We would like to invite you to take part in a research study. Before you decide whether to take part, we would like you to understand why the research is being carried out and what it would involve for you. Please take time to carefully read the following information and discuss it with others, if you wish.
The environment can affect the behaviour of both men and women in various ways, but this process is not accurately understood. Therefore, we have developed an economic games experiment which will be used in combination with a questionnaire to assess the effects of the environment on peoples’ behaviour.
In this study, we would like to get a better current understanding on peoples’ attitudes and behaviour from different areas in the UK, by asking them questions about themselves and then to ask them to participate in an anonymous two-player economic game and anonymous questionnaire.
We are asking able bodied adult men and women located in different areas of the United Kingdom, to take part in the study in order to understand their behaviour and attitudes. For the purpose of this study, able bodied adults are defined as people who are 18 or above and who do not have physical or mental limitations that affect the ability to perform daily activities.
• Be 18 years of age or above
• Have sufficient command of the English language
• Have access to the internet
• Have capacity to give full informed consent
You cannot take part if you:• Have physical or mental limitations that affect the ability to perform daily activities
Your participation is entirely voluntary. A decision not to take part will not affect the results of the study. If you do begin the study and decide that you no longer want to take part, you can stop the study at any time without giving a reason. As participation is anonymous, once you have submitted your responses, it will not be possible to modify or delete them at a later date.
If you choose to continue, you will need to confirm that you have had a chance to read this information sheet and give your informed consent. Once you have completed this, we will ask you some questions about yourself and the first 3 letters of your postcode to determine the rough area of where you live. After playing the economic game, you will be able to answer questions about your attitudes and experiences. You will be able to take as much time as required when answering these questions.
Although we cannot promise that the study will directly help you, you will be compensated financially for completing the study. This will be a maximum of £15, depending on your final points score. Additionally, the information we get from this study may help us better understand how the environment may affect a persons’ behaviour, leading to helpful policies for men and women and to provide an insight as to how demographic change may affect social behaviour.
We will be asking you, by email, to give up your free time to complete the study either virtually or face-to-face, which will take approximately 20 minutes. Some of the questions asked may be seen as sensitive in nature, if you feel uncomfortable you can stop the study at any time. At the end of the questionnaire portion of the study, we will provide you with details for services to help if you experience any distress. These details are also included at the end of this information sheet.
The study is anonymous, so we will not be collecting anything that will identify you to us; such as your name, contact details or computer Internet Protocol (IP) address. You can stop the study at any time, without giving a reason. After you have completed the study, it will not be possible to identify or remove your data because your responses will be anonymous. Your anonymised data may be kept for use in future research and shared with other institutions in the UK and abroad.
You can find out more about how we use your information:
• at https://www.ucl.ac.uk/legal-services/privacy/ucl-general-research-participant-privacy-notice
• by asking one of the research team (see contact details below)
• by sending an email to UCL's Data Protection Officer: data-protection@ucl.ac.uk or letter to Data Protection Officer, UCL Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT.
• by ringing us on 07908823017
This study will comply with Geneal Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018) across both the ‘local’ and ‘general’ privacy notices. The information that you give us will be stored anonymously in a secure, password protected, online database held at University College London (UCL). This database will be supported by UCL infrastructure, in compliance with UCL data security policy. No personally identifiable data will be collected during this study, it will be impossible to identify your responses.
We hope to present the results of this study at both national and international conferences and published in scientific journals. The data that you provide is anonymous, and you will never be named or identified in any publication resulting from this research. Once the wider PhD project is complete, scientific papers using the results may be circulated on social media: Twitter: @evobias_erc / @fakoyabrooks
The study is organised and sponsored by University College London (UCL). The project is funded by the UCL Research Opportunities Scholarship and the European Research Council (ERC) as part of a wider PhD project.
This study has been reviewed and approved by UCL Anthropology Department Research Ethics Committee to ensure all research involving men and women meets research governance standards and complies with legislation that applies to the research.
If you have any further questions about this research please contact us using the details below:
| Role | Name | Telephone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Investigator | Prof Ruth Mace | r.mace@ucl.ac.uk | +44 (0)20 7679 8845 |
| Study Coordinator | Reuben Fakoya-Brooks | r.fakoya-brooks@ucl.ac.uk | +44 (0)20 790 88 23017 |
The Sponsor and controller for this project, University College London (UCL) has indemnity and insurance arrangements in place through their commercial insurer to cover legal liability that may arise from fault in the management, design or conduct of the research. In the event that something does go wrong, and you are harmed during the research, and this is due to someone's negligence then you may have grounds for a legal action for compensation. A note summarising the terms and conditions of the policy and a cover note is available from jro.sponsorship@ucl.ac.uk. We encourage any potential complaints to be sent to the Chair of the UCL Research Ethics Committee by emailing ethics@ucl.ac.uk.
If you are concerned about how your personal data is being processed, or if you would like to contact us about your rights, please contact UCL in the first instance at data-protection@ucl.ac.uk.
Alternatively, if you have a concern or complaint about the study, please speak to the researchers using the contact details below:
How the Environment Impacts Behaviour Study,
Department of Anthropology
University College London
14 Taviton St.
London
WC1H 0BW, UK
Telephone: 0790 8 230 17
Email:r.fakoya-brooks@ucl.ac.uk
If you require further support concerning your mental health and wellbeing, please contact your general practitioner (GP), or the sources of support below:
| Service | Contact Details |
|---|---|
| Samaritans: Confidential emotional support for those in distress | Helpline: 116 123 Email: jo@samaritans.org Website: www.samaritans.org |
| Mind: Advice and support for anyone experiencing a mental health problem | Website: www.mind.org.uk Twitter: @mindcharity |
If you are interested in taking part, please read through the online consent form carefully and if you are happy to give your informed consent, access to the study will then be granted.