Loras College Institutional Review Board

REQUEST FOR IRB REVIEW

Student Research Project

Please complete the following research application. Provide all information requested as part of
this application. Do not simply refer to other documents or grant applications. Once completed,
send this form, with the attached Research description, and all supporting documents (email
preferred) to the Institutional Review Board chair: Dr. Kristen Thompson, (7122); irb@loras.edu

Ethics Certification: In submitting this review request, you agree to conduct this research as
described in the attached documents. You agree to request and wait to receive approval from the
IRB for any changes to the research proposal. You will comply with the policies for conducting
ethical research as outlined in the Belmont Report (at
http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/policy/belmont.html .) and other applicable professional ethical
standards.

Please watch the video The Belmont Report: Basic Ethical Principles and Their Application
from the Office for Human Research Protections of the U.S. Department of Health &
Human Services, from the beginning of the program to minute 13, available at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Up09dioFdEU . Your electronic signature in the space below
affirms that you have watched the video and understand the ethical principles presented:

Sophia Muzzarelli 3/27/2019

Allie Serres 3/27/2019
Lucas Sedlacek 3/27/2019
Trevor Heying 3/27/2019
1. Student Investigator(s) and contact information:

Sophia Muzzarelli
Email: Sophia.Muzzarelli@loras.edu
Phone: 8152189777
Lucas Sedlacek:
Email: Lucas.Sedlacek@loras.edu
Phone: 3192134601
Allie Serres:
Email: allie.serres@loras.edu
Phone: 6087326487
 Trevor Heying:
Email: trevor.heying@loras.edu
Phone:5633290677

Class Information: Research Methods and Statistics 2 : MWF 1:30-2:20

W 2:30 - 4:00 pm

2. Title of Project:
Investigating the effects of technology use in the classroom

3. Course Requiring Project:

Psy 212 Research Methods and Statistics II

4. Faculty sponsor name and contact information:

Lisa R. Grinde
Email: Lisa.grinde@loras.edu
Phone: 588-7113

5. Proposed duration of all project activities:

From March 2019 to May 2019

6. Approximate number of subjects:

Approximately 45-60
We are aiming to have at least 15-20 students per level.

7. Type of subject: (Mark all appropriate)

__ Adults, Non-student
X Loras College students
__ Other college students
__ Minors (under age 18)
__ Persons with cognitive or psychological impairment
__ Persons with limited civil freedom
__ Persons with HIV+/AIDS
__ Pregnant women
6. Special considerations: (Mark all appropriate)

No special materials
__ Videotaping
__ Audio taping
X Use of deception (explain in attachment)
__ Use of alcohol or drugs
__ Other (explain):

7. Funding source (other than Loras College):

None
 RESEARCH DESCRIPTION
Please address each of the following points below. If a question or section is not applicable to
your research, please state this.
1. Purpose & Significance of Project.
● Briefly describe the purpose of your research.
-We want to explore this to see if there is a difference in retention between the groups
using either their phone or laptop during a simulated lecture. The purpose of this research is to
determine the effects of a students urge to browse through their phone or laptop as they usually
would during a class. Technology is becoming a staple in society. Students use their phones to
communicate with friends or to play games. Laptops are frequently used for email or checking
facebook. Most importantly, more students are transitioning to taking notes on their laptop. We
aim to understand if students who are using their computers will retain the same amount of
information as those who are on their phones.

● Describe your hypotheses/goals. If you give background on previous research that

supports your goals, please include reference citations at end of this section.
We hypothesize that students who are browsing their individuals laptops will retain a
significantly higher amount of information compared to the individuals scrolling on their phones,
however we hypothesize that the individuals who are browsing their computers will retain
significantly less information than our control group(no distractions).

● Include an explanation of the expected outcome.

As mentioned above, we hypothesized that those who are asked to look at either their
phone or laptop while we present them with a ted talk will not retain as much information as the
control group (no technology). Therefore the phone group should score lower than both the
control and laptop groups on our survey. In research conducted by Weißbecker-Klaus,
Ullsperger, Freude, and Schapkin (2017), it was found that when individuals were asked to
perform multiple tasks it was found that actions such as error detection, reduction of reaction
times, lack of post error slowing and several other actions were typically done in order to correct
the error.
In research done by Grinols and Rajesh (2014) it was found that “some people feel more
productive while multitasking; the increased brain activity makes them feel like they have
accomplished more. In reality, the time lost switching from task to task may result in
‘inefficiency in brain functions’”. In their article the authors also provide evidence in their article
that support our hypothesis in which we say that those who watch a Ted Talk (provided by us)
while scrolling through a social platform will retain less information than those who are not
scrolling. Within this study evidence about cell phone use alone in the classroom explains the
negative effects we get from our phone conversations while trying to obtain course material.
Students sitting in a class while reading a text message and responding will fail to absorb the
material within the lecture during the texting process.
Blasiman, Larabee, & Fabry, in their article, discuss how laptop use during lectures is
negatively correlated with student’s understanding of course material. This information also
supports our hypothesis. The researchers also discuss how texting on smartphones during class
causes students to recall significantly less information”. They performed a study similar to ours
but they looked specifically at texting in class. The students who were assigned to the texting
group, as predicted, performed significantly worse on a quiz than the group who was not texting
during the lecture. Not much research has been done on the impact of internet use in the
classroom. By examining the relationship between laptops and information retention we will be
able to determine more on what should be studied in the future.

● Indicate why the information obtained might be useful or beneficial.

-This information is important because currently we are in a transition stage in the
classroom. Technology is being incorporated into the classroom in the form of laptops. Many
students in college now are a part of the generation that has not grown up with it. On the other
hand, many professors who are teaching in college are fighting technology use because they
think it is a distraction. There is too much potential for students to open a new tab and open
Facebook. Students who are participating in this study may understand why the information
useful to them but we believe it may be valid for those teachers whom may be trying to lessen
the amount of times technology is used inappropriately in the classroom.
References

Blasiman, R. N., Larabee, D., & Fabry, D. (2018). Distracted students: A comparison of multiple
types of distractions on learning in online lectures. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
in Psychology, 4(4), 222-230. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.loras.edu/10.1037/stl0000122

Grinols, A. B., and Rajesh, R. (2014). Multitasking with smartphones in the college classroom.
Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, 77(1) 89-95.

Weißbecker-Klaus, X., Ullsperger, P., Freude, G., & Schapkin, S. A. (2017). Impaired error
processing and semantic processing during multitasking. Journal of Psychophysiology,
31(4), 167-178. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.loras.edu/10.1027/0269-8803/a000178

2. Participants
Recruitment:
● How will you recruit the participants?
 First we plan to approach the professors of introductory level courses across different
disciplines at Loras.We will also being using peers from our own convenience sample. If they
allow us to use their students for our research we will then send an email to the professor to be
forwarded to the class containing a brief explanation of our research.

● Where will they be recruited from?

They will be recruited from the Loras College introductory (101) courses across all
disciplines
● How will they be selected?
We will ask individuals to participate in our experiment and if they provide consent we
will then then randomly assign them into the different levels of the study. All participants will
be volunteers in which will be randomly assigned upon arrival.
● Justification is required if participants will be restricted to one gender, racial, or ethnic
group.

We do not plan on restricting our participants

Consent:
● How will you obtain consent?

Once our students enter the reading room we will have them sit down and we will
provide a paper copy of our informed consent for them to read and sign prior to participation the
study

● If, due to the nature of your research, a formal consent document cannot be used,
justification for this must be given.

Collaboration:
● If you will be collaborating with other institutions in order to recruit participants and
conduct the research, please attach approvals that have been or will be obtained (e.g.,
school districts, hospitals, other colleges). Preferably these will be letters on the
cooperating institution’s letterhead, stating willingness to participate.

We do not plan on using outside collaborations

3. Methods and Procedure: Describe your research procedure.

● What will you ask the participants to do?
 First we will have all the participants come to one classroom explaining to them that this
test is to find out the amount of time spent on social media. We will give them a brief
explanation of that they will be expected to do. Then will will ask them to fill out the informed
consent form. Once all forms have been filled out and collected we will start by randomly
assigning the participants to each condition of the experiment (laptop, phone, or no outside
stimulus). They will enter a classroom and be assigned to sit at a table. We will ask that they do
not sit next to another student. Next we will set up a camera on a tripod and explain to the
participants they will be recorded (to see how long they are actually using their laptops or phone
during the study.) We will have them use their assigned technology as normally as they would
during our provided video. We will present each group with the same Ted Talk in order to
simulate a lecture within a class without creating a presenter bias for the participants. At the
conclusion of the Ted Talk we will then explain to them there was no recording of them, the
camera was only used so the participants would act as they usually would during a class as if
they were being watched by a teacher. After we have explained this minor use of deception we
will be giving each participant a questionnaire over the presented video in order to see how well
or how poorly the retained information within their assigned condition. Once they have finished
the questionnaire and have been debriefed participants are free to leave the study.
● Where will they do this? Alone or in groups?
We are planning on having them complete this study in a classroom as three
separate groups (15-20 participants each) in which will be randomly assigned to
the different levels of the study (computer, phone, or no outside stimulus)
● How long will the procedure take? How many sessions?
We are estimating that the study will take about 20-25 minutes per session. Only
one session per participant will be required.
● Give details about any questionnaires or stimuli participants will be exposed to; be
specific in amounts or dosages of any substances participants will be asked to ingest.
(Participants may not consume alcoholic beverages in student research projects.)
We plan to provide a ted talk in which the participants will listen to for approximately
10-15 minutes. They will be asked to use their designated device as they usually would for the
duration of the Ted Talk and will then be asked to fill out a short survey. This should take about
5-6 minutes. The remainder of the time is reserved for explanations and questions.

4. Risk & Benefit Analysis

● What are the psychological, physical, or social (loss of reputation, deception, privacy,
etc) risks subjects might encounter by participating? (Please do not say “none.” All
activities involve some risk, although it may be minimal.)
 We will have to use some deception when explaining our experiment to the participants.
We will be saying we are going to record the study in order to provide a simulated set of eyes of
the participants during our provided video. At the conclusion of the video we will explain we had
not recorded them because we don’t want them to know that we are testing them on how much
information they retain. If they know this is what we are testing then they might act differently in
order to retain more information and get a better score. We will provide them with a
questionnaire in which the participants will not know about before the video is presented to them
afterwards we will then debrief subjects about the use of deception as well as the details of what
the experiments true meaning is.
The participant may be worried that the results will be shared with the college and all
technological devices will be banned from the classroom.
● What precautions will you take to protect participants or reduce risk?
We will talk to the participants so that they know what is happening. We will allow them
to leave whenever they want.
● What benefit, if any, will the participants gain from participating in this research?
(Please do not include compensation or course credit as benefit. If none, simply state
that.)
There will be no direct benefit to the participants.
● What compensation, if any, will participants receive (payment, gifts, course credit, etc.)?
(If none, simply state that.)
There is a possibility that we will agree with the professors of the courses to offer
course credit in the form of extra credit
● What follow-up or debriefing procedures will you have after the research is concluded?
We will tell them the purpose of the study and why we had them do what we did
● If any deception or withholding of information is required for this research, please
explain why it is necessary and how this will be handled in the debriefing. Attach
debriefing script.

5. Data Handling
● How will the data be kept anonymous or confidential?
Only the researchers will have the data.
We have one person in the group with no roommates so she can keep the
information with her when it is not being used.
We will also make sure that any paper surveys we use will be kept in one place. We will
not take pictures of any of the data
 ● Where will data be stored and for how long? Who will have access to the data?
Only the researchers will have access to the data. Dr. Grinde will have access to
the data because she is our professor and she also has more research experience.
This being said, we will only have the information for the duration of the semester
in the form of our consent forms and the paper surveys. After the data has been
analyzed and presented the paper copies will be shredded.
● ·Include specific details on the use and storage of any audio or video tapes.
We are not planning on using audio or video recording for this study
● Do you plan to share the results of this research in a class? If so, how?
Yes. At the end of the semester we are planning to host an in-class symposium.
We will be creating posters and presenting to other members of the class as well
as other senior students and faculty who choose to attend

● Do you plan to share the results of this research outside of your class? If so, how?

No. We do not plan on sharing this information with anyone outside of the
classroom.

6 If Participants Will Be Minors (Under age 18)

● · Justify the inclusion of minors.
● · Specify how parental consent will be obtained
● · Specify how you will obtain assent of minor subjects.
● · Describe any activities planned for non-participants, if other children in a
classroom will be participating.
● · Describe how you will use nonverbal signs to indicate when young children wish
to stop participating.

7. Investigator Background (Student researchers only)

● What coursework have you had to prepare you for research?
○ Allie Serres:
■ Intro to psychology
■ Intro to Neuroscience
■ Biostatistics
■ Research methods and Statistics 1
■ Research Methods and Statistics 2
■ Independent Research
■ Techniques in Neuroscience
■ Physiological Psychology
 ■ Abnormal Psychology
■ Senior Seminar
○ Sophia Muzzarelli:
■ Intro to psychology
■ Research Methods 1
■ Research Methods 2
■ Social Psychology
■ Motivation and Emotion
■ Physiological Psychology
■ Interpersonal Relationships
■ Abnormal Psych
■ Social Psychology
■ Senior Seminar
○ Trevor Heying:
■ Intro Psychology
■ Research Methods 1
■ Research Methods 2
■ Learning and Cognition
■ Physiological Psychology
■ Interpersonal Relationships
■ Interpersonal Communication
■ Motivation and Emotion
○ Lucas Sedlacek:
■ Intro Psychology
■ Research Methods 1
■ Research Methods 2
■ Physiological Psychology
■ Interpersonal Relationships
■ Abnormal Psychology
■ Motivation and Emotion
■ Social Psychology

● What is your previous research-related experience, if any?

○ Sophia:
■ An Examination of Parenting Values in Colombia and the United States
■ The Influence of Catholic Faith on Parenting in Colombia
■ Alcohol Consumption in Residence Life
■ A Study on Narcissism
○ Allie:
■ Effects of Environmental Enrichment on Corticosterone Levels
 ■ An Investigation of the Relationship Between Multiple Exercise and
Memory Systems
■ Investigation into the Multidimensionality of Body-Esteem
■ Effects of post-pubescents on Microglial size
○ Lucas
■ The Effects of Physical Activity and Brain Functioning
■ Alcohol Consumption in Residence Life
○ Trevor
■ The Effect of Caffeine on Performance of Individuals
■ Self Monitoring in individuals

● How will your faculty sponsor supervise or be involved?

○ We will be frequently talking to Dr. Grinde to make sure that we are doing
everything right.

8. Consent Forms. Please attach one of the following options related to obtaining consent:
● Written Consent – Attach copy of all consent & assent forms. See Informed Consent
Checklist on the IRB website
(https://lorasedu.sharepoint.com/Academics/AcademicCommittees/IRB/default.aspx).
● Oral consent – Provide justification for not obtaining written consent and the text of the
script you will use to obtain oral consent.
● Waiver of consent – Provide written justification for waiving consent process. This is
rare and usually granted only if consent process itself adds substantial risk to the
research.
 IRB APPLICATION CHECKLIST
Use this Checklist to ensure you have included all required information in your IRB application.
Please check online for IRB meeting dates. To ensure timely review, please submit research
requiring full review at least 4 business days prior to the meeting date.
o You have read and understand the Ethics Certification.
Ethics Certification: In submitting this review request, you agree to conduct this research as
described in the attached documents. You agree to request and wait to receive approval from the
IRB for any changes to the research proposal. You will comply with the policies for conducting
ethical research as outlined in the Belmont Report (at
http://ohrp.osophs.dhhs.gov/humansubjects/guidance/belmont.htm.) and other applicable
professional ethical standards.

o All cover sheet information is filled out (page 1 of application). Double-check dates,
special circumstances, etc.)
o You have explained the purpose, hypotheses and expected outcome of your study.
o Reference citations (if appropriate) are included.
o Participants and recruitment procedures are described.
o Procedures for consent are described or justification given for waiving informed
consent
o Consent form is included at end of document
o Details on what, when, where, how of procedure.
o Rationale for all materials to be used is described.
o Questionnaires and other stimuli to be used are included at end of document.
o Risk is explained – please do not simply say “no risk”
o Direct benefit to participants is not confused with compensation – both, if any, are
described.
o Steps to protect participants from risk are described.
o Details on storage of data are included – where, what access, and for how long
o Description of how confidentiality or anonymity of participants will be protected
o Justification for use of minors (if needed.)
o STUDENTS ONLY: Description of research training & sponsor supervision.
o STUDENTS ONLY: Faculty Sponsor has reviewed and emailed the IRB chair
o STUDENTS ONLY: Watched the required video about the Belmont report and signed
that you have viewed it
o All attachments have been pasted into single document
o Check IRB meeting dates
https://lorasedu.sharepoint.com/Academics/AcademicCommittees/IRB/default.aspx
o Email review application to IRB chair. Kathrin Parks, irb@loras.edu
 INFORMED CONSENT CHECKLIST

Your consent form should be written in language that your participants can read and understand.
You can use any format you wish, and the form can be brief. The statement should be addressed
directly to the participant, (i.e. “You are being asked to participate in research.”) It should
include all of the elements below that pertain to your study.

Opening statements
o Loras College letterhead OR statement in first paragraph that the project is being
conducted by people affiliated with Loras College
o Name(s) of the principal researcher(s) and faculty sponsor (if student research).
o Statement that the individual is being asked to participate in research

Description of research
o Description of the purpose of the research
o What participant will be asked to do
o How long the procedure will take
o Location of the procedure
o Approximate number and type of participants being recruited
o Any exclusionary criteria for participants

Risk/Benefit
o Description of any foreseeable risks (a study may have “minimal risk” or “risk no greater
than that of everyday life” but it is very rare that a study would have “no risk.”)
o If more than minimal risk, an explanation of medical or psychological assistance that
would be available if injury occurred and how subjects would access that assistance.
o Description of any possible direct benefit to subject from the research. If there is no
direct benefit to the subject, the investigator may explain how the study might benefit the
larger population.
o Explanation of any compensation to participants and how that compensation will be
distributed to participants; conditions under which no, or partial, payment will be made

Participant Protections
o How confidentiality of the data will be maintained
o Statement that participation is voluntary and that subjects may skip questions or
withdraw from the study at any time without penalty
o If participants are drawn from a classroom or special program, statement as to how
participation will or will not affect the participant’s grade or status in the class or program.

Contact information
o The name and contact information of persons to contact if they have questions about the
study
o Contact information for the person to contact if they have questions or concerns about
their rights as research subjects, (IRB Chair).
o Space for signature & date. Language for signature: Your signature indicates that this
research study has been explained to you, that your questions have been answered, and that you
agree to take part in this study. You may request a copy of this form.
 INFORMED CONSENT FORM
We invite you to participate in a student led research project investigating the effects of technology use in
the classroom. This project is being conducted as part of the Research Methods and Statistics II course at
Loras College. This study aims to determine whether or not using technology in the classroom interferes
with student’s abilities to remember lecture information. The student researchers are Sophia Muzzarelli,
Lucas Sedlacek, Allie Serres and Trevor Heying. The faculty sponsor is Dr. Lisa R Grinde.
We are asking that 45-60 students from introductory level courses across all disciples at Loras to come to
Hennessey hall to participate in our research. You will be assigned to one of three levels (each of the
levels will have 15-20 student).: the control level (no technology), the laptop level, or the cell phone level.
If you are assigned to the Cell Phone or Laptop group we are asking that you watch an eleven minute
TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) Talk while scrolling through as you normally would on
your assigned device. When the video is over you will be asked to complete a short survey. Your
participation in this study should take no longer than 30 minutes.
Participation in this research project involves a small risk that you will feel possible embarrassment due to
performance on the survey or possible anxiety due to the fact that you have to complete a survey taking
place after the experiment.
For participation in our study you may receive compensation in the form of extra credit through the
discretion of professors teaching your introductory course.
Participating in this research project is completely up to you and you may exit from it at any time without
penalty– even after you have started it. Participating in this research project or declining to participate in
it will have absolutely no effect on any form of grades or test scores within any courses.
After the data has been analyzed all files containing data will be deleted off of computers and the surveys
will be cut up and put through a paper shredder.
If you have any questions about this research study, please feel free to ask Sophia Muzzarelli, Luke
Sedlacek, Trevor Heying, or Allie Serres in person or to contact them at Sophia.Muzzarelli@loras.edu,
lucas.sedlacek@loras.edu, trevor.heying@loras.edu, or allie.serres@loras.edu if you have any questions
or concerns about your rights as a research subject, contact Dr. Kristen Thompson, chair of Loras
College’s Institutional Review Board, at irb@loras.edu, tel. 563 588-7122.

__________________________________ ______________________________
Signature Date
_________________________________________
Print name
Your signature indicates that this research study has been explained to you, that your questions have been
answered, and that you agree to take part in this study. You may request a copy of this form.
The Video we will be using
https://www.ted.com/talks/caro_verbeek_the_historical_significance_of_smell

Debrief Statement:
The purpose of our study was to determine the influence technology has on our ability to pay
attention to an outside stimulus. The recording device at the front of the class was not being
used. We are simply using the scores from the questionnaire to analyze your ability to retain
information from the video while being distracted.