INFORMED CONSENT FORM

Tonality and music as a framework in auditory training for electric hearing.

My name is Joseph Arquette, and I am an audiology doctoral student at California State University, Sacramento. You are invited to participate in a research study about the benefits of auditory training for people with cochlear implants. The auditory training will use music teaching and exercises to see how they can affect your listening experience in background noise and with music.

If you volunteer, you will be asked to fill out two questionnaires related to your cochlear implant (s) and your music listening experience and background. You will then schedule to meet for three sessions of auditory training, 45 minutes each with a 5 min break on CSUS campus or remotely via zoom. At the end of the study, you will complete an anonymous questionnaire. The questionnaires will be about aspects of your ability and experience hearing and listening in different situations, and another about your self-perceived experiences. Total length of the study is about 2-3 weeks (about 4 hours total), depending on how often you can meet for training sessions.

If you agree to participate, you can stop at any time. This study may expose you to minor risks (mental fatigue, shyness), but they are not expected to be any greater than risks you experience in daily life. The benefits to this research are the data that can be used for finding innovative practical ways to train the auditory system. This research will build on previous studies about the auditory rehabilitation process for people with cochlear implants and the benefits could lead to strategies and treatments for improving sound processing abilities.

For participating in this study, you will receive 3 auditory training sessions and $80 total in VISA gift cards that will be distributed electronically or by mail at the end of the study. A parking pass will also be provided, if participating on campus.

I intend to publish or present my results. You will not be identified in my results. I will protect your identity by: (1) grouping responses/using pseudonyms, (2) storing collected information in a protected location, and (3) removing identifiers as early as possible. Information that can identify you will be deleted or removed from the data after a period of 6 months after the study is complete. The de-identified data will be kept in a secure location and may be used for other research studies. The de-identified data will be kept indefinitely and the consent forms will be destroyed in 7 years.

If you have any questions about the research, please contact me at josephluisarquette@csus.edu, or Dr. Hamid Motallebzadeh at h.motallebzadeh@csus.edu. If you have any questions about your rights as a participant in a research project please call the Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Development, California State University, Sacramento, (916) 278-5674, or email irb@csus.edu.

Your participation implies that you have read and understand this information and that you may stop at any time without penalty.