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Department of Psychology

Most questions are answered in the instructions below.  If after you read these instructions you have additional questions, please contact Participant Pool Coordinator Dale Bostwick (SubjectPool@jmu.edu) .  Please allow 1-2 business days for a response.

Participant Instructions

Psychologists frequently conduct research in which students are the participants. If you are 18 years of age, you can volunteer to participate in the Department of Psychology Research Participation Pool. As a participant, you will benefit from first-hand experience with psychological research.

All students enrolled in Gpsyc 101 or 160 are expected to earn three units of credit by participating in an experiment or by completing an alternate participant pool activity through Blackboard. Either one or a combination of these options may meet the requirements. If you are younger than 18, you may not participate in experiments and your only option is to complete the alternate activity. The deadline for completing three units of credit is Friday, November 20 , 2009.
For a five minute video explaining the participant pool requirement, how to sign up for experiments and how to complete alternate activities see: http://jmutube.cit.jmu.edu/content/stolofml/playlist/590/play

Registering for Experiments

Participants sign up for experiments online using software from Sona Systems. All students will be pre-registered with Sona Systems by the beginning of the 3rd week of classes. You can access your Sona password on Blackboard. Go to the “Organizations” tab click on the “Participant Pool” link and go to the “Grades/Sona Password” link

You may sign up for experiments by going to http://jmu.sona-systems.com/ and logging in. To login use your JMU e-ID and the password found in the Blackboard Grades/Sona Password link.

Participating as a Research Participant

If you choose to participate in research, your rights will be protected. All research conforms to JMU and American Psychological Association (APA) standards for treatment of human research participants. As a volunteer, you have the right to withdraw from a study at any time without penalty to your course grade or standing at JMU. If you withdraw, you will still receive credit. All information about participants will be treated confidentially. All information about participants will be confidential.  Participants are encouraged to ask questions about the research.

For each experiment lasting one hour or less you will receive 1 unit of credit toward your 3-unit requirement. Experiments lasting 1-2 hours will receive 2 units. Students who sign up for an experiment and fail to show up or properly cancel their appointment will have 1 credit unit deducted from their total credits earned.

Some studies may require that you to complete a brief online screening questionnaire to determine your eligibility to participate in a study. Participants do not earn credit for completion of screening questionnaires.  Completion of a screening questionnaire is necessary to be invited to participate in some studies but will not guarantee that you will be invited to participate.

To sign up for an experiment, point your browser to http://jmu.sona-systems.com/ and log in. Click “Study Sign-Up” to view current experiments, and then follow the instructions on the screen.

Be careful not to sign up for an experiment for which you have already participated. Credit will not be awarded for participation in the same experiment more than once. After signing up for an experiment, be sure to note the experiment’s number, date, time, and place. Show up for the experiment. If you cannot show up due to an emergency, see instructions for cancellation below. Check the online Participant Pool frequently for new experiments. If you need assistance contact the Participant Pool Coordinator, at SubjectPool@jmu.edu.

Instructions for Cancellation

Emergencies and unexpected events occur in all our lives. The Department of Psychology realizes that you, as students, are very busy. Please remember that faculty and students who are conducting research are also very busy. Researchers are counting on you to show up. In some cases, a research session cannot run unless everyone who has signed up shows up! If you must cancel your appointment, follow the steps listed below to cancel your appointment to avoid losing one point of participation credit for signing up and failing to show up. Point your browser to: http://jmu.sona-systems.com

  1. Log in from the main screen.
  2. Select “My Schedule and Credits” for the experiment you wish to cancel.
  3. Look at “Study Sign-Ups”.
  4. Select the “Cancel” button next to the slot you signed up for and follow the instructions to confirm your request

Students who cancel with at least 24 hours notice will NOT be penalized for their inability to attend the experiment. Credit can be earned for signing up and participating in experiments in the future. Students who fail to provide 24 hours notice will be penalized 1 credit unit.

Alternate Activity: Research Articles and Questions

If you want to earn credit without participating in an experiment, you may complete the following assignment.

Several research articles relating to psychological research are available on Blackboard. Log into http://blackboard.jmu.edu, select under “My Organizations,” "Psychology Participant Pool" and look in "Articles and Quizzes" to find these readings and corresponding quizzes. To receive one unit of credit, read one article and then complete the quiz that corresponds to that article. When you submit your quiz within Blackboard, the system will say that your quiz has been received, but you will not receive credit until your essay questions have been graded. Please allow 10 days for grading. Additional instructions for completing Alternate Activities are available within Blackboard under “information.” It is your responsibility to verify that your quiz is submitted correctly.

Checking Participation Reservations and Points Earned

You can check the credits you have earned towards participant pool participation or alternate activities at any time. To check your research participation reservations and credits earned for participating in experiments, log into http://jmu.sona-systems.com/ and go to “My Schedule/Credits.”. To check your alternate activity credits, log into http://blackboard.jmu.edu, go to "Organizations," and click on the participant pool link, then go to “Grades/Sona Password” Cumulative credits from Blackboard quizzes and Sona studies are not available until the end of the semester. The credits will remain separated until that time.

Deadlines

Friday, October 23, 2009 is the mid-semester deadline in which you must complete at least 1 credit unit. This credit may be earned either by participating in a research study or by completing an alternate activity.

Friday, November 20, 2009 is the last date to complete all remaining alternative activities or experiments for participation credit.

For Questions or Additional Information

Dale Bostwick
Participant Pool Coordinator
Miller Hall Room 1170
SubjectPool@jmu.edu