Online Survey Consent Form

You are being invited to participate in a research study titled “Perception of Intonation". This study is being done by Dr. Meghan Armstrong from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. You are ONLY eligible to participate in this study if you meet the requirements below. If you do not meet these requirements, please do *not* participate, as your response could seriously impact the results of the study. You must be a NATIVE SPEAKER OF AMERICAN ENGLISH to participate, meeting the following requirements:

Are at least 18 years of age

Were born and raised in the U.S.

Have American English as your first language

Have never lived outside of the U.S. for more than 3 consecutive years

The purpose of this research study is to better understand how intonation contributes to meaning in American English. If you agree to take part in this study, you will be asked to complete an online survey/questionnaire. This survey/questionnaire will ask you to listen to some recordings and make some judgments based on what you think the sentences you hear mean. It will take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete.

You may not directly benefit from this research; however, we hope that your participation in the study may help us to better describe the intonational characteristics of English spoken in the U.S.

We believe there are no known risks associated with this research study; however, as with any online related activity the risk of a breach of confidentiality is always possible. To the best of our ability, your answers in this study will remain confidential. You will not need to provide your name at any time. All of the information you provide in the survey will be associated with a unique identifier number to protect your identity.

Your participation in this study is completely voluntary, and you can withdraw at any time.

If you have questions about this project or if you have a research-related problem, you may contact the researcher(s), Dr. Meghan Armstrong, 413-595-4910. If you have any questions concerning your rights as a research subject, you may contact the University of Massachusetts Amherst Human Research Protection Office (HRPO) at (413) 545-3428 or humansubjects@ora.umass.edu.

By clicking “I agree” below you are indicating that you are at least 18 years old, have read and understood this consent form and agree to participate in this research study. Please print a copy of this page for your records.