When Medill freshman Yamandú Capalbo enrolled in his first psychology class for Fall Quarter 2024, he wasn’t expecting to be a test subject in research labs.
However, he learned that if he opted out, he would have to pursue what many students have described as less accessible alternatives or receive an “incomplete” for the class on his transcript. So, he chose the simpler option, he said.
As part of class requirements, students in some psychology, political science and linguistics classes are required to participate in research studies as subjects or complete an equal alternative.
Students taking Psychology 110 with psychology Prof. Wendi Gardner have to participate in around 14 30-minute studies as a lab requirement to pass the class.
Alternatively, students can choose to write a 10-15 page long research paper after reading multiple examples of psychology research.
“A 15 page research paper is a lot, you know, having to have your citations and all,” Communication freshman Elizabeth Hare said. “I feel like the paper should be shorter and something that should take 14 hours — or seven hours — because each study is about 30 minutes per credit.”
Some students have said they find studies to be intrusive but do not want to write a research paper that they think would take more time.
Weinberg freshman Isaiah Thomas complained he had to answer personal questions for one of his psychology class studies, such as on sexuality, background and relationship to family, which he found to be rather “invasive.”
“I feel like even if I don’t like the study that I want to participate in, I’m forced to get the credit,” Thomas said.
Capalbo said he also found some of the questions were “too deep,” causing him to feel “weird” about sharing the information with strangers.
While he felt fairly informed about the content of the studies, Capalbo also said that it can be hard for some people to “look in the mirror” and understand their behaviors, which may potentially “trigger” students.
Political science department chair and Prof. William Reno, who is also a member of NU’s Institutional Review Board for social and behavioral research, said these research studies are regulated by not just the University but the IRB.
Governed by federal regulations, the IRB protects the rights and welfare of human research participants by reviewing research protocols.
“The main thing about protection of research subjects, of which people who fill out surveys would be, is that they have to have the option to not participate,” Reno said. “They can’t be required to participate, and they have to be insulated as much as possible from undue influence.”
Before a study begins, Reno said the researcher must ask for a participant’s consent and inform them about the study. When collecting consent, it is important to determine if that student has the freedom to make the decision for themselves, he said.
If a student withdraws in the middle of the experiment, Reno said the experiment should still count towards the student’s requirements. A big part of consent is the ability to withdraw it at any point, he said.
“The whole principle is informed consent,” Reno said. “Somebody’s doing research. You become a participant in the research. You know that you’re a participant, you understand, what the terms of it are like, what’s the benefit, what’s the cost.”
To ensure the research participation is voluntary, Reno said professors must provide an equal alternative to the studies “that’s of no greater burden” than the studies. In particular, he said the time it takes to complete the studies must be equivalent to the time it takes to complete the alternative.
Psychology 110’s syllabus indicates that completing all required studies should take approximately seven hours. But Communication freshman Sofia Flores said if she were to opt for the research paper alternative, the brainstorming and writing process would take much longer.
“The fact that students complain that they think that it’s not really a fair choice means it has to be changed,” Reno said. “That’s a legitimate complaint. Therefore it’s a problem, and therefore we have to take steps to solve it.”
He said he believes this issue can be easily remedied through a simple change in alternative. Instead of writing a paper, Reno suggested students should have to watch a video of equal length to the studies, an option the Linguistics department offers.
However, Capalbo said the mandatory nature of studies takes away the voluntary choice of participants.
“Why? What’s the reason behind the necessity of students being the rats for the psych department?” Capalbo said.
Some students appreciated the opportunity to participate in research studies.
Weinberg sophomore and psychology major Martin Clements said he loved the process of participating in department research as part of his courses. Having taken four psychology classes so far, he said he viewed the studies as an insight into what he’ll be doing as a graduate student.
“It’s not something you can do every day,” he said. “It’s a cool alternative to writing, which I do every day at school.”
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
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