For information about receiving extra credit for participation for other psychology courses click here.
General Information
Student research involvement is a fundamental educational goal for the Psychology Department. We believe that students cannot learn about psychology without opportunities to experience all aspects of the research process. Students enrolled in our Introductory Psychology course learn about research by participating in research studies. Research participation provides students an important first-hand view of psychological science.
Research Participation Requirement. The HSU Psychology department requires two (2) hours of research participation that comprises 5% of your total course grade. Every 15 minutes of participation comprises a "unit." Two hours equals eight units. All aspects of research participation (e.g., signing up, getting credit) are conducted through an on-line system.
Keeping Appointments. Researchers often require that you to make an appointment for participation. When you make an appointment it is extremely important that you show up and are on time. When you make an appointment, the researcher is reserving a spot for you. If you fail to attend, you have wasted the researcher's time and taken a spot that another student could have filled. If you cannot make your scheduled appointment you should cancel it through the on-line system 24 hours in advance. Students who fail to show up for appointments are penalized as follows:
Students who fail to show up for one study may either:
· A. Complete additional time equal to the time for the study they missed (e.g., a student who misses a ½ hour appointment is now required to complete 2.5 hours) or
· B. complete the alternative assignment (see below).
· Students choosing Option B lose all participation credit and must complete the same level of alternative assignment(s) as students who did not participate in research at all.
Students who fail to show up for two studies lose all participation credit and must complete the alternative assignment. These students will have their accounts disabled.
How do I set up an account?
Go to http://hsupool.sona-systems.com . Choose request an account (link on lower left hand corner of page). Your user ID will be your HSU provided email address (e.g., the pool administrator's is cla18@humboldt.edu). After you complete your login, your username and password will be emailed to you. (Note: if you don't know your HSU email or want emails sent to a different address see below). Be sure to indicate the correct course number when you sign up.
What if I don't know my HSU email address?
Every student has an assigned email address, even if you never use your HSU email. If you do not know your HSU email, go to https://www.humboldt.edu/pls/banweb/twgkwbis.P_WWWLogin , after log in, choose personal information, then view/change email address. This will tell you your HSU email. YOU MUST REGISTER USING YOUR HSU ASSIGNED USERNAME. Failure to do so may prevent you from earning credit for your participation. .
Can I change my preferred email address?
Yes, you can change the address where you receive email. Your username will remain your HSU email address.
After you login for the first time, choose My Profile. Here you can change your email address, password, etc.
Where do I find research studies to participate in?
Login to the system. Choose Experiment sign up. This page lists all current studies and time slots available. From here you can sign up for studies.Most studies will not begin until the third week of class so please be patient.
How much do I have to participate?
Students are required to complete eight credits of participation. Every 15 minutes of participation counts as 1 "credit." 2 hours = 8 credits. Some instructors may offer extra credit for additional participation. Each study has a specific number of credits assigned. These credits are based on the average time it takes students to complete the study. For example, a study worth 2 units takes an average of 30 minutes to complete. Some students finish faster, some may finish more slowly. In all cases, students participating in this study receive 2 units. Credit is not adjusted for actual time spent.
What if I can't make it to my appointment?
You must cancel your appointment within 24 hours of your scheduled time. You must cancel through the online scheduling system (choose My Schedule link). Contacting the researcher directly does not qualify as cancellation. If you do not cancel, you will be noted as a "no show." The pool coordinator strongly recommends that instructors penalize students for failing to show up for studies. Also, if you fail to show up for an appointment without canceling, you may be excluded from participation in some experiments in the future.
First, be sure to check that you went to the correct location at the right time, etc. Be sure to wait at least 15 minutes past your scheduled time. Keep in mind that if you are late, the researcher may leave (this counts as you not showing up).
If
you believe the researcher failed to show up, you should immediately a) email
the researcher and b) email the participation pool coordinator (cla18@humboldt.edu).
You will receive credit once the researcher verifies that s/he failed to show
up.
How can I be sure I received credit for participating?
After login, go to my schedule and credits. Please note that it may take up to 48 hours for you to receive credit for participation. If you participated and did not receive credit, contact the researcher and the pool administrator (cla18@humboldt.edu). You will need to provide information about the time and date of your participation.
How does my instructor know I participated?
Your instructor has an account on the system and can access reports of all participation.
What if I don’t want to participate in research?
Your instructor is required to provide you with an alternative
assignment. Also, if you are under 18 you
must complete an alternative assignment.
How do I find out about the research when it is
completed?
When research studies are completed, the researcher will provide a summary of the research. This summary will be posted ay http://www.humboldt.edu/~cla18/partpool.htm. Additionally, you should ask the researcher as many questions as you like about the research and feel free to contact the research in about the research at any time following your participation.
If
every student waits until the last few weeks of school to fill their research
participation requirements there will not be enough space for everyone.
Many researchers have limited time and/or only need a certain number of students
to participate. That means if you wait until the last minute to fill your
participation requirements that you may not be accommodated.
You may be enrolled in other courses where you can receive extra credit for participation in research. You cannot count participation in one study for multiple courses. However, you may select all of the courses for which you are enrolled when you create your account. To add or change courses after creating your account choose "my profile."
You must be 18 or older to participate in research. If you are under 18, your instructor will provide an alternative assignment.
All
research adheres to the Ethical Principles of the American Psychological
Association and the web-based system is HIPAA compliant. If you have problems or complaints, you should contact the
participant pool coordinator, Chris Aberson (cla18@humboldt.edu,
x3670), the department chair, Senqi Hu (sh4@humboldt.edu,
x3162), or the Chair
of the Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects in Research, Donna Schafer, x3949 or schafer@humboldt.edu.