Psychology Department, Harvard
University
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Psychology Department, Harvard
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| Welcome to the Psychology Study Pool at Harvard University. This Web site provides information for anyone interested in participating in psychology research studies at Harvard and for Harvard researchers who run those studies. 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 psychological research, you also contribute to advancing the scientific understanding of human thought and behavior. Most of our studies take place on the Harvard University campus in Cambridge but online studies are also available.
2012 Spring Semester - Information for Students
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The Psychology Department at Harvard University administers the Study Pool, a Web site where people can sign up to participate in research studies run by members of the department. The Study Pool serves both to introduce students and people in the community to the process of psychological research and to provide members of the department with participants for their research studies. We welcome students, Harvard affiliates, and members of the community to participate in our studies by creating a Study Pool account and then signing up for studies. Anyone may participate in studies for compensation throughout the year. Each semester, students enrolled in specific Psychology courses may be asked to participate in studies for credit. However, participation is completely voluntary and alternative assignments are also available. Many studies have specific requirements for participants, but here are a few basic requirements:
All studies have been approved by Harvard University’s Committee on the Use of Human Subjects. In addition, the Study Pool Security Policy requires that you receive a numeric Identity code when you create a Study Pool account so your responses in these studies will be confidential. Faculty in the Department of Psychology at Harvard, graduate students, undergraduate thesis writers, and Board of Honors Tutors (specifically for student projects) interested in using the Study Pool for their research should contact the Study Pool Coordinator. |
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You may choose to participate in many kinds of studies. Studies may be designed to examine topics such as decision making, memory skills, and emotional, visual, and cognitive processes. You may complete a study alone or you may be asked to participate with other people. Most studies take between 30 minutes and two hours to complete. Before each study begins, a researcher explains what you will be asked to do and gives you a chance to ask questions. Every participant will be asked to sign a Consent Form (Sample Consent Form), but participation is voluntary, and you may decide at any time to stop taking part in a study. You will still receive partial credit or payment for your time spent on the study. If you are participating in an online study, you will be presented with a brief description of the study and asked for your consent to participate. Different studies involve different types of activities, for example:
Some studies use direct sensors (e.g., a heart rate monitor) or remote sensors (e.g., a video-camera) to measure your physiological and psychological reactions to the study situation. When you complete a study, you will receive a Debriefing document. The Debriefing includes a summary of the study, the hypotheses, a brief description of the measures used, and a reference for further reading on the topic. The Debriefing also contains information on how to contact the researchers if you have questions about the study or would like a summary report on the research when and if it is published. You may see a Sample Debriefing here. |
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The Study Pool operates under the assumption that participants and researchers can engage in cooperative interactions that contribute to our research goals. Please read information below to make sure you understand our rules and expectations for your participation in our studies. |
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We expect all participants to follow a few rules to help us with our research.
When participants do not follow these rules, their accounts will be deactivated. If your account was deactivated, you may not create another account. You may not engage in the following activities during a study session unless instructed to do so by the researcher:
Participants who cannot follow these rules may be excused from the study at the discretion of the researcher at any time during the session. Potentially Dangerous Participants: People who are behaving in an untoward fashion or are belligerent in any way to the researchers, administrative staff, or other participants are not fit to participate in a study. This includes participants who appear to be mentally or physically unstable to the extent that they seem at risk of harming those around them or of harming themselves. If a researcher encounters someone behaving in this manner, the researcher is instructed to call the Harvard University Police (5-1212) immediately and to report the incident to the Study Pool Coordinator. |
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The Psychology Study Pool has a Late/No-Show Policy for both study participants and researchers. If You Are Running Late Please contact the researcher if you are running late! If you are more than 10 minutes late to your appointment, the researcher is under no obligation to run the study or to award credit or payment to you, and you will be given an Unexcused No-Show. It is at the researcher's discretion whether to reschedule the appointment. If You Cannot Keep Your Study Appointment You should send email or call the researcher AS SOON AS POSSIBLE to cancel your appointment.
If You Miss Three Study Appointments during a Semester If you have three Unexcused No-Shows during a semester, your account will be automatically deactivated for the rest of the semester and you will not be able to sign up for any more studies. The Study Pool Coordinator is also notified. If you have been a reliable participant, followed Study Pool rules, and have completed other studies successfully, your account will be activated again when the next semester begins. If the Researcher is Late or Misses an Appointment If a researcher is more than 10 minutes late or does not show up for a scheduled appointment, you are entitled to payment or credit (for the amount of time the study is supposed to take) and you should receive a Debriefing Form from that study. You can receive this payment or credit from the researcher when he or she arrives or from another authorized lab member. If the researcher misses your appointment, please call or send email to the researcher to receive payment or credit and a copy of the Debriefing form. You may also ask to reschedule the appointment. Contact information for researchers is available online with the study descriptions. Any researcher who is late or fails to keep a scheduled appointment should be reported to the Study Pool Coordinator. |
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To receive Study Pool credit or payment for participating in a study, you must arrive ON TIME for your study appointment. Students and Study Pool Credits: If you are a Harvard student enrolled in a participating Psychology course, you may participate in both local and online studies to earn Study Pool credits. After you earn your credits, you may participate in studies for payment. Let your instructor know if you do not want to participate in psychology studies so you can complete the alternative assignment. Payment for Studies: Payment is $5 per half hour for most studies conducted on campus, and studies range from a half hour to two hours long. Researchers may pay participants either by cash, gift card, or Harvard University check. Payment for participation in online studies is usually done by gift card, and may be set up so that every 15th or 20th person is selected to receive a gift card. Note that payments made by University checks takes 3-4 weeks to be processed and sent out by Harvard after the researcher submits the paperwork. Please be patient and contact the researcher if you have questions about your payment.
Note that participating in studies for compensation does not make you an employee of the Harvard Psychology Department or Harvard University. |
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When you participate in a study for payment, the researcher will ask you to fill out a Subject Payment Form (.doc) for each session.
Researchers are required to collect this information from study participants in order to comply with Internal Revenue Service regulations, U.S. tax laws, and to verify your eligibility to receive payment in the United States. Additional Requirements for Foreign Nationals Foreign Nationals are individuals who are not US citizens or Permanent Residents. In order to be paid by CHECK for study participation, Foreign Nationals must complete paperwork and submit additional documentation to show that they are eligible to receive payment in the United States. For more details, please see the Payment Information for Foreign Nationals. Protection of Your Personal Information The procedure for safe-guarding your personal information is carefully reviewed by the Committee on the Use of Human Subjects at Harvard. Personal information and data collected during a study must be kept in locked/secure areas to assure confidentiality and protection from identity theft. Social Security Numbers cannot be collected online for an online study unless it has been predetermined that the Web site and server are secure. If you would like to verify the authenticity of an online study that is being advertised by Harvard researchers, you may:
If you have further concerns, you can contact the Psychology Study Pool Coordinator at studypool@wjh.harvard.edu or 617-495-3891 to validate the affiliation of a particular study with this department. We appreciate your support of our research and we hope that you will continue to participate in our studies. |
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Foreign Nationals are individuals who are not US citizens or permanent residents. The University's policies for payments to Foreign Nationals are summarized below. Study Pool Credits: Foreign National students may participate in psychology studies to earn Study Pool credits. Cash Payments: Foreign Nationals may participate in psychology studies that pay participants in cash up to $100 per session. Check Payments: If payment for a study will be made by CHECK, Foreign Nationals need to meet specific eligibility requirements and be approved through the Study Pool Office BEFORE participating in that study. All studies that pay over $100 per session are required to pay participants by CHECK. Requirements for Foreign Nationals (to be paid by CHECK only)
How to Apply for Approval for Check Payments If you are a Foreign National and meet the requirements listed above, you need to apply for approval through the Study Pool Coordinator in 228 William James Hall.
Note that participating in studies for compensation does not make you an employee of the Harvard Psychology Department or Harvard University. Also note that when Foreign Nationals are paid by check for participation in any study, regardless of the amount, they may be taxed (up to 30%) of their earnings depending on the regulations and policies issued by the Harvard Tax Office in conjunction with their home country taxation laws. U.S. Immigration law dictates that we comply with federal rules regarding payment of participants in our studies who are not U.S. citizens. Failure to comply with these rules may result in the loss of funds for the Principal Investigators of the studies involved. For Studies Outside the United States Foreign Nationals located outside the United States may participate in online studies conducted by researchers in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University. However, researchers must get the following information from Foreign Nationals BEFORE paying them, and payments should not exceed $100. Researchers may include this information in the online consent form or ask participants to mail or fax this statement to them.
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Forms for Participants
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If you would like to find out more about the research conducted in the Harvard Psychology Department, follow the links below to view the individual lab pages. Psychology Lab Links by Supervisor
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| Harvard University Home | Psychology Department Home Psychology Study Pool at Harvard University Contact the Study Pool Coordinator Copyright 2005 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College Website designed by Alexa Reynolds |
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