Project Oink
Information and consent form
Human classification of pig vocalizations
We would like to ask you if you are willing to participate in our research project. Your participation is voluntary. Please read the text below carefully before proceeding.
What is investigated and how?
The aim of this study is to investigate how humans classify pig vocalizations. You will be asked to classify pig vocalizations and afterwards you will receive some questions.
Who can participate?
You may participate in this study if you are at least 18 years old and have sufficient proficiency in the language of the questionnaire to understand the instructions and questions. You should be able to listen to audio recordings using headphones or speakers in a quiet environment.
You should not participate if you have a hearing impairment that would substantially affect your ability to perceive or distinguish sounds.
What am I supposed to do as a participant?
If you agree to participate, you will be asked to listen to a series of recorded pig vocalizations and to classify them. You will also be asked to answer short questions about your background, experience with pigs, and basic demographic information. The study is conducted online and takes approximately 20-30 minutes to complete.
What are my rights during participation?
Your participation in this study is voluntary. You can withdraw your participation at any time without giving reasons and without any disadvantage.
What risks and benefits can I expect?
There are no known risks associated with participation. Some participants may find listening to animal sounds mildly uncomfortable. You may pause or stop the study at any time.
Will I be compensated for my participation?
You will not receive financial compensation for participating in this study. Participation is entirely voluntary.
What data is collected from me and how is it used?
No identifying personal data are collected in this study. This means that your name, email address, IP address, or any other information that could directly identify you is not recorded.
The following research data are collected:
- Responses to questionnaire items (e.g. background, experience with animals, pet ownership, and demographic categories)
- Responses to the vocalization classification tasks
No audio, video, or voice recordings of participants are collected. The results of the study will be published in scientific journals and presented at academic conferences. Only aggregated results will be reported, and no conclusions about individual participants can be drawn from any publication.
Who is funding the study?
This study has no external funding. It is conducted as part of academic research at ETH Zurich without dedicated financial support.
Who reviewed the study?
This study was reviewed and approved by the ETH Zurich Ethics Committee under application number 26 ETHICS-004.
Complaints office
The secretariat of the ETH Zurich Ethics Committee is available to help you with complaints in connection with your participation in the study. Contact: ethics@sl.ethz.ch or 0041 44 632 85 72.
Electronic consent form
By clicking the box below, I, the participant, confirm that:
- I have read and understood the study information.
- I had enough time to decide about my participation and am taking part in the study voluntarily.
- I fulfil the stated conditions for participation.
- I consent that the data described above may be collected from me and used as described.
- I know that the data collected from me may be published in anonymised form.
- I know that I can stop my participation any time.