Please read the following text, which gives more information about Pensieve and the research study around it.
Pensieve: Technologies to Support Reminiscence
You are invited to take part in a research study of how
technologies can help people remember the past.
What the study is about
The purpose of this study is to study a tool
we have developed to help people remember to reminisce, using
information they have placed on the web as well as general prompts to
support reminiscing. Many people report that they do not spend enough
time remembering the past.
What we will ask you to do
If you agree to be in this study, we will
send you one to three emails per day containing a prompt related to
the study. Some of these prompts will be general reminders to
reminisce; a few will include questions that ask you about your
reminiscing; and if you give us permission, we will use content from
your own blogs, flickr photos, or Facebook account to generate the
prompts. You are encouraged to reply to these emails whenever you
have anything you would like to tell us about the prompt, your
reminiscing, or the project in general. The study will last as long
as you would like to keep receiving the prompts.
Risks and benefits
We hope that the tool will help you make more effective use of your
digital memories and reminisce in ways that on balance will make
you happier. The tool will not be able to tell, however, whether a
particular picture or blog post might trigger good or bad memories for
you, so there is some chance it will present things that might bring
back unpleasant memories.
In the research papers we hope to produce from this study, we will
likely want to include both interview quotes and information that is
sent to participants. We will make every effort to ensure that your
identity cannot be inferred from the information in those quotes and
snippets, including carefully choosing information we think is not
identifying and anonymizing the quotes, but we cannot promise absolute
confidentiality in this way.
Finally, because this study takes place over the internet, it is
possible, though unlikely, that other people may intercept and read
the emails we send with prompts and content, as well as any
responses you provide.
Compensation
There is no compensation for this study.
Taking part is voluntary
Taking part in this study is completely
voluntary. You do not have to reply to any emails, and your
participation or withdrawal will not affect your current or future
relationship with Cornell University. If you decide to take part, you
are free to withdraw at any time.
Your answers will be confidential. The records of this study will be
kept private. In any sort of report we make public we will not include
any information that will make it possible to identify you. Research
records will be kept in a locked file; only the researchers will have
access to the records.
If you have questions
The primary researcher conducting this study is Dan Cosley. You
may ask him questions through
email or via phone at 612-327-6310. If you have any questions or
concerns regarding your rights as a subject in this study, you may
contact the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at 607-255-5138 or access
their website at http://www.irb.cornell.edu/.
You may also report your concerns or complaints anonymously through
the Ethicspoint website or
by calling toll free at 1-866-293-3077. Ethicspoint is an independent
organization that serves as a liaison between the University and the
person bringing the complaint so that anonymity can be ensured.
If you sign up, we will e-mail you a copy of this consent form to
keep for your records.
This form will be kept by the researcher for at least three years beyond the end of the study and was approved by the IRB August 2008.
