Couples Daily Interpersonal Experiences Study

04/16/2013

Can Acting In Love Help You Stay In Love?

Read more: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/romance-redux/201302/can-acting-in-love-help-you-stay-in-love

04/02/2013

Why is it important to study relationships?

Read more at: http://www.iarr.org/250-words/2012/7/22/stan-treger-depaul-university.html

03/26/2013

Concerned About Confidentiality? Don’t be!

Sometimes in the course of conducting survey research with people, researchers ask for personal information like names, email addresses, and phone numbers. Sometimes, too, the researchers may ask questions of a personal nature. Keeping personally identifying information like names and numbers and keeping sensitive responses private and secure is taken very seriously by professional researchers today. Confidentiality refers to the control, security, and access of private information.

At the university level, researchers must have air-tight plans to protect participant confidentiality. It is the law that these plans must be approved by an independent committee charged with the responsibility of overseeing all research activity within the university. The main directive of these committees, known as Internal Review Boards (IRBs), is to protect human subjects—and that includes protecting subjects from confidentiality breaches. This process generally takes several weeks to complete. No potential security issue is left unaddressed.

The IRB must not only approve the questions being asked but they must also approve of the storage methods used for the data. Frequently, as is the case with the African American Daily Interpersonal Experiences Study, personal data is collected separately from the rest of the survey. Individual participants are assigned a record number in the data set and their name or other personal information is not associated with their responses. Each participant in a sense is anonymous as the data is examined in the aggregate and not at the individual level. At Loyola, our data is held in encrypted files on password protected servers and only the main investigators get clearance to access the data.

We work hard to protect your data and your identity because we respect your participation. If you have any questions about any of the research you decide to participate in, do not hesitate to ask about the security policy the researchers have in place. You have a right to be protected throughout the research process. When working with the Self and Social Interaction Lab, you can rest assured that we have gone to great lengths to protect your confidentiality.

For Loyola University's Statement Of Institutional Commitment visit: http://www.luc.edu/irb/irb_I.shtml

03/19/2013

"Love is not a second-hand emotion, but an essential ingredient to our overall happiness..."

Barbara Fredrickson, Kenan Distinguished Professor of Psychology at UNC and author of the new book Love 2.0, has determined that some things we think we know about love are wrong.

03/14/2013

What are the benefits of valuing your partner as a friend?

How often do we hear people say, “I married my best friend”? Certainly, unmarr...

03/12/2013

What is a Daily Diary Survey?

Social psychologists collect data in a number of ways. Survey methods are among the most common. Generally, surveys involve participants filling out questionnaires. Responses to single item questions are often indicated through the use of a numerical scale (e.g., “Please rate on a scale of 1 to 5…”) or a word-based scale (e.g., Very likely, somewhat likely, somewhat unlikely, very unlikely). Questionnaires can be long or short and can be taken on paper or on computers. Surveys can be pretty good indicators of what people are feel and believe.

Advances in technology have made computerized surveys increasingly common. Today people routinely get prompted to fill out surveys while they are surfing online, for example. Also, in malls or movie theaters, researchers can use electronic kiosks or tablets to administer surveys to participants in real-world locales and not just in the laboratory. The use of these techniques can help researchers reach participants in their natural settings.
The use of cell phones and specialized beepers in survey research is growing, too. Part of the popularity is due to being able to reach people at different times of the day. Might someone feel one way in the morning and a different way at night? How do people feel at different times of the day? What do people do during the day or night? These are questions that are best asked in the moment while everything is still fresh in a participant’s mind.

Daily diary studies have a similar goal in terms of reaching people in their natural settings and at a certain time of the day. Daily diary surveys are sent to participants daily and participants are asked to sit down and fill them out at the end of the day when reflecting on their day—much like one would do if journaling in a diary. When researchers ask participants to reflect on the week, some thoughts, observations and feelings people felt on certain days might get lost. But, when a researcher asks a participant to reflect on his or her day, more things are recalled more specifically. While studying peoples’ experiences in general or over the course of their lifetime is important, so too is looking at their individual experiences on a day-to-day basis. Daily diary surveys allow us to do just that.

02/01/2013

Welcome to the Daily Interpersonal Experiences Study!

About
This is a paid study. It is for couples only. Both members of the couple need to come to the orientation session and fill out the daily diary surveys.

Goal
The purpose of this study is to help us better understand the diverse range of experiences that influence African American couples' daily interactions. Specifically, we are interested in examining African American couples' attitudes and feelings about themselves and their partners, as well as the everyday experiences that shape their lives.

Although there is a lot of research examining romantic relationship functioning, most of this research has focused on White couples. Examining the unique protective and risk factors associated with relationship functioning among African American couples will help fill an important gap in our broader understanding of relationship functioning and quality.

Description
This research study explores how African American couples' daily interpersonal interactions influence their lives. Dr. Tracy DeHart, a social psychologist at Loyola University Chicago, and Dr. Anthony Burrow, a developmental psychologist at Cornell University, are the principal investigators of this project.

We are currently recruiting a community-based sample of 150 African American couples from the greater Chicagoland area to participate in our study. Our research project depends upon the dedicated participation of each and every couple in our study.

Procedure:
-First, you will be asked to go to a research lab on the campus of Loyola University Chicago for an orientation about the diary study.
-As part of the orientation session, you will be asked to complete a background survey about your attitudes and your relationships.
-Finally, you will be asked to complete a short on-line survey at the end of each day for 21 consecutive days.
*Please note, you will only have to go to the LUC Campus once for orientation, the daily diary surveys can be done at your own convenience at home*

Time Commitment:
-Orientation and the background survey will take a total of 2 hours.
-The online daily survey will take approximately 10 minutes per day for a total of 3 hours spread across the 21 days.

Study Compensation:
-$50 per couple for completion of the background survey and orientation (completed on the Loyola University lake shore campus)
-$125 per couple for completion of the 3-week daily diary survey (completed online each night for 21 days)
-Each day that both members of a couple complete the daily diary survey on time, you will receive a lottery ticket toward a grand prize of $500
-All payment will be mailed upon completion of the 3-week daily diary study

Eligibility Criteria:
-Must be at least 18 years of age.
-Both members of the couple must identify as African American.
-Must be married or cohabiting.
-Must be living together, not commuting.
-Must BOTH have access to the internet and be able to complete the online daily diary study each night just before going to bed.

Additional Information:
-All of the data we collect will be completely confidential.
The researchers are happy to answer any questions you may have about the study.
-You will be free to withdraw from the study at any time after agreeing to participate.
-If you withdraw from the study or opt-out of any aspects of it, you will still be paid for the parts of the study that you do complete.

10/30/2012

For more information, check out our website! http://couplesstudy.weebly.com/

This research study explores how African American couples' daily interpersonal interactions influence their lives. Dr. Tracy DeHart, a social psychologist at Loyola University Chicago, and Dr....