Alzheimer Disease, Parkinson's
Conditions
Keywords
Diagnostic Information, Risk Perception
Brief summary
Participants will be assigned to complete computerized estimation tasks for which there is a component of accuracy, such as estimating the duration of sounds. Participants will be told that the task is used as an early diagnostic tool to detect those at risk for a medical condition (e.g., Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease). Instructions will be given to participants telling them that accuracy on the task is associated with the disease, whereas those who are not at risk of the disease tend to either overestimate or underestimate the duration of the sounds. The investigators examine whether such instructions about the purpose and diagnosticity of the tasks biases participants' responses to the tasks, leading them to purposefully be more inaccurate in their estimates.
Detailed description
Participants will be assigned to complete computerized tasks for which there is a component of accuracy, such as estimating the length, in time, of sounds. Participants will be told that the task is used as an early diagnostic tool to detect those at risk for a medical condition (e.g., Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease). Instructions will be given to participants telling them that accuracy on the task is associated with the disease in question, whereas those who are not at risk of the disease tend to either overestimate or underestimate the duration of the sounds. The investigators examine whether such instructions about the purpose and diagnosticity of the tasks biases participants' responses to the tasks. The investigators collect additional survey measures as statistical controls and potential explanatory variables for variation in the performance on the tasks, and also test whether financial incentives for accuracy on these tasks improve the accuracy of responses to these tasks. Following the task, all participants will be told that the tasks used are actually NOT diagnostic of the diseases in question, and that deception was used to learn how people respond to instructions about how a task can be used for diagnostic purposes.
Interventions
OTHERInstructions about Overestimates
Participants are told that overestimating the duration of sounds are associated with low disease risk.
OTHERInstructions about Parkinson's
Participants are told that the task is about risk of Parkinson's disease.
OTHERInstructions about Underestimates
Participants are told that underestimating the duration of sounds are associated with low disease risk.
OTHERInstructions about Alzheimers
Participants are told that the task is about risk of Alzheimers disease.
Sponsors
Carnegie Mellon University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
FACTORIAL
Primary purpose
SCREENING
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* 18 or older * Able to access tasks on computer * Able to hear sounds played on computer
Exclusion criteria
* Computer speakers absent or not functioning
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Time Estimate | 30 minutes | The estimate of the length of time elapsed during the sound file |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Time Generation | 30 minutes | The length of time selected for the sound file to run by participants in a secondary task |
| Perceived Risk of Disease | 30 minutes | Scale question asking participants their perceived risk of having the diseases in the study |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed