Participant Information
The Effects of Emotion Regulation: Video Stimuli Validation Study
Participant Information Sheet
The Effects of Emotion Regulation: Video Stimuli Validation study
Purpose of the study
Sometimes we feel emotions intensely, while other times we don’t feel emotional at at all. This study will investigate how actively trying to regulate your emotions influences your emotional response to scenes of other people. It will also investigate how effortful it is to try to regulate your emotional response. We will use the results of this study to validate emotion inducing stimuli that will be used in further experiments.
Why have I been chosen?
You have been invited to take part because you are a healthy volunteer between the ages of 18-50, with no pre-existing neurological/psychiatric conditions.
Do I have to take part?
You do not have to take part in this study - your participation is entirely voluntary and refusal or withdrawal will involve no penalty or loss, now or in the future.
What will happen to me if I take part?
The study will consist of one session lasting approximately 40 minutes, it will take place online. If you are interested in taking part, you will be sent a consent form. If you agree to take part, you will be shown videos of other people experiencing both positive (e.g. getting engaged, laughing etc.) and negative events (e.g. morning family, crying etc.). You will also be instructed on how to try to control your emotional response to the videos/images. After viewing each video you will be asked to report on how the image made you feel and how effortful it was to try to regulate your emotional response. After this the study will be complete.
Are there possible disadvantages and/or risks in taking part?
If you choose to participate in this study, you will be shown videos of people experiencing unpleasant events (e.g. receiving medical diagnoses, being the victims of war, mourning the death of loved ones). This could be distressing so please think carefully about your participation in the study.
What are the possible benefits of taking part?
This research is designed to investigate the psychological consequences of emotion regulation in social contexts. By participating in this study you will help further our understanding of how people regulate their emotions. If you are an eligible student at the University of Sussex, you will receive 2 course credits.
Will my taking part in this project be kept confidential?
All information collected during the course of the research will be kept strictly confidential, stored securely on university password-protected systems. For the first 30 days after participating in the study your data will be linked to your email address so that we can remove your data if you decide to withdraw from the study. After those 30 days have passed your data will be completely anonymised and cannot be linked back to you.
What will happen if I don’t want to carry on with the study?
You are free to withdraw at any time and without giving a reason, via any means including email. We will also be happy to discuss with you what will happen to any data that has been collected up to the point of your withdrawal from the study.
What if there is a problem?
If you have any concerns about any aspect of this study or complaints about the way you have been treated during the study or possible harm you might suffer, you should ask to speak with the researchers who will do their best to answer your questions. The researchers' contact details are provided at the end of this sheet. You can also contact the ethics chair at crecscitec@sussex.ac.uk.
Who has approved this study?
This study has been approved by the Sciences & Technology Cross-Schools Research Ethics Committee. The project reference number is ER/CM909/4. If you have any ethical concerns, please contact the ethics chair (crecscitec@sussex.ac.uk).
Insurance Statement
The University of Sussex has insurance in place to cover its legal liabilities in respect of this study.
What will happen to the results of the research study?
The results of the study will be anonymised, written up, and published in a scientific journal. You can ask for a copy of these.
Who is organising and funding the research?
The School of Psychology is funding this research as part of a Doctoral Research Studentship
Contact Details
If you have any questions about this study please contact Carmen McClean-Daoust at cm909@sussex.ac.uk or Daniel at Campbell-Meiklejohn daniel.cm@sussex.ac.uk Thank you for taking the time to read this information sheet.
What should I do if I want to take part?
If you would like to take part, please click on the Continue to Experiment button at the bottom of this page.
Consent Form
- I have read the information sheet, had the opportunity to ask questions and I understand the principles, procedures and possible risks involved.
- I understand that my participation is entirely voluntary, that I can choose not to participate in part or all of the study, and that I can withdraw at any stage of testing without having to give a reason and without being penalised in any way
- I understand that my personal data will be used for the purposes of this research study and will be handled in accordance with Data Protection legislation. I understand that the University’s Privacy Notice provides further information on how the University uses personal data in its research.
- I understand that my collected data will be stored in a de-identified way (e.g. using ID numbers not names), and kept separate from other details about me (e.g. from the consent form). Electronic data will be stored securely on a University managed system and hard-copies will be stored behind a locked door.
- I understand that de-identified data may be made publicly available for further academic research by other researchers, for example through Open Science Framework online data repositories, journal publication or at the request of other researchers.
- I understand that my data will be linked to my personal email address for 30 days after I complete the study. During this time I will be able to withdraw my data. After the 30-days the data will be fully anonymised and I will no longer be able to withdraw it.
