Fadi Tayim patiently waited for the psychology experiment to begin.
As the room began to fill with Psychology 100 students, a man walked in and said the professor would be in shortly.
Moments later, another man walked in, rummaged through someone's book bag and ran out of the room with the bag.
After the commotion, students were asked for a detailed description of the man and the events that had taken place.
Tayim and the students realized they weren't witnesses to a real crime, but they were subjects in a research experiment to determine how reliable eyewitness testimonies are in court cases.
"You realize how unreliable your perceptions are when you give an eyewitness testimony," Tayim, a junior psychology major, said. Tayim participated in the study in 2002.
The studies give psychology students first-hand experience with issues and research techniques that they will learn about throughout the semester. Professors also use the data for meetings or have it published in journals, Michael Stevenson, psychological science department chair, said.
Stevenson said college students are used by research institutions and universities because they are easily accessible.
"It is a great opportunity to gather information and data by using students in these studies," he said.
The psychology department uses pools of students to conduct research experiments on a variety of topics, such as alcohol and drug abuse, depression and sex. Stevenson said the experiments are typically conducted in questionnaire form or on the inQsit Web site.
"Researchers have found that students who participate in psychological research demonstrate a firmer grasp of the information discussed in their General Psychology classes than students who do not participate in research,"according to the Department of Psychological Science Web site.
For example, one study, given on inQsit, asked about the sexual habits of college students. The survey asked students how many sexual partners they had and how old they were when they lost their virginities, among other questions.
"The inQsit surveys were given out like magazine quizzes, where you ranked yourself from one to five based on what you had done," Tayim said.
Psychology professors typically build their careers around one research study area, and they will create experiments based on that specific topic, he said.
Although psychology professors are not required to conduct experiments for their students, professors who are involved in research studies will design experiments to further their own research. If professors choose to create an experiment, they may choose any type of experiment they want.
Students enrolled in Psychology 100 are required to complete four hours of extracurricular activities. The Psychology department does not require students to participate in the research experiments, as long as the students complete four hours of outside study.
"It would be inappropriate ethically to require students to participate in these experiments," Stevenson said. If the students choose not to participate, they are required to do a research project instead. One example of an alternative research study is "The Effects of Women in the Media."
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