Title of Research Study: Improving Musical Creativity Skills with Generative AI

Principal Investigator: Ágnes Horvát

Student Investigator: Katherine O’Toole

Supported By: This research is supported by the Northwestern School of Communications (Technology and Social Behavior Program), the Northwestern Cognitive Science Program and the Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO).

Key Information about this research study:

The following is a short summary of this study to help you decide whether to be a part of this study. Information that is more detailed is explained later on in this form.

• The purpose of this study is to identify effective approaches for supporting the development of musical creativity in users working with Gen AI tools for music generation.
• You will be asked to complete a series of tasks in which you will listen to AI generated audio tracks, and work with a Generative AI tool to create audio tracks via text prompting.
• We expect that you will be in this research study for between 20-40 minutes.
• Participation in this experiment involves minimal risk.
• The main benefit of being in this study is contributing to research into musical creativity and human-AI collaboration.

Why am I being asked to take part in this research study?

We are asking you to take part in this research study because you are visiting this website and are at least 18 years old.

How many people will be in this study?

We expect about 1,000 - 1,500 people will be in this research study.

What should I know about participating in a research study?

• Whether or not you take part is up to you.
• You can choose not to take part.
• You can agree to take part and later change your mind.
• Your decision will not be held against you.
• You can ask all the questions you want before you decide.
• You do not have to answer any question you do not want to answer.

What happens if I say, “Yes, I want to be in this research”?

If you agree to be part of this research study, you will first be asked to complete a set of survey questions about your musical experience and perceptions of your own creativity. You will then be asked to complete a series of tasks that involve listening to AI generated audio, and writing text prompts to instruct a Generative AI tool to create new audio tracks. After completing these tasks, you will be asked to provide brief feedback about your experience working with the AI tool. We expect the entire process to take between 20-40 minutes.

Will being in this study help me in any way?

We cannot promise any benefits to you or others from your taking part in this research.

Is there any way being in this study could be bad for me?

We foresee minimal risks.

What happens if I do not want to be in this research, or I change my mind later?

Participation in research is voluntary. You can decide to participate or not to participate. If you do not want to be in this study or withdraw from the study at any point, your decision will not affect your relationship with Northwestern University. You can leave the research at any time and it will not be held against you. If you decide to withdraw from this study, any data already collected from you will be destroyed.

How will the researchers protect my information?

We will not collect any personally identifiable information during the study. After you have completed the study, you will have the option to opt in to receiving the study results by providing your email address. This will be stored separately from the data collected during the study, and the shared study results will only include high level, aggregate results, not anything specific to the individual participant.

Who will have access to the information collected during this research study?

Study data, including responses and creative outputs, will be accessible only to the research team. We may make anonymized data publicly available for replication and reproducibility.

How might the information collected in this study be shared in the future?

We will not collect any personally identifiable information, and we may make anonymized data publicly available for replication and reproducibility.

There are reasons why information about you may be used or seen by other people beyond the research team during or after this study. Examples include:

• University officials, government officials, study funders, auditors, and the Institutional Review Board may need access to the study information to make sure the study is done in a safe and appropriate manner.
• De-identified data from this study may be shared with the research community, with journals in which study results are published, and with databases and data repositories used for research.

Will I be paid or given anything for taking part in this study?

You will not receive any compensation for participating in this research study. Participation is voluntary, and you may choose not to participate or to stop participating at any time without penalty.

Who can I talk to?

If you have questions, concerns, or complaints, you can contact the Principal Investigator Ágnes Horvát (a-horvat@northwestern.edu) and Katherine O’Toole (KatherineOaposToole2020@u.northwestern.edu).

This research has been reviewed and approved by an Institutional Review Board (“IRB”) – an IRB is a committee that protects the rights of people who participate in research studies. You may contact the IRB by phone at (312) 503-1376 or by email at irbcompliance@northwestern.edu if:

• Your questions, concerns, or complaints are not being answered by the research team.
• You cannot reach the research team.
• You want to talk to someone besides the research team.
• You have questions about your rights as a research participant.
• You want to get information or provide input about this research.

If you want a copy of this consent for your records, you can print it from the screen.

If you cannot print the consent and would like a copy for your records, contact the Principal Investigator with the contact information above.