PARTICIPANT INFORMATION SHEET
Study Title: Investigating the
effects of cannabis use on cognition and emotional processing
You are being invited to participate in a research
study. Before you decide whether to participate, it is important that you understand
why the research is being done and what it will involve. Please take time to read the following information carefully.
What is the
purpose of the study?
The purpose of the study is to better understand cannabis (marijuana)
user behaviour and the drug's effects on certain cognitive and emotional
processing.
Why have I been
invited to take part?
We are looking for volunteers who are aged 18 years or older, have no
history of serious mental health difficulties or neurological disorder and who
are fluent English speakers.
Do I have to take part?
You are under no obligation to take part in this study; it is completely
your choice. If you do decide to take part, you are free to withdraw at any
time and without giving a reason.
What will happen if I take part?
You will be taken to a secure website. You will be asked to answer some
questions about your use of cannabis and other drugs and to complete various
questionnaires and some emotional and cognitive tasks . The study will
take around 25 minutes. You will not be paid for your involvement, but we will
provide you a full explanation of the study when you are finished.
Are there any
risks in taking part?
There are no anticipated risks to you if you take part in the study, nor
are there likely to be any adverse effects.
What are the benefits of taking part?
There are no direct benefits of taking part. We hope the study will be
enjoyable and we will provide you with information about the study on
completion, which you may find interesting. Also, following
completion of the survey you will be offered the opportunity to be entered into
a prize draw (for an online shopping voucher worth £25); should you want to be
included in this it is necessary for you to provide an email address. This
information will not be used for any other purpose than to contact you in the
event that you win the prize draw. Furthermore this information will be stored
separately to the survey data. Entry into the prize draw and provision of an
email address is optional. Additionally, you may also be asked to provide an
email if you would be interested in taking part in future experiments. Again
this is optional and will be kept separately to emails submitted for entry to
the prize draw.
Will my
participation be kept confidential, and what will happen to the results?
All the information collected about you during the course of the
research will be anonymous. We won't ask for any information that could identify
you; your i.p. address
will not be known or recorded. We hope to publish the overall results
of the study in an academic journal.
What if I am
unhappy, or there is a problem?
If you are unhappy at any point in
the study, or if there is a problem, please contact the researcher at the
address below. If you remain unhappy or have a complaint which you feel you
cannot come to us with, then you should contact the University of Liverpool
Research Governance Officer on +44 (0)151 794 8290 (ethics@liv.ac.uk). When
contacting the Research Governance Officer, please provide details of the name,
or description, of the study (so that it can be identified), the researcher(s)
involved, and the details of the complaint you wish to make
Who can I
contact if I have further questions?
If you have any questions then please
contact the student investigator:
Joe Furlong
Email: ps0u9224@liverpool.ac.uk
Or either of the academic supervisors:
Rhiannon Corcoran or Tim Kirkham
Emails: Rhiannon.corcoran@liverpool.ac.uk;
T.C.Kirkham@liverpool.ac.uk