Thank you for your interest in taking part in this study. Here is the consent form for the research we are conducting. All information about the study is contained within. This study does not use deception. Providing your email will give us consent to contact you about taking part in the research detailed below. You are not required to participate in this research if you decide not to, either before or after being contacted. You may also have us delete your email at any time.

Creating the Digital Self: An Examination of the Role of Self in Creating Avatars Volunteer Consent Agreement

You are invited to participate in a research study.  Before you agree to participate, please read this form carefully and ask any questions you may have to be sure that you understand what your participation will involve. 

Creating the Digital Self: An Examination of the Role of Self in Creating Avatars 

INVESTIGATORS: This research study is being conducted by Dr. Michael Chan-Reynolds and Connor Leshner from the Department of Psychology at Trent University.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: You are being invited to participate in a study examining how we represent ourselves in online environments. The goal of this research is to understand our actual selves in relation to versions of ourselves we create for online use. You will be interviewed about the app or social media that you spend the most time on. All data collection will be done on the computer. You will also be asked about my experiences for each platform. You are welcome to not answer any question and withdraw at any point during the interview. Any additional instructions or questions can be answered by the member of the research team administering this study. 

WHAT YOU WILL BE ASKED TO DO: If you agree to participate in this study, you will be asked to do the following:

You will have the opportunity to ask the researchers any questions before the beginning of the interview. You will be asked to give consent to be recorded over zoom, and have the interview transcribed with Otter.ai. You will be asked a series of questions around your profile or avatar based on the app or platform you use most (i.e., a video game, a dating app, or social media). You can withdraw at any point during the interview, and you will be reminded of your right to withdraw throughout the interview. The interviews will take place on Zoom, and last for between 30-45 minutes. 

At the conclusion of the interview, you will be asked for your consent to take a photo of yourself and your profile or avatar. Following your completion of the interview, or following your withdrawal from the interview, you will be debriefed on the study and can ask any questions of the researchers. You may also reach out to the researchers following publication for an article summarizing the results. Any other research output can be made available to participants on request.

POTENTIAL BENEFITS: 

Participants will have the opportunity to be a part of scientific research and provide their insights into the process. I cannot guarantee, however, that you will receive any benefits from participating in this study.

WHAT ARE THE POTENTIAL RISKS TO YOU AS A PARTICIPANT: 

Participation in the study may elicit emotional reactions, but there are no known or anticipated risks associated with participation in this study, except for the potential visual or postural fatigue, typically associated with working at a desk. 

CONFIDENTIALITY: 

All data will be securely retained on a One Drive server at Trent University, secured under the graduate student’s account. Following data collection, all data will be deidentified such that data cannot be traced back to a participant. Additionally, this study requires that a photo will be taken of you at the conclusion of the study, with consent. These photos will not appear in any research outcomes or publicly available datasets. 

To meet the requirements of some forms of scientific communication, the raw data collected may be shared with identity information removed. However, it may be possible for your participation in the study to be inferred from the data (e.g., a unique combination of the responses that you provide).

Anonymized data will be retained indefinitely to ensure that the findings can be reviewed and audited in the future to ensure the accuracy of findings. Your survey responses will be publicly available. Photos and transcripts will be retained separately and never made public, and will be kept securely on a local hard drive in Dr. Michael Chan-Reynolds’ lab space.

INCENTIVES AND/OR COMPENSATION FOR PARTICIPATION: 

Participation is voluntary, although participants can have free access to the findings, and all research output, following the completion of analysis and publication, on request.

COSTS TO PARTICIPATION: 

There are no perceived costs for participating in this study. Participants only need to download zoom for the study.

COMPENSATION FOR INJURY: 

By agreeing to participate in this research, you are not waiving any legal right if you are harmed during the research.

If, at any point during the study, you felt or were made to feel uncomfortable by the content of the questions, please contact Connor Leshner immediately at the contact info below. If you would prefer, Anna Kisala’s contact information, who coordinates research conduct concerns, is also available below. If any physical or emotional harm comes to you, the graduate student PI will work to connect you with local resources, where possible.

VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION AND WITHDRAWAL: 

Participation in this study is completely voluntary. You can choose whether to participate or not. If any question makes you uncomfortable, you can skip that question. You may stop participating at any time and you will still be given the incentives and reimbursements described above. If you choose to stop participating, you may also choose not to have your data included in the study. Your choice of whether to participate will not influence your future relations with Trent University or the investigators Dr. Michael Chan-Reynolds and Connor Leshner involved in the research.   

The researcher may also terminate the study if there is a concern of safety for the participant, whether physical or emotional.

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE STUDY: If you have any questions or concerns about the research now, please ask. If you have questions later about the research, you may contact:

Connor Leshner

PhD Student

connorleshner@trentu.ca

Michael Chan-Reynolds

Associate Professor, Chair of Psychology

michaelchanreynolds@trentu.ca

This study has been reviewed by the Trent University Research Ethics Board, the study number is 28815. If you have questions or concerns that you don’t wish to share with the researchers, please contact:

Anna Kisiala

Coordinator, Research Conduct and Reporting

c/o Office of the Vice President, Research and Innovation

Trent University 

1600 West Bank Dr

Peterborough, ON K9L 0G2

705-748-1011 ext. 7866

annakisiala@trentu.ca