Consent Form for Study Participation
You are invited to participate in the online study “User Needs and Ethics of EEG-Based Interfaces”. The study is conducted by Harry Tran, Tomi Kehayov, Maximilian Jurkowski, Farhad Shinwari und Yassin Marjan and supervised by Jessica Sehrt at Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences. The study, with approximately 50 participants will take place from December 15, 2024, to April 1, 2025.
Please note:
- Your participation is completely voluntary and can be withdrawn or terminated at any time.
- Participation in the online study takes approximately 20 minutes.
- As compensation for your participation, you will receive, e.g., one credit point for the course.
- We will collect some personal data for analysis (e.g., age, gender, etc.).
- Your responses will be recorded during the session.
- Recordings and personal data will be treated confidentially, fully anonymized, stored, evaluated, and possibly published, with no possibility of tracing back to individual persons.
The alternative to participation is non-participation. If you have any questions, concerns, or complaints regarding this consent form, the research study, or your rights as a participant, please contact the study supervisor or the Ethics Committee of Frankfurt University. Please read the following information carefully.
- Purpose and Objectives of this Research
The purpose of this study is to investigate user needs and ethical aspects of EEG-based interfaces (e.g., neurofeedback and BCI systems in everyday contexts such as focus training or smart home control). By analyzing user perceptions regarding trust, comfort, privacy, and desired application scenarios, we aim to address a gap in the acceptance of such technologies. The objective is to identify relevant user needs and ethical concerns (e.g., loss of control, data misuse) and provide recommendations for ethically sound designs. Your participation helps us achieve this research goal. The results of this research may be presented at scientific or professional conferences or published in scientific conference proceedings and journals.
- Study Participation
Your participation in this online study is completely voluntary and can be terminated or withdrawn at any time.
You may refuse to answer questions or continue with the study at any point if you feel uncomfortable in any way. You can withdraw or end your participation at any time without providing reasons. However, we reserve the right to exclude you from the study (e.g., in cases of invalid attempts or if continuing the study could negatively affect your well-being). You will receive the offered compensation even if you withdraw early. Repeated participation in the study is not permitted.
- Study Procedure
After confirming this consent form, the following study procedure is planned:
- You will receive an online form.
- You will provide your demographic data (age, gender, experience with EEG/BCI).
- You will answer questions on desired application scenarios and ethical concerns.
- Vignettes or scenarios related to EEG interfaces will be presented, which you will rate using Likert scales on trust, comfort, and privacy.
- You will complete a final evaluation of the survey.
- After completion, you will submit your results. The results will be saved, and you can close the web browser. Confirmation of participation in this study can be obtained directly from the researchers afterward.
- Risks and Benefits
In this online study, you will not be exposed to any immediate risks or hazards. As with all computer systems, despite security measures, there is a low risk of data leakage. Possible mild discomfort may arise from reflecting on sensitive topics such as data privacy or loss of control with EEG technologies. As recognition for your participation, you will receive a certificate of attendance. Your participation supports our research and contributes to a better understanding of human-computer interaction.
- Data Protection and Confidentiality
In this study, personal and personally identifiable data will be collected for our research. The use of personal or personally identifiable data is subject to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of the European Union (EU) and will be handled in compliance with the GDPR. This means that you can access, correct, restrict the processing of, and request deletion of the data collected in this study. Your responses and notes will only be recorded with your consent. We plan to publish the results of this and other research studies in scientific articles or other media. Your data will not be retained longer than necessary or until you contact the researchers to have it destroyed or deleted. Access to raw data, interview transcripts, and observation protocols from the study is encrypted, password-protected, and limited to the authors, colleagues, and researchers collaborating on this project. Other members and administrators of our institution have no access to your data. The data will be fully anonymized and published exclusively in aggregated form (summarized), so that no inferences to individual persons are possible. Any interview content or direct quotes from the interview that are accessible through scientific publications or other scientific media will also be fully anonymized. Since no contact data (e.g., emails) will be collected, the researchers cannot inform participants about further study details or potential breaches of confidential data.
- Contact Information for Researchers
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the research, please contact:
Study Conduct
Harry Tran (harry.tran@stud.fra-uas.de)
Tomi Kehayov (tomi.kehayov@stud.fra-uas.de)
Maximilian Jurkowski (maximilian.jurkowski@stud.fra-uas.de)
Farhad Shinwari (farhad.shinwari@stud.fra-uas.de)
Yassin Marjan (yassin.marjan@stud.fra-uas.de)
Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences
Study Supervisor
Jessica Sehrt (jessica.sehrt@fra-uas.de)
Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences
Nibelungenplatz 1
60318 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
