You have been invited to participate in a study on “Relationship satisfaction across the lifespan: Understanding the role of emotional and social competency” being conducted by Dr. James D. A. Parker in the Psychology Department at Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.

Previous research has found that satisfying relationships is a key factor in successful ageing. It is a good predictor of well-being and overall life satisfaction. Other work also suggests that a critical factor in developing and maintaining relationship satisfaction is emotional and social competencies (ESCs)— often called emotional intelligence. ESCs involve abilities and competencies related to recognizing, understanding, and managing your emotions and the emotions of others.

Unfortunately, despite these important findings, current research on ESCs has tended to focus only on younger adults. To help address this research gap, we are looking for adults of diverse ages to take part in our study.

Working independently (no peeking at how anyone else is answering), each person will complete their own survey. This survey will take about 45 minutes. The first part of the survey asks participants to answer some basic demographic questions, then to complete several self-report measures on ESCs, happiness, and personality.

The proposed study has the potential to broaden our understanding of the factors contributing to successful ageing.

You are being asked to complete an online survey. Please complete the survey using the link provided at the end of this letter of information. After completing the online survey, the final screen contains a detailed description of the goals of the present study. You will then be invited to use a separate link to enter your name and contact information in a draw for one of five $100 Amazon gift cards.

The proposed research will not involve any deception or risk beyond what you, as an individual, may expect in daily life. As a volunteer, you are free to discontinue your participation at any time. You may also refuse to answer any questions you don’t want to answer and remain in the study.

All information collected will be stored anonymously. Your name will not be attached to the stored data, so individual responses cannot be linked or traced back to you or any other specific participant. The data collected will be reported in the form of group averages and at no time will any individual outside of the immediate research team have access to the information that is provided.