Below is a list of our active user studies that are in need of participants

STUDY 1: 4 Credits or £6 for a 45-min at home taste test screener: potentially earn additional £30 or SONA credits

We are recruiting participants for a 45 minutes water-based taste test screener. You will be compensated for your time with a £6 Amazon voucher or 4 SONA credits.

What are the eligibility requirements?

COVID free + 18-34 yrs old, non-smoker (less than 5 cigarettes/week), prescription medication free (excl. contraceptive pills), not on a weight loss diet, non-diabetic, not diagnosed with an eating disorder, (women) normal menstrual cycle.

How do I participate?

If you are interested, follow these steps:

Step 1:

Open and read the Information Sheet carefully.

If the link above does not work, copy and paste this into your browser: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/psychology/sibg/documents/information-sheet-(ahs).pdf

Step 2:

If you can come to our lab to participate, book a slot with this link: Lab Taste Test (if the link does not work, copy and past this into your browser: https://calendly.com/vichithanh/lab-taste-screen-test-2021?month=2021-07). We will send you a follow up email with more information.

If you want to do the experiment at home, provide your consent and check COVID-19 symptoms at this link (also here: https://mili2nd.co/p7xb). If happy to proceed, you will be sent a pack to your current address with additional instructions (this must be in the UK). The researcher will notify you via email of the dispatch. Once you have received the package, read the instructions carefully and choose a suitable time to start the session.

What happen in the experiment session?

In the session, to understand different aspects of your sensory perception, you will be asked to taste and rate different solutions and describe a selection of smells after you will be asked to complete a few questionnaires exploring dietary habits and an online task where you will interact with the online environment and earn virtual rewards.

At the end of the session, we will also ask for your permission to store your contact details (email) to let you know of related follow-up studies: you can fully participate in this study regardless of whether you are willing to join that database.

Three other studies will be running in the lab once in-person testing can resume which pays up to £30 each and/or with Credits. Sign-up for this taste test screener to check if you are eligible for one or more of these studies. This includes an fMRI and genetics study where you can also get a picture of your brain and an in-depth body composition output (the percentages of bone, fat, water, and muscle in human bodies including your basal metabolic rate!). You would be compensated separately for this time and any further studies.

We have put in place additional measures to ensure the participants' safety and the researchers in these strange COVID time. For further information, please see the information sheet and consent form or email Chi Vi (C.Vi@sussex.ac.uk) with any questions.

***Note 1: The smell and taste stimuli are very simple solutions and are vegan-friendly. No animal products are used in our studies.

***Note 2: The study uses Inquisit Web to host the online forms and tasks (i.e., Information Sheet, Consent Forms, questionnaires) and requires the Inquisit Player installed on your machine to work. Inquisit Web is a web application that enables psychological and behavioural researchers to design and administer a wide variety of psychological measures over the web. The app enables stimuli presentations and response time measurement with high timing precision required by many commonly used psychological measures. The app is completely harmless and can be easily uninstalled after a session. More information can be found at https://www.millisecond.com/web/participants.aspx.

I have further questions

Feel free to email your questions to Dr Chi Vi (C.Vi@sussex.ac.uk).

STUDY 2: £2.50 Amazon voucher for a 10-min online study: Decision-making and Beer

This is a simple online study which is designed to help us understand people's decision-making in the context of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beer. You must be an occasional beer drinker (average consumption **at least** 1 beer a month) and 18+ to take part (see full inclusion criteria in the information sheet). You will answer a series of questions, indicating your preference, choosing between drinks and/or money options. The study takes less than 10 minutes. There are no right or wrong answers and your answers will help us optimise parameters for our main study. Participants are rewarded with £2.50 amazon voucher. Works best on a desktop/ laptop.

What are the eligibility requirements?

1.  You must be 18 years or older.

2.  You must be an occasional beer drinker (this means that on average you drink 1 beer a month or more).

3.  You have not been diagnosed with an alcohol use disorder. 

4.  You have not been diagnosed with an eating disorder.

5.  You do not have diabetes.

6.  You do not smoke more than 5 cigarettes a week.

7.  You are not currently pregnant or breastfeeding.

How do I participate?

Follow this link to start: https://tinyurl.com/dm-beer-pilot

I have further questions

Feel free to email your questions to Helena Blackmore (Helena.blackmore@sussex.ac.uk).