UCLA Close Friends Study

Eligibility

Participants must be between 13-15 years old. We are looking for close same-gender friends who have known each other for at least 6 months. At least one person in each friend pair must be willing (e.g. not claustrophobic) and eligible (e.g. no metal in body) to participate in an MRI scan, and not currently taking psychotropic medications. If you think your child is eligible and are interested in participating, please complete the Screening Survey.

Purpose

The goal of the Close Friends Study is to learn more about how people in our lives, specifically our friends, can help us change the way we feel. Particularly, we want to see how our friends can make us feel less negatively.

Involvement

This study is looking for pairs of same gender friends aged 13-15 to complete one lab session together. One member of the pair will be the “helper” and the other will be the “experiencer.” The helper will record audio clips, which the experiencer will listen to while completing some computer tasks during an MRI scan. The computer tasks include negative images that may be considered upsetting (e.g. people fighting). Both friends will also complete a set of surveys that ask about family, friends, emotions, and demographic items. Your child’s participation in any part of this study is voluntary and you or they may choose to withdraw at any time.

  The lab session will take about 1 hour for the helper and about 2 hours for the experiencer. The helper will receive $75 for participation in the study, with the chance to win more in some of the computer games they will play. The experiencer will receive $120, and an image of their brain. The experiencer will also have the option to complete an online 10-minute follow up 24 hours after their scan for an additional $15.

Benefits

There are no direct benefits to participating in this study. Results from this research may help us learn more about the impact of friendship on emotion and our ability to control our emotions.

Contact

If you think your child is eligible and are interested in participating, please complete the Screening Survey.

You can also email us at reinterpretstudy.ucla@gmail.com or call/text us at (323)-989-2557.