PARTICIPANT INFORMATION SHEET & CONSENT FORM
NUS-IRB Reference Code: NUS-IRB-2021-21. Protocol title
Creating a database of taboo words (Study 2)2. Principal Investigator and co-investigator(s), if any, with the contact number and organization:
Dr. Melvin J. Yap (Principal Investigator)Department of Psychology, NUS
Email: melvin@nus.edu.sg; Telephone: 6516 7768
Dr. Leslie Lee (Co-Investigator)
Department of English Language & Literature, NUS
Email: leslie@nus.edu.sg; Telephone: 6516 3931
Dr. Nala Lee (Co-Investigator)
Department of English Language & Literature, NUS
Email: elllhn@nus.edu.sg; Telephone: 6516 6125
3. What is the purpose of this research?
You are invited to participate in a research study. This information sheet provides you with information about the research study. The Principal Investigator (the person in charge of this research) or his/her representative will also describe this research to you and answer all of your questions. Read the information below and ask questions about anything you don’t understand before deciding whether or not to take part.The present project will contribute to a larger multi-university database of taboo words across multiple languages (e.g., English, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Flemish, Thai, etc.), with ratings for these words.
4. Who can participate in the research? What is the expected duration of my participation? What is the duration of this research?
You must not have previously participated in “Creating a database of taboo words (Study 1)”.Participants must be Singaporean and native speakers of English, and have normal or corrected-to-normal vision. They must also be NUS students aged between 18 and 30.
It is anticipated the entire study will take 30 min or less and will be completed in one session. The full research project is expected to be completed in Mar 2022.
5. What is the approximate number of research participants involved?
Approximately 60 individuals will take part in this study.6. What will be done if I take part in this research study?
You will be asked to rank taboo words on different dimensions. More specifically, the task is to select the two most extreme words on the list (the strongest and the weakest) with respect to this dimension - for example the most pleasant / unpleasant or the most arousing / boring.7. How will my privacy and the confidentiality of my research records be protected?
Identifiable information (e.g., email addresses and contact numbers) will be collected for the sole purposes of scheduling the experiment and participant reimbursement and will be discarded 10 days after you have been debriefed. After the identifiable information is discarded, your data will be coded with a subject number so that your responses cannot be linked to any personal information. Personal data will never be used in a publication or presentation. The study data will be stored anonymously in a multi-university database of taboo words and only used for research purposes.All data collected will be kept in accordance with the University’s Research Data Management Policy. Research data used in any publication will be kept for a minimum of 10 years before being discarded.
8. What are the possible discomforts and risks for participants?
Having to read or evaluate taboo words which you consider inappropriate, offensive, or insulting may cause stress and discomfort. If you think this will be a problem for you, you should not participate in this study.9. Will there be reimbursement for participation?
If you signed up for this study via the Psychology Department’s Research Participation Programme, you will receive one research participation point for each half-hour of participation.If you were recruited through LumiNUS as a paid participant, you will receive SGD5 for each half-hour of participation or part thereof.
10. What are the possible benefits to me and to others?
There is no direct benefit to you by participating in this research study. The knowledge gained may benefit the public in the future. You will learn how researchers study the way people use and represent their languages. The knowledge gained may benefit the public in the future by providing knowledge about the mechanisms that support skilled reading in English.11. Can I refuse to participate in this research?
Yes, you can. Your decision to participate in this research study is voluntary and completely up to you. You may refuse to participate, refuse to answer any questions, or withdraw from the study, without loss of promised compensation or impacting your academic standing, by informing the principal investigator. If you decide to withdraw from the study prior to completing the session, the information collected prior to you leaving the study will be discarded. You may also withdraw your data within 10 days of receiving the debriefing sheet, at the latest. It will not be possible to withdraw your data beyond this point.12. Whom should I call if I have any questions or problems?
Please contact the Principal Investigator, Dr. Melvin Yap at telephone (+65) 6516 7768 and email melvin@nus.edu.sg for all research-related matters and in the event of research-related injuries.For an independent opinion specifically regarding the rights and welfare of research participants, you may contact a staff member of the National University of Singapore Institutional Review Board at telephone (+65) 6516 1234 [Mondays to Thursdays from 8.30am to 6pm, and Fridays from 8.30am to 5.30pm, except public holidays] or email at irb@nus.edu.sg.