Frequently Asked Questions
What is this study about?
EPIC is a study exploring brain and bodily contributions to emotional experience across the lifespan. As we age, our biology and social roles change, we are interested in how these changes influence experiences of emotion and wellbeing.
What is psychology research?
Psychology research is research that asks questions about people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Typically, psychology researchers identify a question, come up with hypotheses, design a study, collect and analyze data, and then share their findings with the scientific and broader community.
How are you responding to covid-19?
Our study team continues to monitor the covid-19 pandemic closely. All in-person sessions will be preceded by wellness screens. These screens will include questions about whether you have or have had covid-19, possible exposure to the virus, possible symptoms, and about risk factors. Until further notice, research personnel will continue to sanitize frequently touched surfaces and objects, maintain a physical distance of 6 feet whenever possible, wear a face-mask, and perform hand hygiene before and after all face-to-face interactions. We ask that our participants do the same. All research personnel have received both doses of the covid-19 vaccine.
What are my rights as a participant?
Before they can begin, all psychology studies must receive approval from an Institutional Review Board of experts who review the study to make sure it is safe, ethical, and scientifically sound. The purpose of this board is to protect your rights and welfare. Researchers are required by law to explain the benefits and risks of participation in a way that is simple to understand. This is called informed consent. As a research participant, you are entitled to informed consent. Additionally, you are entitled to withdraw your consent at any time and for any reason. If you have questions or concerns about your rights as a research subject, or if you would like to obtain information or offer input, you may contact the Institutional Review Board at 919-966-3113 or by email to IRB_subjects@unc.edu.
Am I eligible to participate?
You may be eligible for this study if you are 18 to 80 years old, relatively healthy, right handed, have normal vision (20/20 or corrected with glasses or other lenses to 20/20), are a fluent english speaker, and have personal access to a smartphone and a computer with WiFi. To take our eligibility survey, click HERE.
How will I benefit from participating?
While you may not directly benefit from participating in this study, the scientific community will benefit by learning more about the role of the brain and body in emotion.
Will I receive anything if I participate?
Incentives include parking subsidies, childcare reimbursements (up to $10/hr), financial compensation (up to $255), and a chance to win one of four $50 gift cards.
Are there any risks to participating?
There are no known radiation risks associated with MRI. However, persons with metal implants, such as surgical clips or pacemakers should not have an MRI. All of our physiological devices are non-intrusive and cause no physical pain. Participants will be given the option to provide a small blood sample via finger prick. If you opt-in to this, you may experience some pain or discomfort. Some people may experience emotional distress while completing some of the questionnaires and tasks from this study.
Are magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans dangerous?
MRIs use powerful magnets to make images. There are no known radiation risks associated with MRI. However, persons with metal implants (like surgical clips or pacemakers) should not have an MRI. People who feel uncomfortable in confined spaces may feel uncomfortable in the narrow tube. The MRI makes loud, banging noises as it takes images. Earplugs will be used to reduce the noise. The MRI can be stopped at any time at your request.
What if I want to stop participating?
You can withdraw from this study at any time and for any reason without penalty. The investigators also have the right to stop your participation at any time. If you end your participation early, you will still receive compensation for your time and effort.
Will it cost anything to participate?
It will not cost you anything to be in this study.
Can I receive free medical treatment or health advice?
The physiological recording and brain imaging we are using in this research study is not the same quality as similar tests that you may have as part of your health care. The data will not be reviewed by a doctor who may normally collect such data (for example, a physician or radiologist). As a result, you may not be informed of any unexpected findings. The results will not be placed in your medical record. Occasionally the technologist or principal investigator may notice something abnormal in your data. If this does occur, the data will be reviewed by a qualified doctor to determine if there is anything of clinical importance. If something is found to be important then you, and/or your primary care provider will be notified. Any further follow up and costs associated with the incidental finding will be your responsibility.
What data will you collect?
We will collect data about your mood, daily habits, social relationships, health, history of stressful or traumatic life experiences, sensitivity to bodily changes, brain biology, physiology, and emotional experience in response to different images.
Who has access to my data?
Your identifiable data (e.g., name, email, phone number, SONA ID) will only be viewed by research personnel. Privacy and confidentiality will be maintained through the de-identification of all data (this means that we will remove any information that could identify data as belonging to you). Anonymized data may be stored in an open-access data repository where it will be stored indefinitely, and anyone (including individuals outside of our research team) will be able to download it for future research.
How will you use my data?
Data from all our participants will be analyzed to answer a variety of questions related to the brain and bodily basis of emotion across the lifespan. Anything we find may be published in academic journals and posted online. Any data we publish will not be linked to your personal information. Our research team is also dedicated to making results of this study available to our participants and the communities they come from. To this end, results will also be shared with participants (if they opt-in to receiving updates) and we will make special efforts to publish our results online in a format that is easy to read and understand.
Who is sponsoring this study?
This research is funded by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research at UNC-Chapel Hill and the National Science Foundation. The researchers do not, however, have a direct financial interest with the sponsor or in the final results of the study.