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Thank you for your interest in this research. We are investigating the psychological characteristics of individuals who purchase sex dolls. This is the 1st of 4 surveys where we are specifically looking to explore the effects of sex doll ownership over the first year after a purchase. We are recruiting both sex doll owners and people who do not own sex dolls to act as a comparison group.

All surveys in this study will ask the same information for us to be able to track changes over time. After providing some information about yourself (e.g., age, sex) and your doll ownership (e.g., its ‘age’) you will be presented with a series of questionnaires measuring things such as your personality traits (e.g., “If people turn against me I really get back at them”), health and wellbeing (e.g., “I feel completely alone”)., sexual thoughts, feelings, and fantasies (e.g., related to specific behaviours and targets of arousal, including children), and about your interactions with other people (e.g., “I really need someone’s emotional support”). Instructions will be made clear throughout the survey. Your participation in this study should take approximately 10 minutes. However, there is no time constraint to the questions so please take your time and take breaks if you need to do so.

Instructions will be made clear throughout the survey. Your participation in this study should take approximately 10 minutes per survey. However, there is no time constraint to the questions so please take your time and take breaks if you need to do so.

 

Due to this research looking at sex doll use over a period of time, by agreeing to take part in this initial study, you are also agreeing to be emailed at follow up time points to complete this survey again. After you have completed the initial survey, we will ask for your email address so we can contact you with the follow-up study. Your email address will be stored separately to the data so your answers cannot be identifiable. We will only use this information to be able to forward you the future survey links, and we will delete this information after 15 months (i.e., as soon as data collection is over).

 

In order to protect your right to withdraw your data, you will be asked to provide a unique identifier. This should be made up of the last 2 letters of your home town, the last 2 numbers of your phone number and the last 2 letters of your surname. You have the right to withdraw at any time during the study, and for up to one week (7 days) after your participation in any of the surveys. You will never be asked for a reason for withdrawing. To do this, you can send an email (or a posted letter, if you wish to remain completely anonymous) with your unique identifier.

 

As a thank you for taking part in the project, you will be provided with a £50 online shopping voucher at the end of the study (i.e., once you have submitted the final survey).

 

If you want to speak with someone who is not directly involved in this research, or if you have questions about your rights as a research subject, please contact Suvo Mitra (Associate Dean for Research) at Nottingham Trent University. You can contact them at suvo.mitra@ntu.ac.uk.

 

Please contact the Data Protection Officer at DPO@ntu.ac.uk if:

  • you have a query about how your data is used by the University
  • you would like to report a data security breach (e.g., if you think your personal data has been lost or disclosed inappropriately)
  • you would like to complain about how the University has used your personal data


The project has gone through the relevant NTU research ethics procedures and has been given a favourable ethics opinion by Nottingham Trent University’s Schools of Business, Law and Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee. If you have any questions regarding the nature of the research, please feel free to contact the research team using the contact details:

 

Dr. Craig Harper (craig.harper@ntu.ac.uk)

Dr.Rebecca Lievesley (rebecca.lievesley@ntu.ac.uk)

 

NTU Psychology

School of Social Sciences

Nottingham Trent University

50 Shakespeare Street

Nottingham NG1 4FQ


Please confirm the following statements to participate:


o I confirm that the purpose of the research has been explained to me, that I have been given information about it in writing, and that I have had the opportunity to ask questions about the research.
o I understand my part in the research. I understand that my participation is voluntary, and that I am free to withdraw for up to one week, without giving any reasons.
o I understand and consent to the methods of data collection and particularly to any electronic recording that will take place and confirm that I know how long their data will be retained.
o I understand any limits to confidentiality you may need to impose and agree to any sharing of data that is proposed with people outside the project team.
o I give permission for quotes from the interview to be included in research outputs.
o I agree to take part in this project.
o I confirm that I am 18 years of age or older.

Dr. Craig Harper, Nottingham Trent University – 2023