Form CRI-PA-2026 • Participant Intake Assessment

Cognitive Research Institute

Welcome, prospective research participant. Please complete the following cognitive baseline assessment. There are no wrong answers, but there are boring ones.

What should we call you, and what are your pronouns? *

Email (optional)

Social handle (optional)

Describe a project, creation, or scheme you've executed that most people in your life didn't fully understand.

What's something you're genuinely, unironically enthusiastic about that you sometimes have to stop yourself from talking about too much?

You're at camp. It's 2pm. It's hot. The shade structure needs adjusting, the dishes are piling up, and someone left the cooler open again. Meanwhile, there's a really good sound camp starting up nearby. What do you actually do?

Be honest: In group living situations, what's the thing you're most likely to need a gentle reminder about?

CRI is an interactive camp — we engage with passersby through playful cognitive experiments and gentle perception manipulation.

Rate your comfort level (1 = please no, 5 = my calling):

Approaching strangers in a friendly way

Light theatrical/character performance

Explaining weird concepts with a straight face

Being approached by curious/confused strangers

What's your ideal balance of 'being ON for the public' vs. 'chilling at camp' vs. 'exploring the playa'?

Have you been to Burning Man before? If yes, how many times? If no, other burn/festival experience?

What's your camping setup? (Tent, van, RV, etc. — and do you have everything you need, or are you still figuring it out?)

What skills, resources, or gear can you contribute to camp?

Camp dues are sliding scale ($250–$500) based on what you can afford. Any questions or concerns about this?

Anything else you want us to know — or a question you wish we'd asked?

CRI-PA-2026 • Cognitive Research Institute • Participant Services Division