Behavioral Lab 

The Behavioral Laboratory at the Whitman School is designed for the study of human subjects in contexts related to business management. The lab is available for use by all Whitman faculty and Ph.D. students and is open to all students across Syracuse University, regardless of year or major. The Behavioral Laboratory is part of an ongoing effort to produce relevant, cutting-edge research applicable to multiple disciples across the Whitman School. 

Topics studied in the lab include decision-making, attitudes, personality and consumer behavior. If you would like to participate in this research, see below.

The lab is located on the lower level of the Whitman School, Room 010. 

Contact: lcvincen@syr.edu

Mail Address:
Behavioral Lab
Whitman School of Management
721 University Ave.
Syracuse, NY 13224

Behavioral Lab Sign Up Page

Faculty

Professor Julie Niederhoff received her Ph.D. from the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis. Niederhoff’s research focuses on the role of individual human bias in decision-making. She measures personal preferences and group dynamics by applying methodology from experimental economics and behavioral game theory, as well as psychology. Niederhoff uses these factors to measure individual and team performance in supply chain contexts to better understand the human element of supply chain decision-making. She also teaches Introduction to Supply Chain Management (SCM 265) to undergraduate students.

(315) 443-3399

jniederh@syr.edu

Lynne Vincent earned her B.S. in industrial and labor relations and her M.S. and Ph.D. in organizational behavior from Cornell University. She teaches undergraduate and graduate management classes at Whitman. Vincent's research examines the moral and social implications of creativity. In contrast to the status quo view of creativity as inherently positive, she investigates the potential dark side and the unexpected consequences of creativity. Her research reveals that creativity and the perception of creativity influences decisions to engage in dishonest behaviors, how people handle negative experiences and even how people judge others. These processes affect how organizations encourage creativity, how organizations design jobs and how hiring decisions are made. Her research has appeared in Academy of Management Journal, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General and Psychological Science.

315-443-4821 

lcvincen@syr.edu

Origin

The Behavioral Lab began when Whitman faculty and students began to identify a need for the study of human subjects. Thus, a space in the Whitman School was dedicated to serving as an interdisciplinary laboratory exclusively for the study of this topic by Whitman faculty and Ph.D. students.

The Behavioral Lab is an invaluable resource in which primary research is conducted. Researchers apply their findings to current industry discussions, and they are dedicated to furthering the understanding of human behavior in business markets, organizations and management. Faculty and Ph.D. students from all departments study a variety of topics, including decision-making, attitude formation and change, personality, consumer behavior, negotiation and team performance. 

How to Participate

Whitman researchers are looking for participants willing to take part in marketing, supply chain and other business studies in the behavioral research lab. None of our studies involve physical exertion or medical procedures.

To Register

To participate in studies through the Behavioral Laboratory, please join our participant pool. If you have an syr.edu email address you can sign up here and participate in studies more regularly than through drop-in days. Once signed up, you can see available studies as they are scheduled. Those listed with a “$” pay cash for participation; those with a “CC” earn SONA credits, which many Whitman professors encourage and use toward homework or participation credits.

Occasionally, we host “Drop-in Days,” which do not require pre-registration and are open to everyone.  These are all case studies. See the Events page for upcoming Drop-In Days.

To Participate

• You must be 18 years of age or older.
  
• You may only have one account on SONA.  If you aren’t sure, try the “Lost your Password?” link on the SONA page.
• You may not participate in the same study more than once. SONA manages this.
• Some studies will be limited to or excluded from subjects in certain majors, classes, etc. A variety of studies are posted each week, so there should generally always be something for which you are eligible.
  

Frequently Asked Questions

If you do not see your question here, please email lcvincen@syr.edu.  In general, please do not email your faculty member with lab questions.

Where do the labs take place?

The Whitman Behavioral Laboratory is in room 010, diagonally across from the Lender Auditorium. It is the first door on the left after the center stairwell.

My professor told me this would count toward class, but the course isn't listed when I go to assign credits to courses. What do I do?

If you joined the course after the professor sent the class roster, you may not be affiliated with the course. Email researchrocks@syr.edu with the course number, professor and section, and we can manually add it to your account.  (e.g. SCM 265 Niederhoff Section 2).  You can re-assign existing credits to that course once it is added to your account, so you can do the study now and then assign the credit to the course later.

What types of studies are being done?

These change from week to week, but faculty doing studies are in supply chain management, marketing and management, and we have interested faculty from entrepreneurship and finance who may run studies, too.  Studies range from surveys to task-based activities.

Which study do I need to do to get credit in my class? For example, does it matter if it's a finance class?

In most cases it does not matter — any study (as long as it is not a Drop-In Day) counts toward any class.  
However, if your professor has chosen to limit the credit to a specific type of study, that will be managed within SONA with no effort by you.  The study will be set up to only be visible to students registered in your class,and the description will indicate that this study is for your credit in that class.

How do I log in to SONA?

Go to SONA (https://wsom.sona-systems.com). Your user ID is your @syr.edu email; your password was emailed to you. If you lost the password, click the link (lower left of the main SONA screen). If you do not have an account, you can create one; then email researchrocks@syr.edu if you need to be affiliated with courses.

I'm logging in and not seeing any studies listed with "time slots available."
This could be one of two main issues:

1. Schedules are not yet set: The lab typically runs Monday through Wednesday, and sign-ups typically close 12 to 24 hours before a study session.  If it is Wednesday or Thursday afternoon, the research team is probably finalizing the schedule for the next week and will post those sign-ups by Friday afternoon.

2. You are not qualified for the current schedule of labs: The second issue is that most studies block students from participating twice, and many have restrictions, such as only those in certain classes, blocking those in certain classes, or blocking those that have done a very similar study already.  It may be possible that studies are running but you do not qualify for any of them that week, and so none show as available.  We try to run a mix of studies across time slots and days to avoid this, but it can happen. 

If you aren’t sure, email lcvincen@syr.edu

What happens if a student is in multiple classes with lab requirements?

The student’s account will be associated with all classes that have submitted class lists which include his or her email ID.  When you sign up for a study you can select which class to assign that credit toward.  (If the course does not show up on your list, email researchrocks@syr.edu with the course name and section.)

Thus if one class requires lab completion by mid-semester and another by the end of the semester, you can opt to apply for credits accordingly.  Or if you only plan to do one study you can apply it to the course you most need the credit in. 

Professors will get completion reports which will show the total number of credits earned and the total required (across all courses this semester) as well as the number applied to each course.

How long does a lab usually last (time commitment)?

Most of our labs take 25 to 30 minutes and count as one participation credit.  Generally, if a lab will take more time than that, it will count as more credits.  So participating in a 90-minute lab (if there were one) could earn three credits.  The length of time the study takes is noted on each sign-up screen.

Can students earn money, too?

Some studies involve making financially based decisions (setting prices, making investments, etc.) and thus students are paid, based on their earned rewards in the experiment, to align incentives.  Total payment is generally around $5/study.  Many studies have no financial incentives or participation payments.  These details are included in the study description information when you sign up.

What are "Drop-In Days?"

At three points in the semester, we host Drop-In Days (usually 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on a Thursday/Friday).  These are like an open house — you’re welcome to stop by at any point in the posted hours to complete a 30-minute study and earn $5.  These do not count toward class requirements.