PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT PARTICIPANT POOL
Instructions for Research Laboratories
Thank you for your interest in the Psychology Department Undergraduate Participant Pool. If you
are interested in using the Pool as a source of participants, follow the directions below carefully.
Only psychology department graduate students and research assistants (employees of the
University) may submit a study for approval to the Pool. (Undergraduate thesis students enrolled
in PSYC 485 or 495 may submit a study in conjunction with a psychology graduate student or
research assistant.) If you submit a study, it is assumed that you are responsible for
conducting the study yourself.
Materials Needed to Request Approval
‰ Title of study
‰ Testing location
‰ Faculty supervisor name
Participant
‰ Testing duration (1 hour participation time = 1 participation credit = ½ mark towards final grade. Studies
Pool
requiring multiple visits must provide at least one credit per visit. Pool studies cannot offer any other form of
Website
compensation.)
Information
‰ Contact information for study (contact person’s name, lab number, email address). Only
Concordia University based email addresses and phone numbers will be accepted.
‰ Brief study description (no more than 100 words in layman’s terms for interested students)
‰ Inclusion/exclusion criteria (if appropriate)
‰ Copy of Ethical Approval Certificate
‰ Copy of Consent Form
‰ Debriefing Sheet (approx. 1/2 page) conforming to guidelines at
http://www.psychology.concordia.ca/researchandcentres/ethics/
‰ Total number of participants sought
‰ Estimated start and end dates of study
‰ A signed statement indicating that you have read and agree to abide by all of the
guidelines on the Participant Pool webpage:
http://www.psychology.concordia.ca/researchandcentres/participantpool/
This statement should also indicate your status (e.g., graduate student, research assistant, thesis
student.) If you are an undergraduate thesis student, this statement must also be signed by a
graduate student or research assistant supervising your work, as indicated above.
Approval Process
1) Send an email to Dr. Virginia Penhune (Virginia.Penhune@concordia.ca) with the “Participant
Pool Website Information” only.
2) Submit a hard copy (i.e., printed on real paper) of all of the above items to Dr. Penhune’s
mailbox in SP-244 (CSBN). Incomplete submissions will be returned.
3) If approved, you will receive a Psychology Department Participant Pool Approval Number. Use
this number and the title of your study in all correspondence with Drs. Jennifer McGrath
(Jennifer.McGrath@concordia.ca) and Virginia Penhune.
4) If approved, your study information will appear on the Department’s webpage. Students will
have access to information about your study and about how to contact you for more information
and/or to schedule a testing appointment.
1
Testing Students
1) Use the Departmental guidelines for classroom testing and recruitment. These can be found
at: http://www.psychology.concordia.ca/researchandcentres/ethics/recruitingandtesting/
2) When scheduling appointments, you MUST obtain the student’s name and student number, the
course number (e.g., PSYC 315), the term (e.g., Fall, Winter, Full year), the section (e.g., 01)
and the course instructor’s name. This information is MANDATORY for completing the
Participant Pool Receipt. (Students can find this information on the MyConcordia Portal.)
3) Be on time for all appointments you schedule and run your study in a timely fashion.
4) Students have two options when they arrive for testing:
a) They can participate in the experiment through the normal protocol approved by the
ethics committee.
b) They can choose to act as an ‘observer’ in the experiment.
When choosing to act as an ‘observer’, students will gain an understanding of what it would be like to participate without
having any data collected from them. This may involve showing them experimental stimuli, walking them through the
task, having them complete a questionnaire by reading each item, and then circling random numbers, etc. Study
‘observation’ should take approximately one hour. Students who choose this option must inform you of this choice before
beginning the study. As such, they do not need to sign a consent form. Students must not be coerced into participating.
They have the right to ‘observe’ any study approved for the Participant Pool. Keep in mind that if students do not meet
the eligibility requirements of your study, they may still observe it. This should be considered when deciding whether to
have your study in the Participant Pool.
5) Remember that all participants retain the right to withdraw from any study at any time without
negative consequences. As such, a student who withdraws from participating still receives the
same number of credits as a student who completes the study.
6) When the study is over, please provide debriefing in written and oral formats. Your oral
debriefing must provide at least as much information as that outlined in the guidelines for
Debriefing Sheets (http://www.psychology.concordia.ca/researchandcentres/ethics/debriefing/).
7) The last day of testing is the last day of scheduled classes for the semester. Do not schedule
testing appointments after these dates. Students must turn in their receipts to Pat Wilson no
later than the last day of classes.
Assigning Credit
1) When scheduling a student, be sure to obtain their course, term, section, and instructor
information. Double check the Student ID number with their CONCORDIA ID CARD.
2) Complete three Participant Pool Receipts (Student, Department, & Laboratory copies).
3) Students should receive one credit for each hour of participation completed. ‘Observation’
students should receive one credit. Studies involving multiple visits MUST assign at least one
credit for each visit.
4) Complete the receipts LEGIBLY and in PERMENANT INK.
5) Keep the Laboratory Copy of the receipt on file for two years following the study.
6) Give the Student Copy and Department Copy of the receipt to the student.
7) Remind the student to put the Department Copy into the drop box located in SP-244 (Pat
Wilson) no later than the last day of scheduled classes.
Blocking Credit (For students who do not cancel their testing appointment)
1) Students who do not cancel their testing appointment 24 hrs. BEFORE the testing is scheduled
to start will be blocked from receiving the credits they would have received by participating in
your study.
2) Complete a Participant Pool Receipt. Enter -1 in the number of credits. Write “BLOCKED”
near the bottom of each section. Put the Department Copy in the drop box located in SP-244
(Pat Wilson). Keep the other two parts of the receipt on file for two years following the study.
Removing Your Study from the Website
At the completion of your study, you must contact Dr. Penhune to request that it be removed from
the Participant Pool website. You are responsible for testing and/or running participants as
‘observers’ in your study as long as it remains posted online.
2