1 – General Guidelines for Experimentation (for Laboratory, Online, and Field Experiments)
1.1 – Participant Protection and Rights
All subjects have the right not to participate in research, and this right must be respected. You cannot force subjects to participate in any research project. It must be ensured that the decision to participate or not in an experiment does not aid or harm the academic progress or any other aspect of students or other subjects who have a dependent relationship with any of the researchers.
Each participant must have the right to withdraw easily from a research project at any time and for any reason without penalty and without needing to provide an explanation. For example, if a participant wishes to withdraw from a laboratory session, they must be allowed to do so. Participants and research assistants have the right to expect protection against physical, psychological, social, legal, and economic harm throughout the research. Both participants and the research team must be fully informed in advance and protected from any context or procedure that may be harmful, stressful, or uncomfortable.
Additionally, researchers must avoid harming not only the subjects involved in the experiment but also their immediate family, relatives, and/or the community. If any adverse reaction or event occurs, the researcher must report it immediately by writing to the Ethical Review Committee of Talking to Machines. The report must completely describe the adverse reaction or event, the action taken, and the date, time, and place where this occurred.
1.2 – Informed Consent
All participants must make a statement of informed consent prior to their participation in an experiment. This statement must clearly indicate the potential risks and expected benefits of participating in the research, and subjects must be provided with contact information if they have concerns or questions after the experiment. Participants must sign a written statement. Talking to Machines has created a standardized consent format that can be used as a guide or template.
In any case, consent does not always have to be written, and the form and context in which the information has been provided are as important as the information itself. For example, written information should not be used for illiterate subjects. When the researcher considers that oral consent is appropriate, they must record evidence that it has been obtained (for example, in their interview notes or as part of an audio recording).
If for any reason informed consent should not be requested as part of the experimental procedure, the experimenter must provide a proper explanation and justification to Talking to Machines. The main goal of informed consent is for experimenters to conduct their research openly and transparently, allowing subjects to make informed decisions about their participation. If a participant is unable to give consent or is a minor, consent must be obtained from their caregiver, parents, or legal guardians. The ability to consent requires understanding and having sufficient intelligence to make that decision, not a specific age. Although a minor aged 16 is legally considered capable of giving consent for certain activities, approval from their caregiver, parent, or guardian will be required to participate in an experiment at Talking to Machines. This should also be considered for adolescents under 18.
In the case of incompetent adults, it is advisable to seek consent from a competent guardian or representative, in addition to the consent of the incompetent adult. In general, Talking to Machines disapproves of using subjects who cannot consent for themselves unless that group is the focus of the study.
1.3 – Deception
Talking to Machines does not allow deception. This includes, but is not limited to, false statements, whether implicit or explicit; and misleading statements or deliberate omissions of information intended to create a false impression about the subject’s situation or the experiment. If you have doubts about whether any aspect of your experiment is considered deception, please contact Talking to Machines for clarification.
Talking to Machines makes an effort to develop and maintain a reputation for honesty among the subjects in its databases and the rest of the community. The no-deception rule applies to the recruitment process, the instructions provided during experimental sessions, and the financial compensation that subjects receive for participating in an experiment.
Talking to Machines may allow a minimum of deception, provided that reviewers unanimously agree on its specific use. Deception will only be considered under exceptional circumstances when its use is essential for the study, there are no other plausible alternatives, and it does not harm the integrity or reputation of Talking to Machines. Experiments that consider the use of deception must provide information about the content and potential repercussions of the deception, hold a post-experimental information meeting with participants, and justify its use. Participants cannot be deceived without explicit consent from Talking to Machines.
1.4 – Data Storage
Researchers must be aware of the requirements regarding personal data, established in the legislation of the countries where the study will be conducted.
All participants have the right to expect that any personal information they provide will be treated confidentially and protected as such. Researchers must ensure that data is stored appropriately, protecting the confidentiality and anonymity of participants. All participants have the right to expect that their identity will be protected.
Researchers using commercial online recruitment platforms (e.g., Mturk) must provide participants with the privacy policies of those platforms. Talking to Machines does not provide any data from its recruitment database to researchers and will not associate personal information collected during the study.
Talking to Machines maintains a recruitment database. This consists of participants who have given their informed consent to participate, either in laboratory or online experiments. In these links, informed consent for laboratory experiments and informed consent for online subjects are available.
At any time, subjects may request that their individual registration data be permanently deleted from the Talking to Machines database. For Talking to Machines Online, the request for removal can be processed by logging into their online account and indicating that they wish their data to be permanently deleted. If you wish for your data to be permanently deleted from the Talking to Machines Laboratory database, please send an email to cess@usach.cl. Please allow us a period of 7 business days to delete your data and send you confirmation.