Corsi di Studio del Dipartimento di Culture, Politica e Società

1. Understand the methodological principles of experimental research and ethical considerations.
2. Develop practical skills in designing, conducting, and analyzing psychological experiments applied to human-machine interaction.

Part 1: Methodological Foundations The course begins with a solid introduction to the principles of experimental research, covering key concepts such as constructs, measurement, causality, variables, hypotheses, and validity. We will then explore various experimental designs, including randomized experiments, between-subjects, within-subjects, factorial, and quasi-experimental designs, using the "MAGIC" criteria for research evaluation.

Part 2: Applied and Ethical Aspects The second part addresses crucial ethical considerations in research, with insights into the Belmont Report, IRB, anonymization, and ethical challenges. We will analyze practical research on self-tracking and health, video games and online digital environments, intelligent agents, discussing methodologies and implications.

Part 3: Design and Implementation In the final phase, students will define research objectives and formulate testable hypotheses. They will design detailed experiments, selecting appropriate designs and data collection tools. Finally, they will present their simulated experiments and receive collective feedback on design, feasibility, and ethical considerations.

The course employs a blend of interactive lectures, group work, case studies, and practical simulations to ensure a comprehensive understanding of experimental design and ethical considerations in psychological research for human-machine interaction.

Evaluation is based on active participation, the development and presentation of group projects, and the production of written reports documenting the experimental projects. Students will receive and integrate feedback from the instructor and peers during simulations and presentations. Moreover, at the end of the course, students are expected to elaborate and submit a written paper, following the criteria given by the teacher during the lessons.

To obtain the credit, students are expected to attend to a minimum of 5 lessons out of 6.

The teaching materials used by the instructor are made available on Moodle during the course. The instructor uploads the materials weekly, after they have been covered in class. Please remember to enroll in the course on Moodle to receive timely materials and communications.

Students who encounter difficulties are encouraged to contact the instructor via email at arianna.boldi@unito.it

McKenzie, S. (2013). Human-Computer Interaction. "Designing HCI experiments", Chapter 5. Available at: http://csci.viu.ca/~carruths/Courses/CSCI310/Readings/ExperimentalDesignHCI.pdf