SONA System
The SONA system is utilized by researchers interested in conducting studies that require the physical presence of the participants. Please note that no studies may be posted on SONA without first achieving IRB approval.
Important Notes
- Everyone who uses lab facilities (including computers, lab rooms, equipment) must have a SONA account. Researchers and their assistants should request “researcher” accounts and all participants must have accounts as well. This means that if you are able to recruit participants by flyers, twitter, etc. who do not already have SONA accounts, you must create an account for them prior to their participation in your experiment. This is essential in order to build up our participant pool and to keep a clear channel of communication.
- All “participant” accounts on SONA must be created with a .edu e-mail address in order to ensure the safety of the lab and its members. In the event that you have to sign up a participant on SONA be sure to request an account with a .edu e-mail address or it will not be approved.
- Before you place time slots on SONA for experiments being run in Behavioral Lab rooms you absolutely, positively must request permission from the lab coordinator (details here), or confirm that your supervisor has reserved the space. It is preferable that you always reference the lab calendar before posting slots in order to avoid any conflict, confusion, or penalties. Timeslots posted on SONA without corresponding approved room reservations will be deleted.
- The lab has a Carrot and Stick policy which monitors the amount of No-Shows on participant SONA accounts. In order to properly enforce our policy it is vital that all researchers correctly code No-Shows. “Unexcused” no-shows should only be given to participants who did not show up for their scheduled appointment and did not make contact with the researcher; “excused” no-shows may be given out to participants who did not show up but contacted the researcher with an explanation or a desire to re-schedule. If you are still unsure of how to appropriately code no-shows please see the SONA Systems Guide - No Shows.
SONA Walkthroughs
If you are unfamiliar with the SONA program or are looking for help with a specific topic read over the following walkthroughs. If after reading the appropriate documents you are still having difficulty please contact the lab coordinator.