Psychology Student Research Experience

Gain invaluable research experience with Sona Systems

As part of your Principles of Psychology (PSY 100) and/or Principles of Research Design (PSY 319) course, we want you to gain firsthand research experience by participating in actual studies*.

Your participation is crucial to supporting the ongoing research of faculty and students and frequently leads to presentations at conferences and publication in journals. We think the experience is important for your own education, and you can also take pride in contributing to the advancement of knowledge in psychology. As a research participant, you get to experience firsthand the research process and learn how researchers test their hypotheses.

All students enrolled in PSY 100 and/or PSY 319 are given the opportunity to participate in psychological research. Research hours are acquired and reported as “credits” in Sona Systems, the online psychology research portal. Some of this research is done online, whereas others are performed in a laboratory setting. Each student needs to complete 2 research credits for PSY 100 and 1 research credit for PSY 319. Usually, studies that are .25 credits take about 15 minutes, studies that are .5 credits take about 30 minutes, and studies that take 1 hour are about 45-60 minutes.

You may get email notifications about online surveys/research opportunities outside of Sona Systems. These will not count for research credit. Only research posted in Sona is approved for the PSY 100 research requirement.

You can access Sona by clicking on the link below AFTER the 10-Day drop/add deadline. Use your UMICH unique name and password. You will be asked to complete a short demographic pre-screen before you can sign up for studies. If you have trouble logging in, please email Dr. Jennifer LaCosse at jlacosse@umich.edu.

Note that research studies have been reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board; students frequently describe participation as an easy, enjoyable experience. Given that the data we collect is used to advance psychological science, we ask that you take your participation seriously, carefully reading instructions and responding to survey items. Once you complete a study, your credit is pending until the researcher confirms your completion (the confirmation period varies by research project). Please refer to your PSY 100 syllabus for additional information and participation deadlines.

*Students who would rather not participate in a research study directly have the option to learn about research by completing an alternative assignment. Contact your instructor for details. Frankly, it’s probably more interesting to participate in a study.