UMass Dartmouth Psychology Research Pool
Instructions for PSY 101 Students
LOGGING IN AND GETTING STARTED
1. Go to https://psyresearchpool.umassd.edu/
Your browser may indicate that the security certificate is not valid. Ignore this, click yes, and
proceed to the page.
2. Login using your usual login and password, as you would use for logging into your e-mail.
For example, let’s say that your name is Bob Smith and your e-mail address is
bsmith@umassd.edu. You would type bsmith in the box labeled Username and your usual
password in the box labeled Password.
3. After you login, you will come to your home page. On the left, there will be a box with the
headings My Home, Available Project List, and Project Calendar. Under that, there will be a box
labeled Credit Summary. This box will tell you how many credits you’ve earned, if you’ve
missed any experimental sessions, if there are any sessions you’ve attended for which you have
not yet been credited (labeled Pending), and if there are any sessions you have cancelled. There
will also be a box labeled Help with Help for students in it and a system message box. On the
main part of the page, there will be two boxes. The first is labeled My Projects. When you sign
up for an experimental session, the project title will be listed in this box. The second is labeled
My Profile. The information in that box was loaded in automatically when your account was
created.
SIGNING UP FOR EXPERIMENTAL SESSIONS
Method 1: Available Projects List
1. Click on Available Projects List in the menu on the left.
2. A list of available projects will open, listed by title.
3. Click on an experiment title to see the days and times that experiments are available, as well as
a description of the experiment. If you find a time that works for you, choose it and then click
Sign up. Make sure to write down the date and time of the experiment, as well as the contact
information for the experimenter.
Method 2: Project Calendar
1. Click on Project Calendar in the menu on the left.
2. A calendar page will open. On days in which there are experimental sessions, a black box will
appear on each date, with a different dot representing the different experiments that are available.
3. Click on the black box(es) in a date that works for you. If there is a time that works for you,
choose it from the box that opens and then click Sign Up. Make sure to write down the date and
time of the experiment, as well as the contact information for the experimenter.
CANCELLING AN EXPERIMENTAL SESSION
Sometimes you’ve signed up for an experimental session and then you find out that you won’t be
able to make that experiment. In the online system, you can cancel your appointment on the
website up until 12 hours before the experiment would start. If you fail to cancel your session
and do not show up, you will be penalized 1 credit.
1. In My Projects on your main page, click on the title of the experiment for which you want to
cancel your appointment.
2. Select the Cancel button and then click Submit.
If you need to cancel an experimental session less than 12 hours before the experiment would
start, you must contact the experimenter. You will only be excused IF you can provide
documentation. Please do this ONLY in the case of an emergency.
CHECKING THE NUMBER OF CREDITS YOU HAVE EARNED
Once you’ve completed an experiment, the experimenter has 1 week to process your credit.
1. From the main page, look at the box labeled Credit Summary.
2. The credits for experimental sessions you have attended will be listed as Earned. If you have
attended an experimental session and the experimenter has not processed your credit yet, it will
be listed as Pending. If you missed a session, it will be listed as Missed. Your total number of
credits will also be listed.
In order to complete the subject pool requirement, you must earn 2 credits.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
I can’t log in. Why?
The most likely reason that you can’t log in is that you are appending @umassd.edu to your
username. Just use the first part of your e-mail address. So if your e-mail address is
bsmith@umassd.edu, just put bsmith in the Username box. If this doesn’t work, contact Dr.
Kershaw at psyresearchpool@umassd.edu.
How do I know what room the study is in?
If you sign up via the Available Projects List, the sessions listed will tell you the room. If you
sign up via the Project Calendar, the sessions listed do not tell you the room. Once you’ve
signed up for a project, it will be listed in the My Projects section of your home page. Clicking
on the project title will give you the room number. Some researchers also put room information
in their project descriptions.
I’m clicking on a project title and nothing is happening. Why?
Sometimes the system will list projects as available when they are not. Only projects that are
available to you (ones that you have not attended, not missed, and have available slots) should be
viewable by you. If you click on the title and nothing happens, the system has made a mistake.
I missed a study. What should I do?
If you miss a study and have a valid excuse for missing it, contact the researcher in charge
(researcher contact information is given in the project description). It is up to researcher whether
or not you will be excused. If the researcher excuses you, the project will be cancelled from your
list. If the researcher does not excuse you, or you don’t think you have a valid excuse, you will
receive -1 credit. So, in order to get your 2 credits for the requirement, you would need to do 3
studies. You will not be able to sign up again for the study you missed.