Jasmina's Project

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Welcome

Participant Info

Research Title

Pencils Don't Argue: Drawing Connections Between Emotions and Animacy

Researcher(s)

Jasmina Kulic- PhD Candidate/ Teaching Associate- SCU
Primary Supervisor: Dr Kachina Allen - SCU
Secondary Supervisor: Mitchell Longstaff - SCU

Introduction

This research is being conducted by Jasmina Kulic, a PhD student in the Faculty of Health at Southern Cross University, Gold Coast campus. The study is supervised by Dr Kachina Allen and Mitchell Longstaff.
This research aims to understand how people process different types of language, especially when it includes living versus non-living things, and how emotional context might affect this.

What is this research about?

This research aims to understand how people process different types of language, especially when it includes living versus non-living things, and how emotional context might affect this.

What is this research about?

In this study, we are interested in how the brain processes sentences that make sense compared to those that do not, especially when they involve something called animacy and whether emotional images influence how we process these differences. “Animacy” refers to whether something is alive (like a person or animal) or not alive (like a rock or a chair).

An animacy violation happens when a sentence includes something that does not make sense because it treats a non-living thing as if it were alive, or vice versa. For example, the sentence "The rock ate the sandwich" is an animacy violation, because rocks can not eat. Your brain notices that something is “off” in these kinds of sentences, and we are studying how it responds to that.

Understanding this can help researchers learn more about how language and emotion are processed in the brain, leading to developments in educational and clinical settings.

What will I need to do?

If you choose to take part in this study, you will be asked to complete a short set of tasks involving some questionnaires, viewing some images, reading sentences and responding to them by pressing buttons. These tasks will be designed to measure how you process different types of language and whether emotional content affects your understanding. Some of the sentences are numerical and require some minor calculations. An example would be; “eight plus twenty-five equals thirty-three”. If you have significant math anxiety from this example, it is advised that you do not participate in the study.

Your participation will take approximately 35 minutes, and you can take short breaks if needed. The study will be conducted entirely online, using your personal computer. You do not need to attend the lab in person.

Your responses and any data collected will remain strictly confidential.

What are the possible benefits of taking part?

Your contribution will help researchers better understand how we process language and emotion in the brain. This research could contribute to improvements in language education, neuropsychological assessment, and our general understanding of how humans comprehend emotional or socially relevant information.

What are the possible risks and disadvantages of taking part?

While most participants are unlikely to experience harm, this study does involve viewing images that are emotionally charged. Some of these images are intended to evoke fear or disgust, and while they have been ethically approved and sourced from validated psychological research tools, they may cause brief discomfort for some individuals. These may include scenes of threat, injury, or other graphic content. You can skip any image or withdraw from the study at any time without giving a reason or without any penalty. During the study, there will be opportunities to take brief breaks between blocks. We encourage you to use these breaks to relax, stretch, or do something calming, for example, getting a drink of water or getting up to stretch and change position.

In addition, you may experience mild fatigue or boredom from completing the tasks. However, all procedures are non-invasive and pose no long-term risks. If at any point during the study you feel some discomfort, or wish to stop, you are free to take a break or withdraw without any penalty.

Should you experience ongoing discomfort, you have access to appropriate support services such as Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636, who are available to speak with you confidentially. Every effort has been made to minimize the risks involved and prioritize your wellbeing at all stages of participation.

What Will Happen to the Information About Me?

All information collected during the study will be kept strictly confidential and securely stored. All of your responses will be de-identified. Your email, should you provide it for future updates, will not be attached to your data, and any identifying information will be stored separately and securely. Your data will be identified only by a unique participant code, and your name or any other identifying details will not be attached to your responses. All electronic data will be stored on password-protected university servers, and any hard copies will be kept in locked cabinets at the university. Only the research team, including the student researcher and their academic supervisors, will have access to this data. Data will be held for 5 years in line with university policies and ethics guidelines. The results of this research may be presented in academic journals, conferences, or university publications. However, in all cases, your identity will remain anonymous. With your consent, your anonymised data may also be used in future related research projects.

What Will Happen if I Decide to Withdraw?

Participation in this study is entirely voluntary. You are free to withdraw at any point before, during, or after the study, without giving a reason and without any consequences. If you choose to withdraw, please be aware that we cannot delete your data and incomplete responses may be included in the final analysis. You are welcome to ask any questions about this process at any time.

Can I hear about the results of this research?

Yes. If you would like to receive a summary of the research findings, you will have the option to indicate this on the consent form or at the end of the study. A plain language summary will be emailed to you once the study is complete and the findings have been analysed. The results may also be shared in academic publications, conference presentations, and other professional settings. However, no information that could identify you will be included in any of these formats, such as emails which are stored separately from your responses.

Who can I contact if I have any concerns about the project?

If you have any questions or concerns about the study, you are welcome to contact the student researcher:
Jasmina Kulic
Email: j.kulic.10@student.scu.edu.au

You may also contact the academic supervisor:
Dr Kachina Allen
Email: kachina.allen@scu.edu.au

This study adheres to the Guidelines of the ethical review process of Southern Cross University and the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research. Whilst you are free to discuss your participation in this study with the researcher, if you would like to speak to an officer of the University not involved in the study, you may contact the Ethics Officer at:

Email: ethics.lismore@scu.edu.au

All information is confidential and will be handled as soon as possible.

Ethics Approval

This research has been approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee at Southern Cross University. The approval number is 2025/066.

Question Instructions

Welcome!

Thank you for agreeing to participate in this study. Before we begin the main tasks, we would like you to complete a few short questionnaires. These help us understand some basic information about our participants and how they manage emotions.

What you need to do

Demographics questionnaire

You will be asked about your age, gender, and other basic information.

Please answer honestly. There are no right or wrong answers.

Emotional Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ)

This questionnaire asks about how you manage your emotions in daily life.

It includes 10 questions. For each statement, select the option that best reflects your typical behaviour.

Again, there are no right or wrong answers, we are interested in your personal responses.

Tips for completing the questionnaires:

Answer all questions as accurately as you can.

There is no time limit, but it should only take a few minutes.

If you don't know the answer to a question, select the option that is closest to your experience.

Once you complete these questionnaires, you will move on to the practice tasks.

Demographics Medications

Please confirm :

I am not currently under the influence of medications that may affect how you process emotions, such as anti-depressants, alcohol, or recreational drugs
AND
I do not have a current diagnosis of any condition that may affect processing of emotions such as depression, an anxiety disorder, ASD, PTSD.

Demographics Vision

Do you have normal or corrected-to-normal vision (e.g., using glasses or contact lenses)?

Yes

Demographics Location

Do you live in Australia?

Yes

Demographics Gender

What is your Gender?

Man

Woman

Non-binary

Different Term (Please specify)

Prefer not to answer

Demographics Age

What is your age?

Prefer not to answer

Demographics Fluency

This study requires reading in English, with this in mind, what level best describes your fluency?

I read English well, English is my only language

I read English and another language equally well

I read English well but I read another language better

I don't read English well

Demographics Education

Level of education?

Some high school

Completed high school

Certificate / Diploma

Some University

Completed a bachelor's degree

Postgraduate study

Early Exit

Thank You

Thanks for participating. You can close this window now.

Practice Instructions

Practice Task Instructions

Welcome to the practice Session!

This practice is to help you get familiar with the main task.

What will happen in each trial:

A fixation cross (+) will appear on the screen, this tells you to focus and get ready.

An Image will appear, followed by a sentence presented one word at a time.

After the sentence ends, another fixation cross will appear. This is when you should respond.

Press the right arrow key if the sentence makes sense.
Press the left arrow key if the sentence does NOT make sense.

Attention check:

At the end of each block, you will see a page asking whether you saw a particular image during that block.

Use the right arrow key for Yes and the left arrow key for No.

Tips for completing the task:

Answer as quickly and accurately as you can.

You will have a chance to take brief pauses beteween blocks.

Press the space bar to continue when you are ready to start the next block

Task Instructions

You have completed the practice.

If you wish to practice again, click the "Repeat Practice" button, otherwise move on to the trial by pressing the "Next" button.

Practice Feedback

block_response

block_attention_check

Was this image in the block?

No

Yes

block_end

End of block

debrief

If you have any feedback about the experiment, including any technical issues, please leave them below:

debrief

You have reached the end of the study, thank you for your participation.

You may now close the window, or if you wish to receive updates of the study, please press the button below to submit your email to receive updates.

Welcome

Welcome!

Demographics questionnaire

Emotional Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ)

Tips for completing the questionnaires:

Please confirm :

Thank You

ERQ Instructions

Practice Task Instructions

Incorrect

Correct

Was this image in the block?

No

Yes

Welcome

Declaration by Participant

Welcome!

Demographics questionnaire

Emotional Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ)

Tips for completing the questionnaires:

Please confirm :

Thank You

ERQ Instructions

Practice Task Instructions

Incorrect

Correct

Was this image in the block?

No

Yes