Study Title: The Placebo Effect of Autonomy Level on Trust in Human-swarm interaction
Researcher(s): Hemangi Kakirde
University email: hjk1n22@soton.ac.uk
Ethics/ERGO no: ERGO/FEPS/81410
Version and date: Version 2, 24/07/2023
What is the research about?
My name is Hemangi Kakirde and I am a Masters in Artificial Intelligence student at the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom.
I am inviting you to participate in a study regarding the placebo effect of autonomy level on trust in human-swarm interaction. The project aims to identify casualties using the human and robot interactive swarm (HARIS) simulator, survey with different scenarios and evaluate if the participants will trust the swarm (group of UAVs – unmanned aerial vehicles/drones) in different scenarios or not. The results will indicate if the participants trust the autonomous swarm or the human-controlled swarm.
This study was approved by the Faculty Research Ethics Committee (FREC) at the University of Southampton (Ethics/ERGO Number: ERGO/FEPS/81410).
What will happen to me if I take part?
This study involves completing an anonymous questionnaire which should take approximately 30 minutes of your time. You will need a device with Internet access to be able to access the task, for which a link will be sent to you. If you are happy to complete this survey, you will need to tick (check) the box below to show your consent. Participation is voluntary and relies on you watching the video and answering the questionnaire based on the video.
As this survey is anonymous, the researcher will not be able to know whether you have participated, or what answers you provided.
An attention check question will also be included in the questionnaire.
Why have I been asked to participate?
You have been asked to take part because we are interested in collecting data from a wide range of individuals. You have responded to an advert for the study, or accessed the study through Prolific, and have showed willingness to take part.
I am aiming to recruit around 80 participants for this study.
What information will be collected?
The questions in this survey ask for information in relation to the video that you will see before the questionnaire starts. Your prolific id, gender and age group will be collected for analysis purposes. We will also collect your answers to the questionnaires given to you. Your data will only be used by the researcher mentioned above to analyze and summarize the outcomes of the study.
You must answer all the questions in the questionnaire.
What are the possible benefits of taking part?
If you decide to take part in this study, you will not receive any direct benefits; however, your participation will contribute to knowledge in this area of research.
Your participation will help me understand the way humans react to scenarios where the swarms are controlled autonomously or by humans. It will help me analyse the approaches needed for a trustworthy human-robot interaction system. You will also get a reward for the time that you have dedicated to the study. But you will only get the reward on the successful completion of the study. The payment will be in the form of prolific credits.
Are there any risks involved?
No risks are expected, and you are free to leave the questionnaire at any time during the study. You should also ensure that previous NDAs, conflicts of interests and time budget have been addressed prior to participation.
It is expected that taking part in this study will not cause you any psychological discomfort and/or distress, however, should you feel uncomfortable you can leave the survey at any time.
What will happen to the information collected?
If you decide to take part in this study, you will not receive any direct benefits; however, your participation will contribute to knowledge in this area of research.
Your participation will help me understand the way humans react to scenarios where the swarms are controlled autonomously or by humans. It will help me analyse the approaches needed for a trustworthy human-robot interaction system. You will also get a reward for the time that you have dedicated to the study. But you will only get the reward on the successful completion of the study. The payment will be in the form of prolific credits.
What are the possible benefits of taking part?
All information collected for this study will be stored securely on a password-protected computer and backed up on a secure server. In addition, all data will be pooled and only compiled into data summaries or summary reports.
The information collected will be analyzed and written up as part of the researcher’s dissertation.
The University of Southampton conducts research to the highest standards of ethics and research integrity. In accordance with our Data Management Policy, data will be securely destroyed after the conferment of the researcher’s degree in November 2023.
What happens if there is a problem?
If you are unhappy about any aspect of this study and would like to make a formal complaint, you can contact the Head of Research Integrity and Governance, University of Southampton, on the following contact details:
Email: rgoinfo@soton.ac.uk
Phone: +44 2380 595058
Please quote the Ethics/ERGO number above. Please note that by making a complaint you might be no longer anonymous.
More information on your rights as a study participant is available via this link:
https://www.southampton.ac.uk/about/governance/participant-information.page
Thank you for reading this information sheet and considering taking part in this research.