You are being invited to take part in the above research study. To help you decide whether you would like to take part or not, it is important that you understand why the research is being done and what it will involve. Please read the information below carefully and ask questions if anything is not clear or you would like more information before you decide to take part in this research. You may like to discuss it with others but it is up to you to decide whether or not to take part. If you are happy to participate you will be asked to tick a consent box at the start of the questionnaire.
What is the research about?
I’m a third year Criminology and Psychology undergraduate student and this is my dissertation study. The aims of this study is to examine the effects of early exposure to media violence and the effects of different violent medias on attitudes and whether it causes violence desensitisation in maturity (18 years+).
Why have I been asked to participate?
This study is investigating the effects of media violence exposure on University students and how it has affected their attitudes towards violence.
What will happen to me if I take part?
Participants are expected to fill out a six section questionnaire, where you will be asked to use a 10 point rating system and then leave a short comment. The questionnaire will have some violent visual and audio materials that should only evoke short discomfort and have no lasting effects. The questionnaire should take approximately 30 minutes to complete.
Are there any benefits in my taking part?
Participants from the University of Southampton who can receive research credits will be accredited them on competition of the questionnaire. Participants from the University of Southampton who cannot receive research credits will receive no direct benefit however this study may help to improve our current understanding of this research area.
Are there any risks involved?
This study explores sensitive and violent media materials that could have possible psychological discomfort or distress, however, the discomfort or distress should only be temporary.
Participants who may become distressed either during or following the involvement in this study should contact supportive services such as:
Samaritans
Number (UK): 116 123
Email: jo@samaritans.org
Mind
Number: 0300 123 3393
Email: info@mind.org.uk
Southampton University Advice and Support Centre
Number: 023 8059 2085
Email: advice@susu.org
What data will be collected?
The data collected for this study will be done through an online questionnaire and require your age, gender and your opinions on media violence (through a 10 point rating system). This is to see if there is a correlation between age of violent media exposure on attitudes towards media violence.
All data collected from this study will be handled securely, during collection, analysis, storage and transfer through password protection.
Will my participation be confidential?
Your participation and the information we collect about you during the course of the research will be kept strictly confidential and anonymous.
Only the researcher and their supervisor (possibly) will have access to data about you for monitoring purposes and/ or to carry out an audit of the study to ensure that the research is complying with applicable regulations. Individuals from regulatory authorities (people who check that we are carrying out the study correctly) may require access to your data. All of these people have a duty to keep your information, as a research participant, strictly confidential.
Do I have to take part?
No, it is entirely up to you to decide whether or not to take part. If you decide you want to take part, you will need to tick a consent box before starting the questionnaire to show you have agreed to take part.
What happens if I change my mind?
You have the right to change your mind and withdraw at any time (before submission) without giving a reason and without your participant rightsbeing affected. If you withdraw from the study after submitting the questionnaire, we will keep the information about you that we have already obtained for the purposes of achieving the objectives of the study only.
What will happen to the results of the research?
Research findings made available in any reports or publications will not include information that can directly identify you without your specific consent.
Where can I get more information?
If you have any questions regarding the research study please contact the researcher (Daphne Li) on at dl4g16@soton.ac.uk.
What happens if there is a problem?
If you have a concern about any aspect of this study, you should speak to the researcher who will do their best to answer your questions.
If you remain unhappy or have a complaints regarding any aspect of this study, please contact the University of Southampton Research Integrity and Governance Manager
023 8059 5058
Email: rgoinfo@soton.ac.uk
Data Protection Privacy Notice
Disclaimer: This study will notbe collecting any personal data, as the study (questionnaire) is fully anonymous and therefore no identifiable information will be collected.
The University of Southampton conducts research to the highest standards of research integrity. As a publicly-funded organisation, the University has to ensure that it is in the public interest when we use personally-identifiable information about people who have agreed to take part in research. This means that when you agree to take part in a research study, we will use information about you in the ways needed, and for the purposes specified, to conduct and complete the research project. Under data protection law, ‘Personal data’ means any information that relates to and is capable of identifying a living individual. The University’s data protection policy governing the use of personal data by the University can be found on its website (https://www.southampton.ac.uk/legalservices/what-we-do/data-protection-and-foi.page).
This Participant Information Sheet tells you what data will be collected for this project and whether this includes any personal data. This study is fully anonymous and will not collect personal data or identifiable information. Please ask the research team if you have any questions or are unclear what data is being collected about you.
Our privacy notice for research participants provides more information on how the University of Southampton collects and uses your personal data when you take part in one of our research projects and can be found at http://www.southampton.ac.uk/assets/sharepoint/intranet/ls/Public/Research%20and%20Integrity%20Privacy%20Notice/Privacy%20Notice%20for%20Research%20Participants.pdf
Any personal data we collect in this study will be used only for the purposes of carrying out our research and will be handled according to the University’s policies in line with data protection law. If any personal data is used from which you can be identified directly, it will not be disclosed to anyone else without your consent unless the University of Southampton is required by law to disclose it. This study is fully anonymous and will not collect personal data or identifiable information.
Data protection law requires us to have a valid legal reason (‘lawful basis’) to process and use your Personal data. The lawful basis for processing personal information in this research study is for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest. Personal data collected for research will not be used for any other purpose. This study is fully anonymous and will not collect personal data or identifiable information.
For the purposes of data protection law, the University of Southampton is the ‘Data Controller’ for this study, which means that we are responsible for looking after your information and using it properly. The University of Southampton will keep data about you until the date of the researchers graduation, after which time any link between you and your information will be removed.
To safeguard your rights, we will use the minimum personal data necessary to achieve our research study objectives. Your data protection rights – such as to access, change, or transfer such information - may be limited, however, in order for the research output to be reliable and accurate. The University will not do anything with your personal data that you would not reasonably expect. This study is fully anonymous and will not collect personal data or identifiable information.
If you have any questions about how your personal data is used, or wish to exercise any of your rights, please consult the University’s data protection webpage (https://www.southampton.ac.uk/legalservices/what-we-do/data-protection-and-foi.page) where you can make a request using our online form. If you need further assistance, please contact the University’s Data Protection Officer (data.protection@soton.ac.uk).
Data collected in this study will be anonymised, all personal data is deleted and is no longer accessible to the researcher or any other parties. This study is fully anonymous and will not collect personal data or identifiable information.The research data cannot be traced back to an individual.
Thank you for taking the time to read this information sheet.
