# The role of individual differences and attitude in willingness to participate in TMS studies

## TL;DR

This study explores how people's attitudes and individual differences affect their willingness to participate in TMS research and highlights common concerns and barriers.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a new perspective on TMS recruitment by examining attitudes and perceived barriers from potential participants.

## Key findings

- Positive attitudes toward TMS correlate with higher willingness to participate.
- Safety concerns are a major barrier, especially among older adults.
- Many potential participants are ineligible based on TMS safety screening criteria.

## Abstract

Finding neurophysiological research participants can be challenging, especially when the technology used in the research study is less known, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Despite this well-known phenomenon, there is limited literature investigating the factors involved in willingness to participate and perceived barriers from the potential participants’ perspective. This paper explored the relationship between individual differences, attitudes toward TMS, and willingness to participate in TMS research alongside perceived barriers to participation and concerns when considering participating. The findings suggest that participants who had more positive attitudes towards TMS were more willing to participate. Participants frequently reported being concerned about safety, including risks and side effects. For barriers in terms of safety parameters, the number of participants who were eligible based on their TMS safety screening questionnaire was low, particularly for older adults. These findings are discussed in the context of the literature, and practical guidelines are provided for researchers looking to plan TMS recruitment.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.3758/s13428-025-02623-4.