of taking part?
There are no direct benefits of taking part in this study. However, we hope that you will find the questions interesting and that outcomes of this study will help to further develop research on this topic area.
You may feel stuck during the process of problem solving and you may fail to solve the problem. We will show you the solution at the end of the study. All data on problem solving processes even those that do not lead to solution are important to us.
Will what I say in this study be kept confidential?
Yes. You will not be asked to give any information that could be used to identify you personally (e.g., your name, date of birth, IP address). Confidentiality, privacy and anonymity will be ensured in the collection, storage and publication of research material (subject to legal limitations). Research data will be stored in Qualtrics and Google Drive, for which the University has security agreements, or Pavlovia (for which the privacy policies can be found here: https://pavlovia.org/docs/home/ethics), or uploaded to a repository so that it can be shared for teaching and research purposes.
What should I do if I want to take part?
If you would like to take part, please click on the Continue to Experiment/Questionnaire button at the bottom of this page before proceeding.
What will happen to the results of the research study?
The results of this study will be written up. The results may also be published in an academic journal, presented at a conference or used for future research or teaching on the topic.
Who has reviewed this study?
This research has received a favourable ethical opinion from the Research Ethics Committee of the School of Social Sciences and Professions at London Metropolitan University. If you wish to complain about any aspect of how you have been treated in this research, please contact Professor Louise Ryan; l.ryan@londonmet.ac.uk
Contact for Further Information
Please contact the researcher or their supervisor (contact details above) if you would like any further information about this study.
Wendy Ross
w.ross@londonmet.ac.uk
Thomas Ormerod
t.ormerod@sussex.ac.uk
Thank you for taking time to read the information sheet.
