PGS 101 Research Participation

Research Participation Requirement Student Information Pamphlet

Online Sign-up: http://asu.sona-systems.com If you need assistance with Sona please email PGSwebmaster@asu.edu

All students enrolled in PGS 101 are required either to participate in research conducted by members of the Psychology

Department or write reports on psychological research in Psychology. There are important reasons for this requirement.

The first is educational. Psychology is a scientific discipline. The laws of behavior you are studying are based on research findings. Thus, an awareness of the research process is essential to an understanding of the basis of Psychology. The best way to learn about research is to participate in research directly or to review published research findings. If you choose to participate in one of the approved experiments, you will see the process from the inside and can ask questions about research. If you choose to write a report on a published study, you can discover how researchers translate theoretical questions into testable hypotheses while adding new results to the field. Both options are available to you, although most students choose to participate in the experiments. Either experience will give you insight into the research process.

The second is scientific. Psychology is a rapidly growing science, expanding on many fronts. There are many questions to be answered, hypotheses to be tested, and problems to be solved. Most professors in the Psychology Department are active researchers, and results from these experiments - the very ones you may participate in - shape current and future developments in Psychology. Your textbook likely contains many results from faculty here at ASU.

By participating in research you contribute directly to the development of the science you are studying. By reviewing and writing a report on a published article, you see the finished product of research.

 The third is altruistic. Many students are surprised to discover how research-driven Psychology is. Formal research in Psychology extends back to the mid-1800's, and psychological journals appeared as early as the late 1800's. For the past 100 years, the vast bulk of published findings in many subfields have come from university students who have chosen to participate in approved experiments. Virtually all principles in Psychology, both applied as well as theoretical, can be traced to research findings obtained from research labs. Participating directly in the experiments should enhance your knowledge of Psychology while maintaining the continued development of theory in Psychology. 

 Student Protection: 

 Experiments are reviewed and approved; articles are from refereed journals. If you participate in one of the approved experiments, you should know that all research conducted in the Department of Psychology has been carefully reviewed by the University Institutional Review Board (IRB). The function of the IRB, in part, is to ensure the safety, rights, and dignity of participants. If you decide to review a published research study, you will be able to choose from a large array of suitable, refereed journals. These journals contain articles that have been carefully reviewed by other colleagues in Psychology prior to publication. Because these journals accept only refereed studies, the studies contain research findings that have followed sound and established principles of science. 

 Participation in experiments entails additional safeguards: 

 Withdrawing from an experiment. Once you have started a study, you may withdraw from it at any time for any reason without penalty, as long as you inform the experimenter of your decision. You will earn partial credit based upon the percentage of the study that you completed. To withdraw from an experiment, you need to directly contact the experimenter. If the experimenter is not, for whatever reason, available to you, then you need to email the researcher. To find the researcher’s email address, log into Sona and click on the name of the study. You will find the researcher’s information in the window that opens up.

 Informed Consent. Each posted experiment contains a brief description of what the experiment is about, e.g., whether the experiment involves memory or perception or group decision-making, etc. When you sign up for an experiment, you are giving your informed consent to participate in that experiment. This means that you have willingly selected an experiment to participate in. Some experiments may require an additional consent form for participation. In these cases, the consent form is kept on file in the departmental office. Giving your informed consent does not negate your right to withdraw from any experiment for whatever reason. If the experiment includes minors (individuals under 18 years of age), then the researchers MUST obtain parental permission and student assent prior to the minor's involvement in the research project.

 Confidentiality. All data collected are kept strictly confidential, to the extent permitted by law. The only persons with access to data are those directly associated with the experiment. Data are typically kept in locked files in locked lab rooms.

 Here's How It Works:

The requirement is very simple. You have to complete the required experimental research credits by the posted close date. Failure to do so will result in a grade of incomplete for the course. There are two kinds of research credit, called research participation credit and report credit, detailed below. Please plan to complete this requirement before the last week of classes. You may combine research and report credits to complete your requirements.

Research Participation Credit.
Research participation credit is awarded in units of ½ credit or more. Different experiments award different amounts of credit, roughly 1 credit hour for each hour of participation. You may earn from 1/2 credit to 2 credits by completing a single experiment. Students who show up for the study, read the consent form, and then decide not to participate will receive ¼ of a research credit.

 Please note that you can earn 1 hour of credit toward fulfilling this requirement by completing the Psychology Department Research Questionnaire. The questionnaire is available only for a limited time at the beginning of the semester. You will receive an email when the survey is open for participation. Also students have the option to mix research and report credits, e.g., 4 hours of research credit and 2 hours of report credit. What is critical is that they total 6 hours of credit. A maximum of three hours can be taken from web-based experiments.

 Students who do not show up 3 times for studies will be barred from signing up for any additional experiments.

How to Sign Up for Research Participation Credit

• Go to http://asu.sona-systems.com

• Log in using your ASURite id and the initial password provided to you. Change the passowrd to one of your choosing when you login.

• If you experience any problems logging in, click on pgswebmaster@asu.edu to email your question.

• Read the Human Subjects Policy Memo. Click on "yes" if you agree.

• Click on "My Profile." Make sure your information is correct. Click on "Update" if you make any changes.

• Click on "Experiments." Click on an experiment name to view the description of that experiment. Click on "view time slots" to sign up for the experiment.

• Click on "My Schedule" to view the experiments you have signed up for and for credits/no-shows you have earned.

Canceling Appointments:
You may cancel your experiment appointment by logging onto http://asu.sona-systems.com , click on "My Schedule," click on the cancel button next to the experiment that you have signed [up for].

Telephone Appointment:
Some experimenters prefer to recruit students by telephone to schedule appointments. If you are called by an experimenter and can be there for the experiment, be sure to get all the information: Date, time, room number, experiment number, and the experimenter's name.

ASU Standard Rights:
If you have any questions about your rights as a subject/participant in research, or if you feel you have been placed at risk, you can contact the Chair of the Human Subjects Institutional Review Board, through the ASU Office of Research Integrity and Assurance, at (480) 965 6788.

Report Credit
Report credit is awarded in units of 1 credit. A summary (350 words) of a research report of any length in a journal published by the American Psychological Association (APA) or the American Psychological Society (APS) if done appropriately earns 1 credit. Instructions for these reports and websites to locate acceptable journals are listed at the end of this document. The journals cover all of the major areas of Psychology - Social, Clinical, Developmental, Cognitive, Animal, Neuroscience, etc.

How to Complete Report Credits:

1. If you choose to fulfill all hours of credit by satisfying the Report Credit option, you bypass the Research Participation Credit option entirely.

2. If you choose to fulfill part of your credit requirement with the Report Credit option, log onto the Sona system above to satisfy the remainder of the credit.

3. To obtain report credit, you should read a scientific article from the list below and write a report. A report (350 words) of a journal article receives 1 credit. THE REPORT MUST BE WRITTEN IN YOUR OWN WORDS AND GO BEYOND THE ARTICLE ABSTRACT.

Since most articles have an Introduction, Method, Results, and Discussion section, we recommend that your follow this structure in your report:
A. what the researcher expected to find.
B. the study procedure and important independent variables and dependent variables.
C. The major result or findings of the study.
D. The main conclusion(s) of the study.
E. What you liked and disliked about the article.

4. Give the report (or reports) to your instructor for approval. Since all credit is due by the day of your last class, these reports should be given to your instructor at least 48 hours earlier so that the instructor can evaluate the report and give you credit.

5. be sure to attach a photocopy of the journal article you review.

The list of journals and how to locate them is in the information below:

Review the lists of approved journals below.

• Choose a journal title that interests you.

• Go to the ASU Library website, and use Journal Lookup to find the journal online and to browse its contents.

• Pick an article (or articles) that interest you to write up your summary (or summaries).

• Be sure to download the article, so that you can print it out and give it to your professor with your report or if your professor allows electronic copies send it with your summary as an email attachment (links will not work, due to your unique log-in information).

You may also go to the following websites to obtain lists of journals that may be used for Report Credit.
 http://www.psychologicalscience.org/journals 
http://psycnet.apa.org/   (click on red ‘search’ button for hundreds of journal articles stored at the ASU online reference library!)

 Journal list for Report Credits:
Journal of Experimental Psychology
Journal of Personality & social Psychology
Developmental Psychology
Perception and Psychophysics
Journal of Social Psychology
Social Psychology Quarterly
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
Learning and Motivation
Cognitive Psychology
Journal of Applied Social Psychology
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology
Journal of Applied Behavioral Science
Journal of Memory and Language
Journal of Abnormal Psychology
Child Development
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
Psychological Assessment
Journal of Conflict Resolution
Journal of Experimental Research in Personality
Journal of Personality
Psychology and Aging
Health Psychology
Memory and Cognition
Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society
Journal of Experimental Psychology
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
Merrill-Palmer Quarterly
Brain Research
Brain Research Reviews
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
Journal of Neuroscience
Life Sciences
Neuroscience
Neuroscience Letters
Psychopharmacology- Berlin

You may also go to the following website to obtain lists of journals that may be used for Report Credit. http://www.psychologicalscience.org/journals

Please go to the non-subscriber section and view the journals.

Removal of Incomplete:
If you received an "I" because of this course requirement, the "I" will be removed, and the grade will be changed on your transcript after you complete the experimental credits. Credits to complete the requirement can be earned either during the Spring, Summer or Fall Semesters.

Incomplete for other Reasons:
If you find that you will be unable to complete the course work assigned by your instructor for medical, family, or other personal reasons, ask the instructor to help you start the necessary paperwork.