Instructions For Users of the Subject Pool Read these instructions carefully and

Instructions For Users of the Subject Pool
Read these instructions carefully and keep this form for your information and reference.
Research Protocol Approval Procedure
1. Fill out the “Application For Approval of Research Protocol” form and follow all the directions on that
form carefully. Answers to all questions must be TYPED onto the form directly below each question. Do
not answer questions with attachments. Be sure to include a completed consent form with your application.
You must have your professor’s signed approval before submitting the protocol for Departmental approval.
Note that the application will not be returned to you. Copy any information you will need later.
2. If your experiment gains approval, your faculty instructor will receive an “Approval of Application to
Use Subject Pool” memo. The experiment is approved only for the total units listed. A unit or point is given
for each 50 minutes or less per session. For example, a 40 minute experiment earns 1 point, a 55 minute
session earns 2 points.
Scheduling Subjects
3. After you receive approval, you must arrange for your faculty advisor to schedule testing days/times for
you with the online scheduling system. Only faculty members are authorized to use the online
scheduling system. Under no circumstances should students use the online scheduling system themselves.
Testing Subjects
4. Before any research on human subjects can proceed, you must allow each potential participant to read
and sign the Informed Consent form. It is imperative that volunteers fully understand the description of the
experiment, and the extent of their participation therein. If the students elect to sign the sheet, you may
begin the experiment. If they do not, they may withdraw with no penalty. The Informed Consent is a matter
of good ethics and must not be taken lightly.
5. Provide feedback (debriefing) to all the subjects who receive credit for participating. Subjects should
receive a meaningful explanation of the background and the purpose of the experiment. This is an ethical
imperative. The justification for requiring research participation of students in our classes is that they learn
something about the science of Psychology.
Post-Testing Requirements
6. Immediately after testing subjects make sure that all of the subjects who signed up for your study
receive the proper credit their participation (or lack thereof). Provide your faculty instructor with the
information needed to properly credit each subject in the online system. Only faculty members are
authorized to use the online scheduling system. Under no circumstances should students use the online
scheduling system themselves.
7. Immediately after testing subjects turn in a signed consent form for each participant to the Psychology
Department Office (South Science 229).
8. Good luck and may all your results be statistically significant and theoretically important.
Research Protocol Application
Directions:
1. Obtain and read a copy of “Instructions for Users of the Subject Pool.”
Fill out this form and follow all the directions carefully. Answers to all questions must be TYPED on the form directly below each question. Do not answer questions with attachments. Be sure to include a completed consent form with your application.
Email this completed form along with consent form/s to the Professor in charge of the study. All protocols must be emailed to the Subject Pool Coordinator by the Professor in Charge. Subjects may not be tested until the Professor in Charge receives confirmation from the Subject Pool Coordinator that the protocol has been approved. What is the title of this study? EMOTION
(The title provided here must be IDENTICAL to the title on the consent form).
Experimenters’ Names
Jenna Abfalter
Yoselin Penado
Eliazar Buenrostro
Pedro Preciado
Brenda Caldera Munoz
Kimberly Rivera
Karen Mae Guelos
Paola Rosas
Asby Hernandez
Danellia Rumenser
Cindy Jimenez Pimentel
Enrique Sotelo
Calvin Lewis
Karime Ultreras-Castro
Desiree McDonagh
Delia Moore
Brian Gonsalves
Ryan Passama
Does this study involve the use of the Psychology Department Subject Pool?
Yes.
If no to the above question, how will subjects be recruited?
If yes to the above question, how many subjects are you requesting? 40
If yes to the above question, how many points per subject? (A point is given for each 50 minutes or less per session. For example, a 55-minute study earns 2 points as does one with 2 sessions of 10 minutes each.) 1
Professor approving this protocol 1. Briefly describe the scientific purpose of this study (e.g., what hypotheses are being tested). The study is designed to test the effects of presentation modality on memory encoding and susceptibility to misinformation. The hypothesis is that presentation of a visual event, compared to a verbal description of that event, will lead to better memory for the details of the event, and thus less susceptibility to misinformation.
2. Briefly describe the methods to be used in this study. Attach a copy of materials to be used (e.g., surveys, videos, etc.). These materials will not be returned to you, keep copies for yourself.
Subjects will first fill out a demographic information form (attached) to record age and gender. The experiment will have participants view one of two video clips, one from the film “End of Watch”, depicting a police traffic stop, and the other from actual police footage of a police chase. The videos will be three to four minutes in length. There will also be an audio recording of a description of both videos. Half of the subjects will see Video 1 and hear the description of Video 2, the other half will do the opposite. Subjects will be asked to rate their emotional reactions to the video and the verbal description using the attached rating scale. Subjects will then read a detailed description of each video, in which several of the details will be changed (misinformation). After each narrative description, subjects will again rate their emotional reactions. Finally, subjects will be given a 3-alternative forced-choice memory test (attached) for each video testing their memory for details in the videos.
3. Provide the debriefing statement that will be given to the subjects. This statement must be presented to the subjects at the end of the experimental session. This is very important, the ethical justification for requiring student research participation is that such participation will further the student’s understanding of psychology. Attached.
4. What will be done to protect confidentiality of the subject’s data? Be specific (e.g., Each subject’s data will be identified only by randomly chosen number).
Data (emotion ratings and memory tests) will be coded by number, and will have no identifying information attached. 5. Is there any deception in this study? That is, do you in any way lie to your subjects or misrepresent the purpose of the research? If not type, “No”, otherwise explain the reason for the deception and how you will remove its possible adverse effects after the study.
Yes, subjects will not be told that this is a memory study or that their memory will be tested, and will not be told that they will be exposed to misinformation. This is to ensure that the experiment has external validity to real-world situations such as eyewitness memory, in which witnesses often do not know that they will be asked to remember details of an event later, nor are they aware that questions about the event can sometimes contain misleading information. Subjects will be debriefed after the experiment and the reason for the deception will be explained.
6. Is anything out of the ordinary brought in contact with the subject (e.g., blindfolds, electrodes) or will subjects be asked to eat, drink, or otherwise ingest any substance as a part of the study? If not type “No”, otherwise explain what has been done to protect the subject from hazards such as unintended electrical shocks, infections, etc.
No.
7. Might subjects experience any pain, either physical or psychological, as a result of their participation? If not type “No”, otherwise, explain.
No.
8. Will there be any limitations on who may participate in this study (e.g., females only, African-Americans only, right-handed people only)? If not type, “No”, otherwise specify the limitations.
No.
9. Do you understand that subjects have the right to decide not to continue at any time during a study, that no coercion to continue should be used by you, that the subject will incur no penalty because of his/her refusal, and that it is the researcher’s obligation to make these conditions known to the subjects? (Type “Yes” or “No”). Yes.
10. Have you read the “Instructions for Users of the Subject Pool” sheet that explains the procedures involved in using the pool? ? (Type “Yes” or “No”).
Yes.
11. Do you understand that informed consent sheets must be returned to the Psychology Department Office immediately after subjects are tested? ? (Type “Yes” or “No”).
Yes.
12. It is expected that researchers will respect all the rights of their subjects and conscientiously fulfill all of their obligations as researchers. This includes being prompt for appointments, treating subjects courteously and in a professional manner, and maintaining the confidentiality of any data gathered. Do you agree to this? ? (Type “Yes” or “No”).
Yes.
13. Obtain the appropriate Informed Consent form, fill it out, and attach it to this application. Only typed Informed Consent forms will be accepted. Each subject must read and sign the consent form before the study starts. The signed consent forms are to be turned in to the Psychology Department Office immediately after the subject participates.
When composing the description for the informed consent, remember that subjects will read the consent and use the information provided to decide whether they are willing to participate. Therefore you must provide them honestly with the information they need to make that determination. Remember that the audience for the consent form is the particular subject who is reading it and your description should be written from that perspective. For example, when describing your procedure your consent form might say “You will be asked to fill out a survey.” but it would not say “Subjects will fill out a survey.”
Notes:
(a) If any deception is involved, the study is not routine and special attention is required.
(b) If the subject is physically contacted by the researcher, if the subject is brought in contact with apparatus other than paper and pencil, if the subject is stressed, if the subject is asked to ingest anything including water or coffee, or if any drug or cosmetic (including electrode paste) is applied to the subject, then the study is not routine. The subject’s consent must indicate that the subject is aware that there are potential dangers, however remote, in these encounters—allergic reactions, placebo side-effects, apparatus failure.