If you are a college/university student 18 years or older, you are invited to participate in a voluntary research project conducted by Joseph Dunnigan, B.A., Brandon Ehle, M.S., Emily Nisley, M.A., and Cindy Ycaza Stroschein, M.S.; under the supervision of Amber Roberts, Ph.D., and Barbara Palombi, Ph.D., ABPP. This study is a part of requirements for completion of our predoctoral internship at Grand Valley State University's Counseling and Career Development Center. Approval was given for this study by Grand Valley State University's Institutional Review Board.
The current study, titled Gender, Personality, Well-being and Facebook Use, seeks to determine whether there are differences in reported Facebook use patterns and personal characteristics between groups of people.
You were selected to participate based on your response to an advertisement on the Facebook website. If you volunteer to participate in the study, you will be requested to complete a survey asking you about personal information including your age, sex and class standing; your feelings about connecting with people; aspects of your use of Facebook; and aspects of your personality. The study is estimated to take approximately 15 minutes to complete.
You may feel uncomfortable answering questions about yourself, your feelings and your behavior. If you are completing the survey on a computer accessible to others, there is a risk that they may see your answers. Therefore, we suggest that you do not take the survey at a public terminal or in a public space. There is a risk that you may become bored from answering the survey questions.
Those who complete the survey can choose to participate in a drawing for a cash prize of $50.00. If you are interested in the study results, you will be able to access a website to read the conclusions after completion of the study. There is a space to make comments in your own words about your experience in using Facebook.
Society may benefit from increased understanding of the use of social networking websites and the effects of personality and emotions on use patterns. Such understanding may lead to improved services to meet the needs of people who use these websites.
Payment for Participation:
No payment is provided for participation in this research study. If you complete the survey, you will be offered the opportunity to enter a drawing for a $50.00 cash prize. The winner will be selected by random drawing.
No identifying information will be collected by the researchers. The IP address of the computer through which you access the survey will be monitored by Formsite.com (http://www.formsite.com). This information is used only to prevent multiple responses and is discarded after survey access is provided. The researchers will not have access to IP addresses of participants. Participants who complete the survey can choose to enter a drawing for a cash prize. Entry into the drawing will require submission of an email address, which is needed in order to notify the winner. Survey data and contact information for the drawing will be collected and kept separately.
Participation in this study is completely voluntary. You are free to decide not to participate in this study or to withdraw at any time without adversely affecting your relationship with the investigators or Grand Valley State University. Your decision will not result in any loss of benefits to which you are otherwise entitled. You can end your participation by selecting another website in your web browser, or by closing your web browser. Completing the survey will constitute consent to participate in the study. You are not required to participate in the prize drawing if you do choose to participate in the survey.
If you have questions or concerns about this research study, you can contact the Principal Investigators at Grand Valley State University Counseling and Career Development Center, 204 Student Services Bldg., 1 Campus Drive, Allendale, MI 49401-9403. Email: [email protected]
You can also contact Amber Roberts, Ph.D., or Barbara Palombi, Ph.D., ABPP, at Grand Valley State University's Counseling and Career Development Center at (616) 331-3266.
You may withdraw your consent and discontinue participation in this study at any time, without penalty. You are not waiving legal claims, rights or remedies if you choose to participate in this study. You may print out a copy of this form by selecting to print this web page in your web browser. If you have questions regarding your rights as a research subject that have not been answered by the investigators, you may contact the Grand Valley State University Human Subjects Review Committee Chair Paul Reitemeier, telephone (616) 331-3197.
