Human Subjects Lab

UCI Department of Psychology

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Information for Student Participants

• Welcome to the Human Subjects Lab •
• Important Reminders •
• Once You Have An Account •

The purpose of psychological research is the acquisition of knowledge. A great deal of what we know about human behavior is based on studies conducted at universities like UCI. Serving as a participant in an experiment provides students with direct exposure to psychological research. The descriptions of psychological research that appear in textbooks and scientific journals necessarily omit a great deal of information about what research is really like. Serving as a research participant thus complements what you learn in your courses by giving you a behind-the-scenes look at research.

Each quarter, many undergraduate classes offer extra credit points to students who choose to participate in research experiments through the Human Subjects Lab Pool. If your class offers extra credit for research participation through our Human Subjects Lab, the following should be clearly stated in the course syllabus:

  • Participating in research is a purely voluntary opportunity;
  • All methods of obtaining extra credit points, including research participation, should be clearly addressed;
  • There is a clear hour-to-point conversion factor, so you know exactly how your participation hours/credits will be converted to points in the classroom.
  • We recommend you sign up to participate earlier, rather than later, in the quarter. Studies can be added at any time and if you wait too long, you run the risk of not being able to earn all of the credits you want.
  • Credits do not roll over to the next quarter. They must be used within the same quarter they are earned.
  • Select your courses carefully. Make sure you’ve selected the correct course#, course title, and instructor’s name. You can change this by clicking “Modify contact information” and selecting the “Change Courses” button in your account profile.
  • Make sure to assign your credits by the deadline stated on our Sona homepage. No changes or extensions will be granted.
  • The credits earned from a single study cannot be split among multiple courses (i.e., if you earn 1 credit for a study, you cannot assign 0.5 credits to one course and 0.5 credits to another course. You must assign the full 1 credit to a single course)

Login your account at https://uci.sona-systems.com/ using your User ID and password.  On the Welcome Screen, you will be able to select from:

  • Study Sign-Up: Click on the “View Available Studies” button to see currently active studies.
  • My Schedule & Credits: You can view and cancel your appointments, and can see how many credits you have earned (including which study and when).
  • My Profile: You can modify your password, contact information, and change course selections from this screen. Make sure to click the Update button to save your changes. 
  • Participant Tutorial Video

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

To create a Participant account, visit the Sona website at: https://uci.sona-systems.com/ Click on the Request Account button on the bottom of the page and complete the requested information (Note: Your User ID must be your UCINetID).

Click on My Profile in the top blue menu bar. On the right hand side in the Credits section you will see a blue button Change Courses. Here you can add or remove courses you would like to assign credit to. Click Save Changes.
You may track your progress at any time by choosing the My Schedule/Credits option from the top toolbar. When you view this page, at the top, you will see at the list of the number of credits you are expected to earn in addition to how many you have already earned thus far, and the number of unexcused no-shows you have earned if you have them. You may also have an option to view how many credits you have earned for each course, and you may also see the credit requirements for each course next to that. Below that, if you have signed up for any studies, those will be listed as well. In the list of studies you will also see information about your credit status.
If you belong to multiple courses that offer extra credit for research participation, the system allows you to reassign earned credits from one course to another. Use the Reassign button and select the course you would like the credit(s) moved to. Please note, you must add the course (see directions above) first. Click My Schedule/Credits in the top blue menu bar. The credits you have earned will be listed in the Study Signups section. You may not split a credit between two courses. For example, assigning 2 credits of a 3-credit study to one course, and 1 credit from that study to a different course is not allowed.
To ensure up-to-date information and eligibility, Participants are required to take the prescreen once an academic year. You will receive .5 Sona credits the first time you complete the prescreen.
The researcher must grant you credit. This is usually done shortly after your participation in the study. If it has been some time and you have still not received credit, contact the researcher.
If you fail to show up for an experiment for any reason, you will incur a “no-show”. A “no-show” means you’ve earned 0 credits, since you did not participate in the study. If you receive TWO (2) no-shows during a quarter, you will be prohibited from enrolling in any new studies and will not be able to earn extra credit via research participation for the remainder of the quarter. If this occurs, you may earn extra credit by completing the alternative option(s) described in the course syllabus for the class you are enrolled in. The alternative options must be comparable to participating as a research participant in terms of time, effort, educational benefit, and credit earned. NOTE: If your account is limited due to exceeding the no-show policy, you will be able to participate in studies you signed up for prior to your account being limited. If you cannot make those appointments, do have the courtesy of canceling your appointments via your Sona account profile prior to your scheduled appointment time.
To view a list of studies, click on Studies from the top toolbar. You will see a list of studies. A brief description of each study will be listed, as well as any special requirements that may restrict your eligibility to participate in the study. Studies that currently have available participation times (timeslots) will have Timeslots Available listed next to the name of the study. If none of the studies have available timeslots, you may want to log on to the system a few days later to see if new timeslots have been added. You may also select a specific date to view studies with available timeslots on that date. To view more information about a study, click on the name of the study.
To sign up to participate in a study find the study you would like to participate in and click on the study name for more information. Once you have determined you meet all the requirements, click on View Timeslots for This Study and you will see a list of available timeslots. For lab studies, you can choose between a list view and monthly calendar view using the option in the top right corner of the page. Choose a timeslot that is convenient for you, and click Sign Up. After you click Sign Up, you will see information displayed confirming the time and location of the study you plan to participate in, and you can then choose to complete your sign-up.
If you need to cancel a timeslot you have signed up for, you can do this from the My Schedule and Credits page. Studies that you have signed up for and that you are allowed to cancel will have a Cancel button next to them.
If you have questions about the study you are participating in – including questions about your credits earned – contact the researchers who are running the study. You can find their contact information by looking at your schedule in your account profile, selecting the study, and looking for the researchers’ names.

Reset your password here.

If you incorrectly entered your name, student ID, or birthdate during your account setup, please email the HS Lab at sereslab@uci.edu so we can correct the error.
Participation in research is completely voluntary; there are alternative ways to accrue extra credit for your courses.

UCI is a multicultural community of people from diverse backgrounds. Our activities, programs, classes, workshops, lectures, and everyday interactions are enriched by our acceptance of one another, and we strive to learn from each other in an atmosphere of positive engagement and mutual respect. UCI students are expected to comply with all laws and with University policies and campus regulations.

If you have been reported for academic misconduct or misbehavior, your ability to participate for extra credit via the HS Lab Pool may be prohibited during the quarter immediately proceeding the report and longer, if applicable.

For further information about Academic Integrity, Student Conduct, and applicable policies and regulations, please refer to the Office of Academic Integrity & Student Conduct’s website.