RP Pool (Sign Up for Experiments) > Information on Research Requirement > Experimetrix.com (website where you sign up to participate in experiments) > Current RP Guidelines for Students (in PDF format) > Current RP Guidelines for Researchers (in PDF format) Information on Research Orientation Requirement Students enrolled in Elementary Psychology (PSYC 1101), General Psychology (PSYC 1030H), and Psychology of Adjustment (PSYC 2101) must satisfy these departmental research requirements before credit is given for the course. The Psychology Department regards your exposure to psychological research as an educational experience. This is comparable to a laboratory section of introductory courses in other sciences, and it serves additionally to acquaint the student with a broad cross-section of contemporary psychological research. If you choose to participate in studies, you may choose which studies you prefer to participate in, and 6.5 hours of studies must be completed. You will receive one half-credit (0.5) for each half-hour of participation in a study. Failure to fulfill 6.5 hours of credit will result in a grade of Incomplete (I). The participation of students is appreciated and essential to the research of the Psychology Department. The research contribution made by the students becomes a lasting part of the body of scientific psychological knowledge.
How do I earn my research credit? Students enrolled in Elementary Psychology (PSYC 1101), General Psychology (PSYC 1030H), and Psychology of Adjustment (PSYC 2101) will need to complete 6.5 hours of credit. There are two ways you can earn credit. The first is by participating in psychology experiments. The second option is writing short 1-2 page review papers of an article you read (see guidelines later in this packet). NOTE: You can do any combination of research participation and paper writing to get your credit.
What happens if I don't earn the required credits? If you fail to earn all the required credits you receive an incomplete in your psychology class. An incomplete is reported as an "I" on your report card. Once you get an incomplete you have THREE semesters, INCLUDING THE SUMMER SEMESTER, to make up however many credits you were short of the requirement. If you don't make up your remaining credits within three semesters you get an "F" for your psychology class grade. Although getting an incomplete doesn't sound like such a big deal it can be for a few reasons. 1. Getting an incomplete can threaten your HOPE scholarship. 2. Some students procrastinate or forget to finish up their credits and end up failing their psychology class. 3. Getting an incomplete can interfere with graduation, transferring to another school or getting an internship.
What should I do if I am currently making up my incomplete? First of all, when you reactivate your account by logging in and are prompted to choose what class you are in, make sure you choose "Incompletes from ___________ semester" as your class. Choose whichever semester you originally took the class you got the incomplete in. After you finish making up your incomplete EMAIL THE RP COORDINATOR IMMEDIATELY with your name, ID #, class you got the incomplete in and professor of that class, the semester and year you took the class, and the College in which you are enrolled (for example, College of Arts & Sciences). The RP Coordinator will check out your credits and, if everything is in order, will send off the paperwork to erase your incomplete. NOTE: Your professor and the head of the psychology department sign this paperwork, so it will take anywhere from 2-3 weeks to reach the registrar and change your grade.
What is the purpose of the white research card I received? The "white card", as it is called, acts as your receipt in case the computer messes up your credits. This happens when an experimenter accidentally penalizes you instead of giving you credit or accidentally cancels your session (both of these situations are rare but can happen). If you notice your credits on the computer are incorrect you need to show the RP Coordinator your white card to fix the problem. Your white card is YOUR ONLY PROOF of how many credits you have truly earned, no other proof or explanations will be accepted. KEEP YOUR WHITE CARD IN A VERY SAFE PLACE!
The first thing you need to do is register yourself on the web site. Do this by going to www.experimetrix.com/uga and following the instructions given on the first page of this packet. The following are some common problems you may encounter while registering and what you should do. It won't send me my password: If you have not received your login and password via email within a couple hours of registering it means something has gone wrong. Sometimes students incorrectly enter their email address. Sometimes the system just glitches and doesn't send the information. Regardless, you should immediately email the RP Coordinator (rp@uga.edu) and give your name & ID #. The coordinator can then send you your login and password. After I input my information it says I "already exist" and won't let me register: You may already have an account on the web site from a previous semester. If so then just click on "log in" and give it your old login & password. If you don't remember this information email the RP Coordinator. Some people, because they incorrectly enter some piece of information the first time, will try to register again. When you register the first time your account is immediately created, even in your inputted information is incorrect, and will stay on the web site for 3 days waiting for you to activate it with your login and password. This is why you can't register again for that 3 day period because your account "already exists" in the system. You need to email the RP Coordinator. I just can't seem to get into the web site to register: Usually this means the site is overloaded with traffic and you should try to register at a less busy time (such as later in the evening or early morning). Sometimes the trouble is with the computer you are using. Your computer may have a very slow internet connection or an outdated version of internet browser. Try registering on a different computer. Finally, make sure you use Microsoft Internet Explorer. For some reason the experimetrix web site does not like Netscape.
How do I sign up for these experiments? Before you can sign up for an experiment you must first register on the system (see first page for instructions). After you have registered on the system do the following to sign up for an experiment: 1. Go to the web site and click on "sign up". 2. Scroll down the list of experiments until you find one you are interested in & click on "view schedule". 3. In the experiment page look at the experiment information at the top of the page and make sure you are eligible to participate. Some experiments have restrictions on who can participate. 4. In the experiment page you will see a list of times you can sign up for. Click on one of these times and then give it your login and password to sign up. 5. Make sure you WRITE DOWN when and where the experiment is or you may miss your appointment. Some common problems with signing up and what you should do: It asks me for an "authorization code" and I don't have one: Some experimenters restrict who can sign up for their experiment by creating an "authorization code" (essentially a password) students use to sign up with. Look at the information posted on the page that lists all the experiments. It may tell you to call or email someone to get the authorization code. Most likely this is so the experimenter can ask you a few questions to ensure you are eligible for the experiment. Other times the study you are trying to sign up for is the second part of a 2-stage study and you have to go through the 1st stage before you get the authorization code to go through the 2nd stage. In this case find the 1st stage experiment and sign up for that. I get some message about selecting a class before I can sign up: This means you didn't indicate which psychology class(es) you are in this semester when first registering. To do this go back to the main page and click on "log in" then click on "edit my course selections". Click on the box(es) next to the class(es) you are taking and then click on "apply changes" at the top of the page. Now you can go back and sign up for your experiment.
How do I check my total number of earned (and penalized) credits? To check your credit balance simply click on "log in". At the top of the page it will tell you how many credits you have earned, been penalized and are "still pending". Still pending means the experiment you signed up for has already taken place but the experimenter has yet to give you credit for it. This is normal and you should receive credit within a few days. If an experiment is "still pending" after a couple weeks contact the experimenter and ask him or her to give you credit. You can find the experimenter's contact information by clicking on "sign up" and then on "view schedule" of the experiment.
What if I notice my credits are incorrect? If your credits are incorrect please contact the RP Coordinator immediately and be prepared to show a copy of your white card. Typically the RP Coordinator will ask you to drop a copy of your white card, with a note attached explaining the problem, off by the RP office.
How do I cancel an experiment? Click on "sign up" and then find the experiment you need to cancel. Go into that experiment and find the time slot you originally signed up for. To cancel your appointment just click on the "cancel" button. When canceling, you will also be prompted to log in. After entering your information, hit "Finish". NOTE: To cancel this way you must do so AT LEAST 24 hours before your appointment time. If you can't cancel the normal way please contact THE EXPERIMENTER (NOT the RP Coordinator) and ask the experimenter to cancel your session for you. You can find the experimenter's contact information on the first page of sign up times for that experiment.
What happens if I miss an experiment? If you miss your scheduled appointment you will receive a penalty equal to the number of credits the experiment was worth (BUT only up to 1 credit). This means you now need to earn additional credit to get your required credit. Please don't miss an experiment. It means more work for you and wasted time for the experimenter.
But what if I missed an experiment because of some emergency? An emergency is defined as some event BEYOND YOUR CONTROL that requires your immediate attention. If you miss an experiment because of an emergency please contact THE EXPERIMENTER (not the RP Coordinator) as soon as possible and advise him or her of the situation. You can find the experimenter's contact information on the first page of sign up times for that experiment. In most cases the experimenter will simply cancel your appointment to avoid penalizing you. In other cases the experimenter may ask you to reschedule your appointment. Please be aware the experimenter may ask for some sort of documentation as evidence of your emergency.
Guidelines for writing Research Article Summaries EVEN IF YOU PLAN TO ONLY WRITE ARTICLE SUMMARIES TO SATISFY THE RESEARCH REQUIREMENT, YOU STILL NEED TO REGISTER ON THE WEBSITE! The option for earning research participation credit by writing summaries of research articles is designed primarily for students who are not able or do not wish to participate in psychological studies. EACH TWO- PAGE PAPER written will get you 1 credit toward completion of the research requirement. You may also write a one-page paper to receive ½ credit. You must adhere to the following guidelines carefully; shoddy work will not be accepted.
What type of article should I read? 1. The idea is to do some in-depth reading about psychological research-beyond the coverage in your textbook. It is recommended that you choose a recent article (within the last five years or so) from the magazine Psychology Today or Scientific American. Be careful, because the article must be related to psychological research in some way (e.g., an article discussing findings from a study). You may not use Internet articles as your sources. BUT YOU MAY USE ARTICLES FROM GALILEO. 2. If you prefer a more advanced article, you may look in a psychology journal in the main library (such as those in the BF section on the 6th floor). Journals published by the American Psychological Association are generally considered the best. 3. The article must be at least three full pages in length.
What information should I include with the paper? > A photocopy of the article
you read stapled to the back of your paper.
1. The purpose of the paper is to demonstrate that you have read and have understood the research article. It should be partly a summary and an astute description of what you got out of the article. Papers that contain simple phrases like "I didn't like the article" or "it didn't make much sense" will not be accepted for credit. You need to critically evaluate the material. The paper should be readable, but does not have to be a polished term paper. It should contain at least two full pages of text (headers with your name and reference do not count towards this length requirement). 2. The paper must be typed and double-spaced. You must use a standard 12-point font size. Failure to heed these guidelines will result in the paper not being accepted for credit. 3. Any paper that is entirely or partly copied word-for-word from a research article (or from another student) is not acceptable. This is plagiarism, which is a very serious academic offense. Your instructor would also be contacted to determine if any additional steps should be taken to deal with the problem. I have access to these journals and will check on papers, especially those that seem questionable. 4. Place any papers in the box outside the RP office (Room 253 of the Psychology Building) by 5:00 PM on the last listed day for the RP pool. Papers turned in after this point will not be accepted. Make sure you turn papers in early enough! Any unacceptable papers turned in at the last minute WON'T COUNT FOR CREDIT and you won't have a chance to correct them. RP Office: Room 253, Psychology Building
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