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Study Title: Emotion recognition and neural correlates

Study Purpose and Rationale: The purpose of this research is to examine undergraduate students’ patterns of brain activity in relation to performance on a task that involves looking at photographs of facial expressions of emotion. This study has been reviewed and approved by the Ball State University IRB [1303046-4].

Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria: To be eligible to participate in this study, you must be at least 18 years of age and less than 60-years old, and also an undergraduate student. Persons who are under 18 years old, older than 60 years old, not native English speakers, not an undergraduate, and/or do not have normal or corrected-to-normal vision are not eligible to participate.

Participation Procedures and Duration: The study will be held in North Quad 067 and 069 and will take approximately 2 hours of your time. Prior to scheduling a data collection session in the lab, you will need to complete an online demographic and health (e.g., any known skin conditions, implanted metal devices) 10-minute screening survey to determine your eligibility to participate in the study. If eligible to participate, you also will need to complete an additional 20-minute online emotional experiences and health (e.g., history of concussion, medications) survey. If selected for the main study, you will be prepared for an electroencephalogram (EEG) recording session and your brain activity will be measured while completing a computerized task. While doing the computerized task, you will sometimes be lightly touched on your forearm with a brush controlled by a mechanical device. The task will involve you viewing pictures of facial images of emotions.

Compensation: The screening survey will take about 10 minutes to complete. The second survey will take about 20 minutes to complete. No compensation will be offered for completing these two surveys. Participants who qualify for the main study and complete the entire 2-hour study and are not in CPSY undergraduate classes will earn a $20 Amazon gift card (through Tango), a $15 card if they participate for 1.5 hours, a $10 card if they participate for 1 hour, and a $5 card if they participate for 30 minutes. Undergraduates in CSPY classes will earn research credit.

How to Participate: If you have questions and/or you are interested to participate, please email Qianhan Xiong at qxiong@bsu.edu.

Researcher Contact Information

Principal Investigator: Lawrence H. Gerstein, Ph.D.

Department of Counseling Psychology, Social Psychology, and Counseling

Ball State University

College of Health

Muncie, IN 47306

Telephone: 765-285-8040

Email: lgerstein@bsu.edu

Research Coordinator: Qianhan Xiong