You are being asked to participate in a research study. This study is sponsored by the Warfighter Interactions & Readiness Division. Please take time to read this entire document and ask questions before deciding whether to take part in this research project.
Key study information you should know:
The purpose of the study is to understand better how people communicate with one another, especially when they need to accomplish a goal together. If you choose to participate, you will be asked to play a card game either with another person or against a computer. You will be talking to each other within the same lab room, speaking to each other through microphones, or chatting through a text interface. This will take approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Risks or discomforts from this research include mild discomfort associated with computer use and/or wearing a headset.
The study has no direct benefits to you.
Taking part in this research project is voluntary. You can discontinue participation at any time without penalty or loss.
If you participate in this research, you will be playing a card game with another partner. You will need to work together with your partner in order to complete the game. There are several conditions to which you could be assigned. You will be told by the experimenter which of the conditions you will be in before you consent and start the experiment. Depending on the condition, you will do the following:
Play one of two card games. In one card game you will be selecting groups of cards as “sets” based on the contents of the cards. In a different game, you will be rearranging cards with abstract shapes into a particular order or selecting a single card out of a display.
Play the game with another participant (human partner) or with a computer (AI partner).
Play the game in a single session or across multiple sessions (i.e. 2 or more).
Be asked to wear an eyetracker.
Reasonably foreseeable risks to your participation are:
Mild fatigue and discomfort associated with using a computer: We do not anticipate any discomfort beyond normal daily computer use. You may be offered breaks during the study.
Mild discomfort associated with wearing a head-worn device if you are wearing a head-worn microphone and headphone set or a head-worn eyetracker.
Mild frustration due to a challenging game: the games used in this study are designed to be somewhat challenging. Perfect performance is not anticipated.
The researchers will take the following precautions to maintain the confidentiality of your data:
Data will be stored on the secure MindModeling server or approved AFRL Google cloud which is password protected and accessible only by approved users.
Data collected includes your conversation during the task and performance accuracy.
Data files are coded using your assigned ID number instead of your name. Your name will not be directly linked to data files.
Information linking any data to your identifying data will be stored separately.
Any demographic information collected will be linked only to a participant code.
Electronic data files and hard copy files will be kept at the University of Dayton Research Institute and/or Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Your data collected as part of the research, from which identifiers (any personal information that could potentially identify you) are removed could be used or distributed for future research studies without additional consent from you. De-identified transcripts may also be shared with software developers for the purpose of designing and debugging artificial intelligence agents that can communicate with a human partner and play the game with them.
Your participation in this study may be audio / video recorded. The purpose of these recordings is to record your conversation during the task. We may wish to share video/audio recordings from this study with future investigators, or with a third party company for transcription purposes. Any identifying information such as names or locations will be removed prior to sharing, as well as any conversation not relevant to the study. Video recordings will not be shared with a transcription service company; only the edited audio recording of your conversation may be sent for transcription.
Per DoDI 3216.02, study documents may be accessed by the Department of Defense for auditing purposes.
If you have questions regarding the study, contact the Principal Investigator: (Sarah Bibyk, 937-255-9489, sarah.bibyk.1@us.af.mil). If you have questions regarding your rights as a research subject, contact the Air Force Research Laboratory Institutional Review Board (AFRL IRB) at afrl.ir.protocolmanagement@us.af.mil. An IRB, also called an ethics committee, is an independent committee that has reviewed this study to protect the rights and welfare of human research participants.
By clicking this button, I acknowledge that I have read the form and agree to participate in this study.