Self-regulation, screentime, and resilience in the face of COVID-19
Investigator and Department: Peter J. Marshall, Department of Psychology 
Why am I being invited to take part in this research?
We invite you to take part in a research study because your child is between 6 to 8 years old.
If the research involves children, “you” or “your” refers to your child. Participating in research means you want to join the study or do this online survey.
What should I know about this research?
- At the bottom of this page, you will find a form which indicates consent when completed.
- This online consent page will explain what participation in this research involves
- Study participation is indicated by a completed parent and child survey. Study participants will receive an opportunities to participate once a month from July to Dec. 2020, each conferring a $10-$20 Amazon gift card
- You should review this assent page with you child and decide together if you want to participate.
What are my rights as a research participant?
- Whether or not you take part is up to you and your child.
- You can choose not to take part, or take part now and not return for future surveys
- You can agree to take part and later change your mind.
- Your decision will not be held against you.
- You can ask all the questions you want before you decide; contact devlab@temple.edu or calling/texting 484-222-0168 for a prompt reply
Who can I talk to about this research?
If you have questions, concerns, or complaints, or think the research has hurt you, contact the research team at calling 484-222-0168 or e-mailing devlab@temple.edu. Our lab is located in Weiss Hall on Temple’s Main Campus, and we can also be reached by mail addressed to the Developmental Science Lab, 1701 N. 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19122.
This research has been reviewed and approved by an Institutional Review Board. You may talk to them at (215) 707-3390 or e-mail them at: irb@temple.edu for any of the following:
- Your questions, concerns, or complaints are not being answered by the research team.
- You cannot reach the research team.
- You want to talk to someone besides the research team.
- You have questions about your rights as a research subject.
- You want to get information or provide input about this research.
- If you choose to participate now, there will be 6 subsequent opportunities to participate in the coming year.
Why is this research being done?
We are seeking to understand if under the unusual conditions related to COVID-19 and social distance guidelines, there are changes in parent technology and child technology use. We are also interested in studying whether prior data collected about your child during their research visit to our laboratory relates to their response to new routines, education and household changes during COVID-19.
How long will I be in this research?
We expect total family participation will take from 1-1.5 hours. We suggest 15 minutes for reviewing this form and the assent with your child, and 30-45 minutes of parent questionnaires. Children will complete a 30-minute study, including 15 minutes of tasks and a technology use questionnaire. Children can complete online study participation on their own following assent, or with a parent/guardian present.
What happens if I agree to be in this research?
Following parental review, children will have access to an interactive assent website that includes videos, graphics and text used to explain the study to children. In simple, age-appropriate language, the website will lay out what children will experience, their rights as participants and the purpose of the study. The interactive assent website should take 5-10 minutes for the child to complete, and the child will be asked to complete it on their own personal device, if they own one. It includes watching videos, answering questions and summarizing in their own words the study & their interest in participating.
Upon completion of assent exercises, a code will be provided so the child can proceed to start their portion of the study. Study participation and assent are not timed (other than the two-week deadline from study initiation), but parents will be contacted if children do not complete their portion of the study within 2 hours, and subsequently in 24 hours. Children and parents can contact researchers for more time or if they have questions.
For your participation, you will then complete 30-45 minutes of questionnaires, which address your personal technology usage and access, household demographics and changes to household in light of COVID-19, and the impact of COVID-19 on your child. Children will complete a 30 minute study, including 15 minutes of tasks and a technology use questionnaire. Children can complete online study participation on their own following assent, or with a parent/guardian present.
Is there any way being in this research could be bad for me?
The reasonably foreseeable risks or discomforts are as follows: The procedures used in this study are widely used in research on child development and are not physically harmful to your child. You may feel uncomfortable during the questionnaires. Some questionnaires ask for sensitive information, about you, your family, your child and your household finances. We ask this information to understand the impact of COVID-19 on the family unit. Children will only play games and be asked about their technology usage, using the same child-friendly questionnaire they completed during a lab visit. If you or your child become upset at any point, you can stop the questionnaire and do not have to continue.You might think that some of the questions in the surveys about your child’s behavior, family and household seem personal or private. You can refuse to answer any of the questions: every question will have a ‘Do not wish to answer’ item that you can check.
What happens to the information collected for this research?
Efforts will be made to limit the disclosure of your personal information, including research study records, to people who have a need to review this information. However, the study team cannot promise complete secrecy. For example, although the study team has put in safeguards to protect your information, there is always a potential risk of loss of confidentiality. There are several organizations that may inspect and copy your information to make sure that the study team is following the rules and regulations regarding research and the protection of human subjects. These organizations include the IRB, Temple University and its affiliates and agents.
Throughout the research study, your child will be assigned a number that will be used to identify him or her in our records. The child’s name and your name will not be associated with any information in the project files. Your name and identifying information will not be retained after your participation. We will keep de-identified data obtained during the study in a spreadsheet on a lab computer, restricted for only for use by lab personnel for up to 3 years after the completion of the study. This information is stored with a three-digit random number, not related to your name, your child’s name or any identifying information.
What will I be paid for taking part in this research?
If you agree to take part in this research, we will pay you in the form of an Amazon pre-paid gift card access code worth at least $10 for your time and effort. Federal tax law may require you to report this payment as income to the Internal Revenue Service. You may be asked to tell us your social security number. If payments from research participation are more than $599.00, we will report them to the Internal Revenue Service and send you a Form 1099-MISC.
There will be repeated paid opportunities for participation in this study. After this initial participation, families will be offered monthly opportunities to participate in the online study from June through December 2020. Each wave of online data collection should take one hour per family, approximately 30 minutes for adults and 30 minutes for children. You will complete a consent and assent form at the onset of each visit.
Email us with the signed consent in reply to your email to get a link to access the study.