Participation

Paid Participants

  • There are many bulletin boards located around Schermerhorn Hall on which advertisements for experiments needing participants are posted.
     
  • Some of the advertisements about experiments offer payment for participation.

Participant Pool

Students in UN1001 Science of Psychology are expected to participate in psychology experiments as part of the intro course experience. This participation is intended to give students useful exposure to research and to further psychological research in the department.

The experiments are conducted by faculty members, post-doctoral researchers, and graduate students, and they cover a wide range of topics in psychology including cognition, sensation, perception and social psychology. All research is reviewed by a university-wide ethics committee, and only studies that are given a certificate of approval are included in the Participant Pool.

Participation in these studies (6 credits, each credit equaling one half hour of participation) is meant to be an interesting and educational experience where students gain first-hand exposure to the procedures and research methods used by psychologists. After each experiment, the researcher will explain the purpose, theoretical background, and implications. In addition to the question-and-answer period, it may be possible to tour the lab or see a demonstration of data scoring and analysis and, at the study's completion, see a presentation of results or view a poster presentation.

Sign-up

Fall Semester 

  • Experiments start in September
  • Experiments end in December, on the last day of classes

Spring Semester 

  • Experiments start in late January
  • Experiments end in early May, on the last day of classes

Tip: try to get as many of your credits done before the midterm, as it can be more difficult to find experiment times afterward.

Sign-up: This is managed through the web by the Participant Pool Website. Be sure to record the following information from the experiment sign up form.

  1. the study number 
  2. the location of the study (building & room)
  3. the date & time
  4. contact information (researcher's name & who to contact via phone/email)

Forms

For Students:  Instructions, Research Participation Record, and Feedback 

Here is a copy of the Instructions and Research Participation Record. Please be sure to take the Research Participation record to every study and fill it in after completing the study. This way you will have a record of your participation in case something goes wrong. Also, please provide feedback on the studies. You can use the form or submit your feedback electronically using this link.

For Researchers:  

Here is a link to the Application for Using the Participant Pool and one for the Experimenter Information Sheet. Remember that the debriefing must be written at the appropriate level and be educationally meaningful for introductory level psychology students. Please also look over the debriefing guidelines, which include a sample debriefing form that can serve as a model.

Details

How do I know my participation has been recorded?  

Experimenters will award you credit via the online system. You can check the records there to see your current list of credits. If you have not been assigned credits as of a week after participating in a study, you may contact the Participant Pool Administrator, [email protected]

What if an experimenter doesn’t show up for our appointment? 

If the experimenter fails to keep the appointment, first make sure you've gone to the right location. If you are in the right place and you have been there for 10 minutes after your appointment time, report it immediately via email to [email protected].  Provide her with the experiment number, time, date, your name, and the location you were waiting in.

How many credits is each study worth?  

You earn one credit for every half hour you spend participating, rounded up to the next half hour. (For example, 20 minutes = 1 credit, 30 minutes = 1 credit, 40 minutes = 2 credits, 60 minutes = 2 credits.) The maximum number of credits you can receive for one study is 3 (for participation of no more than 1.5 hours). You may earn up to 6 credits for each intro course you are enrolled in.