Consent form for participation in this online experiment
Study Information
Thank you for your interest in our study. Please read the following information carefully. Your participation in
this research is voluntary. It is your choice whether to participate or not. Please do not hesitate to write to us
at aswath.chandrasekaran@student.uni-tuebingen.de if you have any further questions regarding the study.
1. Purpose
This study aims to investigate human decision-making processes and their relationship with mental health.
2. Procedure
You will receive detailed instructions on how the task works, followed by a few questions to ensure you understand the task correctly. Next, you'll complete the full version of the task. Afterward, you'll complete questionnaires assessing personality, IQ, and various aspects of mental health. Your performance in the main task will affect your bonus payment. The entire study will take approximately 45 minutes.
3. Compensation
You will receive £6.75 for your participation. You can also earn a bonus of up to £6.75 depending on your
performance in the task.
4. Data protection
Once we have awarded you your bonus payment, your Prolific ID will be deleted from the study data. The experiment
data will be stored under a randomly assigned participant number on a server at the University of Tübingen. This
means that it will become impossible to link the study data to you. All data collected during this study will be
treated confidentially and all individuals with access to your personal data are obliged to maintain data secrecy.
We are not responsible for the handling of your personal data through the Prolific platform.
The study data may also be made publicly accessible via research databases or scientific publications (typically via
the internet). This makes it possible for other researchers to check or replicate the results and enhances the
quality of scientific research. The study data may also be used for new research questions going beyond the purposes
of this particular study. The data is stored anonymously, treated confidentially, and used only for scientific
purposes. You are free to withdraw, in which case recorded data will not be used (cf. point 6).
5. Voluntary participation
Your participation in this research is entirely voluntary. There will be no repercussions when canceling your
participation.
6. Right to refuse or withdraw
You do not have to take part in this study if you do not wish to do so. You are free to withdraw your consent and do
not need to provide a reason for your withdrawal. Participants who drop out of the study for any reason (e.g.,
technical issues) are eligible for full or partial compensation. Please contact
aswath.chandrasekaran@student.uni-tuebingen.de and include a screenshot of the experiment website if possible. If you withdraw from the study before data collection is completed, your data will not be used. If you withdraw from the
study after completing the study, but before bonus payments have been processed, you can request the deletion of
your data. After the processing of bonus payments, your Prolific ID will be removed from the study data and it will
be fully anonymized, making it not possible to link you with your data.
7. Risks
Your participation does not involve any physical or emotional risk to you. You are free to withdraw at any time.
8. Insurance coverage
Not necessary for participating in this study.
9. Responsible contact
If you have questions or if there are any problems, please contact aswath.chandrasekaran@student.uni-tuebingen.de.
You can also use this email to request the withdrawal of your data.
Consent
By clicking on the button below, you agree to the following:
I have read and understood the conditions outlined above. I consent to participate in the study and agree
to the collection, storage, and use of my data as described above.
Instructions
Your goal in this task is to choose the object you believe has the higher reward based on your observations from previous trials.
Each object has an associated reward in a fictional currency that changes after each round (e.g. ϐ, ϣ, ϙ, ϟ).
The exact reward for each object is unknown and can vary between trials. For instance, if the object has a reward of 50, you may receive 58,55,50,49,52,45,55,51,52,48 across 10 different trials.
On every round, you will be presented with six different objects and on every trial, two of the six objects will be randomly shown on the screen.
Your task is to choose the object you believe has the higher reward based on your observations from previous trials.
For each trial, you will have 6 seconds to make a decision. If no choice is made within the given time, the trial will be marked as missed, and no points will be awarded.
You can choose objects by pressing the left or right arrows on your keyboard
Select an object!
Instructions
Well done! You have won
After each selection, you will see the reward you received from the chosen object.
You will also see the reward you could have received from the unchosen object.
Remember, the fictional currency used for rewards will change after each round, so focus on the relative values rather than specific amounts.
When you are ready for Phase 2 instructions,
Instructions
In Phase 2, the rewards of all 6 objects remain the same as phase 1.
However, each of these objects are now associated with some probability of a visual “glitch”.
This means that when you choose one of these objects, you might encounter the glitch sometimes, but not every single time. You will have to learn which is which through trial and error.
Encountering this “glitch” however has no impact on the rewards that you will receive.
Instructions
Well done! You have come to the end of the tutorial.
The total number of points earned in both Phase 1 and Phase 2 will be converted to a bonus payment that could potentially double your base payment.
At the end of the task, you will be asked to complete a set of questionnaires that would take approximately 15-20 minutes. Remember, the bonus will only be paid, if you complete the entire experiment and the questionnaires.
Please answer a few questions about this study before proceeding
You will only be able to start the study once you’ve answered all questions correctly.
Welcome to Round
Continue to phase 1!
Phase 1
Press one of the two keys to gain a reward!
Round No: 1 out of 4
Current trial: 1 out of 30
Total Round score: 0
Continue to phase 2!
Remember, encountering glitches have no impact on the rewards you receive.
For each trial, you will have 6 seconds to make a decision. If no choice is made within the given time, the trial will be marked as missed, and no points will be awarded.
Phase 2
Press one of the two keys to gain a reward!
Round No: 1 out of 4
Current trial: 1 out of 30
Total Round score: 0
The currency in this round is
The images shown will be
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You scored
You achieved % of the maximum possible score of this round
