PARTICIPANT INFORMATION SHEET

You are invited to take part in a research study. Please read the following information and take the time to decide whether or not you would like to participate. You are welcome to ask the researcher for clarity at any time.

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between religiosity and socio-emotional outcomes. You were chosen to take part as you fit the inclusion criteria: UK resident and over 18 years of age. Approximately 130-150 participants will take part in this study.

Participation in the study will take approximately 30-40 minutes. You will be asked to provide information about yourself (such as your age and gender). You will then complete some questionnaires and a task. One questionnaire will ask you about your religious beliefs and practices. Another questionnaire will ask you about your emotional abilities and factors related to your personality. The final questionnaire will ask you about how you feel in your day-to-day life. You will be asked to watch some short videos of people telling stories about themselves. You will be asked to make judgements about the person in the video and about yourself throughout this task. You may find some of the videos to be upsetting, please remember that you are free to withdraw from the study at any time without having to give a reason why.

Do I have to take part?

Participation is entirely voluntary; it is up to you to decide whether to take part. If you do decide to take part, you will be asked to sign a consent form. However, you are still free to withdraw at any time without giving a reason and without consequence.

What are the benefits and risks of taking part?

If you are a first year Psychology undergraduate student at Goldsmiths University of London, you can receive credits towards the research participation scheme for taking part.

Aside from this, there are no other advantages to you personally for participating in this study. However, by taking part, you will play an important role in the progression of understanding the relationship between religiosity and socio-emotional processes. With your help, we can increase the understanding of how these processes differ from one person to the next and what this means.

You may also find some of the videos upsetting. You are free to withdraw from the study at any point, so please don’t feel you have to continue if you find the videos too upsetting. We will also give you regular opportunities for breaks during the study to avoid fatigue but you may begin to feel tired as the experiment goes on.

This study is being conducted as part of a third-year student research project in the Psychology Department of Goldsmiths (University of London). The research will last until 27/04/2021 and results will be available from this date. If you wish to obtain a copy, please email schau003@gold.ac.uk.

This research has been approved by the Goldsmiths, University of London ethics committee. Goldsmiths is committed to compliance with the Universities UK Research Integrity Concordat. You may expect the highest level of integrity from the researcher during the course of the study. If you feel you have not been treated according to these guidelines and wish to submit a complaint then please contact: tegan.penton@gold.ac.uk (project supervisor) or s.mcveigh@gold.ac.uk (the Chair of Goldsmiths Research Ethics and Integrity Sub-Committee).

Will my data be anonymous?

Yes. All information which is collected about you over the course of the research will be kept strictly confidential and anonymous, and will comply with GDPR guidelines. Any information will have your name and any personal information removed so that you cannot be identified from it.

Thank you for taking the time to read this information. If you have any questions at any time, please contact the researchers (Dr Tegan Penton: tegan.penton@gold.ac.uk, or Saira Chaudhary: schau003@gold.ac.uk).