Project: Two Peas in a Pod? An Investigation of Friendship and Personality Perception

Please read this consent agreement carefully before you decide to participate in the study.

The Department of Psychology at Ouachita Baptist University supports the practice of protection of human participants in research.  The following statement will provide you with information about the experiment that will help you in deciding whether or not you wish to participate. This study has been approved by the Ouachita Baptist University Institutional Review Board.  

This study is being conducted by Josie Collins. The purpose of this study is to look at what information people use when they assume people are friends or estimate friendship compatibility. In this study, you will be asked to submit a photo of yourself and fill out a collection of surveys involving friendship and personality traits. In order to participate in this study, you must have a close friend that is willing to participate with you. Please contact this friend and make sure they are willing to participate before you begin the study. The photos that you and your friend provide will be viewed by participants in the next portion of this study. The participants will be asked to rate whether they think you are friends. All the information you provide will be assigned a random number, and will remain confidential. No identifying information will accompany the photos when they are shown to participants. All names will be used for the purposes of organizing data and will be deleted from the data before analysis begins. Your participation in this study will require approximately thirty minutes. The compensation for participation includes the results of your personality assessment and, if you would like, some friendship information. There are no risks expected as a result of your participation, and any risk of discomfort is not more than you would experience in everyday life. If for any reason during this study you do not feel comfortable, you may discontinue participation. Your information will be discarded. However, if you do not complete the study, you will not receive your personality assessment results.

Please indicate, by clicking “I agree”, in the space below that you understand your rights and agree to participate in the experiment. Your participation is requested, yet strictly voluntary. All information will be kept confidential and your name will not be associated with any research findings. When this study is complete, you will be provided the results of the experiment if you request them, and you will be free to ask any questions.

If you have questions or concerns about the study, please contact:                                    

DR. JENNIFER V. FAYARD                        
OBU Box 3701                                
410 Ouachita Street                        
Arkadelphia, AR 71998-0001                          
Telephone: (870)-245-5103                  
fayardj@obu.edu   

JOSIE COLLINS
OBU Box 3855
410 Ouachita Street
Arkadelphia, AR 71998-0001
col66266@obu.edu                           

You may contact the following person regarding your rights in this study:

JEANIE CURRY, IRB Chair
OBU Box 3671
410 Ouachita Street
Arkadelphia, AR 71998-0001
(870)-245-5248
curryj@obu.edu