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The following is a short summary of this study to help you decide whether or not to be a part of this study. More detailed information is listed later on in this form.
Why am I being invited to take part in a research study?We invite you to take part in a research study because you showed an interest in taking part in our study.
What should I know about a research study?We are trying to understand how people may develop implicit bias about strangers through interacting with different kinds of websites designs. Implicit Bias refers to the attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions without us knowing. Knowing this may help us design better websites that do not create potential implicit bias.
How long will the research last and what will I need to do?We expect that you will be in this research study for 15 minutes. You will finish this study in one session. You may choose to do this study for multiple times, but if you do so and indicate it in the study, the data will not be used for analysis. You will be asked to select gifts for aliens. The simulation will be similar to what you see on a typical online shopping website.
At the end of the study, you will be assessed whether you have developed implicit bias through an Implicit Association Test (see Detailed Information for more). In this test you will need to sort the names or the images into different categories.
Is there any way being in this study could be bad for me?We don’t believe there are any risks from participating in this research.
Will being in this study help me in any way?There are no benefits to you from your taking part in this research. We cannot promise any benefits to others from your taking part in this research. However, possible benefits to others include informing website designers how to design websites that reduce implicit bias.
The following is more detailed information about this study in addition to the information listed above.
What is the purpose of this research?Through this research, we want to find out if using common websites will generate implicit bias. We begin by simulating shopping websites, which we think will make you develop/strengthen implicit bias. For example, after using shopping websites, you might think that men are more associated with trucks. The first part of the study simulates interactions with shopping websites. The second part of the experiment includes an Implicit Association Test (IAT). This test will show whether you have developed associations after using the shopping website by asking you to sort images of items and texts or names into different categories. This research will let us understand the cause of implicit associations and inform us how to design websites that do not trigger such associations.
How long will I take part in this research?15 minutes in 1 time.
What can I expect if I take part in this research?You will first complete a form about your basic information (demographics information such as gender, age, computer usage and so on) then you will read instructions about the first part of the study. You will be asked to offer gifts to the aliens from the item lists. There are 2 kinds of aliens, Saturnians or Jupiterians. The aliens will accept or reject the gifts and communicate feeling happy or sad based on whether they like the gifts. In the second part of the study, you will complete an Implicit Association Test (IAT). IAT is a test that you sort images or texts into different categories, which measures your implicit bias towards certain group. Upon completion, you will be asked to do an optional post study survey to indicate if you have cheated, if you encountered technical difficulty, and write down your comments. Then you will see an analysis of whether they have developed any implicit bias toward the aliens. You will also be able to share the study with others.
What happens if I say yes, but I change my mind later?You can leave the research at any time it will not be held against you.
If I take part in this research, how will my privacy be protected? What happens to the information you collect?Efforts will be made to limit the use and disclosure of your Personal Information, including research study records, to people who have a need to review this information. We cannot promise complete secrecy. Organizations that may inspect and copy your information include the IRB and other representatives of this organization. If identifiers are removed from your identifiable private information or identifiable samples that are collected during this research, that information or those samples could be used for future research studies or distributed to another investigator for future research studies without your additional informed consent.
Who can I talk to?If you have questions, concerns, or complaints, or think the research has hurt you, talk to the research team at Zilin Ma, Maxwell Dworkin 242, 33 Oxford St, Cambridge, MA 02138, zilinma@g.harvard.edu
This research has been reviewed and approved by the Harvard University Area Institutional Review Board (“IRB”). You may talk to them at (617) 496-2847 or cuhs@harvard.edu if:By clicking the "I agree" button you confirm that you have read and understood the above and agree to take part in this research. Your participation is voluntary, and you are free to leave the experiment at any time by simply closing the web browser.
Select gifts for aliens!
You are going to be picking out some gifts for aliens!
You will be shown a variety of objects to choose from and you will also be shown how many items each alien wants.
You will then select gifts from a list by adding items to the shopping cart.
Once the cart is full or the desired number of gifts is reached, you can press ‘Continue’ and the alien will tell you what they do and do not like.
You ‘win’ the game when the alien likes all of the gifts you put in the shopping cart; otherwise you will need to try again.
There are some patterns for the gifts each alien has a preference for, and you will need to uncover these as you continue through the game.
There are 12 rounds, one for each alien, and after these rounds you will be asked to do an assessment to see whether or not you developed assumptions about aliens.
Here are the names of all the aliens:
If the name starts with J, it means that the alien is from Jupiter. If the name starts with S, it means that the alien is from Saturn.
Gifts that Nono likes...
Gifts that Nono doesn't like...
Observe the items that the alien likes. Pay attention to shapes, colors, or even backgrounds. You can try as many times as you want.
Gifts that Nono likes...
Observe the items that the alien likes. Pay attention to shapes, colors, or even backgrounds. You can try as many times as you want.
Gifts that Nono likes...
You found 's preferences in 999 seconds! Good job!
Now that you have figured out what each aliens likes, we can play another game. Use the “E” and “I” computer keys to categorize items into groups as fast as you can. Please try to use two hands. You will be quickest this way. Press the E key for items that belong to the category indicated on the left side of the screen, and press the I key for items that belong to the category indicated on the right side of the screen. Items will appear one at a time. If you categorize the item incorrectly, a red X will appear on the screen and you can press the other key to continue. There are four groups that each item belongs to:
Flowers:Reminder: Go as quickly as you can while trying to be as accurate as possible with categorizing each item.
Good job! Average time to find out all preferences is 12 minutes.
Your association score is . This means that by selecting gifts for aliens, you have developed a
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