BBC Audio Experiment

Many thanks for agreeing to participate in this listening experiment on TV speech rating. Such experiments are an important part of our research into new and existing broadcast audio technology, so your responses are really valuable. Please read the listening experiment instructions, ask any questions you have, and then click "I agree" before starting the experiment.

Content guidance

The experiment contains short clips taken from a wide range of programmes. They are presented without context or introduction. Some of these may contain strong or discriminatory language and content that some viewers may find offensive, and may deal with topics including self-harm, sexual abuse, suicide, and eating disorders.

You must be over the age of 18 and located in the UK to take part in this experiment.

Personal data and privacy notice

The experiment will involve giving responses to questions or stimuli. In addition to the content of your responses, your interaction with the user interface and the type of device you are using will also be logged.

In addition to your responses you will be asked to provide the following information ("personal data"): age, gender, email address (optional), health data (hearing-impairment, hearing-aid use).

Important information about how the BBC handles your personal information and your rights can be found in the Privacy Notice.

Listening experiment responses

You are free to withdraw from the experiment at any time, without needing to justify your decision and without prejudice. You can request that your responses are removed, but this will not be possible after 6 months from the final experiment session as the data will then be anonymised.

The anonymous responses you give may be used (aggregated across participants) in internal or external research publications and/or to inform the design and implementation of new audio technology.

The anonymous responses may be shared with the BBC's academic partners (for example, members of the Audio Research Partnership or Data Science Research Partnership), and/or made publicly available as a dataset.

Instructions

The experiment instructions will be repeated on the following page and are also available on the rating page by clicking the "Show Instructions" button.

In this experiment you will be presented with short audio clips and asked to rate if the main dialogue was easily understandable or not. Each clip is only played once.

You may use a mouse, touch screen, or the keyboard shortcuts displayed with the options to make your selection.

The next clip will play automatically once you have selected your answer. If you prefer to disable autoplay, a check box is provided below the player.

Please listen in a quiet environment and use your device's built-in loudspeakers rather than headphones.

The first ten clips are given as examples for you to become familiar with the interface. Please adjust your volume level during this phase and avoid adjusting it for the remainder of the experiment.

The expected duration of this task is 30-45 minutes. The interface will suggest a break after about 10 minutes. You may take additional breaks at any point. Please do not close your browser tab or turn off your device before you have submitted the form, or your progress may be lost.

Once you have completed all ratings, you will be asked to fill in a brief form to submit your results.

Declaration

I voluntarily agree to take part in this study on TV speech rating.

I have read and understood the instructions provided. I have been given the opportunity to ask questions, and I understood the answers given as a result. I am aware of the likely duration of the task.

I confirm that I have read and understood the above and freely consent to participating in this study. I have been given adequate time to consider my participation and agree to comply with the instructions and restrictions of the study.

I agree