Before you decide to take part in this study it is important for you to understand why the research is being done and what it will involve. Please take time to read the following information carefully and discuss it with others if you wish. A member of the team can be contacted if there is anything that is not clear or if you would like more information. Take time to decide whether or not you wish to take part.
Deepfake content is increasingly common online and is frequently used for misinformation, manipulation, and fraud. As deepfake images grow more realistic, understanding how people tell authentic from manipulated visuals is essential.
This study investigates how people distinguish deepfakes from genuine images using eye-tracking and self-reports. It explores whether visual patterns and reasoning influence detection, hypothesising that cues aid recognition and that brief education improves accuracy.
You are invited to participate in this study because you meet the inclusion criteria:
These criteria are necessary for full and effective participation of designed activities of the study.
Taking part is entirely voluntary. You are free to decide whether or not to take part. If you do decide to take part, you will be asked to give your consent via a Qualtrics survey. You are still free to withdraw at any time after giving your consent and without giving a reason. A decision to withdraw, or a decision not to take part, will not affect you in any way. Refusal or withdrawal will involve no penalty or loss, now or in the future.
If you agree to take part, you will complete an online survey through this dedicated website, which will proceed as follows:
Structure of the Study:
There are no lifestyle restrictions as a result of participating. You are simply asked to view the images naturally and complete the questionnaire segments.
The disadvantages and/or risks in taking part are considered low and comparable to those encountered in everyday life. However, the study could potentially induce low to mild psychological stress, frustration, or anxiety beyond the risks encountered in normal life, especially when trying to differentiate difficult images. You are completely free to withdraw without giving any reasons at any point if you feel uncomfortable.
By taking part in the study, you will learn more about deepfake facial images and how to better distinguish them from real ones. Such skills can help you avoid becoming a victim of online harms generated by deepfake facial images. Beyond the benefits for yourself, your participation will help the research team understand the effectiveness of training on deepfake detection, which can guide digital literacy efforts.
Information collected during this study will be held confidentially by the researchers in line with the UK Data Protection Act 2018. Only researchers involved in the study will be authorized to access the data, but anonymised responses may be shared with other researchers or made available in online data repositories.
To ensure confidentiality of your data, your data files will not include identifying personal information (or you will use a unique participant identification number). Any identifying details will be stored separately and securely. All anonymized data will be held securely on University of Kent computers or by approved off-site data collection partners (such as Qualtrics). Any publication resulting from this work will report only aggregated findings or fully anonymized examples.
The results of the research are being collected as part of a Masters Project. Findings are expected to be published or presented at scientific venues. If any individual data items are presented, they will be totally anonymous, without any means of identifying the individuals involved. A summary of the results will be available from the researcher on request.
The research is organized by staff and investigators within the School of Psychology at the University of Kent. The research team includes:
The project has been formally reviewed and approved by the University of Kent School of Psychology Research Ethics Committee under Ethics ID: 2026177926531610645.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this study, please contact the research team via David Boamah at: dab54@kent.ac.uk.
Thank you for taking the time to read this information sheet and for considering taking part in this research.