Learning how psychologists do research is typically part of a research/science literacy component requirement for General Psychology or other psychology courses. The best way to learn this is to participate in research studies. For this reason, students in psychology courses are given opportunities to participate in research studies of their choosing.

How to Get Started: Student Quick Start Guide

Frequently Asked Questions for Study Participants

Forms for Participants

Research Study Appointment Card (NetID Login Required)

We use the online Sona System to sign up for these research studies. The recommendation for Storrs General Psychology courses is 5 credits for the research/science literacy component for Fall 2024. Please consult your course syllabus to find out more about this requirement for your class. Your instructor and syllabus will explain how this credit influences your course grade. Note that 1 experimental credit equals a half-hour of participation in a research study. Thus, you may complete up to two and a half hours of research participation, that is, 5 experimental credits.

The researcher will explain the purpose of each study to you. Following your participation, the researcher will explain how the data from the participants will be used to test hypotheses. You should feel free to ask questions of the researcher so that you understand why the researcher asked you to do particular tasks, what kind of data the researcher collected, and what the researcher hopes to learn from the data.

You can choose which studies you want to participate in by reading a written description of what the study involves prior to signing up for it. A wide variety of theoretical questions and research methods are used by researchers in the Department of Psychological Sciences, providing you with ample choice and variety of learning opportunities. At the beginning of a study, the researcher will inform you in detail what the study asks of you, what will be done with your data, and if there are any risks or benefits to participating. Virtually all studies here involve straightforward investigations that pose no hazard or discomfort to participate. However, a small number of studies may be bothersome or offensive to some people; this information is noted on the descriptions of the studies. Please make sure that you read and understand the description of any research study before you sign up for the study. Please note that some studies have restrictions regarding who may participate. If, after being informed about the nature of studies or at any point during the study, you wish to stop participating in the study, please inform the researcher. You are not obligated to participate in a study which makes you uncomfortable or which you simply do not want to do. You may withdraw from the research study at any point. You will still receive credit for participating.

Alternately Storrs students may earn credits by writing a brief paper about a research article (2 credits per paper ~ 60 minutes of participation); and/or watching a research video and completing a quiz with a passing grade of 70% or higher (1 credit for approximately 30 minutes of participation).

A HuskyCT course site called “General Psychology Alternate Assignment” will be made available to Storrs General Psychology students during Week 10 of the semester.

Please note, you do not have to do any assignments here – it is only for students wishing for an alternative to research studies. Please check the “Important Dates” section for more information about when these assignments are due.

If you are at a regional campus (e.g., Hartford or Waterbury), see your instructor for alternate assignment options.

For Researchers

Psychological sciences faculty, post-doctoral students, graduate students, and undergraduate thesis writers can use the Participant Pool to recruit student participants for their research.