Fall 2008
These are the approved experiments that Psychology 101 and other eligible
psychology students may participate in for credit. Participation in any experiment that is not listed here
will not count for credit. To sign up for any project, please see the sign-up sheet on the psychology department bulletin board (across the hall from Pettengill 357).
Not all experiments will be available at all times. If there is no sign-up
sheet for a particular experiment, or if all appointments for an experiment are
full, please find a different experiment to participate in. For questions about any experiment, please contact the experimenter. For questions about
participation credit, please contact your instructor.
1. You only get credit for participating in approved experimenters. With few
exceptions, all experiments are sponsored by the psychology department. You
will only receive participation credit for the experiments listed on this
website. Check here for updates.
2. Each experiment has a fixed amount of credit assigned to it based on the
average length of time that it will take you to participate. If an experiment is
worth 0.5 credits, you will get 0.5 credits whether it takes you 15 minutes or
45 minutes to complete it. Be sure to check the amount of credits when you sign
up for the experiment.
3. To sign up for an experiment, check out the bulletin board in the psychology
department across from Brian Pfohl's office (Pettengill 357). When you sign up
for an experiment, you are making an appointment that you must show up for. If
you do not show up (or do not cancel with sufficient notice), you will be
penalized 1.0 credits regardless of the credit value of the experiment.
4. Upon completion of the experiment, you will receive a paper receipt of your
participation listing the experiment number and the amount of credit you have
earned. SAVE THIS RECEIPT! Although it is the experimenter's responsibility to
report your participation to the department, this receipt is the only proof that
you have of your participation.
| Experiment #1 | Task Switching |
| Location: P'Gill 366 | Duration:
30 minutes | Credits: 0.5 |
| Experimenter: Todd Kahan | E-mail: bates.coglab@gmail.com | Phone Number: |
| People often perform tasks concurrently and/or switch tasks rapidly (e.g., talking on the phone, working on the computer, listening to music, sending instant messages, etc.) and as a result performance may suffer. This study examines the influence of task switching on the ability to respond, quickly and accurately, to visually presented strings of letters. If you agree to participate, this experiment will take less than 1 hour of your time. |
| Restrictions: Must have normal or corrected to normal vision and hearing (please wear your glasses or contacts if needed). |
| Experiment #2 | Multitasking |
| Location: P'Gill 366 | Duration: 50 minutes | Credits: 1.0 |
| Experimenter: Todd Kahan | E-mail: bates.coglab@gmail.com | Phone Number: |
| People often perform tasks concurrently and as a result performance may suffer. This study examines the influence of multitasking on the ability to respond, quickly and accurately, to visually presented information. If you agree to participate, this experiment will take less than 1 hour of your time. |
| Restrictions: Must have normal or corrected to normal vision. |
| Experiment #3 | Social judgment |
| Location: Pgill 363 | Duration: 30 minutes | Credits: 0.5 |
| Experimenter: Helen Boucher | E-mail: hboucher@bates.edu | Phone Number: x6395 |
| Participants will make rapid judgments about social groups using a computer. |
| Restrictions: None. |
| Experiment #4 | Personality Questionnaire |
| Location: Pgill 363 | Duration: 30 minutes | Credits: 0.5 |
| Experimenter: Helen Boucher | E-mail: hboucher@bates.edu | Phone Number: x6395 |
| Participants will complete various measures of personality. |
| Restrictions: None. |
| Experiment #5 | Past Relationships |
| Location:
abacus.bates.edu/~rmcmulla/relationships | Duration: 30 minutes | Credits: 0.5 |
| Experimenter: Reid McMullan | E-mail: rmcmulla@bates.edu | Phone Number: x7442 |
| Participants will be asked questions about several aspects of past romantic relationships. |
| Restrictions: Must have been involved in an exclusive relationship that lasted more than 7 months within the last 5 years. |
| Experiment #7 | Investigation of Visual Perception |
| Location: P'Gill 366 | Duration: 25 minutes | Credits: 0.5 |
| Experimenter: Adam Goodwin | E-mail: bates.coglab@bates.edu | Phone Number: |
| The study of visual phenomena can give great insight into the complex processes of visual perception. Participation in this study entails recognition of Arabic numerals in a computer-based experiment. |
| Restrictions: Must have normal or corrected to normal vision. Must wear glasses or contacts if needed. |
| Experiment #10 | The Effects of Body Satisfaction on Exercise Motivation and Exercise Adherence Among Younger and Older Women |
| Location:
http://abacus.bates.edu/~harmstro/exercisesurvey | Duration: 15 minutes | Credits: 0.5 |
| Experimenter: Haleigh Armstrong | E-mail: harmstro@bates.edu | Phone Number: 970-376-4706 |
| This experiment is being conducted to better understand exercise motivation and adherence in younger and older women, and to determine if body image is a primary motivating factor. |
| Restrictions: Females only. Can not currently be participating in a varsity or club sport or competing at a professional level. |
| Experiment #12 | Object Trimming |
| Location: PGILL 366 | Duration: 30 minutes | Credits: 0.5 |
| Experimenter: James Halsch | E-mail: jhalsch@bates.edu | Phone Number: 2016691855 |
| Participants will be flashed images of numbers and asked to respond what number they saw. |
| Restrictions: normal or corrected to normal vision. Anyone may participate, but we are particularly looking for people who either A) play action videos games quite regularly or B) rarely or never play action video games. |
| Experiment #13 | Cross-Modal Negative Priming |
| Location: Pgill 366 | Duration: 50 minutes | Credits: 1.0 |
| Experimenter: Samuel Hewett | E-mail: shewett@bates.edu | Phone Number: 207.333.2085 |
| Differing personalities often affect performance. In this task, participants will complete a negative priming task, responding as quickly and accurately as possible to series of numbers on a computer. |
| Restrictions: Must have normal or corrected to normal vision and hearing. Please wear your glasses or contacts if needed. |
| Experiment #14 | Negative Priming in Space |
| Location: pgill 366 | Duration: 25 minutes | Credits: 0.5 |
| Experimenter: Douglas MacKenzie | E-mail: dmackenz@bates.edu | Phone Number: |
| Negative priming can occur in a variety of situations including those that are spatial in nature. Participants will be responding to various shapes in different locations on a computer screen. Sign up here for a quick and easy experiment |
| Restrictions: |
| Experiment #15 | Images in the Media |
| Location: You will be contacted if you are eligible. | Duration: 30 minutes | Credits: 0.5 |
| Experimenter: Sherraine Rodney | E-mail: srodney@bates.edu | Phone Number: 617-981-9663 |
| This study will be completed as an undergraduate senior thesis conducted at Bates College. Participants will be asked to complete a 30 minute survey assessing judgment. Participation in this online study will require that participants look at and rate a set of images. |
| Restrictions: To take this study, participants must complete an online survey to determine their eligibility. If participants are eligible, they will be contacted via email by the experimenter. |
| Experiment #17 | The Interaction Among Physiology, Mood, and Body Image |
| Location: Pettengill 353 |
Duration: See below | Credits: 1.0 |
| Experimenter: Rachel Ogilvie | E-mail: rogilvie@bates.edu | Phone Number: (860) 305-9631 |
| Participants will be expected to participate in three separate sessions, two during the fall semester and one during the winter semester. Each session is 30 minutes or less. Participants will wear heart rate monitors and answer questions about mood and body image. For participating in both fall sessions, you will receive 1 participation credit. For participating in the third session during winter term, you will receive $5. Since we need three sessions of data for each participant, please do not begin this project unless you intend to complete all three sessions. |
| Restrictions: This experiment is for females only. Also, because the final session of the experiment will occur during the winter 2009 semester, it is recommended that only students who plan to be on campus for both semesters participate. |
| Experiment #18 | Executive Function and Moral Dilemmas |
| Location: Pettingill G52? | Duration: 60 minutes | Credits: 1.0 |
| Experimenter: Alli Earon | E-mail: aearon@bates.edu | Phone Number: 781.789.6813 |
| The experiment seeks to compare executive function with moral reasoning. Particular executive function profiles might be associated with specific moral reasoning styles. |
| Restrictions: Right-handed people only please. |
| Experiment #19 | Political Questionnaire |
| Location: http://abacus.bates.edu/~awerblin/apd/ | Duration: 20 minutes | Credits: 0.5 |
| Experimenter: Amy Werblin | E-mail: awerblin@bates.edu | Phone Number: (714) 904-5222 |
| The purpose of this study is to gain student feedback on a policy which lawmakers are currently considering. |
| Restrictions: Psych. 101 students only. |
| Experiment #21 | Emotion Reactivity Study I |
| Location: Pettengill 321 | Duration: 20 minutes | Credits: 0.5 |
| Experimenter: Julie Farugia | E-mail: jfarugia@bates.edu | Phone Number: 207-577-9162 |
| Study investigating the relationship between various trait characteristics and emotional reactivity. During the session, you will be asked to fill out self-report questionnaires. These questionnaires ask you to reflect on various aspects of your personality, day-to-day habits and behaviors, health status, and your emotional reactions to stress in your daily life. Based on your responses to these questionnaires, you may be invited to participate in a second, follow-up experiment for additional compensation or credit. |
| Restrictions: Although both female and male participants are desired, female participants currently taking any form of birth control, (e.g. via pill or patch) are not eligible to participate. |
| Experiment #23 | Focus groups on Flourishing |
| Location: 321 Pettengill | Duration: 60 minutes | Credits: 1.0 |
| Experimenter: Kathryn Low | E-mail: klow@bates.edu | Phone Number: 6186 |
| One hour discussion of flourishing, liberal arts and engagement for first year students. |
| Restrictions: First years. |
This page was last updated November 17, 2008.
© 2008 Bates College. All rights reserved.
Maintained by Brian Pfohl