"Conceptualise Me!"

This is an online survey to collect data for a study being led by Prof Nick Hulbert-Williams at the University of Chester. If you are interested in taking part in this study, please read the following information page, which will provide all the information you need before consenting to take part.

Information page:

It is important to the work psychologists do to know how people think about and understand themselves. Are you the same thing as your thoughts and feelings? Are you actually your whole body? Are you a point of consciousness floating in the universe? People have very different ways of understanding who they really are. You are being invited to take part in a research study that aims to develop a psychological measure of self-concept. Please take time to read the following information carefully, and decide whether you would like to participate. The survey itself should take approximately 25-30 minutes to complete.

Who is undertaking this research study?

This study is being led by Professor Nick Hulbert-Williams, Dr Lee Hulbert-Williams, and Dr Brooke Swash, and Rosie Pendrous at the University of Chester. Your participation will provide important data and will be greatly appreciated.

Inclusion criteria

To be eligible to participate in this study you must be aged 16 or over and be able to read and understand English. If you do not meet these requirements you will be unable to participate in this study.

What do I have to do/what will happen?

After you have read this information sheet, you’ll be asked to provide consent to participate. You will then be presented with an online survey, which will take approximately 25-30 minutes to complete. The survey consists of a number of short questionnaires which will measure elements of self-concept, psychological flexibility, levels of life satisfaction, happiness, depression, anxiety and stress. There will be a debrief page upon completion of the survey. Feel free to save these (e.g. using ‘File’ and ‘Save as’ in your browser).

Do I have to take part?

You do not have to take part, and you need not give a reason for this decision. Participation is entirely voluntary. All survey answers provided will be completely anonymous. If you decide to take part in the study, you will proceed to the next page once you have finished reading this information. That page will ask if you do want to take part. Should you change your mind after commencing the survey, you have a right to withdraw from the study. If you wish to withdraw, please click the ‘exit and clear’ button, which will appear on every page. The survey will terminate at that point. Any data you entered prior to clicking the ‘exit and clear’ button will not be retained for data analysis. You can withdraw from the study at any time whilst you’re completing the survey and there will be no repercussions. Note that the survey is designed to be anonymous, so once you click submit, we won’t be able to find which answers were yours in order to remove them from the database.

Is there any potential harm from taking part in the study?

This study simply asks some questions about how you see yourself and your general psychological wellbeing. For instance, there may be questions like, “I feel touchy” or “I worry about situations”. Except for our new questions about self-concept, all of these questions have been used many times before. We expect no directly harmful effects from taking part in this study. If, however, you feel you need information, support or guidance about stress or mental health in general, you may find the following organisation useful:

Mind Info Line: information on all aspects of mental distress. 0845 766 0163 - 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. Website: www.mind.org.uk

How will I benefit from the study?

The aim of this research is to develop a measure of self-concept, which will support the work of psychologists in helping people to improve their lives. We trust that donating a little time to this worthwhile study will give you a sense of contribution.

If you are a psychology student at the University of Chester, in exchange for participating in this survey you will be awarded 2 University of Chester RPS credits.

Confidentiality:

Data will only be used for the purposes of research. Data may be shared with other parties, or loaded onto websites dedicated to the sharing of psychological data. Therefore, we have been very careful not to ask any questions that would identify you as an individual. For instance, we won’t ask your date of birth, only roughly how old you are. If you believe any of the questions would allow us to identify you specifically, you should feel free not to answer that question. All responses to the questionnaires will be pooled into a data file, which will be stored on a secure server. Data will be retained for as long as it is of value to the research team and wider research community.

What will happen to the results of the study?

The results of each questionnaire in the survey will be pooled together for statistical analysis. The findings will be written up as a series of research papers which will be submitted to relevant scientific journals. Results may also be presented at scientific meetings and conferences to maximise dissemination. If you would like a summary of the results, please contact Jayne Joy (see below).

Complaints procedure:

If you wish to make a complaint about any aspect of this research, or how you have been treated as a participant, please address it to: Professor R. Bramwell, Head of Department, Department of Psychology, University of Chester, Parkgate Road, Chester, CH1 4BJ. Email: r.bramwell@chester.ac.uk Phone: 01244 513479.

Where can I get further information?

If you require further information, please contact: Rosie Pendrous, Department of Psychology, University of Chester, Parkgate Road, Chester, CH1 4BJ. Email: r.pendrous@chester.ac.uk.

My principle researcher is Professor Nick Hulbert-Williams.

On behalf of the research team here at the University of Chester, I would like to thank you for considering participation in this study.