Title: The impact of prosody – SP1801
Date of approval: 01.11.2018
Invitation to our study
If you are over 18 years old, we would like to invite you to participate in this research project. You should only participate if you want to; choosing not to take part will not disadvantage you in any way. Before you decide whether you want to take part, it is important for you to read the following information carefully and discuss it with others if you wish. Ask us if there is anything that is not clear or you would like more information.
Background to the project
The purpose of this research is to explore how we use tone of voice, also known as prosody. In particular, we are interested in exploring how we intone a range of social intentions in a number of contexts. In order to better understand the processes involved in tone of voice production, it is important to test a range of individuals from different backgrounds. It is hoped that our findings will also ultimately be used to inform therapy for individuals who may suffer from problems using tone of voice appropriately (e.g., stroke patients).
The study
This study will explore how tone of voice is produced. As part of this, we will ask you imagine being in a specific situation (e.g., when you talk to a family member) and utter a number of prepared sentences while we record your voice. Please ask as many questions as you like via email. All data that we collect will be anonymised (i.e. we only use participant numbers). A testing session should not take longer than 30 minutes. You can withdraw from our study at any time without prejudice.
Potential risks
There are no known risks associated with our study.
Informed consent
Should you agree to take part in this experiment, you will be asked to consent before the experiment commences.
Withdrawal
Your participation is voluntary and you will be free to withdraw from the project at any time without giving any reason and without penalty. If you wish to withdraw, you simply need to notify the principal investigator (see contact details below) or simply stop the procedure.
Privacy notice / data processing
This section explains how we will process your data in line with the requirements of the UK Data Protection Act 2018. Note, “personal data” are data that contain information that allows people to identify who the data relate to. The Data Protection Act applies only to personal data.
- Your experimental data will be anonymised, so that all personally identifying information is removed. Because of this, Data Protection Act 2018 does not apply to your experimental data.
- The data will be gathered by staff and/or students of the University of Essex.
- We will collect the following data from each participant: background information, audio data
- We will use your audio data in future studies as stimuli
- We are using your data to understand how we produce prosody
- The anonymised experimental data may be shared in permanent, publicly accessible archives.
- Our legal basis for keeping your consent form is that you have consented to it.
- The data controller is the University of Essex.
- Essex University’s Data Protection Officer can be contacted on dpo@essex.ac.uk.
Findings
After the end of the project, we may publish the findings of our experiments (all data published will be anonymised).
Ethical approval
This project has been reviewed on behalf of the University of Essex Ethics Committee and had been given approval with the following number SP1801.
Concerns and complaints
If you have any concerns about any aspect of the study or you have a complaint, in the first instance please contact the Principal Investigator of the project (see contact details below). If you are still concerned or you think your complaint has not been addressed to your satisfaction, please contact the Director of Research in the Principal Investigator’s department (see below). If you are still not satisfied, please contact the University’s Research Governance and Planning Manager (Sarah Manning-Press).
Contact details
Principal investigator Prof Silke Paulmann (paulmann@essex.ac.uk) 01206-873422
Director of Research, Dept of Psychology
Prof Silke Paulmann (paulmann@essex.ac.uk)
University of Essex Research Governance and Planning Manager
Sarah Manning-Press, Research & Enterprise Office, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, CO4 3SQ,Colchester. Email: sarahm@essex.ac.uk. Phone: 01206-873561