You are being invited to take part in a research study. Before deciding whether to take part, please take the time to read this document, which explains why the research is being done and what it would involve for you. If you have any questions about the information provided, please do not hesitate to contact me using the details at the end of this sheet.
What is this study about?
I am a final year student in the BA in Psychology programme at National College of Ireland. As part of our degree we must carry out an independent research project. For my project, I aim to investigate the relationship between literary fiction exposure and empathy levels. Literary fiction has been defined as "the creation of narrative
worlds populated by complex characters whose inner lives invite exploration" (Hakemulder, 2000; Kuiken, Miall, &
Sikora, 2004; Mar & Oatley, 2008). Literary fiction is a narrative piece of work that is character driven and focuses more on writing style which allows the reader to feel transported into the story.
What will taking part in the study involve?
Participants will be asked to complete an online questionnaire. They will be asked to provide some of their demographics such as gender and age and will be asked questions on the topic of empathy and fiction authors and their reading habits. The questionnaire should take approximately 15 minutes.
You can take part in this study if you are over the age of 18 years and have any form of access to the internet. Readers of all kinds are able to take part.
Do I have to take part?
Participation in this research is voluntary; you do not have to take part, and a decision not to take part will have no consequences for you. If you do decide to take part, you can withdraw from participation at any time before your data has been submitted. You can do this by simply leaving the online questionnaire page.
One you have submitted your questionnaire, it will not be possible to withdraw your data from the study, because the questionnaire is anonymous and individual responses cannot be identified by the researcher.
What are the possible risks and benefits of taking part?
There are no direct benefits to you for taking part in this research. However, the information gathered will contribute to research that helps us to understand the relationship individuals reading literary fiction and empathy in individuals. Participants may also benefit from taking part in an interesting questionnaire.
There are no risks that are expected by taking part in this study. If a participant does fell distressed from taking part in this survey, they are free to discontinue their participant and to contact the research and/or their supervisor.
Will taking part be confidential and what will happen to my data?
The questionnaire is anonymous, it is not possible to identify a participant based on their responses to the questionnaire. All data collected for the study will be treated in the strictest confidence. Each participant will be assigned a unique ID number, and their data will be stored under this ID number. Only the researcher and academic supervisor will have access to the data collected. However, in the unlikely event that the researcher or academic supervisor believes that there is a significant risk of harm or danger to the participant or another individual, or a law has been broken, they would then be required to share this information with the relevant authorities. In this very unlikely event, the researcher would discuss this with you first, but they may be required to breach confidentiality with or without your permission. Participant’s data from the study will be stored securely in a password protected file on the researcher’s computer. Only the researcher and their supervisor will have access to the data. Data will be retained for 5 years in accordance with the NCI data retention policy.
What will happen to the results of this study?
The results of this study will be presented in my final dissertation, which will be submitted to National College of Ireland.
Who should you contact for further information?
The researcher details: Nicole Sutton
Nicolesutton.nci@gmail.comThe supervisor’s details: David Mothersill
David.Mothersill@ncirl.ie