For additional information, logon to the Research Pool Sona Systems Web Site: albany.sona-systems.com
NOTE: RESEARCH POOL OPENS MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2010
Revised: 08/25/09
AND CLOSES ON THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2010.
THE LAST DAY TO PARTICIPATE IN EXPERIMENTS IS TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2010.
You can sign up online for experiments at albany.sona-systems.com and select among various research projects.
But first you must register using the randomly generated password you will receive in an email to your
University at Albany email account. Registration begins Monday, February 1.
Follow these steps for registering:
1. Go to albany.sona-systems.com
2. As your USER ID, enter your MyUAlbany Student ID without the first three numbers. Do NOT include the first three numbers of your ID. If your ID begins with three zeros do not include the zeros (for example, if your ID# is 000123456, enter 123456). If your ID begins with 001, do not include the 001 (for example, if your ID# is
001234567, enter 234567).
3. As your PASSWORD, enter the randomly generated password you received in an email to your University at
Albany email account from sona-systems.
4. Immediately upon entering the site, change your password.
5. Enter all of your profile information (e.g., email address, phone number) so that experimenters can contact you if necessary. Please use your primary email address and ensure that the inbox does not become full during the semester. If your inbox is full, you will not be able to receive important emails such as study reminders and study cancellation notices.
6. Now you are ready to sign up for experiments and colloquia l ocated under the “Studies” tab!
Signing up for experiments:
When signing up for an experiment, make sure you meet the study qualifications and be careful to follow these three rules:
(1) Do not sign up for the same experiment more than once during the semester.
(2) Do not sign up for an experiment unless you are sure you can meet your obligation.
(3) Do not sign up for an experiment immediately before an exam or a presentation, etc.
It is your responsibility to keep track of important information about the study, including: Name of the study, day, time and location of the study, name of the experimenter, and cancellation phone number. You are responsible for writing down this information at the time you sign up for the experiment .
When to sign up for experiments:
Faculty and doctoral students in the Psychology Department have very active research programs, and usually there are many different experiments available. However, their number tends to decline as the semester progresses. It is to your advantage to choose experiments early in the semester for two reasons: you have a greater selection, and you are not yet burdened by the strong demands on your time due to exams and papers toward the end of the semester.
Keeping a Record of your research participation:
Attached to this memo is a “Record of Experimental Hours” sheet. Complete the information at the bottom in ink and bring this sheet to every experiment. Have the experimenter complete the required information in ink and obtain his/her signature; otherwise the record will be invalid.

This record serves as proof of your participation. You are required to keep this record until you have seen your course grade in print and can be sure that your experimental credits have been tallied up correctly. If you lose this form and there is a discrepancy, you will receive an Incomplete in the course.
Cancelling an appointment and penalties:
You can cancel an appointment without penalty up to 24 hours in advance by selecting “Sign-Up History” under the “My Schedule/Credits” tab in your account. If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experiment is scheduled, you must call the CANCELLATION NUMBER for that experiment and speak directly to the experimenter; you may be able to reschedule and avoid a penalty, but this is not guaranteed. Do not call the
Psychology Department because the secretaries will not be able to help you.
If you do not cancel an experiment at least 24 hours in advance, you will receive a penalty equivalent to the number of credits for which you signed up (i.e., missing an experiment worth 3 credits will result in a 3-credit penalty). You must make up the lost credits in addition to those required for passing the course.
What happens if you are late to an experiment:
You must arrive on time for experiments. If you show up late to an experiment or colloquium, it is up to the discretion of the experimenter to allow you to participate in the experiment. However, you will not receive a penalty unless you are more than fifteen minutes. If you show up fifteen minutes after an experiment or colloquium begins, you will be penalized as a “no-show.” Therefore, it is to your advantage to leave plenty of time for you to get to the experiment, especially when it is in a room or building with which you are not familiar.
What to do when an Experimenter fails to show:
In rare instances an experiment has to be canceled and the experimenter may fail to notify research participants.
You are required to wait for 15 minutes past the starting time, but please ensure that you are in the correct location. If the experimenter does not show up, please complete the “Experimenter No-Show Form” available at the Research Pool Office (SS 392) or the Psychology Department Office (SS 399). If your claim is valid, you will receive full credit for the study. If you wish to sign up for that study again, you can do so and receive full credit a second time.
Checking the credit tally:
The Research Pool Office keeps a record of credits on the Sona Systems website, which is updated within 24 hours of completing an experiment . You can logon to your account and check your credits under the “My
Schedule/Credits” tab. If there is a discrepancy between the credits you have earned and those posted, please bring your Record of Experimental Hours to the Research Pool Office (Social Science 392) during office hours and have the problem corrected. It is your responsibility to ensure that your credit hours listed are correct.
Your rights as a research participant:
Research projects posted on the Sona Systems website have been approved by the University at Albany's
Institutional Review Board, do not involve undue risks, and do not infringe on your rights and welfare. When you arrive at the location of a study, the experimenter will inform you about your rights as a participant. You can decline or discontinue participation at any time, but will only receive credit based on the amount of time you were there. At the end of an experiment, you will receive feedback on its purpose and expected outcomes. If this is not possible, this feedback will be communicated to you before the end of the semester.
Grievances:
If you have a grievance about your treatment in an experiment, you must first contact the faculty member sponsoring the study (faculty names are given in the consent form for each experiment). If your grievance has not been resolved to your satisfaction or if you wish to report any concerns about the study, you may contact the
University at Albany Office of Regulatory Research Compliance at 518-442-9050 (toll free 800-365-9139) or orrc@uamail.albany.edu.
Participation of minors in experiments:
PLEASE NOTE: No students under the age of 18 are allowed to participate in experiments without written parental permission. If you are under 18, please have your parents complete the PARENTAL CONSENT FORM attached to this memo and bring it to the Research Pool Office (Social Science 392).

There will be approximately eight research colloquia scheduled during each semester. The colloquium series does not start before Late-February (spring semester) or Mid-October (fall semester). Announcements of times and locations for the colloquia will be posted on the Sona Systems Website. Two weeks before a colloquium is scheduled it will be listed under the “Studies” tab with the number of seats available. You have until ONE HOUR before the beginning of a colloquium to sign up. You must sign up for a colloquium as you would do for an experiment. This is the only way you will receive credit for attending.
Please be sure to bring your Student ID card with you to the colloquium. We cannot issue you credit if we do not see your ID card.
And please be on time. If you arrive after a colloquium has started, you will NOT be admitted, and you will be penalized. During a colloquium, you are expected to be attentive, quiet, and you may not occupy yourself with other things. We reserve the right to ask anyone who is in any way disruptive or inattentive to leave without being given credit.
Due to NYS Fire Safety Laws, if a colloquium room is filled, we are obligated to ask anyone who is not seated to leave. Those not seated will have to leave without being given credit. It is therefore to your advantage to arrive early for a colloquium.

Experiment # Date Number of Credits Signature of Experimenter
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FOR STUDENTS LESS THAN 18 YEARS OLD
TO THE STUDENT:
If you are less than 18 years old, your parent or legal guardian MUST sign this form in order for you to participate in research activities. Please bring the signed form to the Research Pool Office (Social
Science 392). You will be given a receipt that will entitle you to participate in research projects. Carry this receipt with you whenever you arrive at a scheduled research session and show it to the experimenter.
Please send a copy of the complete memo of this research requirement announcement to your parents to make sure that they have a clear idea of what they are signing and why (ask your instructor for an extra copy so that you may keep one for yourself.
Thank you.
__________________________________________________________________________________
I hereby give my consent for ________________________________________________,
(Student’s Name)
_________________________________, to participate in research sponsored by the
(Student’s SUNY ID No.)
Psychology Department of the University at Albany towards fulfillment of the APSY 101/TPSY 102 research requirement. I understand that all such research has been reviewed by the Institutional Review
Board of the University at Albany and approved as presenting no undue risk to research participants.
Signature ____________________________________________ __________________
(Parent or Guardian) (Date)
Print Name: ___________________________________