Launch of the experiment « Sensory Odyssey »

After a long time of conception and coordination, we will start in the next few days our experimental study on the exhibition-show “Sensory Odyssey” at the Museum of Natural History in Paris. On this occasion, we propose you to take part in this study, and to leave in immersion with an unusual angle.

 

 

Invitation to participate in the study

We are pleased to invite you to take part in a cognitive science study on the exhibition-show “Sensory Odyssey” at the Museum of Natural History in Paris.

This experiment is carried out within the framework of a research program, in collaboration with the scientific teams SublimAE and CRNL (Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon) under the direction of Olivier MEVEL. It is of no direct individual benefit or risk to you and does not constitute a medical examination.

Its objective is to use sensors to measure physiological signals in an immersive exhibition to learn how the human body reacts to immersion in a technologically recreated nature. Can the awe felt by participants be measured in their bodies? Does their heart slow down? Is their breathing calming down? These are the questions that are being asked and that the study attempts to resolve.

 

Set up in collaboration with scientists in neuroscience and psychology, it requires your participation!
You are therefore invited to participate in this research project by having the opportunity to visit the exhibition in a new and free way.

4 dates are open and a session lasts about 2h20 (including 1h visit of the exhibition) on the following mornings: Thursday May 19, Monday May 23, Thursday June 2 and Thursday June 9.

 

To express your interest and be selected to participate in this study, here is a registration link:

Registration form for the “Sensory Odyssey” study

Please take into account the following selection criteria before registering: be between 20 and 40 years old, speak French AND have not seen the “Sensory Odyssey” exhibition before.

 

Context of the study

Works in cognitive sciences and neurosciences put forward awe as a state capable of diverting our attention from ourselves, to our environment.

In the context of the exhibition-show called “The Sensory Odyssey”, co-produced with the National Museum of Natural History – open since October 23, 2021 and until July 4, 2022 – the design team has expressed, since the beginning of its approach, a desire to touch the senses and emotions of visitors to generate a strong empathy with the living world.

 

It is within this framework that the association accompanies the team Sensory Odyssey, to conduct a scientific study to understand and evaluate this condition, using measurements of physiological signals and a series of questionnaires.

For months, we have been actively preparing an experimental protocol to meet this need, in the particular context of a study in situ at the Museum, directly in the exhibition in ecological condition!

 

In April we submitted an application to POLETHIS, the Research Ethics Committee of the University of Paris-Saclay, and conducted a pilot study to properly calibrate and validate a first version of our protocol.

 

Caption: Benjamin from COGitERGO equips Valentin from CRNL for a test session at the Museum. Romain’s picture. Have a look on Benjamin’s publication on LinkedIn.

 

An extended team

A complex and very ambitious project, in which we evolve in a multidisciplinary team and a collaboration with organizations coming from various horizons:

  • the support of the association COGitERGO — a student association at the Institut de psychologie de l’Université de Paris, gathering a Master in Applied Fundamental Cognitive Psychology and a Master in Ergonomics – which helps us in the development of the protocol and the co-facilitation of the upcoming test sessions (a big thank you in particular to Benjamin and Adrien)
  • Pierre Clisson — Maker, independent developer and trainer, at the initiative of the Open Source biosignal measurement tool Timeflux — orchestrated all the developments and technical tests to enable the acquisition of physiological data, based on the open platform Bitalino
  • Sylvain Chevalier — associate professor of robotics and signal processing, Laboratoire d’Ingénierie des Systèmes de Versailles (LISV) and at the initiative of the Open Source tool MOABB — supporting scientific supervision and data analysis
  • Valentin GHIBAUDO — PhD student at the Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon (CRNL) — supporting the analysis of the physiological data and the review of the protocol
  • Olivier Mevel (projet director) et Anastasia (research assistant) coordinate the project on the design team side

 

And on the CogLab, NeuroTechX Paris association’s side:

  • Romain Rouyer : coordinates the project, writes the deliverables and leads the interview part of all test sessions
  • Hans et Eduardo : coordinate the acquisition of physiological signals and participate in data analysis.

 

The Sensory Odyssey team also collaborates with the laboratory Mémoire, Cerveau et Cognition (MC2Lab, EA7536) de l’Institut de Psychologie de l’Université Paris Descartes, particularly with the team of the SublimAE project.

The data and resources produced by this project will be disseminated according to the good practices and recommendations of the Comité pour la science ouverte, grouped under the acronym FAIR (easily found, accessible, interoperable and reusable data).

 

Project follow-up

An event will be organized by the association to present the results and feedback on this ambitious adventure, which is already rich in lessons learned.

In the meantime, we will be heavily involved in the next few weeks with the sessions and the analysis phase 🙂