RESEARCH PARTICIPATION INFORMATION Method A

Method A involves participating in psychology research studies. During each academic term, students can serve as
research participants in a wide variety of available experiments. Included are projects dealing with emotion, personality,
memory, learning, social processes, etc. At the end of each experiment, you will receive a written description of the
general nature of the research project and the anticipated implications of the findings from the study. All research projects
in the department have been reviewed by the University Committee on the Use of Human Subjects to ensure that student
participation is appropriate. As part of the review process, particular attention is given to the establishment of coding
procedures to guarantee that all research data are kept confidential. An informed consent form will be provided at the
beginning of each experiment. This consent form will explain the details of the study and you have the right to discontinue
participation in any experiment at any time, without penalty. The sign-up procedures for all experiments are described
below.
You must be at least 18 to participate in any research experiment. If you are 17 or younger, you may only participate
in experiments for which a parental consent form is available. These forms are available at the experiment sign-up site
(see below). Your parent must sign this form before you arrive at the study. Most studies do not have parental consent
forms, and so if you are 17 or younger, you will probably need to fulfill your requirement at least partially through Method B
(which involves reading research articles and writing short papers - see link on our course web page under Research
Requirement Instructions for Method B).
Procedures for Method A: Participation in Research
Step One Go to the Sona System Sign-up Web Page
There is an FSU website where you can read descriptions of experiments and sign-up to participate. The web address
for the system is: http://fsu.sona-systems.com/ . You can go to this address by: 1) entering this address directly in your
web browser, 2) clicking on the link in our course web site (under Research Requirement), or 3) going to the
Psychology Department website (http://www.psy.fsu.edu/), and clicking the following links: UndergraduateResearch
Experiment Sign-Up
Step Two Create an Account (this step only needs to be done once)
The first time you go to the system, you will need to create an account. Follow the link on the bottom left hand side of
the screen to request an account. Once you do this, you will be given a username and a password. These will be
used to log in to the system throughout the semester. [The login page also has a link for retrieving a lost password].
Step Three Sign Up to Participate
Once in the system, you can click on STUDIES in the top toolbar. This will show you a list of available studies, and
will also let you know which studies have time slots available. It is from here that you can select the studies in which
you will participate.
To decide if you want to sign up for a study, click on the study name. This will provide you with additional information
about the study so you can decide if you are eligible and if you want to participate in that study. Do not sign-up for
those experiments for which you are not eligible. Some studies are done online, and will provide you with a website to
use to complete the study. Other studies will require you to sign up for an appointment (i.e., to select a time and date
to participate in the study). You will do this by clicking on View Timeslots.
When you sign up for a study, you will need to assign the credit from the study to a particular course so that you
receive appropriate credit from your instructor. For our course, be certain to specify that you are participating in the
study for your PSY2012 requirement.
YOU MAY ONLY PARTICIPATE IN A PARTICULAR EXPERIMENT ONCE.
Be certain to keep a record of: (A) the experiment name and the experimenters name and e-mail, in case you need to
contact him/her for any reason, and (B) when and where the experiment will take place, so that you can appear on
time at the proper location. You can also review your appointments and keep track of your credits earned at this same
website by clicking on the My Schedule/Credits option in the toolbar at the top of the screen.
A link on our course web site under Research Requirement Sona System Detailed Instructions contains more details
on the use of the system and a useful FAQ that you can consult in the case of difficulties.
Step Four - Attend the experiment at the appointed time and place.
Most experiments take place in the new Psychology Building on the northwest corner of campus. If you want to sign
up for experiments while in the Psychology Building, there are computers available in various areas of the building
(e.g., first floor sitting area). Once you sign up for an experiment, you will be expected to attend. If you need to cancel
an appointment, you can use the system to do so. Note that certain studies will generally require you to cancel your
participation at least 24 hours before your appointment. If you do miss an experiment which you didnt cancel, you may

be penalized one-half unit hour of participation for each hour of credit you miss. Make every effort to attend the
experiment at the appointed time and place.
If you show up for your appointment on time and the experimenter is not there, first make certain that you are in the
correct place at the right time. If you are, wait 15 minutes. If the experimenter does not show up by then, you should
call or email the experimenter right away telling her/him what has happened. You should then get credit for that study.
This does not happen often, but emergencies do happen.
How Credit is Recorded
When you attend the experiment, the experimenter will make a record of your participation, and within two weeks your
experimenter should have registered your credits online. You need nothing more to get your credit. You should, however,
receive and keep an experimental credit slip filled out and given to you by the experimenter immediately after your
participation. Keep this as an independent record of your participation. Also, as noted above, you always can check your
credits earned by logging onto the system and clicking on My Schedule/Credits.
Your class instructor will be able to access the experiment website to see how many credits you have earned. The
instructor will use this at the end of the semester to determine whether you have earned all seven research credits.
Although your instructor has access to these records, you should not use the instructor as your means of keeping track of
your credits. You are responsible for keeping track of the number of credits you have earned, and making sure you meet
the research requirement.
After the Experiment
After each experiment, the experimenter will debrief you, giving you a short statement about the objectives of the
research and the meaning of your participation. All data are confidential and will not be used for any purpose beyond that
approved in the research protocol submitted to the University Committee on the Use of Human Subjects.
Summary Points To Remember
1. Go to the FSU Sona System web site at: http://fsu.sona-systems.com/ or via links on our course web page and on
the Psychology Department web page (http://www.psy.fsu.edu/).
2. Create an account on the Sona System (Step 2 above, only done once a semester).
3. Sign-up for experiments on the Sona System (Step 3 above).
Check to be sure that you can keep your scheduled appointment and that you are eligible for an experiment.
MAKE SURE YOU INDICATE THAT YOUR CREDITS SHOULD BE LOGGED IN YOUR PSY2012 GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY COURSE.
Keep a record of the name of the experiment, the experimenters name and e-mail address and the scheduled
time and place of your appointment. You can also find that information on the Sona System.
4. Show up for your appointments and participate in the studies (Step 4 above).
5. If you must miss an experiment, you may cancel if it is at least 24 hours prior to your appointment by logging onto
the Sona System. Keep in mind that missing experiments without 24 hours of notice leads to credit penalties.
6. You are responsible for monitoring the number of units you receive throughout the semester. The number of
credits you have earned can be accessed on the Sona System. Remember to take negative credits (from missing
appointments) into account when figuring how many credits you need to earn. Also, be sure to keep the receipt
you receive from your experimenter as an independent record of your participation in the study.
7.

Alternative ways of earning credit are described on our course web site under Research Requirements
Instructions for Method B.

8. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask your instructor for information.