You are being asked to participate in a research study. Scientists do research to answer important questions that might help change or improve the way we do things in the future. This document will give you information about the study to help you decide whether you want to participate. Please read this form and ask any questions you have before agreeing to be in the study.
All research is voluntary. You can choose not to take part in this study. If you decide to participate, you can change your mind later and leave the study at any time. You will not be penalized or lose any benefits if you decide not to participate or choose to leave the study later. This research is intended for individuals 18 years of age or older. If you are under age 18, do not complete the survey.
The purpose of this study is to investigate how different learning/teaching methods help people learn natural-science categories. We are asking you if you want to be in this study because you responded to our ad. The study is being conducted by Robert Nosofsky of the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington.
If you agree to be in the study, you will do the following things. You will be using a computer to make various judgments about objects, such as grouping them into categories, judging how similar they are to one another, or trying to remember them. The experiment will last between 40-50 minutes. After you finish the computer experiment, you will complete a short survey about your learning style.
Before agreeing to participate, please consider the risks and potential benefits of taking part in this study. You may be uncomfortable while answering the survey questions. If there are any questions that make you uncomfortable or that you do not want to answer, please notify the experimenter, and you may skip these questions. There is a risk that someone outside the study team could get access to your research information from this study. More information about how we will protect your information to reduce this risk is below.
We don’t think you will have any personal benefits from taking part in this study, but we hope to learn things that will help researchers in the future.
You will be paid for participating in this study. You will be compensated $8.00 for participating in this study, with a possible $4.00 bonus for good performance.
We will protect your information and make every effort to keep your personal information confidential, but we cannot guarantee absolute confidentiality. No information which could identify you will be shared in publications about this study.
Your personal information may be shared outside the research study if required by law. We may also need to share your research records with other groups for quality assurance or data analysis. These groups include the Indiana University Institutional Review Board or its designees and state or federal agencies who may need to access the research records (as allowed by law).
If you have questions about the study or encounter a problem with the research, contact the researcher Dr. Ben Motz (bmotz@iu.edu) or Dr. Robert Nosofsky (nosofsky@iu.edu).
For questions about your rights as a research participant, to discuss problems, complaints, or concerns about a research study, or to obtain information or to offer input, please contact the IU Human Research Protection Program office at 800-696-2949 or at irb@iu.edu.