The overall goal of this proposal is to develop robots that can help people correctly calibrate their trust in the robot. We look at this problem within the context of robot-guided emergency evacuation. We believe that robots stationed inside of buildings can serve as instantaneous first responders helping people safely evacuate during an emergency, thus saving lives. Participants will be asked to interact with an emergency guidance robot and decide whether to follow the robot to an exit.

We are conducting this study to investigate whether different platforms of immersive technology influence the experiences of users when interacting with an embodied conversational agent. We are particularly interested in studying the effects of platform on users’ feelings of presence and social presence when comparing virtual and mixed reality environments.

The purpose of this study is to examine public attitudes and willingness to pay for bird conversation activities on private forest lands.

This pilot study aims explore the health literacy and medication adherence found among African Americans and Latinos with hypertension receiving care at Hamilton Health Center in Harrisburg PA. We also aim to determine the feasibility of the iPad or smartphone as a tool for accessing health related information among African American and Latino patients with hypertension receiving care at clinics at Hamilton Health Center in Harrisburg PA. The expected outcomes of this project are to obtain a better understand of the literacy levels and adherence behaviors of African Americans and Latinos in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The findings from this study will provide valuable insights into the health management behaviors of this community and determine if there is a need to develop a mobile health application for the management of hypertension.

The earth’s climate is warming, and the number of heat waves has increased in recent years. At the same time, the number of adults over the age of 65 is growing. Humans sweat and increase blood flow to the skin to cool their body when they get hot. Older adults do not do this as well as young adults. This makes it harder to safely exercise in warm and/or humid conditions. It is important to learn about safe limits of heat and humidity for older adults to exercise. Also, nearly 40% of adults over age 50 take aspirin to lower their risk for heart disease. Our lab has shown that aspirin lowers the control of body heat.In this study, we will determine critical temperature and humidity environments above which normal body temperature cannot be maintained in young and older adults. We will also look at how aspirin may change critical temperature and humidity thresholds in older adults.

There will be 4 in person visits and sit, walk, or cycle at a low intensity in an environmental chamber.

360

Children with attention problems often feel anxious or worried, and likewise, children who are anxious or worried often have problems with attention. We are looking for children aged 8-12 who may or may not have problems with attention or anxiety to help us understand what happens in the brain that could explain why. You will receive up to $100 gift card for your participation, and informal clinical feedback on your child.

Two in person visits of 2 hours each to the University Park campus, scheduled at the participant(s) convenience

$100

This is a driving simulator behavioral study. This study aims to investigate drivers' subjective feelings and driving performance in mixed traffic shared by automated vehicles and human-driven vehicles.

This study aims to investigate the effects of drivers’ driving style and automated vehicle penetration rate on drivers’ subjective feelings and driving performance in mixed traffic shared by automated vehicles and human-driven vehicles. There will be one in-person visit for the experiment. This experiment involves driving on a driving simulator and filling out several questionnaires.

$15/hour

The current study aims to investigate the development of English as a Second Language (ESL) learners' language skills over time, focusing on the interplay between the mode of production (i.e., speech versus written mode) and linguistic features related to complexity, accuracy, and fluency. To address this question, the study will collect spoken and written data from ESL learners in the U.S. at five measurement points throughout an academic year (FA23 to SP24), analyzing their production data using various complexity, accuracy, and fluency measures. The objective is to contribute to the existing body of second language (L2) development research by examining whether the interaction among time, production mode, and proficiency, as well as the varying relationships among the measures, significantly influence the observed outcomes.

Over the course of an academic year (FA23 to SP24), participants will attend five in-person visits, spaced at 7-week intervals. During each visit, they will be asked to write an essay for 20 minutes and deliver a 5-minute spoken monologue in response to prompts similar to those found in the TOEFL speaking section.

$75 ($15 per visit)

Research project to understand why students do or do not choose to report sexual assault exposure to police or university officials.

One interview via video conferencing or in person.Optional follow up interview via video conferencing.

$35 for initial interviews; $12 for follow ups

The study will examine a condition known as orthostatic hypertension, which is a sudden increase in blood pressure when a person stands up. Orthostatic hypertension is a recognized risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. This project will also examine the differences in blood pressure responses to standing between African Americans and other races, since African Americans are more likely to develop high blood pressure than other races.

If you are eligible, you will be asked to complete the following activities in a single visit:• Lie down for 10 minutes while the team completes anelectrocardiogram (EKG) and blood pressure measurements• Stand up for 10 minutes while the team continues the EKGand blood pressure measurements

$25

Anxiety can emerge as early as pre-school age (4-6) and is often linked to anxiety in the parent. This study will examine patterns of brain and behavioral synchrony in parent-child pairs as they complete puzzles together and other social activities.

This is a longitudinal study examining the role that parent-child synchrony and emotional modeling plays in the transmission of anxiety. Participants will complete yearly laboratory visits and 6-month follow-up visits. The yearly laboratory visits (V1,3,5) will include a battery of tasks and questionnaires, but the six-month follow-up visits(V2,4) will only include online questionnaires. Participants at both Penn State and Washington University, St. Louis will follow the same procedures.

Participating families will be given $100 at each of V1 and V3, $25 for each of the follow-ups at V2 and V4, $100 and a $50 completion bonus at V5, for a total amount of $400.

Parkinson’s disease and a number of similar conditions, such as progressive supranuclear palsy and multiple system atrophy, often look very similar clinically, particularly early in the disease. Since there is no objective way to diagnose these disorders definitively, the current practice is to follow patients over time to allow the disease to reveal itself. Evidence indicates, however, that even the best movement disorder specialist can provide the wrong diagnosis approximately 25 percent of the time. This lack of diagnostic certainty has limited both clinical practice and research. The goal of this longitudinal study is to determine whether specific MRI and biofluid measures, such as proteins in blood and cerebrospinal fluid, can help better diagnose Parkinson’s, progressive supranuclear palsy and multiple system atrophy patients.

Participants are asked to complete a screening, baseline and 12-month visit. During the baseline and 12-month visit, participants are asked to complete some questionnaires as well as a fasting blood draw, motor evaluation, smell test and MRI. Participants also may choose to complete additional study components that ultimately may guide the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of Parkinson's and its related disorders. These optional components include skin punch biopsies, a lumbar puncture and participation in the Translational Brain Research Center's brain donation program.

$900.00

This study will allow us to explore the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as sociodemographic factors on undergraduate and graduate medical students’ mental health measured by stress, anxiety, and resilience, and to study their online learning experience during the pandemic.

This study intends to improve detection of depression and anxiety by examining speech features recorded by a voice app and analyzing the voice data using cutting-edge artificial intelligence approaches. Eligible participants who are interested in this study will speak on various questions related to lifestyle choices, physical health, and mood to the voice app briefly, fill in some questionnaires, and complete a brief clinical interview. All of the procedures for this one-session study will last up to 90 minutes.

Participants who are eligible based on the screening questionnaire will be invited to participate in a single 1.5 hour Zoom session. During this session, you will be prompted to speak about various topics to a voice app for a few minutes, fill in some questionnaires, and complete a brief clinical interview.

Up to $60 can be earned for completing the 1.5 hour Zoom session. No compensation is given for completing the screening survey.

Postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is a chronic syndrome in which the heart beats too quickly when standing. POTS primarily affects young women. People with POTS also experience symptoms such as feeling faint, fatigue, nausea, and mental clouding or "brain fog." “Brain fog” is one of the most bothersome symptoms of POTS and it is unknown why people with POTS experience this symptom. Some studies have shown that POTS patients have problems with attention, memory and executive function (ability to plan, organize information, and adapt to changes) while seated and when upright. In this study, we will evaluate how brain function during mental tasks is affected in people with POTS compared to healthy volunteers. All volunteers will complete mental tasks while lying down and standing. If eligible, we will measure brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).The findings from this study will increase our understanding of the mental complaints in people with POTS, to hopefully help with development of new treatments.

There will be three in person visits for this study. At the screening visit, participants will undergo a detailed medical history and physical examination and then will complete a mental test while lying down and standing. If eligible based on the results of the mental test, participants will undergo a pregnancy test if female and of childbearing potential, measurements of blood pressure and heart rate and blood draws while lying down and standing up, and a test to determine if they can tolerate being in a lower body negative pressure (LBNP) device that distributes more blood to the legs to mimic standing. If eligible based on the results of the screening visit, participants will be asked to complete an online questionnaire and two study visits that are separated by at least one week. At these study visits, they will perform a mental test in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. The LBNP device will also be used while in the MRI scanner to distribute more blood to the legs to mimic standing.

$25 per hour; additional $25 for completion of online questionnaire

This is an exploratory study which looks at how caregivers define high-quality early education and care. Participants will fill out a questionnaire containing open-ended and closed-ended questions. It will take participants no longer than 20 minutes to complete.

This study utilizes interview methods to examine factors that influence the exchange of advice and outcomes of advising between adults aged 40+ and their parents aged 65+.

Participate in a single in-person or Zoom interview of 60-90 minutes focused on the exchange of advice between themselves and their parent or adult child.

50.00

This online study aims to examine whether factors like language history and visual information influence spoken language processes in typical listening environments.

The purpose of this study is to examine if nervous system and blood pressure responses to exercise will be less with heat exposure in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) and healthy controls.

The central purpose of this research is to understand how language users produce and comprehend speech. To do this we ask participants to record speech, make judgments on the speech they hear, and work with a partner on simple language tasks.

The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of artificial intelligence on ideation in groups (specifically the process of brainstorming). Facilitation and facilitator/participant perceptions will also be analyzed. This study collects qualitative data through surveys, interviews, and audio/video recording.

The purpose of this study is to use fMRI to identify and characterize the olfactory, auditory, visual and trigeminal-related brain networks. This research will then be use to enhance human health by laying the foundation to develop sensitive biomarkers to identify people who are at risk of developing brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, where olfactory deficits are known preclinical symptoms.

Patients with the clinical diagnosis of mild, moderate to severe Hidradenditis Suppurativa or normal healthy volunteers ages 18 and older to participate in a 1 time study visit. There is no treatment provided but we may gain information for the treatment of HS.

Eligible participants will attend a one time in person visit. During the visit, the study team will ask you to participate in the following activities: collect skin sample, blood sample and cheek swab. Take photographs of your HS lesions.

study coordinator will discuss.

The aim of this study is to understand how brain stimulation affects learning of a novel task on a virtual reality system. Participation involves playing virtual reality games during non-invasive brain stimulation.

Single visit, subjection to noninvasive brain stimulation during a reaching task.

25

This is a survey study that will examine how the new instruction modes during COVID-19 have impacted undergraduate education experience. Participants will be asked to complete a survey to give feedback and comments on their classes. The survey will take 15 - 20 minutes.

Tobacco users will be randomized to use electronic cigarettes containing varying levels of nicotine and flavor during laboratory protocols to investigate the effects on the brain and behavior. Subjects will complete surveys, functional magnetic resonance imaging scans, and complete computerized tasks. Eligible participants include daily users of inhaled tobacco products who are at least 21 years old, able to read and write in English, and not planning to quit tobacco use within the next month. Exclusion criteria include: current substance use impairing participation, unstable or significant medical conditions, current use of smoking cessation medication, uncontrolled serious mental illness, and MRI safety or neurological contraindications.

Subjects will taste test a variety of e-cigarette flavorings, answer questions and complete a single MRI.

50

This research seeks to exam behavioral and neural differences in the formation and maintenance of habit behavior in adolescents and adults.

All visits will be in person. Participants in Group 1 will complete one 1-day training session and will be at the imaging center for approximately 1.5 hours total.Participants in Group 2 will complete a 3-day training session, during which the same types of procedures are done, just with more trials. Participants in this group will undergo four training sessions (instead of 2) on Day 1 and Day 2. Each of the three visits will be about 1.5-2 hours long.For both groups, we will obtain informed consent and assent, height and weight, and demographic information. They will also answer questionnaires and work on a cognitive assessment battery. Within the scanner, we will collect anatomical data, task related fMRI data and resting state fMRI data.

$150

This is a user study to investigate the environmental characteristics of virtual reality (VR). This study will provide empirical evidence of the essential characteristics based on users’ feedbacks. During your visit, you will receive a brief training about using a VR headset and navigating in the virtual environment. After the training, you will explore the virtual environment, complete tasks in VR, and answer questions regarding your feelings to our VR application.

Using small focus groups, this work aims to understand the experiences, challenges, perceptions, and opportunities for the use of conversational agents (e.g Amazon Alexa and Siri) for users with visual or hearing impairments, with the goal of developing more accessible and inclusive systems.

This study will involve elderly humans walking on a treadmill transitioning through prechosen speeds.

There will be one, two hour in person visit. Participants will change into specific lab provided clothing for study and reflective stickers will be placed on participants by the researcher. Participants will then get on the treadmill and will walk at prescribed constant speeds for about 5 minutes total. Then participants will perform 10 speed transition trials each of which lasts about 4 minutes.

$15