FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Common Questions . . .
About Getting Started:
1. What age range is accepted to participate?
2. I signed up in SONA, do I have to fill out the pre-screening survey?
3. If I register in SONA, do I have to participate?
4. Do I have to come to an experiment if I sign up?
5. How do I cancel an experiment? What if something comes up and I cannot make it to the experiment?
6. What happens after I register and sign up for an experiment?
About the day of the Experiment:
7. What’s it like for a participant on the day of the experiment?
About Payment:
9. Why do you need the information on the Participant Receipt Form?
10. My professor said I could also get extra credit. How does that work?
About SONA:
11. I forgot my SONA sign-in information (username/password), how can I log back in?
13. Can I participate in more than one experiment?
16. Where can I find my SONA ID?
About Privacy:
17. Will the researchers look at my personal experiment results or data?
Getting Started
1. What age range is accepted to participate?
You must be 18 years or older due to regulation’s from UVA’s Internal Review Board (IRB).
2. I signed up in SONA, do I have to fill out the pre-screening survey?
Yes. In order to participate in any experiment you must complete the entire pre-screening survey. The pre-screen survey is short and takes just a few minutes to complete, but you will not receive emails about upcoming experiments if you do not.
3. If I register in SONA, do I have to participate?
No, participation in experiments is completely voluntary. If you’d like to participate, you may choose the dates and times that are convenient for you.
4. Do I have to come to an experiment if I sign up?
Yes. Many experiments require an exact number of participants. If you sign up, we expect you to be present. If you fail to show up, you will be marked as a “no-show” and this could prevent you from participating in future experiments.
5. How do I cancel an experiment? What if something comes up and I cannot make it to the experiment?
If you are unable to make an experiment you signed up for, please cancel at least 24 hours in advance so that others can sign-up. To cancel, login to the SONA System and cancel yourself.
6. What happens after I register and sign up for an experiment?
After you’ve created an account in SONA and filled in a pre-screening survey, you will receive emails inviting you to sign up and participate for open experiments. You will also receive a reminder email a few days before the experiment.
The Day of the Experiment
7. What’s it like for a participant on the day of the experiment?
Please see our “A Day in the Life” page for more information!
Payment Questions
8. How much will I be paid?
The payment for each experiment varies, but all participants who signed up to participate and showed up to the lab will receive a minimum $10 participation fee. Other experiments may pay more based on participation and performance in certain in tasks.
All participants will be paid in cash once debrief has ended and they’ve completed a Participant Receipt Form.
9. Why do you need the information on the Participant Receipt Form?
We need this information to comply with transparency standards for data collection. This information is always stored in safe location.
10. My professor said I could also get extra credit. How does that work?
Different professors have different policies on extra credit for lab participation. At the end of the experiment, you will be asked if you’re receiving extra credit for a particular class, and the course number of that class. We will then email the names of participants to professors so that you will receive course credit.
Issues Signing Up
11. I forgot my SONA sign-in information (username/password), how can I log back in?
Your SONA sign-in should be your “userID@virginia.edu” email address. If you’ve forgotten your password, please go to uvapolitics.sona-systems.com and click the “Forgot Password?” button in the lower right-hand corner. You will be asked to enter your SONA User ID (your UVA email address). After you enter your User ID, you will receive an email with a link and instructions on how to reset the password.
12. I received an email invitation for an experiment, but when I log in to SONA Systems it says "No studies are available at this time"/ "Too late to sign up." Why?
You’re receiving this message because all available timeslots have been filled. Once a study timeslot is full, it will disappear from SONA. Because timeslots are filled on a first-come, first-served basis, you should sign up as soon as you receive an email to participate. Good luck!
13. Can I participate in more than one experiment?
The LAB conducts experiments on many different subjects. While you may participate in as many experiments as you wish, researchers will limit how many experiments on the same subject you can participate in.
14. I get the message "Sign-Up prohibited because of Sign-Up Restrictions. There are study pre-requisite or disqualifier requirements which you do not meet." What does this mean?
This likely means that you have signed up for an experiment in the past, or pre-registration survey is incomplete. Please make sure to complete the pre-registration survey to start participating in experiments!
Questions about SONA
15. What is my SONA ID?
A SONA ID is a unique 4-digit identity code that you receive when you register with the LAB. Researchers use this code to keep data confidential. Please keep this information handy when you go to the lab to participate in an experiment!
16. Where can I find my SONA ID?
To find your SONA ID, log into uvapolitics.sona-systems.com, and then click on "My Profile." The SONA ID will be listed right beneath your name (second line) and it will be listed as "Identity Code." In emails from SONA confirming your participation, you will find you Identity Code there as well.
Privacy Concerns
17. Will the researchers look at my personal experiment results or data?
No, data collected from the experiment do not have any personally identifying information such as your name or Student ID. Researchers can only see your SONA ID. Your identity as a participant will never be revealed in publications or data that is made publicly available. Personal information collected by SONA will never be connected to data collected in the experiment.