T1 - University Library - University of Saskatchewan

Research experience:
It is customary to ask students in second year classes of psychology to volunteer as participants in
psychological research. The usual procedure is for the subject pool committee to come to a class
early in the term to get some basic information from you (i.e., If you wish to volunteer, your
name and where you can be reached for scheduling). I expect this to happen and have been asked
to use part of a lecture for such purposes. I encourage you to volunteer and participate. Your
contribution can enhance our knowledge about psychological functioning and about methods
used to attain such knowledge. In addition, the experience can be valuable to you especially if
you go on to plan some investigating yourself. You will know what participants experience.
It is important that you understand the voluntary status. No one will force you to enter an
experiment. If you should decide to volunteer, you can change your mind at any time during the
process. You can request a clear description of the study and what will be expected from you.
After it is finished, you can request information about the findings of the research.
A clear honest participation is expected from you. If you feel like playing a "cat and mouse"
game with the researcher, say no rather than confound good research. Also, if you find the procedure
confusing or your actions in the research complicated, say so. It is very important that you
give good feedback to research designers so they can make necessary improvements. Again,
please note that the research participation is strictly voluntary. There are no penalties for
not doing it.
Appointments:
Please note my office hours. Since I am teaching other classes and have administrative duties, I
may not be in my office if you drop by. I invite you to make use of office hours to inquire about
any aspect of the course, to identify and solve assignment problems, to review your progress, etc.
You may come in groups if you wish. If another student gets there before you, you may have to
wait. If you need to reach me at other times, please call and if I am unable to answer your call,
please leave a message on my answering machine. You may also e-mail me if you include your
name and course number in each e-mail that you send. Note that I will not respond to
anonymous e-mails. I respond to approximately 200 e-mails per term so you may have to wait a
few days for a response. The busiest times for student e-mail inquiries are the week prior to
examinations and to assignment due dates. I answer them on a first come first serve basis so if
you want to ensure that I respond prior to the examination or assignment due date, you will have
to send your message to me as far in advance as possible. It may be better for you to speak to me
after class or contact me by telephone.
E-mail: All email correspondence using PAWS is preferred. Use only the STM e-mail address
provided on this course outline for any correspondence regarding this course. The university
computer use policy is given in the Calendar. Please read it so you are not surprised by
interruptions in computer usage.
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