Appendix G, H, I

Appendix G: IRB consent– cognitive interview
Consent to Participate in Research
You are invited to participate in a research study that has been approved by the Rensselaer Institutional
Review Board (IRB). The IRB reviews and approves all human subject research in accordance with
applicable state law and federal law governing human subject research.
Research study title: Warning Label Safety Symbol Research
Principal investigator: Michael J. Kalsher, Ph.D., Cognitive Science Department, 301-F Carnegie Bldg.,
[email protected], (518) 276-8267.
Purpose of the research study: The purpose of this research is to assess the extent to which safety
symbols effectively communicate hazards associated with the use of or exposure to products and
equipment. The project is being carried out in cooperation with staff of the U.S. Consumer Product
Safety Commission (CSPC). The overall goal is to develop a family of safety symbols that can be used to
effectively communicate safety-related information to diverse audiences. Given the growing diversity of
the U.S. population, in concert with the rapid expansion in global trade, this is an important goal. The
safety symbols that you will be asked to evaluate were selected based on injury data associated with
consumer products and equipment and the severity of the non-obvious hazards that threaten
consumers.
What you will do in the study: You will be asked to evaluate a set of 10 safety symbols, depicted as
they might look on an actual product. You will write answers to the following three questions for each
symbol: (1) “Exactly what do you think this symbol means?” (2) “What actions should you take in
response to seeing the symbol?” (3) “What might happen if the action(s) is not taken?” It is important
to remember—it is the symbols that are being evaluated—not you. You will also be asked to answer
some basic demographic questions.
Time required: The symbol evaluation task should take no more than 1 hour to complete.
Risks: The risks associated with this study are minimal, as your answers are a matter of your own
experience or opinion.
Benefits: You will receive a $45 Visa gift card for completing the symbol evaluation task. If you choose to
terminate your participation before completing the evaluation task, you will be paid for the portion of
the task you have completed.
Confidentiality/Anonymous data: The information you give in the study will be handled confidentially.
Your rating data will be anonymous, which means that your name will not be linked to the data you
provide.
Right to withdraw from the study: Your participation in this research is completely voluntary. You may
refuse to participate or stop participating at any time and for any reason. If you choose to stop
participating before completing the symbol evaluation task, you will be paid on a pro-rata basis for the
portion of the task you have completed up to that point.

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If you have questions about the study, contact:
Michael J. Kalsher
Department of Cognitive Science
301-F Carnegie Bldg.
110 8th Street
RPI, Troy, NY 12180.
Telephone: 518-276-8267
[email protected]
Chair
Institutional Review Board
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
CII 9015
110 8th Street
Troy, NY 12180
Telephone: 518-276-4873
[email protected]
____________________________________________________________________________________

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Appendix H: IRB consent– focus group
Consent to Participate in Research
You are invited to participate in a research study that has been approved by the Rensselaer Institutional
Review Board (IRB). The IRB reviews and approves all human subject research in accordance with
applicable state law and federal law governing human subject research.
Research study title: Warning Label Safety Symbol Research
Principal investigator: Michael J. Kalsher, Ph.D., Cognitive Science Department, 301-F Carnegie Bldg.,
[email protected], (518) 276-8267.
Purpose of the research study: The purpose of this research is to assess the extent to which safety
symbols effectively communicate hazards associated with the use of or exposure to products and
equipment. The project is being carried out in cooperation with staff of the U.S. Consumer Product
Safety Commission (CSPC). The overall goal is to develop a family of safety symbols that can be used to
effectively communicate safety-related information to diverse audiences. Given the growing diversity of
the U.S. population, in concert with the rapid expansion in global trade, this is an important goal. The
safety symbols that you will be asked to evaluate were selected based on injury data associated with
consumer products and equipment and the severity of the non-obvious hazards that threaten
consumers.
What you will do in the study: You will be asked to look over a set of 10 safety symbols, depicted as
they might look on an actual product, and then participate in a focus group to discuss the symbols in
greater detail. The purpose of the focus group session is to gather detailed information about each
symbol to guide efforts to re-design symbols that perform poorly, or conversely, to help us understand
why certain symbols perform well. It is important to remember—it is the symbols that are being
evaluated—not you. You will also be asked to answer some basic demographic questions.
Time required: The focus group session should take no more than 1 hour of your time.
Risks: The risks associated with this study are minimal, as your answers are a matter of your own
experience or opinion.
Benefits: You will receive a $45 Visa gift card for your participation in the focus group. If you choose to
terminate your participation before the focus group session has ended, you will be paid for the portion
of the session you have completed.
Confidentiality/Anonymous data: The information you give in the study will be handled confidentially,
which means that your name will not be linked to the data you provide.
Right to withdraw from the study: Your participation in this research is completely voluntary. You may
refuse to participate or stop participating at any time and for any reason simply by leaving the online
focus group session (closing your browser). If you choose to stop participating before the focus group
session has ended, you will be paid on a pro-rata basis for the portion of the session you attended.

25

If you have questions about the study, contact:
Michael J. Kalsher
Department of Cognitive Science
301-F Carnegie Bldg.
110 8th Street
RPI, Troy, NY 12180.
Telephone: 518-276-8267
[email protected]
Chair
Institutional Review Board
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
CII 9015
110 8th Street
Troy, NY 12180
Telephone: 518-276-4873
[email protected]
____________________________________________________________________________________

26

Appendix I: IRB approval notice

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