Hello! Thanks for agreeing to participate in our study exploring different shapes and sounds.
This is a very quick study (~20 mins) in which you will be asked a couple of questions about yourself, then asked to look at and listen to a few animations of speech bubbles and then evaluate them based on a few criteria.
We really appreciate your help!
Please read the following and indicate your consent at the bottom of this page.
Many thanks,
Ben & Pip
You have been asked to participate in a research study conducted by Ben Bloomberg and Philippa Mothersill, from the Media Arts and Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.). The results will contribute to the StoryScape research project and an MAS.630 end of semester project. You were selected as a possible participant in this study because you are capable of identifying emotional shapes and sounds. You should read the information below, and ask questions about anything you do not understand, before deciding whether or not to participate.
Your participation in this study is completely voluntary and you are free to choose whether to be in it or not. If you choose to be in this study, you may subsequently withdraw from it at any time without penalty or consequences of any kind. The investigator may withdraw you from this research if circumstances arise which warrant doing so.
Investigating the representation of emotion through non-verbal non-humanoid means, particularly exploring how sound and form can represent the 8 basic emotions, and enhance emotional information communication.
If you volunteer to participate in this study, we would ask you to do the following things:
You will be asked to identify fewer than 40 individual shapes or sounds. Your total participation will take less than 30 minutes.
There are no unreasonable foreseeable physical or psychological risks, discomforts or inconveniences associated with this study.
The potential benefits of this research to the subject include learning about how to create emotional shapes and sounds. The potential benefits of this research to science include understanding how people perceive emotions from simple shapes and sounds, which could enhance how users of the StoryScape app can create more emotionally communicative stories.
Participants will receive a small token of gratitude (value under $5).
Any information that is obtained in connection with this study and that can be identified with you will remain confidential and will be disclosed only with your permission or as required by law.
The only personal information that will be collected is the gender and age-range of the subjects. The data will be stored in protected digital form on institute owned systems. Data will not be destroyed after analysis. Data will potentially be reported in the Masters Theses or papers by the Investigators, as well as an end of semester project and presentation.
If you have any questions or concerns about the research, please feel free to contact
Rosalind Picard, Principal Investigator
MIT Media Lab, E14-374G
(617)253-0611
Philippa Mothersill, Co-Investigator
MIT Media Lab, E15-485
(617)510-3702
Ben Bloomberg, Co-Investigator
MIT Media Lab, E14-333a
(617) 715-5570
If you feel you have suffered an injury, which may include emotional trauma, as a result of participating in this study, please contact the person in charge of the study as soon as possible.
In the event you suffer such an injury, M.I.T. may provide itself, or arrange for the provision of, emergency transport or medical treatment, including emergency treatment and follow-up care, as needed, or reimbursement for such medical services. M.I.T. does not provide any other form of compensation for injury. In any case, neither the offer to provide medical assistance, nor the actual provision of medical services shall be considered an admission of fault or acceptance of liability. Questions regarding this policy may be directed to MIT’s Insurance Office, (617) 253-2823. Your insurance carrier may be billed for the cost of emergency transport or medical treatment, if such services are determined not to be directly related to your participation in this study.
You are not waiving any legal claims, rights or remedies because of your participation in this research study. If you feel you have been treated unfairly, or you have questions regarding your rights as a research subject, you may contact the Chairman of the Committee on the Use of Humans as Experimental Subjects, M.I.T., Room E25-143B, 77 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, phone 1-617-253 6787.
Yes, I understand the procedures described above and I agree to participate in this study.