Exploring the Relationship Between Neuroticism, Affect, and Physical Activity Among Undergraduate Students

You are being asked to participate in the research project described below. Your participation in this study is voluntary; you may refuse to participate, or you may decide to stop your participation at any time.

Should you refuse to participate or withdraw your consent and stop participating in the study, your decision will involve no penalty or loss of benefits to which you may be entitled otherwise.

Please read the information below carefully and ask questions about anything you do not understand before deciding whether to participate.

STUDY TITLE: Exploring the Relationship Between Neuroticism, Affect, and Physical Activity Among Undergraduate Students

RESEARCHER(S): Rida Zubair

FACULTY ADVISOR: Dr. Timothy Reilly

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: This study will examine the relationship between neuroticism, affective experiences, and physical activity among undergraduate students using validated self-report measures.

ESTIMATED NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS: 200 Participants: 200 Undergraduate Students

PROCEDURES FOR PARTICIPANTS: Participants will complete an anonymous online survey administered through SurveyMonkey.
The survey begins with an informed consent page explaining the purpose of the study, voluntary participation, and anonymity. Participants must provide consent in order to be part of the study.
Participants will first complete the IPIP-NEO-120 Neuroticism domain, which consists of 24 items measuring trait neuroticism. Responses will be recorded using a 5-point Likert scale ranging from Very Inaccurate to Very Accurate.
Participants will then complete the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, which asks participants to rate the extent to which they have experienced certain feelings, such as interested, distressed, and excited, over the past week.
Following the PANAS, participants will complete the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form, which assesses the frequency and duration of walking, moderate physical activity, and vigorous physical activity during the past seven days. These responses will be used to calculate total physical activity levels in MET-minutes per week.
Demographic questions will be placed at the end to minimize identity activation effects and reduce response bias. The items consist of participants’ age, gender, year in school, college major, and athlete status.
This study will be reviewed and approved by the University’s Institutional Review Board before the start of data collection. Data collection will occur on a rolling basis beginning in Spring 2026 and may continue through Summer 2026 and Fall 2026, depending on recruitment needs. Participation is voluntary, and all responses will remain anonymous.

EXPECTED DURATION OF PARTICIPATION: The survey is expected to take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.

RISKS OF PARTICIPATION AND SAFEGUARDS: There is the possibility that participants may experience mild discomfort when answering the questions. If you experience any discomfort, you may choose to skip questions and/or stop participating. For UST students who experience any distress due to participation, the University of St. Thomas Counseling Services office can be reached at (713) 525-2169 or cds@stthom.edu. The Center is open Monday through Friday; current hours of operation are listed on their website: https://www.stthom.edu/Campus-Student-Life/Counseling-Services. UST students are offered free counseling in their office, loc

POSSIBLE BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATION: Participants will receive no direct benefits for participation.

COMPENSATION: University of St. Thomas students enrolled in psychology courses may be eligible to receive extra credit in accord with the policy in their psychology course. Participation in this study is entirely voluntary. Students who choose not to participate will be offered an alternative, non-research activity of equal value, as determined by their instructor. Non-participation will not result in any penalty or loss of benefits, and participation or non-participation will not affect course grades.
Extra credit is administered through a department-managed system in which course instructors can only view which students have completed extra credit and the number of credit hours earned. However, students may choose from multiple research studies and alternative activities, and instructors do not have access to information indicating which specific study a student participated in.
The extra credit system is separate from the survey platform and does not provide access to survey responses. The primary researcher and faculty advisor do not have access to any identifying information related to extra credit participation.
Non-UST students will not receive compensation for participation. Their participation is completely voluntary and will not result in any penalty or loss of benefits.

PARTICIPANT PRIVACY: The study uses an anonymous survey to collect data. The researcher and the faculty advisor will not collect any information that could identify you as a participant.
Primary researcher will ensure participants’ privacy by not acquiring identifying data, such as IP address, date of birth, names, or student IDs. All of the data is gathered in a password protected account, and the faculty sponsor and primary researcher will be the only individuals with access.
Participant privacy will be ensured by not collecting any identifying information within the survey. At no point will any dataset contain both identifying information and survey responses. There is no mechanism by which participant identities can be linked to their responses.
Even when participants are recruited through platforms known to the researcher (e.g., personal social media), the researcher cannot determine who has participated in the study.
Neither the researcher nor the faculty advisor will have access to any personal identifying information such as names, date of birth, IP Address or Student ID.

ACCESS TO RECORDS: The following people will have access to study records that do not include your name or other identifying information: Rida Zubair (Primary Researcher) and Dr. Timothy Reilly (Faculty Advisor).

CONFIDENTIALITY OF RECORDS: Data will be collected through a password-protected SurveyMonkey account maintained by the Psychology Department. The primary researcher and faculty advisor will be the only individuals with access to the survey data; however, all responses are anonymous. Because no identifying information is collected, neither the researcher nor the faculty advisor will be able to link responses to any individual participant. Every effort will be made to keep study records confidential. The data collected from the study may be used for educational and publication purposes, but participants will not be identified by name or any other personal or identifying information.

FUTURE USE OF DATA: The data collected may be used for future research studies and presentations; however, all data will remain anonymous and no identifying information will be collected.
The data is intended for Research in Psychology 1 (PSYC 4388) and Research in Psychology 2 (PSYC 4389) courses, but it may be used for future studies and presented at local or regional conferences. Before accessing the survey questions, participants will be asked to review an informed consent form and indicate whether they consent to their anonymous data being used for future research studies or presentations. All data will remain anonymous, and no identifying information will be collected. Every effort will be made to keep study records confidential. The data collected from the study may be used for educational and publication purposes, but participants will not be identified by name or any other personal or identifying information. The faculty advisor and/or Psychology Department will retain responsibility for secure storage of the anonymous data for a minimum of three years following study completion. After this period, the data will be permanently deleted.

INVESTIGATOR’S RIGHT TO WITHDRAW PARTICIPANT: The researcher has the right to withdraw you from this study at any time.

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR QUESTIONS OR PROBLEMS: The researcher has offered to answer all your questions. If you have additional questions during the course of this study about the research or any related problem, you may contact the researcher, Rida Zubair, at zubair.rida@stthom.edu. The faculty advisor, Dr. Timothy Reilly, may be contacted at (713)942-3403 or timothy.reilly@stthom.edu.

THIS RESEARCH STUDY HAS BEEN REVIEWED AND APPROVED BY THE INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS.

For additional information concerning your rights as a human subject, please contact Dr. Joseph Wysocki, Vice-President of Academic Affairs, 713-525-2164.

STUDY CRITERIA AND AGREEMENT TO PARTICIPATE: To participate in this study, you must be:
- At least 18 years old
- Enrolled in an undergraduate program
- UST or Non-UST Undergraduate Student
- The participants of the study are of any gender, race, ethnicity, socio-economic background, or religion

If you meet these criteria and agree to participate, continue to the survey. By responding to the survey, you are providing your consent for your responses to be used in the research.