Georgia State University
Department of Political Science
Informed Consent
Title: Dispositional Factors in Understanding Competitive Political Messages
Principal Investigator: Jason Reifler, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Georgia State University, 38 Peachtree Center Ave. Suite 1005, Atlanta, GA, USA 30303-2514
Purpose:
You are invited to participate in a research study. The purpose of the study is to investigate how citizens make sense of political information that they receive. You were invited to participate because you are a student in POLS 1101. Around 1000 participants will be recruited for this study. Participation will require 1-2 hours of your time.
Procedures:
If you decide to participate, you will answer about questions on your political beliefs, may read some news articles or transcripts, and describe some basic information about yourself. This research will be done totally online, and you will receive 3 points extra credit to be applied to your course grade. Your answers will be completely confidential. You will interact with no one else.
Risks:
In this study, you will not have any more risks than you would in a normal day of life. It is important to know that some of the questions in this survey ask about contemporary political issues, and that participants may feel discomfort about some of the topics they will be asked about.
Benefits:
Participation in this study may not benefit you personally. Overall, we hope to gain information to understand more about how people make sense of the information they receive about politics. If you have not participated in a political science study before, this is a good opportunity to experience first hand how political science research is conducted.
Voluntary Participation and Withdrawal:
Participation in research is voluntary. You do not have to be in this study. If you decide to be in the study and change your mind, you have the right to drop out at any time. You may skip questions or stop participating at any time. Whatever you decide, you will not lose any benefits to which you are otherwise entitled.
Confidentiality:
We will keep your records private to the extent allowed by law. The survey will ask you for some identifying information in order to be able to award the extra credit. Once the extra credit is awarded, all personally identifying information will be deleted from all computer files and web servers. Only Dr. Jason Reifler will have access to the information you provide. Your name and other facts that might point to you will not appear when we present this study or publish its results. The findings will be summarized and reported in group form. You will not be identified personally.
Contact Persons:
Call Dr. Jason Reifler at 404-413-6176 (poljar@langate.gsu.edu) if you have questions about this study. If you have questions or concerns about your rights as a participant in this research study, you may contact Susan Vogtner in the Office of Research Integrity at 404-413-3513 or svogtner1@gsu.edu.
Copy of Consent Form to Subject:
Please print a copy of this consent form for your records.
This study has been approved by the Georgia State Institutional Review Board for the Protection
of Human Subjects.
Clicking "Yes" below indicates that you agree to participate in the study.