For Participants
By participating in Behavioral Research Lab studies you become a valued member of our community. The insight you provide is vital to our researchers who express their gratitude through a variety of compensations. Be sure to read the following
Participant FAQs for information on being a Behavioral Research Lab participant.
Becoming a participant
The first step to joining our pool is to create a participant account. Please be sure to create an account with a .edu email address
only, or it may be deactivated. If you are interested in studies that require you to be physically present at the experiment site, create an account on our
SONA systems. (Unfamiliar with the SONA program? Please see the walkthrough section on the left for specific instructions). If you are interested in studies that you can contribute to online, create an account on our
online database. Of course, feel free to sign up for both participant pools!
Signing up for Studies
The next step is to use your SONA or online account to browse and select available studies. A list of studies with available time slots is updated daily on this site, and with the creation of your SONA account you receive weekly notifications of upcoming studies. Another valuable resource is our
twitter page, which is updated daily when study time slots are not completely filled. The tweet will contain the study name, time slot, compensation, and a link to sign up on SONA.
Study Length and Compensation
Our studies on average run anywhere from a half hour to an hour. There may be studies that run longer as well, but compensation is relative to study length and difficulty. Compensation most often comes in the form of monetary reimbursement, on average $6 for a half hour study and $12 or higher for an hour study. Some researchers also choose to provide participants with candy, and as a reward for consistent participation participants with few to no "no-show"s in SONA are entered in a raffle for an Ipod at the end of the semester.
What is a "No-Show"? What is the Policy on No-Shows?
A "no-show" is a term used on SONA to indicate a participant who signed up for a study but did not show up to the appointed time slot and did not cancel or inform the researcher they would not be attending. It may also be used to label participants who show up late to their appointment. Unfortunately no-shows can have a negative effect not only by wasting the time or supplies of the researcher, but can also prohibit certain studies from being conducted if they require an exact number of participants. In order to discourage this often damaging practice the lab has placed a limit on the number of "no-shows" a participant receives during a given semester. At three no-shows the participant receives a warning email, and at five no-shows a participant's SONA account is deactivated. At the end of the semester those participants with few to zero no-shows are entered in a raffle for an Ipod. Please try to be considerate to researchers and realize that your attendance is important to them. If you ever think you will be unable to attend a study you signed up for, please contact the researcher and let them know so they do not expect you and give you a no-show.
Where Do the Studies Take Place?
Most of our studies take place in Behavioral Lab rooms. There are three rooms located directly adjacent to the lab underneath Uris Hall- B203, B204, and B205 (see our
campus map for the lab location, or visit the "Resources" tab for specific directions). We also use room 304 in Uris Hall itself. All studies will list where the experiment is taking place on SONA.
What are My Rights as a Participant?
As a participant you have the rights to be treated ethically and respectfully, to be informed of the nature of the experiment, and to withdraw your participation at any time. All Behavioral Research Lab studies are approved by Columbia's Institutional Review Board, and researchers are required to obtain informed consent before every study and provide more information after the studies' conclusions. If you are ever concerned that your rights as a participant are being violated
contact the Behavioral Lab. Your safety and comfort are of paramount importance to us.
How Can I Be Removed from the Mailing List?
Although we would be sad to see you go, you may choose to be removed from the Behavioral Research Lab mailing list at any point in time. In order to do so, please
send us an email with the subject "unsubscribe". Please note that once you unsubscribe you will have your SONA account deactivated.
