University of California, San Diego Consent to Act as a Research Subject Human Learning and Skill Acquisition

Dr. Timothy Rickard is conducting a research study to gain more knowledge about human learning and skill acquisition. You have been asked to participate in this study because you are a UCSD student and because you have been selected randomly from the psychology subject pool to participate. There will be approximately 1400 participants in this study.

The purpose of this study is to learn more about how people learn and acquire new cognitive skills. If you agree to be in this study, you will perform memory tasks and (or) solve problems at a computer terminal or using paper and pencil. You will receive one-hour of experimental credit for each hour of participation. Each session will last no more than 1 1/2 hours. You will be involved in no more than three sessions.

Participation in this study may involve some risks or discomforts. These include the following:

1. A potential for the loss of confidentiality. The risk is very low, however. No identifying information is included in the data that will be used in analyses. All copies of consent forms will be stored in a secure location. Research records will be kept confidential to the extent allowed by law. Research records may be reviewed by the UCSD Institutional Review Board.

2. There is potential for minor fatigue. The maximum duration of each session minimizes this risk.

Because this is a research study, there may also be some unknown risks that are currently unforeseeable. You will be told if any important new information is found during the course of this study that may affect your wanting to continue. Participation in research is entirely voluntary. You may refuse to participate, withdraw or refuse to answer specific questions at any time without penalty or loss of benefits to which you are entitled. If you decide that you no longer wish to continue this study, you are required to inform the experimenter as soon as your decision is made.

If you decide not to participate, you will have the opportunity to receive equivalent course credit by completing an assignment related to one of the psychology courses in which you are currently enrolled. Should you choose that alternative, contact your instructor for guidance. There may or may not be any direct benefit to you from participating in this study.

The investigator, however, may learn more about human learning and skill acquisition, and society may benefit from this knowledge. The PI may remove you from the study without your consent if the PI feels that is in your best interest or the best interest of the study. For example, you may be withdrawn from the study if you do not follow the instructions given to you by the study personnel. You will not receive monetary compensation for participating in this research. You will receive one-hour of course credit for each completed experimental session.

There will be no cost to you for participating in this study. If you are injured as a direct result of participation in this research, the University of California will provide any medical care you need to treat those injuries. You may call the Human Research Protections Program office at 858-246-HRPP (858-246-4777) for more information about this, to inquire about your rights as a research subject, or to report research-related problems. Timothy Rickard or Alejandro Carranza have explained this study and answered your questions. If you have other questions or research-related problems, you may reach Timothy Rickard at 858-822-0122. If you would like to save a copy of the consent form, please print this page. If you agree to participate, please click the button below. If you do not agree to participate, please exit this study.