Behavioural Science Laboratory
Manual
Table of contents
Table of contents ................................................................................................................................................ - 2 About the laboratory .......................................................................................................................................... - 3 Prior to data collection ....................................................................................................................................... - 4 1.
Ethical approval ..................................................................................................................................... - 4 -
2.
Lab accessibility ..................................................................................................................................... - 4 -
3.
DR@W: Booking the lab and Participant recruitment........................................................................... - 5 
To register a new experiment ........................................................................................................... - 5 -

To book experimental sessions ...............................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

To assign participants ........................................................................................................................ - 5 -
4.
Financial necessities .............................................................................................................................. - 6 
Temporary cash float ..............................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

Project form ............................................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
5.
Laboratory preparation ......................................................................................................................... - 6 
Essential documents ......................................................................................................................... - 6 -

Computer login ................................................................................................................................. - 6 -

Lab equipment .................................................................................................................................. - 7 -

Lab software ...................................................................................................................................... - 7 -
Data collection .................................................................................................................................................... - 9 1.
Orbit Net use ......................................................................................................................................... - 9 
2.
Some useful functions ....................................................................................................................... - 9 Ethical considerations .......................................................................................................................... - 10 -

Voluntary participation ................................................................................................................... - 10 -

Right to withdraw............................................................................................................................ - 10 -

Protection from harm ..................................................................................................................... - 10 -

Informed consent ....................................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

Confidentiality and Anonymity ....................................................................................................... - 11 -
3.
Cash handling ...................................................................................................................................... - 11 -
4.
Unexpected problems ......................................................................................................................... - 11 -
Post-data collection .......................................................................................................................................... - 12 1.
Lab maintenance ................................................................................................................................. - 12 -
2.
DR@W .........................................................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.
Financial necessities ............................................................................................................................ - 12 -
4.
Data storage ........................................................................................................................................ - 12 -
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About the laboratory
The Behavioural Science Laboratory consists of 27 networked computers, screened off
from each other, so that participants can run experiments independently; or can take
part in two or multi-player games. Participants can be recruited from the University of
Warwick’s SONA System (https://warwick.sona-systems.com/). The lab also conducts
large numbers of on-line experimental studies.
Contact:
 Laboratory Manager
 IT Developer
Alexander Mushore
Behavioural Science Group
Warwick Business School
Coventry, CV4 7AL
United Kingdom
Email: Alexander.Mushore@wbs.ac.uk
Tyson Hayes
Behavioural Science Group
Warwick Business School
Coventry, CV4 7AL
United Kingdom
Email: Tyson.Hayes@wbs,ac,uk
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Prior to data collection
1. Ethical approval
All research conducted in the laboratory needs to be ethically approved.
 Decision Research at Warwick (DR@W) Umbrella Ethical Approval
Some studies run in the laboratory are covered by the DR@W Umbrella Ethical
Approval. Only those researchers who applied for the approval at the first place and
whose experiment is within the criteria specified in the approval can use this route
of ethical approval1.
 HSSREC Ethical Approval
The remainder of the studies run in the laboratory will be approved by the HSSREC
Committee (Humanities and Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee). The
application for ethical approval2 has to be signed by the Chair of Department.
Completed applications, an information sheet template, consent form template and
copies of any relevant authorisations should be submitted in both hard copy and
email format to Debbie Bennett3. This should be done after funding has been
awarded4 and at least two weeks in advance of the next Committee meeting5.
Applicants are notified of the Committee’s decision in writing and can appeal should
their application be rejected.
2. Lab accessibility
At the moment, the lab can be accessed via a card reader system or a code entered on
the keypad located next to the lab door. The card access is usually given to permanent
staff and PhD students, whereas the code is given to temporary staff, Undergraduate and
Master students. The researchers who were given the card access can enter the lab as well
as both entrances of the WBS building (Scarman Road) using their university cards. Those
who wish to be given the access should contact the Lab Manager. After leaving the lab, the
door locks automatically.
1
To apply, please click on “DR@W Umbrella Page” on
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/draw/experiments/ethics/
2
An up-to-date version of the application can be found on
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/rss/researchgovernance/research_code_of_practice/researchethicscom
mittees/hssrec/apply/
3
Debbie’s office is located in the University House - Research Support Services, D.L.Bennett@warwick.ac.uk
4
If the project is internally funded or self-funded, the submission can occur at any time
5
The Committee meeting schedule can be found on
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/rss/researchgovernance/research_code_of_practice/researchethicscom
mittees/hssrec/meetings
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3. Booking the lab and Participant recruitment using the Warwick
Research Participation (SONA) System
The lab is reserved and participants for experiments are usually recruited via the
Warwick SONA System6. Our SONA system (https://warwick.sona-systems.com/) is an
interdisciplinary experimental management system which is utilised by researchers
associated with Decision Research at Warwick (DR@W) and the Psychology Department. At
the present time, there are over 1,500 student participants registered on the database.
 To register a new experiment
Go to the “Add a new study” part of the log-in page and click on the relevant
experiment (Standard Study, Two Part Study, Online Survey Study or Online External
Study). Fill in all the details, noting that all of basic information apart from the ethical
approval details is visible to participants. Do not omit to state the ethical approval
number and ensure your study is inactive when awaiting ethical approval. Select
whether you have any further eligibility requirements (e.g. study pre-requisites or
disqualifiers). Lastly, fill out the shared comments part to allow fellow researchers to
see information about your study (e.g. research proposal link, further information
regarding the experiment) in case they need to omit your participants from their
research due to similarities in research or if your study involved deception. Then click
next.
 To book the lab
Click on “view/administer timeslots” and click “Add a Timeslot”. Select the date, start
time, specify the number of participants required, select WBS Scarman Road
Laboratory (B2.27) from the dropdown list of laboratories7 and click add timeslot.
Prior to booking a slot you can have a look at the availability of the lab by clicking
view schedule (below location). The schedule will show you the bookings for the lab
in 2 week intervals. Should you wish to book multiple slots you can also do so by
clicking add multiple timeslots via the “view/administer timeslots” page.
 To assign and contact participants
Once your study is active on the system and there are no pre-screen, pre-requisite,
or disqualifier restrictions, all participants will be able to view and sign up for your
study. If you have absolutely no restrictions for the study, you can contact the
administrator to have your study featured in an email to go out to participants
regarding the studies occurring that week. However, if you have pre-screen criteria
6
To register, click on “Sign Up” on http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/draw/experiments/sign_up/
For the full list of DR@W laboratories, go to
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/draw/experiments/resources/
7
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and you need to restrict it to a subset of participants taking part due to their student
status (e.g. only require undergraduate students) you can assign and invite these
participants utilising the pre-screen function on SONA. In order to do so, select
“View/Modify Restrictions” next to Pre-screen Restrictions. Then select the criteria
you wish to set and click “set restrictions”, once you have done this select all the
options you would like to have enforced. After doing so, go back into the
“View/Modify Restrictions” page and you should be able to see the amount of
participants that meet this criteria and an option to [INVITE QUALIFIED
PARTICIPANTS] to your research. The email will have default information filled in
such as the name of the experiment, the researcher name and the amount of slots
available. Ask the lab manager for a template email to send, as it is important to
include the study name, length of participation, compensation amount, potential
time slots and location. If the study is to take place in the WBS Laboratory, you will
need to send them to expect a code to enter the building which the lab manager can
provide you with.
4. Financial necessities
This section applies to WBS staff only. The Temporary Cash Float needs to be submitted to the
WBS finance department five working days before the cash is required.8 Researchers can
pick up the cash on the date specified on the Temporary Cash Float form from the Accounts
Receivable office located in the University House9.
5. Laboratory preparation
 Essential documents
Please, ensure that you have a sufficient number of receipt copies, information
sheets and consent forms ready prior to participants’ arrival. This is to comply with
correct ethical procedure.
 Computer login
The laboratory has 26 numbered computers for participants and one computer for a
researcher. The researcher’s computer is located next to a computer number 20. All
machines require no login. Researchers are advised to prepare all computers in
8
This form can be found on
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/wbs/subjects/bsci/temporary_float_application.docx
9
For the Accounts Receivable office opening times go to
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/finance/aboutthefo/fosections/fincon/ar
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advance rather than leaving participants to do it themselves. This is to ensure that
data collection starts on time and every issue can be resolved well in advance.
Should any technical issue arise, please use the phone located next to the lab door
and call the IT Helpdesk on ext. 22522.
 Lab equipment
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Projector: If you wish to use the projector, please contact the lab manager
Till: A lockable till is placed below the desk next to the entrance. A key for the
till is in the lock. The till is equipped with a sound system to notify a researcher,
especially when it is opened without his/her knowledge
Stationery: A wide range of stationery is available in the main desk
compartments.
 Lab software
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Laboratory Manager: This software is used to control the machines in the lab. It
is used to startup and shutdown all clients and open and close the specified
software simultaneously on all machines. When the software is launched you
will see all of the client machines listed. Laboratory Manager uses a colour code
system to display system status. Black means the machine is off. Amber means
the machine is on but the Laboratory Manager client is not running (in this mode
only the shutdown command will work). Green means the software has full
control over the clients.
Block Web software: This manually disables the Internet for a particular session.
The software is installed on the researcher’s computer. The shortcut can be
found on the desktop. The program lists all the computers in the lab by their
numbers. The ticked checkbox indicates that a computer is connected to the
system; hence all lab computers should be selected by default. Further there are
two buttons: “Disable Web” and “Enable Web”. By clicking on the “Disable Web”
button, all lab computers except the researchers are disconnected from the
Internet. Any browser window open at the time of executing this function closes
automatically. Internet access will be disabled until the “Enable Web” button is
selected or the PC is re-booted.
Web Control software: This program is primarily used to monitor Internet use
whilst working on online surveys in Qualtrics. Similarly to Block Web, Web
Control, which can be found on the desktop, lists all lab computers and contains
two buttons: “Monitor Web” and “Don’t Monitor Web”. By default, Internet
activities are not monitored. If the “Monitor Web” button is selected, only
Internet Explorer will work on the participants’ computers and the software
starts monitoring every website opened. If the website address does not contain
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www.qualtrics.com, the software automatically logs the open website into the
file “adminlog.txt”. This file can be found on the researcher’s computer on the D:
drive. In addition to this function, a pop up message appears on the researcher’s
computer informing him/her should any participant view a website unrelated to
an online survey.
 Net Orbit software: This software is installed on the researcher’s computer and
located on the desktop. It can be used to gain remote control over the
participants’ computers. The software is described in a greater detail in the
“Data collection” section.
 WinXP Secure: An old reliable piece of software, this is used to log all computer
activity to \\atlas.wbs.ac.uk\HBL\WinXPSecure\Logs including any window
change. The researcher’s machine automatically has access to this log directory.
All logs should be removed prior to the experiment so data analysis is made
simpler after the experiment.
 Qualtrics: Warwick business school has a licence for Qualtrics, surveying
software. If you are a WBS staff member or student, you can register10.
Qualtrics provides a wide range of online tutorials and email/phone support. A
comprehensive summary of all functions can be found on the “Qualtrics
University” website.
 Other available software: Microsoft Office package, Adobe Reader, z-Tree11,
MatLab, X-Trader, X-Chat2, Netlogo, Java environment.
 Available browsers: Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Firefox
10
To register, follow the instructions on:
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/wbs/central/issu/help/kb/software/non_microsoft_apps/qualtrics/
11
If z-tree is used, the name of the Licensor (the University of Zurich, Institute for Empirical Research in
Economics, represented by Sally Gschwend) as well as the name “z-Tree” has to be mentioned, and to cite the
following article in all publications in which results of experiments conducted with the Software are published:
Urs Fischbacher, z-Tree: Zurich Toolbox for Ready-made Economic Experiments, Experimental Economics
10(2), 171-178.
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Data collection
1. Orbit Net use12
Orbit Net software includes many functions which researchers might find useful. The
software is installed on the researcher’s computer and can be applied to any of the
participants’ computers. As Orbit Net does not connect the computers to the researcher’s
computer by default, it is necessary to do so manually. This is executed by right clicking on
each listed computer and selecting the “connect” option.
 Some useful functions

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Hide/show desktop icon
LOCATION: Desktop ribbon, Icon Control group
FUNCTION: hides/shows the desktop icons on the selected remote desktop
Hide/show desktop taskbar
LOCATION: Desktop ribbon, Icon Control group
FUNCTION: hides/shows the taskbar on the remote desktop
File manager
LOCATION: Control/Manage ribbon, Control Program group
FUNCTION: launches a file manager window that allows a researcher to move
through the remote desktop file system and copy files to or from the remote
machine
Lock/unlock system
LOCATION: Control/Manage ribbon, Keyboard and Mouse Management group
FUNCTION: locks/unlocks the remote keyboard
Lock/unlock mouse
LOCATION: Control/Manage ribbon, Keyboard and Mouse Management group
FUNCTION: locks/unlocks the remote mouse
Chat
LOCATION: Messaging ribbon, Messaging Operations group
FUNCTION: establishes a chat session with the selected remote desktop
Send Message
LOCATION: Messaging ribbon, Messaging Operations group
FUNCTION: sends a message to the selected remote desktop but does not
establish a two-way chat session
12
For the detailed description of Orbit Net software, please read the user guide on http://www.netorbit.com/userguide.html
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



Send Public Message
LOCATION: Messaging ribbon, Messaging Operations group
FUNCTION: sends a message to some or all remote desktops at once
Web
LOCATION: Messaging ribbon, Web group
FUNCTION: launches the default Web browser on the remote desktop with a
specified URL displayed
Keylogs
LOCATION: Activity ribbon, Logs group
FUNCTION: shows the keystroke log from the selected remote desktop
URL logs
LOCATION: Activity ribbon, Logs group
FUNCTION: shows the URL log from the selected remote desktop, listing each
URL entered into a Web browser on that desktop
2. Ethical considerations
 Voluntary participation
All participants have the right not to participate in any experiment and this right
must be respected. Students and others in a dependent relationship with
investigators must be assured that any decision not to participate will not prejudice
their academic or other progress in any way.
 Right to withdraw
Each participant must have the right to withdraw easily from the experiment
whenever and for whatever reason without explanation or penalty.
 Protection from harm
Participants and researcher’s staff must be fully informed in advance of, and
protected from any physical, psychological, social, legal and economic harm at all
times during the experiment. In addition, researchers should also attempt to avoid
harm to subjects’ wider family, kin and community. Should any adverse reaction or
event occur, the researcher must report this immediately via email to
sona.experiments@warwick.ac.uk. The report should describe fully the adverse
reaction or event, the action taken and the date, time and place of the incident.
 Consent form and debriefing form
Researchers must ensure participants are fully informed about all aspects of the
research project that might reasonably be expected to influence willingness to
participate. If the project is approved by the DR@W Umbrella Ethical Approval, the
consent and debriefing form is not necessary unless the project involves deception.
However the project which was not approved by the DR@W Umbrella Ethical
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Approval requires written consent from all participants prior to commencement of
the experimental session and a debriefing form if the project involves deception.
 Confidentiality and Anonymity
As per DR@W and University regulations, researchers are required to uphold this
code of conduct with regard to personal information:
 At the beginning of the experiment, each participant has to be assigned a unique
numerical identification number
 The study data has to include only the identification number for each participant
 Any personal information collected by the researchers (names and/or other
identifying information) has to be kept separate from the study data and never
shared with third parties
 Participants have to be made fully aware that the data collected will not be
linked to personally identifiable information
 Personal information must not be used for any other purpose than managing
participation in authorised DR@W research sessions and projects
3. Cash handling
The following applies to WBS staff only:

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


Every time the cash for the day is picked up, a WBS form needs to be signed
Receipts need to be filled in non-black ink
Returned receipts and the remainder of cash have to equal to the sum which was
given out by the WBS Finance Office. All differences in the balance need to be
repaid by the researcher responsible for running the experiment
Money not used on a particular day is stored at the Finance Office (WBS, first
floor)
Money over nights/weekends is also stored at the Finance Office (WBS, first
floor)
Researchers are responsible for the remainder of money over the night if it is not
returned to the Finance Office (e.g. a session finishes late)
4. Unexpected problems
 Technical issues
Should there be any technical problems during data collection, please call the IT
developer.
 Disruptive participants
If a subject causes trouble and is sent away, his/her name should be noted, and then
sent to the SONA System Administrators (sona.experiments@warwick.ac.uk) to
exclude him/her from further experiments.
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Post-data collection
1. Lab maintenance
It is every researcher’s responsibility to leave the lab in the same state as it was before
the study commenced. Specifically, all computers should be shut-down, windows
closed, all stationery collected and returned to its designated place, and no money left
in the till.
2. Warwick’s SONA System
After data collection, it is essential to record all participants who showed for the
experiment13. In order to do so, sign in to your SONA account; go to “My Studies” and
then “View Your Uncredited Timeslots”. You should be met with a list of participant’s
names and the ability to “Grant Credit”. Beside each participant name, record whether
they “Participated” (showed up and participated), were an “Unexcused No-show” (they
were late and did not participate or did not show up to the experiment) or that they
were an “Excused No Show” (they cancelled or alerted you of their absence or they
showed up but did not participate due to being chosen as a reserve participant). With
the latter two it is important to make a note of why they are being put as a no show. It
is important to complete this after each experimental session has taken place, the
system will send you reminders when you have not credited participants for having
taken part.
3. Financial necessities
The following applies to WBS staff only. The remainder of the cash and receipts have to
be returned to Accounts Receivable by the date specified on the Temporary Cash Float
form14.
4. Data storage
All signed consent forms must be kept securely by the lead researcher of any
experimental project for a period of no less than 10 years, as per University guidelines.
All personal data must never be disclosed to third parties. Researchers are also advised
to keep the copies of all participants’ receipts and other financial forms used in the
experiment.
13
According to the our regulations, if a participant does not show up without prior cancellation for three
experiments, his/her account is deactivated
14
For the Accounts Receivable office opening times go to
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/finance/aboutthefo/fosections/fincon/ar
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