Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences
Consent form for persons participating in a research project
Defining the phenotype of absolute pitch
Name of Responsible Researcher: Professor Sarah Wilson
Name of Additional Researchers: Ms. Jane Bairnsfather (PhD student), Dr Margaret Osborne (co-supervisor)
  1. I consent to participate in this project. The purpose of this research is to investigate the range of pitch-naming ability among musicians.
  2. I understand that this project is for research purposes only and not for treatment.
  3. In this project I will be required to complete a questionnaire about my musical experience and that of my family, provide some basic demographic information, and complete two pitch- naming tasks involving listening to presented sounds and identifying them. The details of this have been explained in the Plain Language Statement which I have been given a copy to keep.
  4. I understand that there are risks involved in participating in this research project. Specifically, the way you feel about your pitch-naming ability may be affected by how well you perform on these tasks. For this reason, you will not be provided with a “score” at the conclusion of the tasks. The tasks are designed to be challenging, even for those with very high-accuracy pitch-naming ability, so please do not feel discouraged if you find them difficult.
  5. My participation is voluntary and that I am free to withdraw from the project at any time without explanation or prejudice and to withdraw any unprocessed data I have provided. Withdrawing from the project will not affect my relationship with the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences. Specifically, it will not affect any ongoing assessment/grades or treatment that I would otherwise be eligible for.
  6. I have been informed that the data from this research will be stored at the University of Melbourne and will be destroyed after five years.
  7. I have been informed that the confidentiality of the information I provide will be safeguarded subject to any legal requirements; my data will be password protected and accessible only by the named researchers.
  8. I understand that after I return this consent form, it will be retained by the researcher.