Informed Consent

Research Participant Information and Consent Form

1. EXPLANATION OF THE RESEARCH and WHAT YOU WILL DO:

  • You are being asked to participate in a research study of syntax and linguistic variation. We are interested in the structure of sentences and peoples' use of them.

  • You will be asked to listen to sentences or read sentences on a computer screen or on paper and provide ratings for them, or listen to sentences with associated pictures and answer questions about them or listen to a story and retell the story in your own word. You may also be asked to fill in a short demographic survey.

  • You must be at least 18 years old to participate in this research.

2. CONFIDENTIALITY OF YOUR DATA:

  • Most data is collected anonymously and we have no way to connect your responses to your name. In the case that we record your spoken responses, your recorded responses will not be connected to your name, and the recordings will only be used for research purposes. Once your recorded responses are coded they will be destroyed.

3. Your rights to participate, say no, or withdraw:

  • Participation in this research project is completely voluntary. You have the right to say no. You may change your mind at any time and withdraw. You may choose not to answer specific questions or to stop participating at any time. Whether you choose to participate or not will have no effect on your grade or evaluation.

4. COMPENSATION FOR BEING IN THE STUDY:

  • If you are participating in this research as part of an LIN class, you may receive extra credit as agreed upon by your LIN instructor. For LIN 200 students, this is 2% of your final grade.

  • If you don't wish to participate in the research, you can do an alternative extra-credit assignment in the form of one additional problem set for your class.

5. Contact Information for Questions and Concerns:

If you have concerns or questions about this study, such as scientific issues, how to do any part of it, or to report an injury, please contact the researcher:

Alan Munn, PhD

MSU Language Acquisition Laboratory

B413 Wells Hall, 619 Red Cedar Road

East Lansing MI 48824

Phone: 517-355-7491

Fax: 517-432-2736

e-mail: amunn@msu.edu

If you have questions or concerns about your role and rights as a research participant, would like to obtain information or offer input, or would like to register a complaint about this study, you may contact, anonymously if you wish, the Michigan State University's Human Research Protection Program at 517-355-2180, Fax 517-432-4503, or e-mail irb@msu.edu or regular mail at 4000 Collins Rd, Suite 136, Lansing, MI 48910.

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