Consent For Others

Consent to Participate in a Research Study
Sex Differences in Impulsivity in Young Adults

WHY ARE YOU BEING INVITED TO TAKE PART IN THIS RESEARCH?

You are being invited to take part in a research study about sex differences in impulsivity and risk-taking behavior in young adults. You are being invited to take part in this research study because someone identified you as being able to provide information about the participant’s current or childhood behavior. If you volunteer to take part in this study, you will be one of about 300 people to do so.

WHO IS DOING THIS STUDY?

The person in charge of this study is Michelle M. Martel, Ph.D., of the University of Kentucky Department of Psychology. There may be other people on the research team assisting at different times during study.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY?

By doing this study, we hope to learn about sex differences in cognition, personality traits, clinical disorders (such as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, depression, anxiety disorders), and risk-taking behaviors in young adults between the ages of 18 and 24. We are also hoping to learn about hormonal, genetic, and social environmental factors that predispose males and females to these types of risk-taking behaviors. The purpose of the study is to identify sex differences in cognition, emotion, response to environmental stressors, hormones, and genetics that may predispose to different types of risk-taking behaviors and associated mental disorders (e.g., Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders, mood and anxiety disorders).

HOW LONG WILL THE STUDY LAST?

You will be asked to fill out behavioral questionnaires about the participant’s childhood or current behaviors. Each questionnaire will be filled out online and should take between 5 to 10 minutes each.

WHAT WILL YOU BE ASKED TO DO?

Today, you will be asked to complete short questionnaires about the participant’s childhood and/or current behaviors. These questionnaires should take approximately 5 to 20 minutes.

WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE RISKS AND DISCOMFORTS?

To the best of our knowledge, the things you will be doing have no more risk of harm than you would experience in everyday life. You may become tired or bored while completing the questionnaires. You may find some questions we ask you to be personal or upsetting.

WILL YOU BENEFIT FROM TAKING PART IN THIS STUDY?

There is no guarantee that you will get any benefit from taking part in this study. Your willingness to take part, however, may—in the future—help society as a whole better understand this topic.

DO YOU HAVE TO TAKE PART IN THE STUDY?

If you decide to take part in the study, it should be because you really want to volunteer. You will not lose any benefits or rights you would normally have if you choose not to volunteer. You can stop at any time during the study or skip questions you do not wish to complete for any reason and still keep the benefits and rights you had before volunteering.

WHAT WILL IT COST YOU TO PARTICIPATE?

There are no costs associated with taking part in the study.

WHO WILL SEE THE INFORMATION THAT YOU GIVE?

We will make every effort to keep private all research records that identify you to the extent allowed by law.

Your information will be combined with information from other people taking part in the study. When we write about the study to share it with other researchers, we will write about the combined information we have gathered. You will not be personally identified in these written materials. We may publish the results of this study; however, we will keep your name and other identifying information private.

We will make every effort to prevent anyone who is not on the research team from knowing that you gave us information, or what that information is. We label your information with a unique identifier (i.e., a number) in all of our databases. This number is kept separate from your name. We further password protect our computers, file cabinets, as well as lock our freezer. Our research staff are the only ones with access to your information, and our staff undergo training in confidentiality.

We will keep private all research records that identify you to the extent allowed by law. However, there are some circumstances in which we may have to show your information to other people. For example, the law may require us to show your information to a court or to tell authorities if you report information about a child being abused or if you pose a danger to yourself or someone else. Also, we may be required to show information which identifies you to people who need to be sure we have done the research correctly; these would be people from such organizations as the University of Kentucky.

Please be aware, while we make every effort to safeguard your data once received from the online survey/data gathering company, given the nature of online surveys, as with anything involving the Internet, we can never guarantee the confidentiality of the data while still on the survey’s servers, or while en route to us.

CAN YOUR TAKING PART IN THE STUDY END EARLY?

If you decide to take part in the study, you still have the right to decide at any time that you no longer want to continue. You will not be treated differently if you decide to stop taking part in the study.

The individuals conducting the study may need to withdraw you from the study. This may occur if you are not able to follow the directions they give you, or if they find that your being in the study is more risk than benefit to you.

WHAT IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, SUGGESTIONS, CONCERNS, OR COMPLAINTS?

Before you decide whether to accept this invitation to take part in the study, please ask any questions that might come to mind now. Later, fi you have questions, suggestions, concerns, or complaints about the study, you can contact the investigator, Michelle M. Martel, Ph.D., at 859-257-8662. If you have any questions about your rights as a volunteer in this research, contact the staff in the Office of Research Integrity at the University of Kentucky at 859-257-9428 or toll free at 1-866-400-9428.