jmu psychology alternate assignment

PSYC 101. General Psychology [C5SD]

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PSYC 101: Introduction to Psychology

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Psychology Subject Pool Alternative Assignment (AA)

Find a  research article  published in the  last 6 months that focuses on human research  from a journal published by the American Psychological Association. Follow the instructions below this box to find an article that meets the assignment criteria.

Alternative Assignment (AA) Requirements

• The AA must contain 300-500 words, not including the citation or the header
• Introduction
• Discussion/Limitations

Assignment Help

• Follow the instructions below this box to find an article that meets the assignment criteria.
• Go to Read Psychology Articles for guidelines and instructions on how to read and get the most out of scholarly Psychology journal articles. 
• Go to What Is Peer Review? for a short video describing the peer-review process and why your professors think it's so important.
• Go to Cite in APA Style  and click on the Journal Article link. Use the instructions and template to help you put together your APA citation for your article.
• Sample Alternative Assignment

Using PsycARTICLES to find your article

PsycARTICLES has more than 153,000 searchable full text articles from nearly 80 scholarly journals published by the American Psychological Assocaition (APA). It also provides exclusive full-text access to journals published by the American Psychological Association.

To find an article for your review, follow these steps:

1.  Click this link to go to this PsycARTICLES search . This link pre-limits your search to  empirical study articles  from  journals published by the American Psychological Association (APA) . The study  population group  has also been limited to  Humans .

2. You will see a list of over 70,000 empirical study articles. To limit to articles on a topic of interest, type some search terms into the top box.  Be brief - just one word or phrase, or one word or phrase on each line. For example:

3. Click  Search .  You will be brought to a list of articles matching your criteria.

4. Use the options in the Refine Results navigation bar to the left of your search results to limit your search results to articles published within the last six months:

• Click on the Show More link under the Publication Date slider to open the  Search Options  pop-up
• Under Publication Date  in the Search Options popup, set the  Start Month and the Start Year  to six months previous to your current month. For example, if it's currently October 2022, then you would set your Start Month to April and your Start Year to 2022 .

5.  Look through the resulting articles and select one to review for your paper.   Make sure to confirm that it was published within the last six months!!

If you have any trouble, go back and try different search terms, or add search terms to the empty search boxes to focus the results list.

• << Previous: Cite in APA Style
• Last Updated: Apr 26, 2024 8:26 AM
• URL: https://guides.umd.umich.edu/psyc101

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• Alternative SONA Assignment
• Getting Started
• Research Topics
• Finding Specific Kinds of Articles
• Psychology as Profession and Scholarly Community

Instructions

• Sona Instruction for Students - Including Alt Assignment [Spring 2024]
• Alternative Assignment Form Make your own copy of this template.

Preferred Option: Select articles from the list of approved articles

In the box below is a list of approved articles you can use. Each article includes a link to the database where the full text may be found.

Alternative Option: Use the APA PsycInfo database to find articles on your own

• Use the instructions (see below) to learn how to search in the APA PsycInfo database to find empirical study articles published in peer-reviewed journals.
• As you select the article you would like to use, you will need to make sure that the article was published in one of the approved journals (see the box on this page listing the journals).
• Contact the psychology librarian (Stephen Francoeur) at any time for assistance.

Preferred Option: Approved Articles to Use

Albright, G., Fazel, M., Khalid, N., McMillan, J., Hilty, D., Shockley, K., & Joshi, S. (2022). High school educator training by simulation to address emotional and behavioral concerns in school settings: A randomized study. Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science , 7(3), 277–289.

Bartgis, J., & Albright, G. (2016). Online role-play simulations with emotionally responsive avatars for the early detection of Native youth psychological distress, including depression and suicidal ideation. American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research , 23(2), 1–27.

Bernardin, H. J. (1978). Effects of rater training on leniency and halo errors in student ratings of instructors. Journal of Applied Psychology , 63(3), 301-308.

Bian, L., Leslie, S. J., & Cimpian, A. (2017). Gender stereotypes about intellectual ability emerge early and influence children’s interests. Science , 355(6323), 389-391.

Bradley, E.G., Albright, G., McMillan, J.T., & Shockley, K.M. (2019). Impact of a simulation on educator support of LGBTQ youth. Journal of LGBT Youth , 16, 317-339.

Carstensen, L. L., Turan, B., Scheibe, S., Ram, N., Ersner-Hershfield, H., Samanez-Larkin, G. R., Brooks, K. P., & Nesselroade, J. R. (2011). Emotional experience improves with age: evidence based on over 10 years of experience sampling. Psychology and Aging , 26(1), 21–33.

• View online (at Online Learning) • Cate, C. A., & Albright, G. (2015). Supporting Student Veterans: Utilizing Game-Based Role-Plays with Virtual Humans to Build Military Cultural Competency and Helping Behaviors in Faculty and Staff. Online Learning, 19(1), 48-63.

Engle-Friedman, M., Tipaldo, J., Piskorski, N., Young, S., & Rong, C. Enhancing environmental resource sustainability by imagining oneself in the future (2022). Journal of Environmental Psychology , 79.

• Engle-Friedman, M., Mathew, G. M., Martinova, A., Armstrong, F., & Konstantinov, V. (2018). The role of sleep deprivation and fatigue in the perception of task difficulty and use of heuristics. Sleep Science ,11(2), 74-84.

• View onilne (at Academic Search Complete) Gödöllei, A. F., & Beck, J. W. (2020). Development and validation of the state regulatory focus scale. Human Performance, 33(2-3), 104-129.

Huberty, J., Green, J., Glissmann, C., Larkey, L., Puzia, M., & Lee, C. (2019). Efficacy of the mindfulness meditation mobile app "Calm" to reduce stress among college students: Randomized controlled trial. JMIR mHealth and uHealth , 7(6), e14273.

Hyland, S., Mackin, D. M., Goldstein, B. L., Finsaas, M. C., & Klein, D. N. (2022). Agreement, Stability, and Validity of Parent- and Youth-Reported Anxiety Symptoms from Childhood to Adolescence. Research on child and adolescent psychopathology , 50(11), 1445–1455.

Ivancevich, J. M. (1976). Effects of goal setting on performance and job satisfaction. Journal of Applied Psychology , 61(5), 605-612.

Knowlton, B. J., Mangels, J. A., & Squire, L. R. (1996). A neostriatal habit learning system in humans. Science , 273(5280), 1399–1402.

Knowlton, W. A., & Mitchell, T. R. (1980). Effects of causal attributions on supervisor's evaluation of subordinate performance. Journal of Applied Psychology , 65(4), 459.

Leslie, S. J., Cimpian, A., Meyer, M., & Freeland, E. (2015). Expectations of brilliance underlie gender distributions across academic disciplines. Science , 347(6219), 262-265.

• View online (at JSTOR) Levy, B. R., Pilver, C., Chung, P. H., & Slade, M. D. (2014). Subliminal strengthening: improving older individuals' physical function over time with an implicit-age-stereotype intervention. Psychological science, 25(12), 2127–2135.

Mangels, J. A., Butterfield, B., Lamb, J., Good, C., & Dweck, C. S. (2006). Why do beliefs about intelligence influence learning success? A social cognitive neuroscience model. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience , 1(2), 75–86.

Marrero, D. G., Palmer, K. N., Phillips, E. O., Miller-Kovach, K., Foster, G. D., & Saha, C. K. (2016). Comparison of commercial and self-Initiated weight loss programs in people with prediabetes: A Randomized Control Trial. American Journal of Public Health , 106(5), 949–956.

McCabe, D. P., & Castel, A. D. (2008). Seeing is believing: The effect of brain images on judgments of scientific reasoning. Cognition , 107(1), 343-352.

Miller, H. E., & Terborg, J. R. (1979). Job attitudes of part-time and full-time employees. Journal of Applied Psychology , 64(4), 380.

• View online (at Acdemic Search Complete) • Nagel, J. A., Patel, K. R., Rothstein, E. G., & Watts, L. L. (2020). Unintended consequences of performance incentives: impacts of framing and structure on performance and cheating. Ethics & Behavior, 31(7), 498-515.

Rattan, A., & Dweck, C. S. (2010). Who confronts prejudice? The role of implicit theories in the motivation to confront prejudice. Psychological Science , 21(7), 952-959.

Snedden, T. R., Scerpella, J., Kliethermes, S. A., Norman, R. S., Blyholder, L., Sanfilippo, J., McGuire, T. A., & Heiderscheit, B. (2019). Sport and physical activity level impacts health-related quality of life among collegiate students. American Journal of Health Promotion , 33(5), 675–682.

Sommer, K. & Bernieri, F (2014). Minimizing the pain and probability of rejection: Evidence for relational distancing and proximity seeking within face-to-face interactions. Social Psychological and Personality Science , 6(2), 131-139.

Sommer, K.L., Parson, C., Bruno, S., & Bourgeois, M.J. (2011). Sex and need for power as predictors of reactions to disobedience. Social Influence , 7 (1), 1-19.

• View online (at APA PsycArticles) Yam, K. C., Tang, P. M., Jackson, J. C., Su, R., & Gray, K. (2022). The rise of robots increases job insecurity and maladaptive workplace behaviors: Multimethod evidence. Journal of Applied Psychology.

Young, C. B., Wu, S. S., & Menon, V. (2012). The neurodevelopmental basis of math anxiety. Psychological Science , 23(5), 492–501.

Need More Help?

Understanding or writing the assignment.

Contact your instructor (not the psychology librarian)

Finding sources?

Consult the guide to searching in APA PsycInfo

• APA PsycInfo: How to Search

Ask the psychology librarian for help: Stephen Francoeur, [email protected]

Alternative 2: Use APA PsycInfo to Find Articles on Your Own

Your instructors recommend that you use the preferred option of using articles that have been pre-selected for you. It is also allowable to search for articles yourself, but you must make sure that any article you use meets these two criteria:

• must be a peer-reviewed journal article
• must be about the results of an empirical study conducted by the authors of the article

What is an empirical study?

According to the APA , it is a "study based on facts, systematic observation, or experiment, rather than theory or general philosophical principle."

How to find empirical studies in APA PsycInfo

STEP 1: Enter your search terms

STEP 2: Scroll down to the "Publication Type" box and select "Peer Reviewed Journal"

STEP 3: Scroll down to the "Methodology" box and pick "Empirical Study"

STEP 4: Click the "Search" button

Search Now in the APA PsycInfo Database

List of Approved Journals

If you are searching in APA PsycInfo on your own for articles, you may want to focus on articles found in these journals:

• Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research
• Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Families, Systems, & Health
• Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice
• Health Psychology
• International Journal of Stress Management
• Journal of Abnormal Psychology
• Journal of Applied Psychology
• Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology
• Journal of Counseling Psychology
• Journal of Diversity in Higher Education
• Journal of Educational Psychology
• Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes
• Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied
• Journal of Experimental Psychology: General
• Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance
• Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition
• Journal of Family Psychology
• Journal of Neuroscience, Psychology, and Economics
• Journal of Occupational Health Psychology
• Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
• Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment
• Professional Psychology: Research and Practice
• Psychology and Aging
• Psychology of Addictive Behaviors
• Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts
• Psychology of Men and Masculinity
• Psychology of Religion and Spirituality
• Psychology, Public Policy, and Law

These journals are also acceptable:

• American Journal of Orthopsychiatry
• American Psychologist
• Asian American Journal of Psychology
• Behavioral Neuroscience
• Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science
• Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology
• Canadian Psychology
• Clinician's Research Digest
• Contemporary Psychology: APA Review of Books
• Experimental & Clinical Psychopharmacology
• History of Psychology
• International Journal of Play Therapy
• Journal of Comparative Psychology
• Journal of Psychotherapy Integration
• Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology
• Neuropsychology
• Prevention & Treatment
• Psychoanalytic Psychology
• Psychological Assessment
• Psychological Bulletin
• Psychological Methods
• Psychological Review
• Psychological Services
• Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy
• Psychotherapy Theory, Research, Practice, Training
• Rehabilitation Psychology
• Review of General Psychology
• School Psychology Quarterly
• Training and Education in Professional Psychology

Psychology Librarian

• << Previous: Finding Specific Kinds of Articles
• Next: Psychology as Profession and Scholarly Community >>
• Last updated: Mar 15, 2024 8:49 AM

PSYC 101 and PSYC 160 Alternative Activity Guides: PSYC 160 - LIFE SPAN HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

• PSYC 101 - GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY
• PSYC 160 - LIFE SPAN HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

ARTICLES (PICK ONE TO READ)

Roses are red, socks are blue: Switching dimensions disrupts young children's language comprehension

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on screen time and sleep in early adolescents

Connecting from Off-Campus?

• The easiest way to access these articles: Connect From On-Campus (computer labs, libraries, residence halls, campus wi-fi)
• If you're off-campus, you need to set up Off-Campus Access. Instructions can be found here: https://www.lib.jmu.edu/connect/.
• Trouble with Off-Campus Access? Contact the JMU Computing Help Desk here: https://www.jmu.edu/computing/helpdesk/
• Questions about the quiz or participant pool ? Contact Participant Pool Coordinator at [email protected]
• General questions about article access ? Contact Liz Chenevey at [email protected]
• << Previous: PSYC 101 - GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY
• Last Updated: Dec 5, 2023 4:52 PM
• URL: https://guides.lib.jmu.edu/PsycAlternative

Program Description

A student must complete a minimum of 44 PSYC credits and at least 60 non-PSYC credits.

Admission and Retention Requirements

• Complete  PSYC 101. General Psychology [C5SD]   , with a minimum grade of “C.” Equivalent courses completed at other institutions that transfer to JMU are acceptable.
• Complete  MATH 205   ,  MATH 220   ,  MATH 231   ,  MATH 235    or another acceptable math course with a minimum grade of “C.” Equivalent courses completed at other institutions that transfer to JMU are acceptable.
• Complete any General Education Psychology course ( PSYC 101   ,  PSYC 122    or  PSYC 160   ) with a minimum grade of “B.”  Earning a 4 on the AP Psychology exam meets this requirement. With departmental approval, grades from other institutions can fulfill this requirement.
• Complete an online orientation and application, available from the  psychology department   website.

Degree and Major Requirements

Major requirements.

The courses listed below are required of all students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree, regardless of whether psychology is their first or second major.

• PSYC 101. General Psychology [C5SD] Credits: 3.00

Methodology Core: 8 Credit Hours

PSYC 210    and PSYC 211    are offered every semester; PSYC 212    is offered only during the fall semester; PSYC 213    is offered only during the spring semester.

Choose one of the following sequences:

• PSYC 210. Psychological Measurement and Statistics Credits: 4.00 and
• PSYC 211. Psychological Research Methods Credits: 4.00
• PSYC 212. Psychological Research Design and Data Analysis I Credits: 4.00 and
• PSYC 213. Psychological Research Design and Data Analysis II Credits: 4.00

SS Content Core – Psychology as a Social Science: 9 Credit Hours

Choose at least three of the following:

• PSYC 330. Psychology of Personality Credits: 3.00
• PSYC 335. Abnormal Psychology Credits: 3.00
• PSYC 345. Social Psychology Credits: 3.00
• PSYC 365. Developmental Psychology Credits: 3.00

NS Content Core – Psychology as a Natural Science: 9 Credit Hours

• PSYC 375. Sensation and Perception Credits: 3.00
• BIO 375. Sensation and Perception Credits: 3.00
• PSYC 380. Cognitive Psychology Credits: 3.00
• PSYC 385. Biopsychology Credits: 3.00
• BIO 385. Biopsychology Credits: 3.00
• PSYC 390. Psychology of Learning Credits: 3.00
• PSYC 395. Comparative Animal Behavior Credits: 3.00
• BIO 395. Comparative Animal Behavior Credits: 3.00

Upper Level Specialty Content Courses: 3 Credit Hours

Choose at least one of the following:

• PSYC 400. Advanced Topics in Psychology Credits: 1.00 - 3.00
• PSYC 410. Psychology of the Workplace Credits: 3.00
• PSYC 415. Forensic Psychology Credits: 3.00
• PSYC 420. Advanced Psychological Statistics Credits: 3.00
• PSYC 425. School Psychology Credits: 3.00
• PSYC 427. Tests and Measurements Credits: 3.00
• PSYC 428. Educational Psychology Credits: 3.00
• PSYC 430. Clinical Psychology Credits: 3.00
• PSYC 435. Community Psychology Credits: 3.00
• PSYC 450. Psychology of Child Abuse and Neglect Credits: 3.00
• PSYC 452. Child Psychopathology Credits: 3.00
• PSYC 460. Community Psychology Within Developing Societies Credits: 3.00
• PSYC 461. Advanced Study Abroad in Psychology Credits: 1.00-4.00
• PSYC 475. Psychology of Adulthood Credits: 3.00
• PSYC 480. Applied Behavior Analysis Credits: 3.00

Psychology electives: 9 Credit Hours

At least three hours must be at the 400 level.

Capstone course: 3 Credit Hours

Departmental approval is required for students to enroll in more than one psychology capstone course.

Choose one of the following:

• PSYC 492. History of Psychology Credits: 3.00
• PSYC 493. Laboratory in Psychology Credits: 3.00
• PSYC 495. Field Placement in Psychology Credits: 4.00
• PSYC 497. Senior Seminar Credits: 3.00 2
• PSYC 499A. Honors Credits: 2.00 2
• PSYC 499B. Honors Credits: 2.00 2
• PSYC 499C. Honors Credits: 2.00 2

Sociocultural Competency: 0 Credit Hours

Choose one of the following: 3

• PSYC 220. Psychology and Culture Credits: 3.00
• PSYC 308. Health Psychology Credits: 3.00
• PSYC 310. The Psychology of Women and Gender Credits: 3.00
• PSYC 320. Diversity Issues in Psychology Credits: 3.00
• PSYC 325. Counseling Psychology Credits: 3.00
• Other course sections that meet the sociocultural competency requirement

Total: 44 Credit Hours

1 The  General Education    program contains a set of requirements each student must fulfill. Some credits may be fulfilled by courses required within the major.

2 Some sections of this course may meet the sociocultural awareness requirement depending on the content; when this course does meet the requirement it will be listed in the notes section of the course listing in MyMadison.

3 One sociocultural competency course is required. Credit for this course may be counted under one of the other major categories.

Recommended Schedule for Majors

The following program sample is intended as a guide. Courses must be taken in the sequence outlined; however, the semester during which a particular course is taken depends on a number of factors, including readiness to take 200-level math, the semester the psychology major is started and other majors or minors the student is completing.

Students are encouraged to meet regularly with their psychology academic adviser to plan their personal course schedule. Because of course sequencing requirements, even with the most compressed program, a minimum of five semesters (or four semesters and summer school) is required to complete the psychology major.

• MATH 220. Elementary Statistics [C3QR] Credits: 3.00 1

General Education   , B.S. degree requirement and/or minor program courses Credits:   24.00

First Year Total: 30 Credit Hours

Second year.

• PSYC 210. Psychological Measurement and Statistics Credits: 4.00 2
• PSYC 212. Psychological Research Design and Data Analysis I Credits: 4.00 3
• PSYC 211. Psychological Research Methods Credits: 4.00 2
• PSYC 213. Psychological Research Design and Data Analysis II Credits: 4.00 3

General Education   , B.A. degree requirement and/or minor program courses and/or Psychology elective courses Credits:   22.00

Second Year Total: 30 Credit Hours

• SS content core courses  Credits:   3.00- 9.00  
• NS content core courses  Credits:   3.00-9.00  
• Minor program courses or electives  Credits:   12.00-24.00  

Third Year Total: 30 Credit Hours

Fourth year.

• SS and NS content core courses Credits:  0.00-12.00
• Psychology Upper-level Specialty Content Course  Credits:   3.00
• Psychology 400 level elective  Credits:   3.00
• Psychology capstone course  Credits:   3.00
• Psychology, minor program or elective courses  Credits:   9.00- 21.00  

Fourth Year Total: 30 Credit Hours

Program total: 120 credit hours.

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Research Participant Information

This page contains information about the system for research participation that students and faculty in the Marist College Psychology Department use.

Information for Participants

If you need to complete a research participation requirement for Introductory Psychology, please read all of the following carefully.

Introduction

Introductory Psychology students are required to fulfill a research participation requirement either by participating in research or completing an equivalent alternative assignment. The research participation requirement is that Introductory Psychology students participate in 3 Sona credits-worth of studies. Studies range from 1-3 credits but the total number of credits need to add up to 3. Some of these studies are in-person and some can be completed online. All of the research projects that will be available to you are approved by the Marist College Institutional Review Board (IRB) and coordinated through the Psychology Department via the Sona system. The Sona system is online and can be accessed from anywhere, including your phone, although it is recommended that you use a browser no more than 2 years old when you log in. Information about how to sign up for an account in Sona is below. You should know that Sona refers to research participation as a "credit." This kind of "credit" is NOT the same as an academic credit (you get those from passing college courses; for example, PSYC101L is a 3-credit course).

Most of the information below is about how to sign up to be a research participant. It is important that you read all of this thoroughly because you are responsible for abiding by all of the policies articulated here.

If you do not wish to be a research participant, you can do the alternative assignment, which involves writing ONE paper about an empirical article from a psychology journal. Details about how to complete that assignment are below---be sure to read them thoroughly.  

Why is there a research participation requirement?

The research participation requirement has a number of implications for our program. The participation requirement creates a "pool" of participants for investigators (faculty and advanced students) to draw from in order to conduct their research. This is important to further the process of active empirical investigation that characterizes the science of psychology. For participants, this is an opportunity to experience the research process in a hands-on way. It is our intention that this will provide all student participants with an appreciation of how the science of psychology is informed by direct data collection. Introductory Psychology students who go on to higher-level psychology coursework will also have this experience as a frame of reference for methodological and ethical issues that they will continue to encounter. Students wishing to prepare themselves for graduate-level study may go on to do independent projects later in the program, in which they would get to see both sides of this process.

Rights of research participants

First, participation in any study is voluntary, so you may elect to opt out of the research participation requirement. However, if you opt out of participating in research studies, an alternative assignment must be completed (see "Alternative assignment" below).

Second, once you begin to participate in a study, you are free to leave at any time, and for any reason. There is no penalty to you for leaving, and you will receive credit equal to time spent.

Responsibilities of research participants

First, protect your account. You are responsible for all activity in your account, so keep track of what you do with your account and make a note of the procedures and penalties described here and on your course syllabus.

Second, be on time if the study is in-person. Keep track of the date, time, location and name of the study—write it down, put it on your calendar—when you sign up. If you forget this information, you can retrieve it from the Sona system.

Third, take it seriously. When you choose to take part in research, you contribute data that we use to understand human behavior. We expect your honest effort in all research situations. Also, please do not discuss with anyone the aims and methods of any experiment until that work is complete.

Finally, it is your responsibility to cancel any session for which you have signed up when you learn you will not be able to attend that session. More information about canceling can be found below.

If you are a minor (under 18 years old)

If you are 17 years old or younger, you cannot participate in research studies scheduled through Sona to fulfill this requirement. Instead, here are your options to fulfill the requirement:

• If your 18th birthday is during the semester you are enrolled in Introductory Psychology, you can wait until after your birthday, then sign up and participate in two different studies scheduled through Sona (as described in the rest of this website) OR
• You can complete the alternative assignment (as described below—scroll down to “Alternative assignment” for instructions) OR
• Minors (ONLY) can participate in a research simulation exercise, if it is available. This is similar to participating in research scheduled through Sona—it will take as much time (less than one hour, total) and involve similar activities. The research simulation exercise can be completed any time during the semester you’re enrolled in Introductory Psychology, but it must be scheduled through Dr. Levering. If you are interested in this option, please contact Dr. Levering for details ( [email protected] ). Allow 48 hours for a reply.

No matter which option you select, you must fulfill the requirement by 5 p.m. on Friday of the last week of classes. If you wish to schedule the research simulation exercise, you must contact Dr. Levering by 5 p.m. on the Wednesday of the last week of classes, at the absolute latest. Please do not wait until the last minute to complete the assignment in whatever form you choose.

How to sign up to participate in a study

We use an online scheduling system, Sona, to keep track of your research participation. In order to complete your two credits of participation, you must log into this site, set up your account, and sign up for two different studies through the system. It will also show you once you have completed each credit of research participation.

In order to log into the system, go to http://marist.sona-systems.com . Request an account by clicking on "Request Account" (right side of page). On the "Account Information" page, you will need to enter the following:

• Your first and last names  
• Your date of birth (you must be 18 years old or older to participate in research scheduled through Sona. If you are a minor, see “If you are minor,” above, for your options)
• Your user ID (this is whatever comes before the @ of your Marist email address, INCLUDING the number, for example: Firstname.Lastname1 )
• The section of Introductory Psychology you're enrolled in (this is under "Course;" select your section from the drop-down menu. If you don't know your section, check your course syllabus or degree progress report)

Once you enter that information, you will receive an email at your Marist email address with your login information. You are now free to log into Sona, look at available studies, and configure your account in other ways. It is recommended that you change your initial password the first time you log into Sona.

Important: Once you log in, make sure your account is set up to email you at the address you check most often. The default is for the system to contact you (with confirmation and reminder information that you will need) at your Marist email address. If there is another address that you use more often, change your contact information under "My Profile" > "Provide an alternate email address."

To see the list of available studies, go to "View Available Studies." As you are looking at studies, make a note of the eligibility information. Some studies request participants with specific characteristics or have restrictions, so they may not work for you.

Important: When you are looking for a study to sign up for, you may not see anything listed. Don't panic! Only studies with timeslots that are currently available will be visible to you. If you don't see anything, check back. The list of studies will be updated throughout the semester. There will be enough participation opportunities for everyone, but they will be spread throughout the semester, so, again, check the list of available studies frequently.

**Please, do not leave participation until the last minute. Your research requirement must be completed by Friday of the last week of classes, at 5 p.m. No exceptions will be permitted.

Once you sign up for a study, an email confirmation will be sent to you. If you do not receive an email confirmation, log into Sona to make sure your appointment actually registered, and make sure Sona has your correct email address. You can see details about your appointment under "My Schedule/Credits."

After you have participated

When you have participated in a study, this will be visible as a "credit" on the main page of your Sona account under "Credits Overview."

Remember that you must complete 3 credits.

Expect to receive credit for a study within 24 hours of having participated. If 24 hours has passed and you did not receive credit, contact the researcher of the study you participated in directly (his or her email will be on Sona) and explain the situation.

Late arrivals for in-person studies

If you are late to your appointment, the researcher is under no obligation to have you participate in the study. Late arrival causes delays for all remaining appointments.

Canceling or missing an in-person study

You can cancel an appointment up to 12 hours prior to the appointment. You do not need to provide an explanation. In Sona, go to "My Schedule & Credits" -> "View or cancel my study appointments" to cancel your appointment. If you can't make an appointment, you must cancel through the Sona systems at least 12 hours before your scheduled time of participation.

Students who fail to appear for a scheduled appointment will receive a "no-show." After 2 "no-shows," students will be denied access to the participant pool and MUST complete the alternative assignment to fulfill their course requirement.

What if I show up and no one is there?

If you are at the study location on the right day and time, wait 15 minutes. If nobody shows up, inform the researcher, at the e-mail address given on the website, of the date, time, location, and name of the study. If it was your mistake, you will not receive credit. If it was the researcher's mistake, you will receive your credit.

What if all the study sessions are taken?

Only studies with currently available timeslots will be visible on Sona, so it's possible that you could log into Sona and not see anything at a given time. If this is the case, remember that studies start and stop at different times during the semester, and those with open timeslots fill up quickly. Please check in periodically to see what's available. However, don't put off your participation until the very end of the semester! If you wait until the last minute, there will probably NOT be enough opportunities to go around, and you will not be able to fulfill your requirement.

What if I only complete one or two credits of participation?

The participation requirement is for you to complete either 3 credits of research participation via Sona or the alternative assignment. If you complete 1 or 2 credits, you will still need to complete the alternative assignment to fulfill your requirement. There is no partial fulfillment of the requirement, no exceptions.

Follow-up, questions, concerns, or complaints about studies

If you are curious about how a study turns out or have questions about a study, contact the researchers or Principal Investigators (PIs) of the study. This information is on Sona and on the consent form you received when you participated.

Concerns or complaints about study procedures or consequences should be directed to the PIs of the studies or the IRB.

Alternative assignment

Students who do not wish to participate in research must complete the following alternative assignment. NOTE: Only ONE alternative assignment is required---one paper, as described below, will count for all 3 credits of research participation through Sona.

• Select an empirical article (an article that presents research that the authors have done; it will include method and results sections) from one of the journals listed in the table of contents of this document.
• To do this, you will first have to check to see if we subscribe to the journal.
• Once you have found the journal, check out a recent issue to see the table of contents.
• Choose an empirical article from a recent issue.
• Print out and read your article.
• A summary of the main points of the article (What was the authors' motivation? What did they do? What did they find? What did they think their findings meant?)
• A reflection of the practical purpose of the study and the value to society of the findings

Your paper must be the product of your own original thinking and must be written completely in your own words. If the article you choose contains more than one study you need only write about one of the studies, but indicate which one.

Your paper and a copy of the full-text journal article must be emailed to both your Introductory Psychology professor and Dr. Levering ( [email protected] ).

Alternative assignments are due at 5 p.m. on the Friday of the last week of classes, no exceptions.

Information for Researchers

If you are faculty member in the Psychology Department or an advanced psychology student who is doing research for academic credit for an honors project, and you would like to access the participant pool, please read all of the following carefully.

We are using the Sona system to manage the participant pool. This is done entirely online. In this system, people who conduct research are either researchers (usually students) or principal investigators (PIs; faculty members). The way the system is set up, all studies need a PI and at least one researcher. Both researchers and PIs can create and edit studies and assign credit through Sona.

Access to the participant pool

Access to the participant pool is limited to Marist College Psychology Department faculty, honors students doing supervised senior projects, and students doing for-credit supervised research in psychology (PSYC485).

Following IRB approval, researchers or PIs who wish to access the pool should contact Dr. Levering to request an account, at [email protected] . Note that full-time faculty already have accounts. All others: in your request email, you MUST include your first and last name and your Marist email address. When your account is approved, your Marist email address will be emailed with your login information, including a password. Update your information the first time you login to Sona (change your initial password and specify a different email address if there's one you use more often).

Adding a study

Once you are in the system, you may add your study by going to "Add New Study" in the bar at the top of the screen and following the instructions. We are currently only allowing standard (on-ground, in-person, one-part) studies. In order to be visible to participants, your study needs to be approved by the pool administrator and have open timeslots.

In order to have your study approved, please give a copy of your IRB approval letter to Dr. Levering (either in faculty mailbox or scanned and emailed to: [email protected] ). Allow 48 hours for study approval.

Adding timeslots and specifying location information

Once your study is approved, it will be marked with a check in the menu under "My Studies." At this point you may add timeslots. When you add timeslots, you must specify the location of the study from the drop-down menu. In order to see which lab rooms are available during the times you desire, check the schedule ("View Schedule" link below the drop-down menu). If you are a student, keep in mind that the doors to the lab rooms are kept locked, so make sure you make arrangements in advance to access the rooms during the times you request.

Assigning credit

It is the researcher's responsibility to assign credit to participants within the 24 hours following participation.

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