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Article History

Received: 22 May 2025

Accepted: 2 March 2026

First Online: 19 March 2026

Competing interests

: The authors declare no competing interests.

: This project was granted an exemption from ethics approval by the Institutional Review Board of Florida State University (Approval Reference: STUDY00003180). The study involved participants’ responses to a short story about an animal and did not involve any sensitive topics or information. The IRB determined that the research met the criteria for exemption under federal regulations, specifically Exemption Category (3)(i)(B): Benign Behavioral Interventions (low risk). The risk level was no greater than minimal, and all participants were over 18 years of age and not considered part of a vulnerable population. Where applicable, the IRB also confirmed the protocol’s qualification for approval in accordance with requirements for Limited IRB Review, effective May 5, 2022.

: Informed consent was obtained from all participants through a written form prior to participation via the CloudResearch online survey platform, in accordance with the requirements of the Florida State University IRB. The consent process took place on September 20, 2023, and included a full explanation of the project’s purpose, procedures, data use, and publication intentions. Participants were not drawn from any vulnerable populations. Given the non-interventional nature of the research, confidentiality and anonymity were assured. All identifying information was either anonymized or removed. The data collected were used exclusively for this research project. No personal information was disclosed at any stage of the study. Participants were provided with the researchers’ contact information for any questions or concerns. All procedures complied with established ethical standards, and the study posed no more than minimal risk to participant.