Senior Project Part 2: Institutional Review Board Approval and Gathering Subjects

As the first major step in my senior project study, I required Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval. While this may seem like an extensive step, the major reason behind acquiring this institutional approval lies in the nature of my study. Because of the involvement in human subjects in my testing procedures, Capital University’s IRB had to approve the research, methods of testing, and purpose of my experiment to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the subjects. I had to reach out to the IRB representative, Adrea Karkowski, in order to fill out the correct research study forms for documentation. I was also able to acquire a consent form from the IRB to ensure that any and all subjects involved understood the terms of the experiment and what would be asked of them. The consent form, included below, was given out to each of the ten (10) subjects.

Consent Form given to each of the ten (10) test subjects

To gather subjects, I ended up reaching out to friends, peers, and even some professors and university workers (receptionists, landscapers, etc.). I was able to gather ten (10) subjects quite easily, as there seemed to be a deep interest in my experiment once I explained it to potential subjects. When looking for my subjects, I wanted to ensure that I would have a diverse testing team going into the experiment. Since the experiment revolves around audio perception within picture, this meant gathering subjects on a diverse range of hearing abilities. Although all of my subjects ended up being in the 18-24 y/o age range demographically, each subject ranges on their hearing abilities. Some of the subjects have strong hearing skills from majoring in music and audio-based studies. Other subjects have weaker hearing skills, whether caused by genetic factors, ear blockages (earwax buildup), or even early onset hearing loss. Most subjects, however, lie somewhere in the range between the two extremes. This, I felt, was the best combination of subjects, as it will allow me to see differences in perception based on each subject’s ability to hear. This data could lead to more in-depth conclusions upon my presentation, further explaining how individuals perceive audio differently through picture.