|
ajkclay
Nov 21, 2007, 11:06 PM
Post #1 of 16
(1782 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 9, 2002
Posts: 1567
|
Hi folks,
I am conducting a study into the effects of repeated exposure to fear.
My focus group is specifically rock-climbers and I am currently struggling for participants.
I would really appreciate it if you could download the attached file and email the completed survey to me at ajkclay@tpg.com.au
Results of the study will be published here on RC.com
Many thanks
Adam
|
|
Attachments:
|
Rockclimbing fear survey.doc
(47.5 KB)
|
|
|
|
|
norushnomore
Nov 21, 2007, 11:31 PM
Post #2 of 16
(1759 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Nov 4, 2002
Posts: 414
|
I am afraid to participate.
Resident experts are going to jump in and bash the hell out of me 
|
|
|
|
|
ajkclay
Nov 21, 2007, 11:55 PM
Post #3 of 16
(1741 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 9, 2002
Posts: 1567
|
norushnomore wrote: I am afraid to participate. Resident experts are going to jump in and bash the hell out of me
Heh heh, good point, I forgot to mention that the survey is anonymous, and as soon as your email is received the file will be saved and your email address deleted from the receiving account.
There are no questions that will identify you.
If anyone wants feedback they can send an email with the subject line "Survey feedback" to the same address.
Please do take the time as I am in real need of data and this could really provide some interesting and helpful information into performing better while climbing.
Cheers
Adam
|
|
|
|
|
fancyclaps
Nov 22, 2007, 12:38 AM
Post #4 of 16
(1714 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Nov 23, 2005
Posts: 210
|
Dude use survey monkey or something. I dont have a problem filling out the survey, but a free online one would be significantly less trouble. You will probably get more responses.
|
|
|
|
|
granite_grrl
Nov 22, 2007, 12:48 AM
Post #5 of 16
(1703 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 25, 2002
Posts: 15084
|
Adam, normally I enjoy surveys but yours is rather unclear. I am not sure how you can make an hournor's study without defining things a little clearer:
Question 4: You don't say how someone should define their experience. How hard you climb? The styles you do? Hours you've spent on the rock?
Question 6: What do you define as "fear"? Remember, there is fear for your safety, fear of the unknown and fear of poor performance.
Because you have not defined fear it is hard to choose "fearful" situations.
Please take my criticism as constructive, because that is why I'm writing it. Good luck with you study.
|
|
|
|
|
ajkclay
Nov 22, 2007, 4:04 AM
Post #6 of 16
(1613 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 9, 2002
Posts: 1567
|
Hi, thanks for the feedback.
Fear in this instance is any situation in which you feared for your safety and this elicited a physiological response.
Fear of the unknown in terms of response seems to be more likely to invoke anxiety rather than an autonomic defensive response which is what I'm looking at.
Similarly, fear of failure (or success) is also unlikely to have this effect, however it can do.
It may have been anything from sweaty hands to freezing or distortion of distance (when everything seems too far away to reach).
Experience in the self-rated section is purely subjective on purpose to allow for variance in ways that experience is gained; A climber who has been climbing for seven years but only does so on weekends in summer may not have the same level of experience as someone climbing for two years three times per week for instance.
In any case my survey is now set in stone as it has had ethics approval and I cannot change it. Rest assured that part of the ethics process involves ensuring that the data obtained will allow for the study to provide useful information and does not represent a waste of participants' time.
I can't go into too much detail about the entire study without potentially influencing responses but hopefully that covers your questions.
Cheers and thankyou
Adam.
|
|
|
|
|
pwscottiv
Nov 22, 2007, 9:42 AM
Post #7 of 16
(1559 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jul 8, 2007
Posts: 157
|
fancyclaps wrote: Dude use survey monkey or something. I dont have a problem filling out the survey, but a free online one would be significantly less trouble. You will probably get more responses.
|
|
|
|
|
ajkclay
Nov 23, 2007, 12:19 AM
Post #8 of 16
(1421 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 9, 2002
Posts: 1567
|
The problem with survey Monkey etc is that you have a limited number of questions for free.
Survey Monkey only allows 10 questions.
Plus I am restricted in my methods of data collection by the ethics committee. You have no idea how strict they are.
Sorry if you find it a little cumbersome, but please don't hold it against me, I did what I could within their limitations.
Did you know that I even had to prove with references that climbing was fear-inducing before they would approve my study?
Thanks to the people who have contributed, I really appreciate it, please keep them coming.
Cheers
Adam.
PS Sending good Karma your way 
|
|
|
|
|
pwscottiv
Nov 23, 2007, 4:11 AM
Post #9 of 16
(1322 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jul 8, 2007
Posts: 157
|
So did you read my note (in my completed survey) about integrating skydiving into your study?
|
|
|
|
|
ajkclay
Nov 23, 2007, 4:53 AM
Post #10 of 16
(1304 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 9, 2002
Posts: 1567
|
Hi mate, yes, I did, unfortunately in this instance I cannot add participants from other sports.
BUT
You raise a really good point and it gives me some great suggestions for future studies as well. Something I will need to do in my discussion.
An interesting thing that I have noticed which I think I can discuss without worrying about influencing the sample is that individuals who are new to a dangerous sport but not new to the world of dangerous sports seem to exhibit less fear when trying it for the first time.
So, basically a climber who goes skydiving is not as scared or apprehensive as an extreme sport newbie.
I'm not sure if it's an effect of trusting gear/systems/safety-measures more readily or something like an inhibition in fear-response.
Interesting though.
Thanks folks, keep them coming!
You guys rock! (pun intended)
Adam
|
|
|
|
|
pwscottiv
Nov 23, 2007, 5:32 AM
Post #11 of 16
(1281 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jul 8, 2007
Posts: 157
|
Yeah, I'm sure that my extensive experience with climbing made it MUCH easier to trust myself and the gear to work properly when I began skydiving... I never even bothered with a tandem jump, as I knew I would love skydiving and I didn't want to waste the time. I'm not saying I wasn't a little bit scared the first time I jumped out of an airplane, but I definitely wasn't anywhere near being frightened. I have a few friends who had never really done any extreme sports before and they were totally sketched out for their first jumps... And many jumps later they still get a pretty serious rush when they jump... Even after a few jumps I didn't even get much of a rush anymore.
|
|
|
|
|
ajkclay
Nov 26, 2007, 4:23 AM
Post #12 of 16
(1134 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 9, 2002
Posts: 1567
|
Thanks to everyone who has participated so far, the data I'm getting from rc.com members is top quality!
Please keep responding folks, the more data I get the better the study will be.
Once again thankyou to all participants to date,
Cheers
Adam
(This post was edited by ajkclay on Nov 26, 2007, 4:23 AM)
|
|
|
|
|
ajkclay
Nov 29, 2007, 4:28 AM
Post #13 of 16
(1029 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 9, 2002
Posts: 1567
|
OK, I have five more days of data collection and i must once again thank all those rc.comers who have participated to date; the quality of participant information has been of a much higher quality than my other sources.
I have 5 days left to collect data and still need about 40 more responses...
Please, if you haven't responded, can you take the few minutes required to help?
Many thanks,
Adam
|
|
Attachments:
|
Rockclimbing fear survey.doc
(47.5 KB)
|
|
|
|
|
rockie
Nov 29, 2007, 6:20 PM
Post #14 of 16
(988 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Sep 18, 2007
Posts: 1130
|
Re: I jumped out of an airplane
Me too ajkclay; parachute course, funnily I was petrified before I went on that course, and did it just to say I'd done it! Once I did it I was hooked, bit of a natural I turned out to be, they asked me back to do a Parachute instructors course. I had to force myself away after as I never wanted to get hooked either.
I'll willingly fill out your research questionaire; having done a dissertation at Uni I fully understand your reasoning about how difficult it was with the ethics commitee etc. You're obviously out to support climbers or you wouldn't be focusing your study on that, good on you!
I want to do a tandem sky dive myself; then the 2nd time free fall (you get more time to open that chute skydiving than you do in a parachute jump).
(This post was edited by rockie on Nov 29, 2007, 6:54 PM)
|
|
|
|
|
rockie
Nov 29, 2007, 6:23 PM
Post #15 of 16
(986 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Sep 18, 2007
Posts: 1130
|
You may also like to put that research questionaire out on http://www.ukclimbing.com
I know you'll get a good response there, and there are many international climbing members on there too! 
|
|
|
|
|
rockie
Nov 29, 2007, 6:52 PM
Post #16 of 16
(955 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Sep 18, 2007
Posts: 1130
|
Ever felt that, going through the ethics committee was quite difficult and frustrating on the one hand; on the other hand, getting climbers to participate smoothly is another difficult and frustrating experience 
In your shoes, I'd be thinking that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
