



THE STUDY How we perceive our romantic partner and relationship can change in an instant, or, can gradually shift over longer periods of time.



The aim of this study is to better understand the impact of these fluctuations and how they influence relationship factors like your sexual desire, conflict patterns, or emotional experiences. WHAT IS INVOLVED? Short (5-10 mins) online survey once per week for 8 weeks (except for one week in which you will complete the short survey each day of the week)



Completion of a pre and post questionnaire (approx. 15-20 mins)



That is roughly 2-3 hours across a two-month period. YOUR PERSONALISED RELATIONSHIP DATA We want to give you back the data you give us!



The personalised data will be in the form of easy-to-read info-blasts (i.e., graphs) that will show you how key aspects of your relationship have been tracking and changing over the course of the study.

DETAILED STUDY INFORMATION This study is another initiative of Deakin University’s Science of Adult Relationships (SoAR) Lab. The study will launch on Tuesday, January 29th. That means you, and everybody else that has registered, will be completing the surveys on the same day and at roughly the same time! ALL YOU NEED is an email address, a mobile phone number, and Internet access to the online surveys. And good news for those of us who have ‘SMS happy-fingers’ all of the surveys are mobile friendly (*fist pump). Most weeks, we will be keeping in touch by sending you a short video update of the study and a look at what’s ahead, but don’t worry they are not mandatory viewing! SHORT SURVEYS

You will be asked to complete a short survey ONCE per week for 8 weeks, except for week 4 where you will need to complete it for each day of that week. The survey will take you approximately 5-10 MINUTES, and can be completed in the evening (after 6pm). Whether asking about the previous week or that day, this short survey will consist of questions such as “did you experience a negative or positive event with your partner today?” and “how would you rate your current level of sexual desire or interest?” PRE- AND POST-SURVEYS

Before you complete the first short survey and after you complete the last one, you will be asked to also fill out a more in-depth survey that will serve as a baseline and finishing point to the study. These two surveys will each take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. INCENTIVES

As you would already be aware, we are going to provide you with individually tailored data that reflects how key relationship variables relevant only to you are tracking and changing. Click here to find out more and see some examples of what you will receive. PARTICIPANT INFORMATION SHEET

This document will tell you absolutely everything you need to know (and probably some more!). Please download and keep a copy for your personal records.

OUR ETHOS Finding participants for psychological research is always challenging. We think this has a lot to do with the fact that many researchers do not tap into the real reasons driving most people to participate - that is, they are interested in the research area or want to find out more about themselves. We believe that providing small monetary payments for participation in research studies does not show an appreciation for how valuable your contribution is. That's why we have decided to offer our participants an incentive to participate that will not only satisfy their interests in their own growth and development, but also their contribution to Australian social psychology research.

PERSONALISED RELATIONSHIP DATA Over the course of the study we will be sending you 3 info-blasts. It is important to remember that your confidentiality is assured – we have setup a password and ID system to protect your data. The first info-blast will provide you with data that reflects how the participant group as a whole perceives certain aspects of their relationship. This means, that ONLY group (i.e., averages) data will be provided. The second info-blast will provide you with data that reflects how YOU responded to particular questions over the 7-day period (during week 4). This means that each participant will receive their own personalised data that only they have access to. For the final info-blast you will receive data that reflects how key aspects of YOUR relationship tracked and changed over the duration of the entire study (2 months). If you a miss a few surveys, don’t worry, the survey will remain open until the day before we launch the next survey. However, to ensure we can give you the most accurate and insightful personalised data, we can only provide this data if you complete at least 65% of all surveys.



STUDY CALENDAR Below you will find the key dates relevant to your participation in the REFLECT study. Remember that over 8 weeks, your total commitment should be no more than approximately 2 hours. It's time to REFLECT. On these days, be sure to check your email or mobile phone after 7pm for your individual survey link!

When you see this symbol on the calendar - get excited - because you will soon be receiving an Info-blast!

FAQs 1. How will I receive the info-blasts? Each info-blast will be sent to your nominated email address. Note: your data and email address are stored separately. 2. What do I need to participate? Just the Internet, an email address and mobile phone number, oh and a romantic partner! 3. How long do the surveys really take to complete? We have tested each survey thoroughly and are confident the short surveys will only take you 5 to 10 minutes and the pre- and post-surveys 15 to 25 minutes to complete. 4. Do I need to complete all of the surveys? No, but yes! The more you complete, the more accurate your info-blasts will be! We can only provide info-blasts for participants who complete a minimum of 65% of the short surveys (that’s only 9 out of the 14 short surveys completed over two months - easy!). 5. How long do I have to complete each survey? Because each short survey should only take around 5 minutes to complete, each survey should be completed on the evening it is released. However, if you begin a survey, and are interrupted, you can revisit it and continue where you left off. 6. What happens if I miss a survey? Don’t stress. While we are encouraging that all participants complete the short surveys on the same day, we understand that life can get in the way. Each survey will expire the day before we launch the next short survey, which means (except for week 4) you have a few days to go back and complete a missed survey. 7. Why does the study have a pre-defined launch date? The main reason for the pre-defined launch date is that we need to ensure that everyone starts at the same time so we can send out the first info-blast (which is based on the overall sample). 8. How is my data stored? At the beginning of each survey you will be required to enter in a unique ID and password (that we help you create). All information and data gathered from participants will be kept secure through password protection and stored on a secure server with the School of Psychology at Deakin University. No identifying information will be stored. 9. Who has access to my data? Only you and us. 10. What happens if I forget my ID and password? At the beginning of each survey you will be required to enter in a unique ID and password (that we help you create at the beginning of the first survey). We highly recommend you write this down, however, if you do forget, no stress, just send us an email and all will be forgiven. 11. Who are the two dorks in the video updates? Sue and Bengianni, your forever grateful and faithful researchers! (See contact information page for more).

CONTACT US

If you have any questions, comments, issues, or feedback, please do not hesitate to contact the primary researcher, Sue Chesterman: