SCHOOL OF PSYCHOLOGY
Faculty of Science
The University of Auckland
Private Bag 92019,
Auckland 1142, New Zealand
Ph 64 9 373-7599 ext 88557
Facsimile 64 9 373 7450
www.psych.auckland.ac.nz
Age-related changes to the cognitive and neural underpinnings of memory
and imagination
PARTICIPANT INFORMATION SHEET
You are invited to take part in a research project investigating how our ability to remember and
imagine past events changes with age. This project is being carried out by Assoc. Prof. Donna
Rose Addis, Assoc. Prof. Lynette Tippett and Aleea Devitt (Department of Psychology, The
University of Auckland) and is funded by the Rutherford Discovery Fellowship. Thank you for
taking the time to read this information sheet.
It is important to read this document carefully so that you can make an informed
decision about whether you would like to participate.
1. Purpose of the research: Although memories play like movies in our minds, they are
stored very differently in our brains. The various details for memories are stored as fragments
across the brain and then reconstructed when we remember. However, our ability to piece
memories back together changes as we age. Using both behavioural methods and MRI
(magnetic resonance imaging) scanning, we aim to better understand the “thinking” and “brain”
processes that underlie the ability to remember and imagine past experiences, and how these
processes change with age. We will examine the ability to remember and imagine scenarios by
asking you to think about and describe events.
2. Your rights as a participant: Participation in this study is entirely voluntary. If you choose
to participate, you can change your mind at any time without giving a reason and without any
negative consequences. Whether or not you participate will not affect your relationship with the
researchers in any way. If you are a student of the researcher, your academic grades will not
be affected whether you decide to participate or not: the Head of School has provided written
assurance that grades and academic relationships will not be affected. After your participation
is completed you will still have the right to request that your data be withdrawn from the study
for up to three months. You can also request a summary of findings for each study. You will be
given a copy of this document to keep.
3. Procedure: If you would like to volunteer, you will first be asked to participate in a 5 minute
prescreening session (completed via telephone or email) to check that you are eligible for the
study and that it is okay for you to have an MRI scan.
If you are eligible to participate, you will be invited to complete up to three related studies
described below. While participation in Study A is necessary for participation in Studies B and C,
note that participation in B and/or C is entirely optional even if you choose to complete in Study
A.
Study A: Memory and Imagination Tasks
- Session 1
- Session 2
- Session 3
Study B: MRI scanning (optional)
Study C: Cognitive testing (optional)
Study A:
Study A consists of three sessions in which you will be asked to complete memory and
imagination tasks. The scheduling of these sessions will normally be within a week of each
other. Each session is no more than 3 hours in duration. You can choose to complete the
sessions either in the Department of Psychology at The University of Auckland, or in your own
home. The tasks will be presented on a computer screen.
If you decide to participate, you will complete three sessions:
 In Session 1, you will first be asked to fill in a short questionnaire including demographic
questions (e.g., age, education history) and questions about medical conditions that may
affect the ability to complete the tasks (e.g., vision or hearing problems). We will also
ask about your medical history (e.g., history of neurological or psychiatric conditions).
You will also be asked to complete a short questionnaire about handedness (i.e. which
hand is your dominant hand). You may also be asked to complete a brief task assessing
attention, memory, language and visuospatial abilities. You will then be asked to recall
memories of events which have happened to you in the past. In total, this session will
take between 2 and 3 hours to complete, depending on how easily you recall memories
of past events or how many breaks you need.
 In Session 2, you will be asked to imagine past events that never actually happened. You
may also be asked to complete other comparison tasks, including sentence construction,
and pleasantness ratings. This session should take approximately 2-3 hours to complete,
depending on how easily you generate events or how many breaks you need.
 In Session 3, you will be asked to make memory decisions about information previously
presented or imagined in Session 1 or 2. You will also be asked to talk about
remembered and imagined past events. This session should take approximately 2-3
hours to complete. Parts of this session will be audio-recorded and later transcribed. No
identifying information (e.g., names) will be included in the transcription.
Study B:
Note that even if you complete Study A, you can still choose not to participate in Study B. If
you do decide to complete Study B, you will be asked to remember past events while having an
MRI scan of your brain. You will also be asked to comparison tasks, including creating
sentences and making odd-even digit decisions. This session should take approximately 1.5
hours to complete, including 45 minutes in the MRI scanner.
This MRI session will take place at the Centre for Advanced MRI (CAMRI), located in the Faculty
of Medical and Health Sciences, Park Road, Grafton. For the first 20 minutes, we will give you
instructions and a practice task. The MRI scan will follow for 45 minutes. For this scan, you will
change into a gown, removing all metallic objects and jewellery. You will then be asked to lie on
your back on a bed, and lightweight equipment will be placed around your head. Because the
scanning is noisy you will be given protective headphones to wear. You will then be slid into the
scanner tunnel on the bed. You will be asked to remain as still as possible so that the images
are movement free. You will be able to make contact with the MRI operator via voice or the
emergency buzzer at all times, and can request to be slid out of the scanner at any time. In the
first part of the scan you will listen to music for ten minutes while we image your brain
anatomy. In the next part we will be taking images of your brain activity while you do the
thinking tasks described above. Task information will be projected to a small screen above your
head, and you will respond by pressing buttons.
Study C:
You will be asked to complete a number of both computerized and pencil-and-paper problem
solving, memory, language and planning tasks. This session will last approximately 2 hours,
and will take place either in the Department of Psychology, The University of Auckland, or in
your own home. Parts of this session will be audio-recorded and later transcribed. No
identifying information (e.g., names) will be included in the transcription.
4. About MRI: If you choose to take part in Study B, you will have an MRI scan. MRI is
routinely used for clinical purposes and has no known harmful effects on the human body. For
an MRI scan you lie in a short tunnel inside a scanner machine, which produces a strong
magnetic field. This is used to take images of the brain anatomy and to detect increased blood
flow to active areas of the brain.
5. Risks and discomforts. Study B involves an MRI scan. There are no known side effects or
risks associated with MRI scanning. It is painless, and involves no radiation exposure, needles
or injections. However MRI is unsafe for people who have magnetic metal implants in their body
(e.g. pacemaker, hearing aid, screws/plates from an operation, etc.). At the MRI centre, you
will be asked to fill out a safety checklist to make sure that this is not the case for you. People
who are prone to claustrophobia can find lying in the narrow tunnel of the MRI scanner difficult,
therefore we do not recommend that they participate. Very rarely people can find the scanner
makes them feel warm or can feel a tickling or twitching sensation. These are harmless.
However, if you feel uncomfortable for this or any reason whilst in the scanner you should let
the MRI operator know via the communication system or the emergency buzzer. It is always
your right to request that scanning be discontinued and that you be removed from the scanner.
In Study A, some people may find certain memories distressing to recall. You will be
encouraged to choose memories you are comfortable discussing. If a memory does make you
feel distressed, you will be able to stop and take a break, or cease participating at any time.
Finally, completing the tasks may be a little tiring. During the behavioural sessions (Studies
A/C), you will be able to stop and have a break at any time. During the MRI scan (Study B),
you will have a short break between each 10 minute scan.
6. Detection of Abnormalities: If you choose to complete Study B, please note your MRI
scan is for research and is not a medical examination; therefore images are not routinely
reviewed by a radiologist. It is possible (although unlikely) that we may incidentally find an
abnormality in your brain that is clinically significant. In this event, it is CAMRI policy that you
must be informed. You should be aware that such knowledge would have consequences for you.
For instance it could affect your ability to obtain insurance (whether or not you take the matter
further), or your ability to work in certain professions. If you would not want to know, you
should not participate in Study B. Older adults in Study A will be invited to complete a task of
general thinking abilities (Study A, Session 1). In the unlikely event that your score is lower
than expected for older adults, this will be discussed with you by Associate Professor Lynette
Tippett.
7. Benefits. Your participation will contribute towards our understanding of memory and
imagination. As compensation for your time you will receive $25 for each session you
participate in. You will be offered a copy of your transcript from the autobiographical interview
(Study A, Session 3), and a summary of group results. If you complete Study B, you will also
be offered an anatomical image of your brain.
8. Confidentiality and data storage. Your name will only appear on the attached Consent
Form, which will be coded with an identification number. This identification number is used to
de-identify all other data, so that your identity is kept confidential. Your data (i.e.
questionnaires, tests) will only be referred to or labeled using this identification number. The
Consent Form will only be seen by you and the investigators, and will be kept in a secure filing
cabinet for six years, after which time it will be securely and confidentially disposed of. All
audio-recordings will be transcribed either by the researcher or by a trained research assistant
who has signed a confidentiality agreement; all identifying information will be removed from
transcriptions. Any information that identifies you as a participant will be used confidentially
and kept in a secure location. After completion of the study, all confidential data, including
computer data files, will be kept for a minimum period of six years to allow for publication and
future re-analysis. Research publications and presentations from the study will not contain any
information that could personally identify you.
9. Researcher contact details. We appreciate the time you have taken to read this invitation.
If you have any queries, please contact the Principal Investigator, Associate Professor Donna
Rose Addis, by email, telephone or mail:
School of Psychology, The University of Auckland
Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142
Email: d.addis@auckland.ac.nz
Ph.: (09) 373-7599 x88552
You may also contact the Director of the MRI Centre, Associate Professor Brett Cowan:
Centre for Advanced MRI, University of Auckland
FHMS, 85 Park Road, Grafton
Email: b.cowan@auckland.ac.nz
Ph.: (09) 373 7599 Ext. 89513
Or the Head of the School of Psychology, Professor William Hayward
School of Psychology, The University of Auckland,
Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142.
Email: w.hayward@auckland.ac.nz
Ph.: (09) 373-7599 Ext. 88516
For ethical concerns contact: The Chair of The University of Auckland Human Participants
Ethics Committee,
The University of Auckland, Research Office,
Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142.
Ph.: (09) 373-7599 Ext. 87830.
Email: humanethics@auckland.ac.nz
APPROVED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND HUMAN PARTICIPANTS ETHICS COMMITTEE
on 17 March 2014 for a period of 3 years. Reference number: 2014/011190