Researchers in the Mood and Personality Studies Lab at The Ohio State University are conducting a kindness study. The study will last 10 weeks. It involves meeting with the research team on Zoom once at the beginning of the study and potentially participating in an assigned activity during the first five weeks, with no activities for the remaining five weeks. During the 10 weeks, you will also be asked to answer questions about your mood and relationship quality through seven online surveys. Your participation will help us better understand how kindness works.
If you are interested in participating, please complete this form: I want to participate in The Kindness Study!
For more information about the study, please read below:
To participate, you must be:
- 18+ years old
- Currently living in Columbus, Ohio
- Be open to providing us with the contact information of at least three individuals you know (e.g. family members, friends, acquaintances, colleagues etc.). We will contact these people and ask them to participate, too.
Location of the study:
- Zoom:
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- You will attend one online Zoom baseline session with a member of the research team. We advise you to be in a private and/or comfortable location for this Zoom session to avoid disruptions. Additionally, you will need stable Internet connection for this baseline session.
- On your own:
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- The rest of the study will be completed on your own, at any location(s) of your choice.
During the study, you:
- Will be involved for a total of 10 weeks.
- Will meet with a member of our study team over Zoom for a baseline session at the start of the study.
- May be assigned an activity to participate in on your own during the first 5 weeks of the study, starting after the baseline session. You will then have no activities to complete during the last 5 weeks of the study.
- Will complete a total of 7 online surveys (timeline listed below). Surveys will ask about your mood, relationship quality, and what you did during the week.
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- One survey during the baseline Zoom session.
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- Five weekly surveys during the first 5 weeks of the study.
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- One final follow-up survey at the end of the study (10 weeks after the baseline session).
The study will take:
- A minimum of 3.75 hours + more depending on the activities we may ask you to participate in over the span of 10 weeks. Below is a breakdown of the time commitment:
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- For surveys and baseline session (3.75 hours):
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- One Zoom baseline session: 60-75 minutes
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- 5 weekly surveys: 25 minutes each
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- One final follow up survey at the end of the study (the 10th week of the study): 25 minutes
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- For activities (time commitment varies):
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- Time to participate in activities will widely vary depending on the activities you choose to do. There is no required length of time you must spend on participating in the study activities.
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You will be paid:
- $50 total for participating in and submitting all parts of the study:
- $15 of this will be awarded for attending the baseline session and submitting the first survey
- $5 for each weekly survey
- $10 for the final follow up survey
- Payments will come in a form of an electronic gift card and will be emailed to you
Risks and benefits of this study:
- Risks:
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- There are no physical risks associated with this study
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- There may be some discomfort in responding to some questions: a few questions ask about mental health and may be distressing or discomforting. However, any discomfort or distress would not be unusual or significant in comparison to daily life
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- There is a small risk that your information could be seen by unauthorized people if there is a security issue related to the website storing your data, such as hacking or other breaches. However, the website takes precautionary measures to ensure all data collected is tightly secure.
- Benefits:
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- There is no direct benefit to you from participating in this study, but we hope that any findings from this study will help us better understand how people show up for others and relations to interpersonal and psychological functioning.
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- There will be no penalty for skipping questions, taking a break, or stopping participation. You may still receive credit for your participation. Your data will also be stored on secure websites and University computers, to ensure a low probability of a breach in confidentiality.
Other things to know about the study:
- You can withdraw from the study at any time and for any reason
- The people you refer to us will NOT know your responses to any of the questions. Similarly, you will NOT know their responses to any of the questions.
- Some of the activities may be associated with additional costs, such as money, but you are NOT required to spend any money to complete any of the activities.
If you have any more questions/concerns, please email us at: