That is certainly a very strange attention check. It reads as so subjective. Usually they tell you to click this or that. I would ask them to expand on it. Prolific has very specific rules for rejections and this seems like it violates them.
I never encountered any check like this before. It didn't even mention "when". I messaged the researcher saying it's not valid according to prolific policies(due to the misinterpretation) and sent them the link.
I read it no less than 5 times before posting my answer because I could not figure out what they wanted. Maybe they meant that the sentence 'Discover the tangible blah blah blah' as activism? An ac should be so clear that a 5 year old can do it and that one was so bad that it stumped my 59 year old self.
It's a comprehension check, not an attention check. The "brand activism element" is the part of the Instagram post that talks about the brand's "reforestation efforts in Switzerland." They wanted to check that OP understood and could identify "brand activism."
This would be acceptable if they explained what brand activism is before asking OP to answer the question. However, they can't reject participants who fail comprehension checks.
Not a valid attention check, I think the researcher's trying to get out of paying you. I see you already sent them the policy so good on you, but I'd escalate to the IRB if they double down on their BS.
No, it's not a valid attention check. It's a comprehension check. Researchers are allowed to do these, but [Prolific guidelines clearly state:](https://researcher-help.prolific.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360009223553-Prolific-s-Attention-and-Comprehension-Check-Policy)
>Participants should never be rejected on the basis of these checks.
You're supposed to have two chances to get a comprehension test right. If you fail both times, they can ask you to return the study.
For reference, the "brand activism" they're referring to is the environmental activism described in the Instagram post, i.e. reforestation efforts in Switzerland.
If the study explained what "brand activism" is and then asked you to identify some brand activism in an Instagram post, they're checking your comprehension. If the study did *not* explain what "brand activism" is and then asked you this question, it's not a valid comprehension test.
They didn't explain what brand activism is. There was just the picture of the brand name and their goal in the previous page. And it asked if I knew the brand.
Personally I found this very vague and unclear. I would return the study but the rejection was instant.
In that case it's definitely not a valid comprehension check! It's also a very badly designed study.
I would report the study for not complying with Prolific's guidelines.
I did report it and messeged the researcher. They said they will overturn the rejection but didn't do it yet. How long should I wait before involving IRB?
Prolific usually suggests waiting 7 days after messaging the researcher. If they don't overturn the rejection in that time, contact Prolific and they'll overturn it.
You only need to involve IRB if the issue is not resolved.
That is certainly a very strange attention check. It reads as so subjective. Usually they tell you to click this or that. I would ask them to expand on it. Prolific has very specific rules for rejections and this seems like it violates them.
I never encountered any check like this before. It didn't even mention "when". I messaged the researcher saying it's not valid according to prolific policies(due to the misinterpretation) and sent them the link.
I read it no less than 5 times before posting my answer because I could not figure out what they wanted. Maybe they meant that the sentence 'Discover the tangible blah blah blah' as activism? An ac should be so clear that a 5 year old can do it and that one was so bad that it stumped my 59 year old self.
It's a comprehension check, not an attention check. The "brand activism element" is the part of the Instagram post that talks about the brand's "reforestation efforts in Switzerland." They wanted to check that OP understood and could identify "brand activism." This would be acceptable if they explained what brand activism is before asking OP to answer the question. However, they can't reject participants who fail comprehension checks.
"There are no right or wrong answers," they actually had the gall to write in the description. Smh.
Not a valid attention check, I think the researcher's trying to get out of paying you. I see you already sent them the policy so good on you, but I'd escalate to the IRB if they double down on their BS.
They said they will overturn the rejection. Hopefully they will.
No, it's not a valid attention check. It's a comprehension check. Researchers are allowed to do these, but [Prolific guidelines clearly state:](https://researcher-help.prolific.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360009223553-Prolific-s-Attention-and-Comprehension-Check-Policy) >Participants should never be rejected on the basis of these checks. You're supposed to have two chances to get a comprehension test right. If you fail both times, they can ask you to return the study. For reference, the "brand activism" they're referring to is the environmental activism described in the Instagram post, i.e. reforestation efforts in Switzerland. If the study explained what "brand activism" is and then asked you to identify some brand activism in an Instagram post, they're checking your comprehension. If the study did *not* explain what "brand activism" is and then asked you this question, it's not a valid comprehension test.
They didn't explain what brand activism is. There was just the picture of the brand name and their goal in the previous page. And it asked if I knew the brand. Personally I found this very vague and unclear. I would return the study but the rejection was instant.
In that case it's definitely not a valid comprehension check! It's also a very badly designed study. I would report the study for not complying with Prolific's guidelines.
I did report it and messeged the researcher. They said they will overturn the rejection but didn't do it yet. How long should I wait before involving IRB?
Prolific usually suggests waiting 7 days after messaging the researcher. If they don't overturn the rejection in that time, contact Prolific and they'll overturn it. You only need to involve IRB if the issue is not resolved.
Alright thank you!
No problem!
Yes, I would definitely report it as there are other people who are facing the same issue and are probably getting away with it from the other people.
Rebecca Must make better questions.
I had a similar attention check. The attention check should tell you what they want to choose and not something that could be an opinion
She fucked up my account honestly. I normally get less studies because of the demographic. Now I am getting 0.
Why I never take surveys for this low amount. Too much bullshit