Psychology Study Pool
Psychology Department, Harvard
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Psychology Study Pool Psychology Department, Harvard
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Information for students currently enrolled in participating Psychology Courses Welcome to the Psychology Study Pool. One important way to learn about psychology is from the inside - by being a participant in psychological studies. You can learn about how studies are done, why they take certain approaches, what they find, and what it is like to be the person being studied. By serving as a participant in research, you also contribute to advancing the scientific understanding of human thought and behavior. As part of your experience of psychology during your time at Harvard, you are invited to participate in studies conducted by Department of Psychology researchers. 2. What kind of studies are available? 3. How can I be sure that it is safe to participate in these studies? 4. Will my participation be confidential? 5. How will I be paid for my participation? 6. What do I do if I am under 18? (for credit or for pay) 7. What if I am a Foreign National (not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident)? 8. Where are the studies being conducted? 9. How do I sign up for studies? 10. If I am participating for credit, how will my professor know about the credits I have earned? 11. What do I need to know about the Study Pool online Prescreening Survey?
The Study Pool remains open for participants for compensation throughout the summer and the academic year. |
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The Harvard Psychology Department administers a Study Pool (an online pool of current research studies from which participants can select) in some Psychology courses as well as for members of the community who would like to participate for monetary compensation. Students in these Psychology courses may sign up to participate in study hours for course credit or complete alternate assignments determined by their course instructor. The Pool serves both to introduce students and members of the community to the process of psychological research and to provide members of the department with participants for their research studies. The Study Pool is guided by two principles: 1) Participation must be educational and 2) it must be voluntary. 2. What kind of studies are available? There are many kinds of studies currently being run in the Psychology Department. Most of the studies are survey-based. As a participant, you could be asked to fill out questionnaires, view videos, or make judgments on a computer. 3. How can I be sure that it is safe to participate in these studies? All studies are reviewed and approved in advance by the Harvard University Human Subjects Committee and the Study Pool Committee. When you arrive at each study appointment, the researcher will explain the study to you and you will have a chance to ask any questions you may have about participation. If you wish to participate, you will be given a written explanation of the study and asked to sign it, indicating your consent to participate. You should know, though, that even after you have consented and have started to participate in any study, it is always up to you to decide whether you want to continue. If, as the study is under way, you decide you would rather not participate, you may tell the experimenter and stop participating at any time-and you will still receive credit or payment for participating. 4. Will my participation be confidential? Your participation in Psychological research at Harvard will remain confidential and your identity will not be stored with your data. If you sign up to participate in Psychology studies through our online appointment system, you will be assigned a numeric code and shown the security policy. Your responses will be assigned a code number, and the list connecting your name with this number will be kept in a locked room and will be destroyed once all the data have been collected and analyzed. The experimenter will provide you with a Consent Form at the beginning of the study, assuring you of your rights to confidentiality. 5. How will I be paid for my participation? You will either be given course credit (if your class is participating in the Study Pool) or be paid (usually $10/hour) for your participation. If you are participating for credit for your Psychology course this semester, once you have completed the participation hours required for your course, you are most welcome to participate in studies for money. 6. What do I do if I am under 18? (for credit or for pay) If you are under the age of 18, you must have a Parental Consent Form (pdf version) (word document version) on file with the Study Administrator in 234 William James Hall before you are eligible to participate in any studies at Harvard University for credit or for pay. You or your parents may download this Parental Consent Form above or from this info page. Once you have your Parental Consent Form signed, you may either: 1. Fax to: (617) 496-8279 2. Mail to: Study Administrator, 234 William James Hall, 33 Kirkland Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138 OR 3. Deliver to: the Study Administrator in 234 William James Hall on Harvard's campus. Click HERE for directions to William James Hall. 7. What if I am a Foreign National (not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident)? Foreign Nationals who are participating in studies for Psychology course credit do not need to complete the following documentation. To participate in studies for monetary compensation, however, Foreign Nationals (not U.S. citizens or Green Card holders) must be affiliated with Harvard University. Your United States visa or the annotation on your I-20 Form must list "Harvard University" as the sponsoring institution. If this is not the case, you are not eligible to participate in studies for compensation from Harvard at this time. If you are a Foreign National affiliated with Harvard University and you would like to participate in studies for payment, you are required to complete the FNIF (Foreign National Information Form) (PDF) and provide copies of your documents (see list of documents below) to the Study Administrator before ever being paid for study participation. No prior approval = no compensation. When you visit the Study Administrator in 234 William James Hall to fill out your Foreign National Information Form (FNIF), you will be asked to present the following original documents: a) your passport 8. Where are the studies being conducted? Most of the studies in the Psychology Department take place in William James Hall on the campus of Harvard University. However, some studies are being held in other locations around Harvard. Please check your email or appointment schedule to make sure you know where your study appointment is located. Note: Allow extra time for travel in case of traffic, weather, or unusual circumstances. Also, as the elevators in William James Hall are frequently in use, it often takes several minutes to arrive at the upper floors where your study is located. Please plan to arrive at your study appointment early. The researcher is under no obligation to pay or award credit to you if you are late to your appointment. 9. How do I sign up for studies? From the Study Pool home page, click on "Go to Online Sign-Up Now." This will take you to our online appointment system (Sona). Click on the "New Participant?" link on the lower left hand side of this screen. You will be asked to enter your first and last name, a user ID (login) you would like to use, and your email address. You will also be asked to select a "course" from the drop-down list. If you are not enrolled in a participating Psychology course, select "Participating for Pay Only." The system will then send a password to the email address you specified. Once you have this password, you can log in and view all of the available studies and appointment times, see how much compensation each study is offering, and sign up to participate. Once you make an appointment, you will receive an email confirmation and reminder of that appointment time. 10. If I am participating for credit, how will my professor know about the credits I have earned? As long as you have selected the appropriate course from the drop-down list when you registered for your account, your Professor or TF will automatically be sent a record of your study participation at the end of the semester, before the grading period. You can always view your own study credit history by logging in to your account and clicking on "My Schedule/Credits." 11. What do I need to know about the Study Pool online Prescreening Survey? The Study Pool online Prescreening Survey is an optional survey. It will be presented to you the first time you log in to the Study Pool system. There is no direct benefit to you of participating in this Prescreening, other than the Study Pool credit (amount of credit awarded may vary from semester to semester) you will receive (if you are enrolled in a participating Psychology course and you complete the Prescreening by the deadline set within the first three weeks of the semester) and being eligible for studies for which would not otherwise be eligible. You are always welcome to decline to participate in this Prescreening Survey. Note: If you are enrolled in a Psychology class that is participating in the Study Pool this semester, ask your Instructor or TF (Teaching Fellow) whether the online Prescreening Survey credit is accepted as study participation credit for your particular course. Not all Instructors accept this Prescreening credit, so it is best to find this out early in the semester. |
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