STUDIES OF SOCIAL AND REWARD PROCESSING IN ADOLESCENT DECISION MAKING
Ethics Approval Reference: 23130

UNDER 16 ASSENT FORM

STUDIES OF SOCIAL AND REWARD PROCESSING IN ADOLESCENT DECISION MAKING
Participants must consent to all of the below statements (by checking the box next to each statement) in order to proceed with the study. If you do not wish to consent to participate, you may exit the study now or at any time by closing your browser tab. Your data will only be stored if you choose to submit it at the end of the study.

1. I confirm that I have read and understood the information sheet entitled 'Studies of social and reward processing in adolescent decision making', and I have asked any questions I had via email.

2. If I asked any questions, I have had satisfactory answers to all of them.

3. I understand that I am free to withdraw from the study at any time until study completion without having to give a reason. I understand that data are saved anonymously and that they cannot be removed after study completion.

4. If I have any questions or concerns about the research, I know I can contact MaryAnn Noonan via email maryann.noonan@york.ac.uk or by phone 01904 323190 (Psychology department), 01905321037 (MaryAnn Noonan).

5. I understand that my anonymised experimental data may be shared through public repositories such as the Open Science Framework

6. I accept the terms and conditions of this study and agree to take part.

If you can answer "yes" to all of the above questions then please press the "start" button.
If any answers are "no" or you don't want to take part, that's OK! You are welcome to quit the study by closing the browser window.
Thank you

STUDIES OF SOCIAL AND REWARD PROCESSING IN ADOLESCENT DECISION MAKING
Ethics Approval Reference: 23130

CONSENT FOR INDIVIDUALS OVER 16 YEARS

Decision making strategies in children and adolescents
Over 16s to consent to the following by ticking the boxes:
Participants must consent to all of the below statements (by checking the box next to each statement) in order to proceed with the study. If you do not wish to consent to participate, you may exit the study now or at any time by closing your browser tab. Your data will only be stored if you choose to submit it at the end of the study.

1. I confirm that I have read and understood the information sheet entitled 'Studies of social and reward processing in adolescent decision making', and I have asked any questions I had via email.

2. If I asked any questions, I have had satisfactory answers to all of them.

3. I understand that I am free to withdraw from the study at any time until study completion without having to give a reason. I understand that data are saved anonymously and that they cannot be removed after study completion.

4. If I have any questions or concerns about the research, I know I can contact MaryAnn Noonan via email maryann.noonan@york.ac.uk or by phone 01904 323190 (Psychology department), 01905321037 (MaryAnn Noonan)

5. I understand that my anonymised experimental data may be shared through public repositories such as the Open Science Framework.

6. I accept the terms and conditions of this study and agree to take part.

If you can answer "yes" to all of the above questions then please press the "start" button.
If any answers are "no" or you don't want to take part, that's OK! You are welcome to quit the study by closing the browser window.
Thank you

WELCOME TO THIS DECISION MAKING EXPERIMENT!

Click through these task instructions using the "Previous" and "Next" buttons at the bottom of the screen.

In this game, you will need to choose between blue and green squares. The aim of the game is to get as many points as possible.
On each round you must choose either the green or blue box by clicking on it when the question mark appears.
The box you choose will be shown by a red border.
In each box, there is a number. If you choose the correct box, you will gain the number of points shown in the box.
The points counter shows total number of points you have scored.

As you play the game, you may start to notice that one colour is correct more often than the other, this is something to keep in mind!
You also need to think about the number of points in each box. How many points would you win or miss out on if you chose a risky option?

You will also be playing with an avatar. They will suggest a box for you to choose, shown by a turquoise border. It may take a second for your avatar to give you advice.
This suggestion is based on real advice from real people who have already played this game.
Your goal is to get as many points as possible, whereas the avatar is trying to get you to score points within a certain range, for example between 1000 and 1200. We will not tell you the real range.
Therefore, at some points your avatar may be trying to help you increase your score, and at other points they may not. You need to work out when your avatar is trying to help you, and when they are not.
For the first half of the game, your avatar's advice will be taken from players between 11 and 18.
For the second half of the game, your avatar's advice will be taken from players between 18 and 25.

After a short practice phase you will make 240 choices.
You can see the total number of points you have won so far, as well as how many choices you have left on each play. You can leave the game at any time by pressing the "Exit Study Now" button.
Overall, you need to think about 3 things:
Your own feeling of how likely each colour is to be correct
The number of points you could win or lose on each option
Your feeling of whether you currently trust or distrust your avatars advice
Your aim is to win as many points as possible.

If you understood the instructions and are ready to practice press "Start practice rounds", if not, go back through the instructions to refresh your memory.
Please do not refresh your browser during the game otherwise your data will not get saved.

Problems showing instructions. Please read through the text best you can and then do the training rounds

You have chosen to leave the experiment without finishing.
If this is a mistake, please click "Return to study". To leave the experiment, please click on "Quit study".

If you have any concerns or questions please contact maryann.noonan@york.ac.uk.

Some of the questions in this study ask about symptoms of depression and anxiety. The questionnaire assesses behaviours and feelings that naturally vary in the general population and these questionnaires cannot be used as a clinical assessment or diagnosis. If you have any questions or concerns around you mental wellbeing, here are some sources of support:

You can talk to your form tutor, head of year or Mrs Hurst about how you are feeling

Your GP - GPs are the key route for accessing support and mental health care (including medication and/or psychological therapies) from the NHS

Childline provide help and support at https://www.childline.org.uk/

YoungMinds provide information, advice and support on mental health at https://www.youngminds.org.uk/

TalkingSpace run psychoeducational courses, provide computerised and/or telephone based CBT and in some cases other options such as group CBT, mindfulness based therapies and individual therapy. www.talkingspaceplus.org.uk

Samaritans offer a safe place to talk. Website: www.samaritans.org

MoodGym at www.moodgym.anu.edu.au

Living Life To The Full at www.livinglifetothefull.com

Mood Juice at www.moodjuice.scot.nhs.uk

Thank you for taking part in our study.

If you have any concerns or questions please contact maryann.noonan@york.ac.uk.

Some of the questions in this study ask about symptoms of depression and anxiety. The questionnaire assesses behaviours and feelings that naturally vary in the general population and these questionnaires cannot be used as a clinical assessment or diagnosis. If you have any questions or concerns around you mental wellbeing, here are some sources of support:

You can talk to your form tutor, head of year or Mrs Hurst about how you are feeling

Your GP - GPs are the key route for accessing support and mental health care (including medication and/or psychological therapies) from the NHS

Childline provide help and support at https://www.childline.org.uk/

YoungMinds provide information, advice and support on mental health at https://www.youngminds.org.uk/

TalkingSpace run psychoeducational courses, provide computerised and/or telephone based CBT and in some cases other options such as group CBT, mindfulness based therapies and individual therapy. www.talkingspaceplus.org.uk

Samaritans offer a safe place to talk. Website: www.samaritans.org

MoodGym at www.moodgym.anu.edu.au

Living Life To The Full at www.livinglifetothefull.com

Mood Juice at www.moodjuice.scot.nhs.uk

This study aimed to look at how we make decisions in different rewarding and social contexts.

Adolescence is a period of change, with both challenges and opportunities.
During adolescence, many individuals experience significant changes in their home and school environments and become responsible for making key decisions that will influence their future.
Decision making can have an impact on both mental and physical health. Decision making is often studied in adults;
however, it has been shown that adolescents make different kinds of decisions in different social and rewarding contexts.
This study aims to explore the influence of social and reward information on decision making in adolescents and young adults.
We are specifically interested in looking at how advice from a peer or adult affects decision making.
We are also interested in the links between mental health and processing social and reward information.

You may ask any further questions now, or through contacting:
MaryAnn Noonan, Department of Psychology,
The University of York, York, YO10 5DD
Phone: 01904 323190 E-mail: maryann.noonan@york.ac.uk

Please put a tick the word that shows how often each of these things happens to you. There are no right or wrong answers.

1. I worry about things.

2. I feel sad or empty.

3. Nothing is much fun anymore.

4. I worry that something awful will happen to someone in my family.

5. I have trouble sleeping.

6. I have problems with my appetite.

7. I worry that bad things will happen to me.

8. I have no energy for things.

9. I am tired a lot.

10. I worry that something bad will happen to me.

11. I can not think clearly.

12. I feel worthless.

13. I worry about what is going to happen.

14. I feel like I don't want to move.

15. I feel restless.

This questionnaire is about the impact of COVID-19 on you, your family and School. Please answer all the questions as honestly as possible. Please circle how often you experienced the feeling, thought or behaviour described in each sentence.

1. Do you think that you currently have or have had COVID-19?

2. I worry that I am not on track with my studies due to COVID-19

3. I worry that my future grades will be affected by COVID-19

4. I worry that returning to school will increase the risk of me getting COVID-19

5. I worry that returning to school will increase my family's risk of getting COVID-19

6. Have your future education or employment plans changed because of COVID-19?

7. How much has COVID-19 changed your daily routine?

8. Have your education or employment plans changed as a result of COVID-19?

9. Overall, what type of impact has the COVID-19 pandemic had on your life?

This is the end of the experiment.
Thank you for taking part in our study.

If you have any concerns or questions please contact maryann.noonan@york.ac.uk

Some of the questions in this study ask about your mood and mental health. If you feel that you are going through a difficult time or have any questions or concerns about your mental wellbeing here are some sources of support:

You can talk to your form tutor, head of year or Mrs Hurst about how you are feeling

Your GP - GPs are the key route for accessing support and mental health care (including medication and/or psychological therapies) from the NHS

Childline provide help and support at https://www.childline.org.uk/

YoungMinds provide information, advice and support on mental health at https://www.youngminds.org.uk/

TalkingSpace run psychoeducational courses, provide computerised and/or telephone based CBT and in some cases other options such as group CBT, mindfulness based therapies and individual therapy. www.talkingspaceplus.org.uk

Samaritans offer a safe place to talk. Website: www.samaritans.org

MoodGym at www.moodgym.anu.edu.au

Living Life To The Full at www.livinglifetothefull.com

Mood Juice at www.moodjuice.scot.nhs.uk

Dear participant,

Thank you for participating in our study.
This study aimed to look at how we make decisions in different rewarding and social contexts.

Adolescence is a period of change, with both challenges and opportunities.
During adolescence, many individuals experience significant changes in their home and school environments and become responsible for making key decisions that will influence their future.
Decision making can have an impact on both mental and physical health. Decision making is often studied in adults;
however, it has been shown that adolescents make different kinds of decisions in different social and rewarding contexts.
This study aims to explore the influence of social and reward information on decision making in adolescents and young adults.
We are specifically interested in looking at how advice from a peer or adult affects decision making.
We are also interested in the links between mental health and processing social and reward information.

You may ask any further questions now, or through contacting:
MaryAnn Noonan, Department of Psychology,
The University of York, York, YO10 5DD
Phone: 01904 323190 E-mail: maryann.noonan@york.ac.uk