Music Study
Consent Form
New York University
Faculty of Arts and Science
Center for Neural Science
4 Washington Place, Room 809
New York, NY, 10003-6634
Telephone: (212) 998-7780
RESEARCH INFORMED CONSENT FORM IRB-FY2026-10569
STUDY TITLE: The Effects of Music and Mindfulness in NYU Undergraduates
INVESTIGATOR(S): Wendy Suzuki, Rachel Dias, Serena Shapard, Cian Walls, Sanjana Thayi, Alex Modzelewski, Sutton Cotsworth, Caitlynn Yeaple, Kaylene Guzman, Daniel Amin
INVITATION TO BE A PART OF A RESEARCH STUDY
You are invited to participate in a research study. This form has information to help you decide whether or not you wish to participate—please review it carefully. Your participation is voluntary. Please ask any questions you have about the study or about this form before deciding to participate.
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of this study is to examine how music listening influences undergraduate students' habits and behaviors. Participants will complete tasks while following experimenter instructions, and the study will explore how these factors influence performance and subjective experiences.
DESCRIPTION OF STUDY PROCEDURES
If you agree to participate, you will be asked to:
- Join a one-time, 20-minute research session.
- Research sessions will be conducted in groups of approximately 10 students.
- You will come into the lab on campus and complete brief questionnaires about your current stress and mood. You will also be given a wearable heart rate monitor for the duration of the study (non-invasive, Fitbit-style device).
- You will then either complete a control task, listen to music, or listen to music while practicing mindfulness techniques such as focusing on your breath and setting an intention for listening.
- Your heart rate will be monitored throughout the duration of the study.
- Complete the same questionnaires again immediately after the session.
RISKS OR DISCOMFORTS
This study involves the following risks or discomforts: There is a risk of breach of confidentiality. While your answers to your personal information or survey questions will not be shared with the group, because you will be tested with other people around, full confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. We do not foresee this study involving any other risks or discomforts. Please tell the researchers if you believe you are harmed from your participation in the study.
BENEFITS
It is hoped that this study will contribute to knowledge about how music listening, with or without mindfulness techniques, affects certain responses. Although previous research has shown that music can influence the responses we are testing for, this study specifically examines the effects of brief listening sessions and the potential added benefit of mindfulness practices. By understanding these effects, we hope to provide practical, evidence-based strategies that may help college students manage this response and improve well-being.
You are not expected to directly benefit from participation in the study.
COMPENSATION
For completing the entirety of the study you will receive a $10 Amazon gift card. This gift card will be sent to you after completion of the study at your NYU email address.
VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION
Participating in this study is completely voluntary. You may choose not to take part in the study or to stop participating at any time, for any reason, without penalty or negative consequences. Not taking part or withdrawing from the study will not affect your grade or academic standing in any way. You have the right to skip or not answer any questions you prefer not to answer.
If you choose to withdraw from the study early, you will still receive full compensation. We may end your participation in the study if we discover you do not fit the eligibility criteria.
If you withdraw or are withdrawn from the study early, then we will keep information about you that is already collected.
PRIVACY & DATA CONFIDENTIALITY
In this study, you may be asked to provide information that could be used to identify you personally. This information will be kept confidential. Only researchers and others that will keep the information confidential (e.g., regulatory agencies or oversight groups) may access information that could personally identify you.
Future Use of Data
We may wish to use information about you collected for this study for future research, share it with other researchers, or place it in a data repository. We will only be sharing de-identifiable data that is collected. All information that could identify you will be removed before sharing the data or using it for other research studies. These studies may be similar to this study or completely different. We will not ask you for additional permission before sharing this information. Please indicate below your permissions regarding this use of your information:
AGREEMENT TO PARTICIPATE
Participant: By signing this document, you are agreeing to participate in this study. Make sure you understand what the study involves before you sign. If you have any questions about the study after you agree to participate, you can contact the research team using the information provided above. You may keep a copy of this form.
New York University
Faculty of Arts and Science
Center for Neural Science
4 Washington Place, Room 809
New York, NY, 10003-6634
Telephone: (212) 998-7780
STUDY TITLE: The Effects of Music and Mindfulness in NYU Undergraduates
INVESTIGATOR(S): Wendy Suzuki, Rachel Dias, Serena Shapard, Cian Walls, Sanjana Thayi, Alex Modzelewski, Sutton Cotsworth, Caitlynn Yeaple, Kaylene Guzman, Daniel Amin
INVITATION TO BE A PART OF A RESEARCH STUDY
You are invited to participate in a research study. This form has information to help you decide whether or not you wish to participate—please review it carefully. Your participation is voluntary. Please ask any questions you have about the study or about this form before deciding to participate.
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of this study is to examine how music listening influences undergraduate students' habits and behaviors. Participants will complete tasks while following experimenter instructions, and the study will explore how these factors influence performance and subjective experiences.
DESCRIPTION OF STUDY PROCEDURES
If you agree to participate, you will be asked to:
- Join a one-time, 20-minute research session.
- Research sessions will be conducted in groups of approximately 10 students.
- You will come into the lab on campus and complete brief questionnaires about your current stress and mood. You will also be given a wearable heart rate monitor for the duration of the study (non-invasive, Fitbit-style device).
- You will then either complete a control task, listen to music, or listen to music while practicing mindfulness techniques such as focusing on your breath and setting an intention for listening.
- Your heart rate will be monitored throughout the duration of the study.
- Complete the same questionnaires again immediately after the session.
RISKS OR DISCOMFORTS
This study involves the following risks or discomforts: There is a risk of breach of confidentiality. While your answers to your personal information or survey questions will not be shared with the group, because you will be tested with other people around, full confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. We do not foresee this study involving any other risks or discomforts. Please tell the researchers if you believe you are harmed from your participation in the study.
BENEFITS
It is hoped that this study will contribute to knowledge about how music listening, with or without mindfulness techniques, affects certain responses. Although previous research has shown that music can influence the responses we are testing for, this study specifically examines the effects of brief listening sessions and the potential added benefit of mindfulness practices. By understanding these effects, we hope to provide practical, evidence-based strategies that may help college students manage this response and improve well-being. You are not expected to directly benefit from participation in the study.
COMPENSATION
For completing the entirety of the study you will receive a $10 Amazon gift card. This gift card will be sent to you after completion of the study at your NYU email address.
VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION
Participating in this study is completely voluntary. You may choose not to take part in the study or to stop participating at any time, for any reason, without penalty or negative consequences. Not taking part or withdrawing from the study will not affect your grade or academic standing in any way. You have the right to skip or not answer any questions you prefer not to answer.
If you choose to withdraw from the study early, you will still receive full compensation. We may end your participation in the study if we discover you do not fit the eligibility criteria.
If you withdraw or are withdrawn from the study early, then we will keep information about you that is already collected.
PRIVACY & DATA CONFIDENTIALITY
In this study, you may be asked to provide information that could be used to identify you personally. This information will be kept confidential. Only researchers and others that will keep the information confidential (e.g., regulatory agencies or oversight groups) may access information that could personally identify you.
Future Use of Data
We may wish to use information about you collected for this study for future research, share it with other researchers, or place it in a data repository. We will only be sharing de-identifiable data that is collected. All information that could identify you will be removed before sharing the data or using it for other research studies. These studies may be similar to this study or completely different. We will not ask you for additional permission before sharing this information. Please indicate below your permissions regarding this use of your information
AGREEMENT TO PARTICIPATE
Participant: By signing this document, you are agreeing to participate in this study. Make sure you understand what the study involves before you sign. If you have any questions about the study after you agree to participate, you can contact the research team using the information provided above. You may keep a copy of this form.