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Carnegie Mellon University
Center for Behavioral and Decision Research  ›  Participate in Research

The Carnegie Mellon University Research Participant Pool 

We are always looking for new research study participants.

Paid participants are needed ONLY for in-person studies in labs on the Carnegie Mellon University campus. Therefore, we ask that only residents of Pittsburgh request a participant account. Please be sure to read the participation policies below before entering your information to request an account for research participation.

Lab Expectations of Participants

  • Participants must show up on time to participate in studies; participants who show up after the listed study starting time may not be able to participate and will not be compensated.
  • Participants are expected to attend all study sessions for which they sign up, or to cancel sign-ups on the website at least 24 hours in advance. Missing a study without online cancellation will result in an unexcused no-show. Participants who accumulate three unexcused no-shows will be banned from participating in studies for at least three months.
  • Participants are asked to cancel or reschedule their study session if they are feeling unwell. This includes but is not limited to symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, fatigue, or any other signs of illness. 
  • Participants and researchers are required to maintain an environment of respect. Participants may not be under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs while participating in studies. Use of vulgar or discriminatory language, threatening behavior, inappropriate communication, system abuse, etc. will result in permanent restriction from the system and from participation in studies.  

For in-person studies, participants will be compensated immediately with cash or gift cards. Payment usually averages around $15 per hour for in-person studies. Payment information for each study can always be found in the study description. Participants must be a resident of the United States in order to recieve remote compensation. 

CMU students participating in the Research Participation Program or the Psychology Research Requirment may also earn course credit for participating in specifically labeled studies. These CREDIT studies may not be completed for cash payment unless explicitly stated. Studies labeled "CREDIT" are therefore intended for CMU students only.

Studies vary widely across the broad spectrum of behavioral and decision research. Examples of topics studied are personal attitudes and beliefs, human judgment and decision-making, preferences, interpersonal perceptions, group performance, interaction with computers and machines, and perceptions of public policy.

Each individual study posting will always contain the anticipated length. Online studies (available only to Carnegie Mellon students) are typically shorter, ranging from 5 minutes to an hour (or longer). In-person lab studies are typically longer, ranging from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours. Some studies require multiple sessions or may fall outside of these ranges.

Questions?

Contact the Lab Manager.

Sign In (Sona)

Request an Account

Eligibility

  • Must be 18 years old or older
  • Must be a resident of the United States
  • Must not already have a participant account
  • May not participate in any individual study more than once
  • Must complete a prescreen form prior to signing up for studies
  • Must NOT be PhDs in Economics, Psychology, Organizational Behavior, or Marketing

Request a Carnegie Mellon University Participant Account

Once you have read the participation policies you may sign up to create an account. Account creation may take up to 72 weekday hours. Do not resubmit information — this will return an error message. If you are a Carnegie Mellon student, please register with your CMU email address so that we may verify your student status. We are, unfortunately, unable to accept participants that are not residents of the United States at this time.

Once you receive your account information, you will be able to view and sign up for studies through our Sona Systems website.

Inquiries

For general questions about the participation pool, please first look at the FAQ section on the Sona Systems website.

Any questions about a particular study (including but not limited to questions about compensation, preparation, meeting time, eligibility, etc.) should be directed to the researcher(s) listed in the study posting online. In the case that a participant feels any matter must be reviewed by the lab system administrators, participants may email cmu-studies@andrew.cmu.edu.