To download a copy of the Plain Language Statement for this project, click here.
Or you can read it below:
Full Project Title: Fathers’ Cognition When Exposed to Sounds
Principal Researcher: Associate Professor Jacqui Macdonald
Student Researcher: Lauren Francis (PhD Candidate)
Associate Researchers: Professor Peter Enticott, Dr. Ashlee Curtis, and Bridgette Speranza
This research is being conducted as part of the course requirements for successful completion of the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program within the School of Psychology at Deakin University.
Am I eligible to participate?
You are eligible to participate if you can read and understand written and spoken English, are between 30 and 38 years old, have normal or corrected to normal hearing and vision, are right-handed, and are willing to download Inquisit to complete this study. Additionally, you must also be the father of 1 or 2 children (no more), have an eldest child who is 4-years-old or younger, and your youngest child must be a biological child who has lived with you for their whole life.
You also must complete this study on a computer (PC or Mac) with headphones. You will not be able to complete this study on a mobile phone or tablet.
Reason for this research
Research on fathers is limited as most parenting research focuses on the experience of mothers. We also don’t know much about how emotions affect fathers’ attention and cognition. Therefore, we are specifically interested in enhancing the literature on fathers’ emotions and cognitions. We are particularly interested in how these are related in the context of hearing an infant cry. We may also use this data to answer research questions related to this research topic.
What does the research involve?
This research involves a single online approximately 30-minute testing session.
You will be asked to complete a survey (approximately 10 minutes). The survey will include questions about your: age, country of birth, country of residence, education, socio-economic status, relationship status, number of children, age of your youngest child, relationship to youngest child, and living arrangements with your children. You will also be asked questions about your emotions and mood.
After the survey, you will complete a task (approximately 10 minutes). You are required to use headphones to complete this task. While you complete this task, you will be played either the sounds of a baby or some ambient noise.
Inquisit is the platform that we use to host the interactive task that is included in this study. To participate in this study, you will have to download and install Inquisit to your computer. We will provide you with instructions on how to install Inquisit when it is required. Inquisit is widely used in research and licensed by Deakin University. The download file is 5GB. You are free to uninstall Inquisit after you have completed this study. Your data will only be able to be included in our study if you install Inquisit and complete the cognitive task.
After you have completed the tasks, we will ask you a few more survey questions about what you thought about the sound and your mood and emotions (approximately 5 minutes).
What are the benefits associated with participating in this study?
While there will be no direct benefit to you for participating, the findings may assist in improving our knowledge about fathers’ cognition and the effects of infant distress in a wider body of parenting literature focusing on the experiences of fathers specifically.
Participation is voluntary
Your participation in this research project is completely voluntary. Once you have read and understood this plain language statement you will be asked to provide consent to participate by checking boxes to show that you understand what is being asked here and that you agree to take part in this study.
Can I withdraw my participation from this study at any time?
Yes, you can withdraw your participation from this study at any time. Should you wish to withdraw at any stage, you are free to do so without prejudice, and withdrawing will not jeopardise your relationship with Deakin University. To withdraw from the study all you need to do is close the window that you have open.
As your data provided is anonymous, you will not be able to withdraw any data you provide.
You will only receive payment to compensate you for your time if you complete the study.
Will my participation involve any risk or inconvenience?
For some participants, this study will involve listening to prolonged baby sounds including sounds of infant crying. This may be upsetting. If you become distressed at all while participating in this study, this website lists mental health services that you can access around the world https://checkpointorg.com/global/. We will also provide you with this link during and at the end of the project. We also recognise the challenging circumstances the COVID-19 pandemic has caused for many community members. As such, we would like to highlight that if you, or those close to you are experiencing distress, or are in need of additional support, you are invited to contact support services through the above link.
We also recognise that spending approximately 30 minutes participating in this study may be an inconvenience. As such, you will be compensated for your time in the form of a $5AUD Woolworths gift voucher. We will collect your contact email at the end of the study so that we can send you the voucher, so please make sure to enter your email when prompted.
Will I receive compensation for my participation in this study?
At the end of the study, you will be asked to provide your email address. If you do so, we will email you a $5AUD Woolworths voucher to compensate you for your time spent participating. Your email address will only be used to contact you for this purpose.
Is there any situation where I would not be eligible for the voucher?
We can only use data when participants pay attention to the questions. For that reason, it is common for survey research to include questions that check to ensure that participants are paying attention to what is being asked. We have included some attention check questions in this study that simply ask you to select a specific option. If you do not select the required option, you will be redirected to a message explaining that you will not be able to continue with the study and you will not be eligible for the $5AUD voucher.
You also must complete this study at a computer and wear headphones. This study includes a test of audio which checks to see if you are wearing headphones before you complete the tasks. If you are not wearing headphones, you will not be able to complete this check correctly and you will be redirected to a message explaining that you will not be able to continue with the study and you will not be eligible for the voucher.
How will the research findings be published?
We aim to publish the results of this study in high-quality academic journals and present the findings at conferences. We will always maintain your anonymity.
How will my privacy and confidentiality be protected?
After this session, the data you have supplied will be identified only by a participant ID. Any personally identifying data (such as your email) will be collected and stored separately from any other data that you supply here and will not be able to be linked to your responses to the survey and task.
In any publication arising from this work, your data will not be provided on its own. Information will only be published for overall group scores. Any references to personal information that might allow someone to guess your identity will be removed.
Where will my data be stored?
Your study data will be kept securely in the Deakin Information and Records Services for at least five years from the date of the last publication that report on the data after which, it will be destroyed.
Your completely anonymous data may also be uploaded to an open science framework along with any publications. This can allow for other researchers to also analyse the data that we collect so that we get the most scientific value out of the data that you provide. There will be no way for this data to be traced back to you. This anonymous data set will be stored here indefinitely.
Will participation prejudice me in any way?
No, participating will not prejudice you in any way.
How is this study funded?
This research is funded by Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia.
Can I receive a summary of the findings?
We will not be able to provide you with a copy of your personal results as your submissions will be anonymous. However, if you would like to obtain a summary of the results or have any questions about the study, you can contact the researchers via the contact details of the research team listed below. A preliminary summary of results is also likely to be available from 2024 on the Men and Parenting Pathways Study (MAPP) website: http://mappresearch.org/.
Complaints
If you have any complaints about any aspect of the project, the way it is being conducted or any questions about your rights as a research participant, then you may contact:
The Human Research Ethics Office, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood Victoria 3125, Telephone: 9251 7129, research-ethics@deakin.edu.au
Please quote project number 2021-134.
Further Information or Queries
If you require further information, or if you have any questions for the research team about this research and what participation in this study entails, or if you have any problems concerning this project you can contact the research team using the details provided below.
Lauren Francis
lauren.francis@deakin.edu.au
School of Psychology, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway.
Associate Professor Jacqui Macdonald
jacqui.macdonald@deakin.edu.au
School of Psychology, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway.
Phone: +61 3 924 68164
If you would like to participate, please return to the email that you received for the link to participate.