In search of the abominable consent form: the impact of readability and personalization

This study assessed the impact of readability and personalization of informed consent forms on initial impressions of therapists and on recall of the information provided on the forms. Eighty-five participants received consent forms that varied in terms of readability and personalization, and were asked to rate their impressions of the therapist. More readable forms increased participants' impressions of the therapist's expertness and the form's helpfulness. Personalized forms increased ratings of the attractiveness of the therapist, and of the relevance of-and satisfaction with-the forms. Personalized forms also tended to increase recall. These properties of consent forms may indeed influence how clients initially react to therapists.