Do emotions overwhelm your life?


Do you feel hopeless, worthless, nervous, or persistently on-edge? Do these emotions make it difficult for you to function day-to-day? In this study, we want to understand how your thoughts and feelings relate to each other over the day.

Overview

What are we studying
We are conducting this research to learn more about variation in cognition over time and its relationship to mood and emotions. We want to understand how these differences are related to other experiences people have and their mental health.

Why it is important
We would like to understand more about what factors lead to better or worse cognitive functioning. This research can inform treatment options and help us understand how emotions drive differences in how people process the world.

What we hope to accomplish
We hope to gain a better understanding of how cognition changes over time and how it relates to mood and emotions.

Who can participate in this research
If you are 18 years old or older, are a current US resident, have 24-hour access to a modern iOS or Android smartphone (purchased in the last 5 years), and have basic English fluency, you may be eligible to enroll in this study.

Who cannot participate
You are not eligible to participate if you have a history of head trauma, a current neurological or major medical illness, or a disability that substantially interferes with your ability to perform cognitive tests.

What you may be asked to do

Participation in this study includes:

  • Completing an initial set of cognitive tasks and surveys on your home computer, tablet, or smartphone (will take approximately 2 hours)
  • Brief assessments to complete on your smartphone. These include questionnaires and short cognitive tests that you will complete 3 times a day for 3 weeks (will take approximately 5 minutes for each brief assessment)
  • Comprehensive feedback on your performance at the end of the 3 weeks
  • A brief follow-up assessment in 3 months

Estimated time commitment
6 hours over 3 weeks.

What you may get

This study is compensated for. You can earn up to $286 for this study. The payment breakdown is as follows:

  • $50 for the initial baseline assessment
  • $2 for each short daily assessment
  • If you complete 80% of the short daily assessments each week (16 out of 21), you will receive an additional $20 for that week.
  • $50 for completing the brief follow-up session 3 months later

You will also receive a personalized report at the end of the study about how your emotions and cognition varied over time.

Project Contact

How can I find out more about this study?
Laura Germine, Ph.D, is the person in charge of this research study.

Click here to get started.

If you have questions, contact the research study team at:
cogstudy@mclean.harvard.edu.
(617) 678-7471