We are inviting community members to join a new study at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW). Our team, led by Dr. Eric Rawls, would like to understand how personality, daily surroundings, and mental health relate to the patterns of brain activity and bodily patterns like your heartbeat that help guide our decisions and actions.

About the Study:

This study was reviewed and approved by the UNCW IRB (H25-0148) to ensure it meets all safety and privacy standards. In this study, we will look at the connection between personality, your day-to-day environment, your mental health, and the natural patterns of your brain waves and your bodily patterns – like your heartbeat and your sweat. Brain waves are tiny electrical signals that your brain makes when it’s working – kind of like a gentle buzzing that tells us how different parts of your brain “talk” to each other when you’re thinking or solving problems. By looking at your brain waves together with bodily signals like your breathing, heartbeat, temperature, and more, we can see how our brain controls our body and our mind. Exclusion: You may not participate in this study if you are pregnant or if you think you may be pregnant, or have a neurophysiological disorder that will interfere with the EEG.

We’ll measure these brain waves using something called EEG, which stands for “electroencephalogram.” To do this, we place a soft cap on your head that has small sensors. These sensors rest on your scalp and pick up the brain’s quiet signals, like a microphone listening to a distant radio station. It doesn’t hurt, and it doesn’t put anything into your head – it just listens to what’s already there. Think of it like a simple hat that helps us understand how your brain works while you do some tasks on a computer.

We will also put electrodes underneath your collarbone and on your ribs to measure your heartbeat, and on your shoulder and forehead to measure your sweat and temperature. You will wear a belt that measures your breathing, and your eyes will be recorded so we know where you are looking. Finally, we will record a video of your face using a webcam to analyze your facial expressions.

What You’ll Do:

Questionnaires: You will be asked to complete several questionnaires about your personality, feelings, experiences, and day-to-day life. This will take about two to two-and-a-half hours. You will complete these questionnaires on your own before you arrive at the lab.

EEG Session: You will wear the comfortable EEG cap and several physiological sensors while you do some computer tasks designed to understand how you control your actions and make decisions.

Overall, the in-person visit will take about 4 hours. We realize that this is a long time, so we will make every effort to ensure you are comfortable, with breaks as needed.

What You Get in Return:

You’ll be paid $50, as a small token of our appreciation. We will provide parking passes so you can easily park on campus without extra expense. You will be helping scientists learn more about the mind and brain, which could lead to better treatments for mental health and self-control problems in the future.

Privacy and Confidentiality:

All the information we collect – your answers to questions, your EEG and physiological recordings – will be kept confidential. We will not attach your name to your results. Instead, you’ll be given a special study number. Your data will be locked away, safe and separate from any information that could identify you.

Voluntary Participation:

You are not required to take part in this study. If you begin the study and decide at any point that you no longer wish to continue, you can stop without any penalty or loss of benefits.

Interested or Have Questions?

If you would like to participate or want to know more, please reach out to our wonderful study coordinators at [rawlslab@uncw.edu]. 
They will be happy to answer any questions you may have, such as:

• Specific date and time options for coming in
• Location details and directions to the lab
• Accessibility accommodations if needed
• Additional information about study procedures

Thank you for considering this opportunity. We appreciate your time and hope you will help us learn more about how environment, personality, and brain function come together to shape our lives.