Rights and Responsibilities for Conducting Research Using the Psychology Course Credit Participant Pool

To view this information in pdf form, please refer to this Rights and Responsibilities document.

As a member of the Psychology Department, you have the opportunity to conduct research using the Course Credit Participant Pool. This participant pool consists of undergraduate students who are enrolled in a variety of psychology courses and are participating in these studies for course credit. For students, this is a chance to experience psychological research outside of the classroom. For researchers, this is a chance to successfully complete your studies with minimal monetary costs.

The Psychology Department conducts these studies in accordance with the ethical procedures established by the campus Institutional Research Board (IRB) and the Department’s Human Subjects Committee (HSC). Researchers must conduct each study in a responsible manner. Researchers do not have the right to be abusive or rude to participants, to coerce participants, or to treat participants with disrespect. Below is a list of rights and responsibilities that you have as a researcher who uses the Psychology Course Credit Participant Pool for conducting research.

1. You have a right to run studies that last up to 170 minutes. If a participant shows up late, you do not have to allow them to participate in the study.

2. You have the right to a distraction-free research environment. If a participant is using a cell phone, other electronic devices, or disrupting the study or other participants, you may ask them to leave, and they will not receive any credit for the session (see the FAQ and Instructions for Researchers).

3. You have the right to quality data. If you think that a participant is not taking a study seriously, purposely providing inaccurate or inappropriate responses, or acting in a manner which makes you believe that their data will be unusable, you may ask them to leave, and they will not receive any credit for the session (see the FAQ and Instructions for Researchers).

1. You must be on time to the study you are conducting. Participants are told to wait 15 minutes past the scheduled start time. After that time, participants will receive credit, regardless of actual participation

2. You must provide a written debriefing to each participant (see the HSC Guidelines). It should include a summary of the research, resources for further information, and contact information for a faculty/graduate student who can further discuss the research. A blank copy of the consent form should also be available for participants upon request.

3. You must record credit for each participant within 48 hours of the study session (see the FAQ and Instructions for Researchers).

4. If a student feels uncomfortable during the study, they can withdraw at any time. If they withdraw from a study that is shorter than one hour, they will not receive any credit for the session. For studies that are longer than one hour, participants can receive prorated credit for partial completion of the study. You must provide the Course Credit Early Withdrawal Form (available on the department website), which must be filled out and submitted to the Participant Pool Coordinator for the participant to receive partial credit.

5. If you cancel a study less than 24 hours in advance, you must give the student credit.

6. If a study is scheduled after building hours, you must arrange for participants to be let into the building.

7. All personal and identifiable data collected during these studies will be kept confidential unless a participant gives permission to do otherwise.

8. You are responsible for ensuring that your in-person procedures are in compliance with all COVID-related directives from the department, campus/university, and state.