Northeastern Illinois University
College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Principal Investigator:  Dr. Linda Rueckert, 773-442-5841
Title of Project:  Internet Study of Perception of Emotional Expression

Please read the following very carefully.


A.  Introduction and purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine how your brain processes information when you are making decisions about emotion expressed in faces.  The results of this internet study will be compared to results obtained previously in a paper-and-pencil version of the same task.  Testing will last from 20 to 60 minutes.

B.  Procedure

You will be asked to perform the following tasks:

1. Chimeric faces task.  In this task you will see two funny-looking faces and will be asked to decide which one looks happier.  There will be 36 pairs of faces.
2. Demographics questionaire .  This will ask questions about yourself, such as your age, gender, etc.  You will also be asked to report whether you suffer from any neurological illness.
   

C.  Benefits

Possible benfits to you include learning about psychology and learning something about how your brain processes emotional information.

Benefits to others include knowledge gained about how the brain processes emotional information, and whether the internet can be used to study neuropsychology.

D.  Risks

There are no physical, psychological, or social risks involved in this study.

E.  Voluntary participation / withdrawal.

Your participation in this study is completely voluntary.  You may discontinue your participation at any time during the study.  If you quit the experiment any time before you click on the "submit" button at the very end, no data will be collected.

H.  Compensation.

You will not receive any money for participating in this experiment.  At the end of the study you will be given the option of giving your e-mail address in order to receive an e-mail receipt showing that you participated.  Some psychology professors may offer extra credit for your participation.  You should confirm this with your professor before participating.

I.  Confidentiality.

If you choose to give your e-mail address, all of your answers will be kept completely confidential.  If you do not give your name or e-mail address, you will be completely anonymous.  Results will be publicly reported as group averages only.  Data from individual participants will not be reported.

J.  Contact for questions.

If you have any additional questions about the research, your rights, or a research-related injury, you may contact Dr. Linda Rueckert by phone at 773-442-5841 or by e-mail at L-Rueckert@neiu.edu  . Should you have any questions regarding your rights as a human subject, contact the Chair of the NEIU Human Subjects Committee at (773)  442-5844.

K.  Consent to participate.

By clicking on the consent link below, you confirm that you have read the above information about this study, and that you understand the purpose of the study as well as the potential risks that are involved.