irb-application/irbapplication.tex

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\begin{center}
\textbf{\Large IRB Application for HRIStudio User Study}
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\vspace{0.5cm}

\section{PART I - Initial Classification}

\begin{enumerate}[start=1]
\item[\textbf{1.}] The research \textbf{will not} involve prisoners, individuals with impaired decision-making capacity, or economically or educationally disadvantaged persons.

\item[\textbf{2.}] The research \textbf{will not} involve subjects under the age of 18.

\item[\textbf{3.}] The research \textbf{will not} involve collection of information regarding sensitive aspects of the subjects' lives.

\item[\textbf{4.}] The information obtained \textbf{will} be recorded by the investigator in such a manner that the identity of the subjects can readily be ascertained either directly or through identifiers linked to the subjects.

\item[\textbf{5.}] The research \textbf{will not} involve either deception or incomplete disclosure of the purpose, methods, or other relevant aspects of the research.

\item[\textbf{5a.}] Subjects \textbf{will not} be informed prior to participating that they will be deceived, mislead, or otherwise not fully informed of all relevant aspects of the study. \textit{Only necessary if the answer to \textbf{5} is \textbf{will}.}

\item[\textbf{6.}] \textbf{The procedures of this research present no more than minimal risk to the subject} (where minimal risk means that the probability and magnitude of harm or discomfort anticipated in the proposed research are no greater than those ordinarily encountered in daily life or during the performance of routine physical/psychological examinations or tests).

\item[\textbf{7.}] The research \textbf{will not} be conducted in established or commonly accepted educational settings and will involve normal educational practices (e.g., research on regular and special education instructional strategies, research on instructional techniques, curricula, or classroom management methods).

\item[\textbf{8.}] The research \textbf{will} involve survey or interview procedures, observation of public behavior (including visual or auditory recording), or educational tests (e.g., cognitive, diagnostic, aptitude, or achievement tests).

\item[\textbf{9.}] The research \textbf{will} involve benign behavioral interventions in conjunction with the collection of information from an adult subject through verbal or written responses (including data entry) or audiovisual recording if the subject prospectively agrees to the intervention and information collection.

\item[\textbf{10.}] The research (including demonstration projects) \textbf{will not} involve already existing identifiable private information that has been collected or will be collected solely for non-research purposes. This information may include documents, records, or biological specimens (including pathological or diagnostic specimens).

\item[\textbf{11.}] The research \textbf{will not} be designed to study, evaluate, improve, or otherwise examine public benefit or service programs, including procedures for obtaining benefits or services under those programs, possible changes in or alternatives to those programs or procedures, or possible changes in methods or levels of payment for benefits or services under those programs where such research is conducted or supported by a Federal department or agency, or otherwise subject to the approval of department or agency heads (or the approval of the heads of bureaus or other subordinate agencies that have been delegated authority to conduct the research and demonstration projects).

\item[\textbf{12.}] The research \textbf{will not} involve taste and food quality evaluation and consumer acceptance studies.

\item[\textbf{13.}] The data collected in this research \textbf{will not} involve secondary analysis for which broad consent is required.
\end{enumerate}

\section{PART II - Detailed Study Information}

\begin{enumerate}[start=1]
\item[\textbf{1.}] \textbf{Study Purpose and Research Question}

Please describe in some detail the purpose of the proposed study (including, as appropriate, information about the research question and relevant hypothesis or, if the research is exploratory, what the researchers hope to learn).

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For my honors thesis project, I am evaluating HRIStudio, a web-based platform I developed for designing and executing Wizard-of-Oz experiments in Human-Robot Interaction (HRI).
My research question compares HRIStudio against the industry standard (Choregraphe) to determine their impact on:
\begin{enumerate}
    \item \textbf{Disciplinary Accessibility:} Can domain experts without prior robotics experience successfully design a robot interaction?
    \item \textbf{Scientific Reproducibility:} Does the tool minimize human error and data loss during experiment execution?
\end{enumerate}
I hypothesize that participants using HRIStudio will achieve higher Design Fidelity Scores and Execution Reliability Scores than those using the control software.

\item[\textbf{2.}] \textbf{Subject Sample Description}

Describe the proposed subject sample. If subjects under the age of 18 will participate in your research, indicate the expected age range of the samples. If your research involves a category of subjects that is vulnerable to coercion or undue influence, such as children, prisoners, individuals with impaired decision-making capacity, or economically or educationally disadvantaged persons, you must indicate clearly why the use of these subjects is scientifically necessary.

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I will recruit a total of \textbf{N=20 participants}, divided into two distinct groups:

\textbf{Group A: The "Wizards" (N=10)}
\begin{itemize}
    \item \textbf{Population:} Faculty from the Computer Science Department at Bucknell University.
    \item \textbf{Exclusion Criteria:} Must have NO prior experience with the NAO robot or Choregraphe software.
\end{itemize}

\textbf{Group B: The "Test Subjects" (N=10)}
\begin{itemize}
    \item \textbf{Population:} Undergraduate students at Bucknell University.
    \item \textbf{Role:} They will serve as the "student" taking the geography quiz administered by the Wizard.
    \item \textbf{Exclusion Criteria:} Must not be enrolled in a course taught by the "Wizard" participant they are paired with (to prevent coercion).
\end{itemize}

\item[\textbf{3.}] \textbf{Recruitment and Selection Methods}

How will subjects be recruited and selected?

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\textbf{Wizards:} Recruited via direct email invitations and verbal requests made during department meetings.
\textbf{Test Subjects:} Recruited via general campus announcements (Message Center, flyers) calling for volunteers to "Interact with a robot for 15 minutes."

Recruitment materials will clearly state the time commitment (75 minutes for Wizards, 15 minutes for Test Subjects) and compensation. Participants will be screened via email for eligibility and randomly assigned to the Control or Experimental condition (for Wizards).

\item[\textbf{4.}] \textbf{Detailed Research Methods and Procedures}

Describe fully the following:

\vspace{0.3cm}
\textbf{a) Research methods and procedures}

This is a between-subjects user study comparing two software interfaces.
\textbf{For "Wizard" Participants (75 minutes):}
\begin{enumerate}
    \item \textbf{Training (15 mins):} Participant receives a standardized tutorial on their assigned software (HRIStudio or Choregraphe) covering speech, motion, and triggers.
    \item \textbf{Design Challenge (30 mins):} Participant is given a "Paper Specification" (a storyboard for an 'Interactive Storyteller' scenario) and must implement it on the robot. The researcher tracks time-to-completion and help requests.
    \item \textbf{Live Trial (15 mins):} A "Test Subject" (Group B participant) enters the room. The Wizard uses their interface to administer the quiz to the Test Subject.
    \item \textbf{Debrief (15 mins):} Wizard exports the data and completes the System Usability Scale (SUS) survey.
\end{enumerate}

\textbf{For "Test Subject" Participants (15 minutes):}
The Test Subject enters the lab, consents to participate, and interacts with the robot for the duration of the "Interactive Storyteller" interaction (approx. 5-10 minutes). They answer the robot's questions naturally.

\vspace{0.2cm}
\textbf{b) Approximately how much time each subject is expected to devote to the research}

\begin{itemize}
    \item Wizards: 75 minutes (One session).
    \item Test Subjects: 15 minutes (One session).
\end{itemize}

\vspace{0.2cm}
\textbf{c) How data will be collected and recorded}
\begin{itemize}
    \item \textbf{Screen Recording:} Captures the Wizard's workflow and design errors.
    \item \textbf{Video Recording:} Captures the robot and the Test Subject during the Live Trial (to measure response timing and script adherence).
    \item \textbf{Surveys:} SUS scores and confidence ratings from the Wizards.
    \item \textbf{Rubrics:} "Design Fidelity Score" (scored from the saved project file) and "Execution Reliability Score" (scored from the video).
\end{itemize}

\vspace{0.2cm}
\textbf{d) Methods for obtaining and documenting informed consent of subjects}

Written informed consent will be obtained from ALL participants (Wizards and Test Subjects) prior to their involvement.
\textit{Note:} Wizards will consent to the full 75-minute procedure. Test Subjects will sign a simplified consent form specific to the 15-minute interaction and video recording.

\vspace{0.2cm}
\textbf{e) Any use of deception in the proposed study and justification for its use}

No deception is used in this study. Both the Wizard and the Test Subject are aware of their roles in the experiment.

\vspace{0.2cm}
\textbf{f) Methods for preserving confidentiality}
All video and screen data will be stored on an encrypted drive kept in the PI's locked lab space. Participant names will be replaced with numerical codes (W-01 for Wizards, S-01 for Subjects). Data will be retained for 3 years following thesis completion.

\item[\textbf{5.}] \textbf{Benefits and Payment Arrangements}

Indicate any benefits that are expected to accrue to subjects as a result of their participation in the research. In the event that subjects will be paid, describe all payment arrangements, including how much subjects will be paid should they choose to withdraw from the study prior to completion of the research.

\vspace{0.3cm}
\vspace{0.3cm}
Participants will be provided with snacks and refreshments during the session. No monetary compensation will be provided.
Compensation (snacks) is provided immediately upon arrival. If a participant withdraws early, they are still welcome to the refreshments.

\item[\textbf{6.}] \textbf{Researcher-Subject Relationships and Coercion Mitigation}

Describe any pre-existing relationships between researcher and subjects --- such as teacher--student, superintendent--principal--teacher, employer--employee --- that might impact subjects' ability to participate in the research voluntarily. How will any potential for coercion be mitigated by the researchers?

\vspace{0.3cm}
\vspace{0.3cm}
The PI is an undergraduate student in the Computer Science department. To mitigate coercion or undue influence when recruiting faculty:
1. Recruitment will emphasize that participation is voluntary and unrelated to coursework, grading, or departmental politics.
2. Faculty participation will be framed as 'expert review' or 'software evaluation' to minimize power dynamic issues.
3. Test Subjects are screened to ensure they are not current students of the Faculty Wizard they are paired with.

\end{enumerate}

\section{PART III - Supporting Documents}

\begin{itemize}
% \item \textbf{Informed Consent Form} (unless not required)
% \item \textbf{Debriefing} (required if using deception)
\item \textbf{Research Materials}
\item \textbf{Informed Consent Form (Wizard)}
\item \textbf{Informed Consent Form (Test Subject)}
\item \textbf{Recruitment Materials}
\item \textbf{Paper Specification (The "Interactive Storyteller")}
\item \textbf{Post-Study Questionnaire (SUS)}
\item \textbf{CITI Completion Report}
\end{itemize}

Please note that all materials to which subjects will be exposed should be included (this includes surveys, interview or focus group outlines, visual stimuli, and so on). If using online surveys, please include as a PDF or a text document rather than simply providing a URL. You may upload multiple supporting documents using the 'Add Another' button below.

\begin{itemize}
\item \textbf{Your CITI Completion Report}
\end{itemize}

For more information, see Training Requirements.
Please upload a CITI report for any additional research personnel (PIs, co-PIs, research assistants, and so on).

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