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HeardAI - Consent Form
Research Participant Information and Consent Form

Study Title: Making Voice-Activated AI Accessible and Fair to People with Speech or Language Differences

1. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
  • You are being asked to participate in a research study that is designed to develop voice-activated artificial intelligence (AI) systems that are accessible and fair to people who stutter or have other speech or language differences. These systems include tools similar to Siri or Alexa, as well as a wide range of other voice AI applications used in daily life. The research project is designed to develop tools that can understand and support speech and language differences, including but not limited to stuttering.
  • This project is supported by the National Science Foundation's Convergence Accelerator program, which promotes research with real-world impact. As part of that mission, the technologies developed in this project may lead to publicly shared or commercial applications designed to improve accessibility and usability.
  • If you choose to participate in this study, you will be asked to provide speech samples using a customized application on your phone or other device. Your speech samples will be anonymized before they are used in this research, and you will be able to select how your speech samples are used. Examples of their use include:
    • Training automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems developed by the research team and third parties using anonymized (de-identified) speech samples.
    • Evaluating ASR systems developed by the research team and third parties using a testbed—a controlled environment for evaluating different systems—with anonymized (de-identified) speech samples.
    • Developing and improving voice AI tools, including technologies that may be commercialized or made publicly available.
    • Analyzing audio or visual features of communication to support research or commercial development in areas such as emotion and sentiment detection, speaker identification, or other advanced voice and video-based AI applications.
    • Demonstrating the functionality of speech technology systems in presentations, videos, or other educational materials.
    • Contributing to research databases such as TalkBank, a publicly accessible research database used by speech and language researchers.
    • Using or sharing de-identified information from your questionnaire (such as age, gender, or speech/language history), in combination with your speech samples, for research, educational, or commercial purposes, as long as it is not linked to your identity.
2. WHAT YOU WILL DO
  • You will be asked to complete a demographic questionnaire and provide a set of audio- or video-recorded speech samples.
  • The questionnaire will ask about your age, gender, ethnicity, education level, occupation, and any history of hearing, speech, or language disorders. You may skip any questions that you do not wish to answer.
  • The speech samples may include:
    • Common phrases used with voice assistants (e.g., "turn on the lights").
    • Standard reading passages.
    • Spontaneous speech (e.g., describing your favorite food).
    • Other speaking tasks that reflect everyday communication or varied speaking styles.
  • Your participation will take approximately 60 minutes.
3. POTENTIAL BENEFITS
  • You will not receive any direct personal benefit from participating in this study, though the speech samples and information you provide may, in the future, help improve voice technology and accessibility for people with speech and language differences.
4. POTENTIAL RISKS
  • There are minimal foreseeable risks associated with participation in this study.
  • The primary risk is a potential breach of confidentiality. While your speech samples will be anonymized and not linked to your name or identifying information, it is possible that your voice could be recognized by someone who knows you.
5. PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY
  • Information about you will be kept confidential to the extent allowed by law. Your speech samples and questionnaire data will be anonymized and stored on secure, password-protected servers. Only members of the research team and the University's Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) office will have access to identifiable information.
  • Any shared speech samples used for training, evaluation, voice synthesis, demonstration, or commercial product development will not be linked to your name or other identifying information. These samples, along with any associated de-identified data you provide through the questionnaire, may be licensed or shared with third parties, or used in the creation of commercial products, services, or features, including those involving voice AI or accessibility technologies. Your speech samples will remain anonymized; however, because voices are unique, it is possible that someone who knows you may recognize your voice.
6. YOUR RIGHTS TO PARTICIPATE, SAY NO, OR WITHDRAW
  • Your participation in this study is entirely voluntary.
  • You have the right to decline to participate, skip any part of the study, or withdraw at any time before you complete and submit your speech samples.
  • You may choose not to answer specific questions or to stop recording speech samples at any point before submission.
  • Once your speech samples are submitted, they will be anonymized and included in datasets, models, or derived products in ways that cannot be easily or feasibly separated. For this reason, withdrawal from the study and deletion of your data are no longer possible after you submit your data.
7. COSTS AND COMPENSATION FOR BEING IN THE STUDY
  • You will receive up to $50 in the form of a Visa gift card as a thank-you for your participation.
  • Payment will be provided only after you submit your speech samples and after they are reviewed and validated by the research team to ensure that they meet the requirements of the study.
  • We follow several procedures to ensure that participants do not submit fraudulent data, and we can only provide compensation after we confirm that your data is legitimate.
8. CONTACT INFORMATION

If you have concerns or questions about this study, such as scientific issues or to report an injury, please contact the researcher or the faculty supervisor:

  • Prof. J. Scott Yaruss, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-SCF, SCF-ASHA (Lab Director) jsy@msu.edu
    Michigan State University Spartan Stuttering Laboratory
    1026 Red Cedar Road, Oyer Building, MSU, East Lansing, MI 48824

If you have questions or concerns about your role and rights as a research participant, would like to obtain information or offer input, or would like to register a complaint about this study, you may contact, anonymously if you wish, the MSU Human Research Protection Program at 517-355-2180, Fax 517-432-4503, e-mail irb@msu.edu or mail at 4000 Collins Rd, Suite 136, Lansing, MI 48910.

9. CONFIRMATION OF CONSENT

Please review the following statements and check the boxes to indicate your consent.

REQUIRED CONSENT FOR PARTICIPATION:

1. By signing this form, I acknowledge that I consent to the use of my speech samples for research and development, including commercial applications. My anonymized speech samples, and any models, tools, or features developed using them, may be shared with or licensed to third parties for research or commercial purposes related to voice technology. My name and identity will not be linked to my voice.

This consent is required for participation in the study.
OPTIONAL CONSENTS:

Please review the following optional consents. You may choose whether or not to agree to each:

2. Public Demonstration Use:

I further consent to the use of my original audio or video recordings for public demonstration purposes, such as presentations or educational videos. The following types of recordings may be used publicly:

3. Inclusion in Research Databases:

I consent to the inclusion of my anonymized speech samples in research databases such as TalkBank, or in databases created by the research team. These databases may be used for research, translational, or commercial purposes and may be shared with third parties.

10. DOCUMENTATION OF INFORMED CONSENT

We appreciate your time and contributions to this project, which will help us create more accessible and fair voice AI technology for people who stutter and others with speech differences.

By signing below, you confirm that you have read and understood the information in this consent form and voluntarily agree to participate in this research study as indicated above.

(You will receive a copy of this form to keep.)

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