Informed Consent
You are invited to participate in a study conducted by Kiana Perez-Jimenez, a doctoral student in the Department of Psychology at Georgia Southern University, and Dr. Dorthie Cross, a faculty member in the Department of Psychology at Georgia Southern University.
The purpose of the study is to explore people's thoughts about interactions with cosplayers. (A cosplayer is someone who dresses up as a character from a fictional show, movie, graphic novel, or other media, typically as part of their attendance at a comic book or pop culture fan convention, or con.) You will be shown two pictures of cosplayers and be asked to respond to a few questions about the pictures. In addition, you will be asked other questions about your views on sexual assault, your personal experiences at cons, and your basic demographics.
You can participate in the study even if you have never attended a con.
The study should take 20 minutes to complete. If you are a Georgia Southern University student participating in this study to fulfill Sona research credits, you will earn a HALF (0.5) credit. Research credits will only be applied to Georgia Southern University students recruited through the Department of Psychology’s Sona. There is no other compensation for participating in the study.
Questions about sexual assault may be upsetting for some people. If you feel upset at any point during or after the study and would like to talk to someone, we encourage you to reach out for support.
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline
Information about these and other resources will be provided again at the end of the study.
The information you provide may not benefit you directly but will help researchers better understand people’s experiences and interactions with others in fandom settings and communities. There are no costs to you for participating in the study.
Participation in this study is completely voluntary. Even if you choose to participate, you are free to discontinue the survey at any time. You are also free not to answer any particular question within the survey. There is no penalty for choosing not to participate or for discontinuing participation. If you decide to discontinue the study for any reason, you will still receive Sona credit if you skip through to the last page to submit your survey. (Sona credits are only applicable to Georgia Southern University students recruited through the Department of Psychology’s Sona.)
No personally identifying information will be collected for this study; however, absolute anonymity can never be guaranteed over the Internet. Data from this study will be maintained indefinitely by Dr. Cross. Study data may be used in research publications or presentations. Data from this study may be placed in a publicly available repository for study validation and further research. You will not be identified in any publication, presentation, or public dataset using information obtained from this study. Subsequent uses of records and data will be subject to standard data use policies which protect the anonymity of individuals and institutions. Individuals from the Georgia Southern University Institutional Review Board may inspect all study records to ensure research procedures are properly followed.
This study has been reviewed and approved by the Georgia Southern University Institutional Review Board under tracking number H24037. For questions concerning your rights as a research participant in this or other studies, contact Georgia Southern University Institutional Review Board at 912-478-5465. For questions about this study, contact Kiana Perez-Jimenez.
Study Title:
Perceptions of Cosplayers’ Costumes and Experiences in Fandom Communities
Principal Investigator:
Kiana Perez-Jimenez
Department of Psychology
Georgia Southern University
Statesboro, Georgia 30460-8041
kp16377@georgiasouthern.edu
Research Advisor:
Dr. Dorthie Cross
1010 Brannen Hall
Department of Psychology
Georgia Southern University
Statesboro, Georgia 30460-8041
912-478-5598
dcrossmokdad@georgiasouthern.edu
You must be at least 18 years old to consent to participate in this study.