Ethical issues and guidelines when conducting HCI studies with animals

Väätäjä, Heli; Pesonen, Emilia

doi:10.1145/2468356.2468736

Cited by 37 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…So far these questions have mainly been addressed from ethical [9] and philosophical perspectives [5], in some sense in a top-down way, deriving game design principles from more general theoretical principles. In this paper we propose to take a bottom-up approach 1 by asking what can we learn about digital game design by observing what dogs actually do when playing digital games.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Serious Games: Is Your User Playing or Hunting?

Baskin

Anavi‐Goffer

Zamansky

2015

Entertainment Computing - ICEC 2015

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Abstract. There is an increasing demand for entertainment applications developed for pets, in particular for dogs and cats. However, play interaction between animals and technological devices still remains an uncharted territory both for animal behavior and entertainment computing scientific communities. While there is a lot of anecdotal evidence of pets playing digital games, the nature of animal-computer play interactions is still not understood. In this paper we report on empirical findings based on observing and analyzing dog-tablet game interactions. Using categories emerging from our data analysis, we construct an ethogram, a "catalogue" of behavioral patterns typical of dog-tablet interactions. Based on our data analysis, we hypothesize that the nature of the observed interactions is that of predatory behavior, in response to stimuli in the form of "prey-like" virtual objects displayed on the screen. Based on our hypothesis, we further propose some questions for future investigation, and raise some issues that need to be addressed by game developers when targeting dogs as their users.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Serious Games: Is Your User Playing or Hunting?

Baskin

Anavi‐Goffer

Zamansky

2015

Entertainment Computing - ICEC 2015

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“…More recently, Väätäjä and Pesonen [50] highlighted important concerns when carrying out HCI studies with animals and derived a set of ethics guidelines for designing, executing and reporting on such studies, based on their review of thirteen existing animal ethics sources. This was the first synthesis of existing regulatory frameworks directly relevant to ACI research and, as such, represented an important step forward in the development of an animal-centred ethics in interaction design.…”

Section: Design Methodology and Ethical Implications In Acimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, since in user-centred research participants are not merely representatives of a category or substitutable components of an experimental apparatus but individuals, consent should to be sought on an individual basis. In this regard, Mancini et al [26] highlighted the complementary role of the animals' daily carers, on the one hand, and animal welfare experts, on the other hand: the former hold critical contextual knowledge about an individual's characteristic patterns and circumstances, while the latter hold essential expertise to assess those characteristic patterns and circumstances in relation to established animal welfare knowledge [50]. Thus, overall mediated consent should imply the following: 1) the capacity to comprehend the immediate and wider welfare implications of a procedure, 2) a vested interest in prioritising the welfare of individual animals 3) familiarity with the individual's characteristic patterns and circumstances, 4) animal welfare expertise relevant to the individual, 5) the legal authority to consent on behalf of the animal.…”

Section: The Issue Of Consentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…plenty of escape routes or comfortable rest areas as appropriate). Importantly, in order to monitor levels of consent over time, researchers should be able to continually and expertly monitor variations in the participant's response to a procedure against their welfare requirements, as highlighted by Väätäjä and Pesonen [50], and dynamically and promptly make any appropriate adjustments, including suspending a procedure.…”

Section: The Issue Of Consentmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Towards an animal-centred ethics for Animal–Computer Interaction

Mancini

2017

International Journal of Human-Computer Studies

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The emerging discipline of Animal-Computer Interaction (ACI) aims to take what in HCI is known as a user-centred approach to the design of technology intended for animals, placing them at the centre of the design process as stakeholders, users, and design contributors.However, current regulatory frameworks for the involvement of animals in research are not animal-centred, regarding them as research instruments, unable to consent to procedures that may harm them, rather than consenting research participants and design contributors. Such frameworks aim to minimise the impacts of research procedures on the welfare of individual animals, but this minimisation is subordinated to specific scientific and societal interests, and to the integrity of the procedures required to serve those interests. From this standpoint, the universally advocated principles of replacement, reduction and refinement aim to address the ethical conflicts arising from the assumed inability of individual animals to consent to potentially harmful procedures, but such principles in fact reflect a lack of individual centrality. This paper makes the case for moving beyond existing regulations and guidelines towards an animal-centred framework that can better support the development of ACI as a discipline.Firstly, recognising animal welfare as a fundamental requirement for users and research 2 participants alike, the paper articulates the implications of a welfare-centred ethics framework.Secondly, recognising consent as an essential requirement of participation, the paper also defines criteria for obtaining animals' mediated and contingent consent to engaging with research procedures. Further, the paper argues for the methodological necessity, as well as the ethical desirability, of such an animal-centred framework, examining the boundaries of its applicability as well as the benefits of its application. Finally, the paper puts forward a series of practical principles for conducting ACI research, which imply but also essentially exceed the welfare and ethics requirements of current regulatory frameworks.

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“…Understanding animals' behavior with computer-mediated systems will help to develop systems more suitable for them, eventually improving both humans and non-humans quality of life. The ACI community is aware of the ethical issues derived from conducting studies with animals, and some guidelines have been proposed in order to ensure animals' welfare at all possible means (Väätäjä and Pesonen 2013).…”

Section: Animals As Target Users Of Digital Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Envisioning Future Playful Interactive Environments for Animals

Pons

Jaén

Catalá

2015

Gaming Media and Social Effects

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Play stands as one of the most natural and inherent behavior among the majority of living species, specifically humans and animals. Human play has evolved significantly over the years, and so have done the artifacts which allow us to play: from children playing tag games without any tools other than their bodies, to modern videogames using haptic and wearable devices to augment the playful experience. However, this ludic revolution has not been the same for the humans' closest companions, our pets. Recently, a new discipline inside the Human Computer Interaction (HCI) community, called Animal Computer Interaction (ACI), has focused its attention on improving animals' welfare using technology. Several works in the ACI field rely on playful interfaces to mediate this digital communication between animals and humans. Until now, the development of these interfaces only comprises a single goal or activity, and its adaptation to the animals' needs requires the developers' intervention. This work analyzes the existing approaches, proposing a more generic and autonomous system aimed at addressing several aspects of animal welfare at a time: Intelligent Playful Environments for Animals. The great potential of these systems is discussed, explaining how incorporating intelligent capabilities within playful environments could allow learning from the animals' behavior and automatically adapt the game to the animals' needs and preferences. The engaging playful activities created with these systems could serve different purposes and eventually improve animals' quality of life.

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Ethical issues and guidelines when conducting HCI studies with animals

Cited by 37 publications

References 18 publications

Serious Games: Is Your User Playing or Hunting?

Serious Games: Is Your User Playing or Hunting?

Towards an animal-centred ethics for Animal–Computer Interaction

Envisioning Future Playful Interactive Environments for Animals

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