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Overview

Students registered for Fall, Winter, or Summer sessions of Psychology 101 (Introduction to Psychology) must participate in three (3) hours of research studies as a participant in the Introductory Psychology Subject Pool.  Participation credit will be assigned in one-hour (1.0) and half-hour (0.5) increments so each study may earn up to 2.0 credits.

Students who are enrolled in night classes or online classes are not exempt from participation.

Students who are under the age of 18 at the beginning of the term (as of January 6, 2025) are EXEMPT from participation in the Subject Pool. This means they do not participate in the studies. They also do not have to submit journal summaries as alternative assignments. 

Although one purpose of the participation requirement is to provide participants for psychological research conducted by faculty and students in the department, the studies are also designed to be part of the learning experience of introductory psychology. The studies are designed and conducted by psychology faculty, graduate students, Psychology Honors students, or undergraduates who are conducting research under the mentorship of a faculty member. The collected data are used in psychology journal articles, masters theses, Psychology Honors theses, or undergraduate research papers.  

If students prefer not to take advantage of the learning opportunities provided through participation, they may choose to complete the Alternative Assignments. These papers are graded Pass/Fail. Each passing alternative assignment is worth 1 participation credit. If you fail to complete either 3 hours of research studies or alternative assignments, or a combination of both to equal 3 participation credits, you will receive an ‘X’ for the course.

The Subject Pool is managed on-line through the SONA-Systems Research Participation Management System. Students may access the website by clicking on the line, “”

All enrolled introductory psychology students who register on time will automatically be registered in the Sona Systems website. Students who register late should contact Prof. Junghee Yoon ([email protected] or [email protected]) to have an account established.  

IMPORTANT SUBJECT DATA POOL DEADLINES FOR Winter 2025.

• Wednesday, April 16, 2025 by 5:00 p.m. – Alternative assignments DUE
• Friday, April 18, 2025 by 5:00 p.m. – Final date for running studies. Pre-registration required.

Participation Procedures and Requirements

The following is a list of procedures for signing up and participating in psychological research.

1. You will receive your login information and a password by e-mail during the 1st week of the semester.
2. Once you have your login information, go to http://umd-umich.sona-systems.com/to login.
3. You are required to complete a “Prescreen Survey” at the SONA-System website. The Prescreen Survey completes your registration into the Subject Pool. If the Prescreen Survey is not completed during the term, you will have to complete 5 journal summariesas alternative participation. Directions for completing the written assignment may be obtained from the Subject Pool office in CB 4051-C or through the subject pool link.
4. Show-up: Students who are signed up for a study are expected to attend that study at that particular time. Attendance at a session for which you were not signed up will not count toward your research requirement.
5. Lateness: Students are expected to be on time for their participation. If you are late for a study, you will not be permitted to participate. Late students will be treated as no-shows for attendance records.
6. No-Shows: Students who are late for a session, or who miss the session entirely, without a reasonable excuse, will be penalized.
   1. No credit will be given for participation in that study.
   2. Students who accumulate two or more unexcused no-shows will not be permitted to sign up for future research studies. Their accounts on the SONA system will be suspended and they will be required to finish their remaining Subject Pool hours by completing an appropriate number of alternative assignments. Students will be informed of the suspension of their accounts by e-mail through the SONA system.
   3. Students may appeal the suspension of their SONA account by contacting the Subject Pool Coordinator with an appropriate explanation for each unexcused no-show. At her discretion, the Subject Pool Coordinator will decide whether or not to reinstate the student’s SONA account.
7. Course Requirement: Please note: All Introductory Psychology students are expected to complete five (5) credits of research participation. This may be in the form of study participation, alternative assignments, or any combination of the two. However, no more than two hours of participation may be completed through on-line studies (i.e., studies that are not in-person). Students will not be exempt from participation if they are taking night or on-line classes. Failure tocomplete the five (5) research participation credits by the due date will result in an ‘X’ at the end of the semester. 

Frequently Asked Questions

I participated in a study, but I have yet to receive credit. How do I receive credit? The researcher must grant you credit. This is usually done shortly after your participation. If it has been some time and you have still not received credit, contact the researcher. 

How do I change the email address where email notifications from the system are sent? Provide an Alternate Email address and notifications will be sent there. See the Email Address Options section of this documentation for more information. In some cases, this option may not be available. 

I wrote a paper instead of participating in studies. How do I know I have completed my requirements? View the My Schedule and Credits page and any non-study credit will also be listed there. Credits for alternative assignments that are submitted on the due date will be posted at the end of the semester. The date will be announced prior to posting. 

I attempted to sign up for a study, and I was prevented from doing so because the study I was trying to sign up for is a disqualifier for another study I am scheduled to participate in. Why is this? If you have signed up for a study that has disqualifiers (studies you must not have participated in to participate in that study), you may not then sign up for the studies that are listed as the disqualifier studies. You are allowed to sign up for the disqualifier studies if the disqualifier study will take place after the study with disqualifiers, or if you have already participated in (and received credit for) the study with disqualifiers. The easiest way to sign up for both studies is to schedule the disqualifier study at a time later than the study with disqualifiers. 

Alternative Participation Policies (below)

For more information, please contact the Subject Pool Administrator: Prof. Junghee Yoon ([email protected] or [email protected].

Find a research article published in the last 6 months that focuses on human subject research from a journal published by the American Psychological Association. Read the article to gain understanding of the research. Summarize the research using the instructions below. The format of your AA must mirror the format of the .

Alternative Assignment (AA) Requirements

• The AA must contain 300-500 words, not including the citation or the header
• The AA must include the following sections:
  • Introduction
  • Methods
  • Results
  • Discussion/Limitations

Submission of Materials

"Submit your AA and an electronic copy of the corresponding journal article to Dr. Junghee Yoon at [email protected] or [email protected]. You can either attach your files or provide a SharePoint link to access your files. Title your file with your name, course section number, and assignment number. Example: JoeSmith_001_AA1."

Assignment Help

• Follow  to find an article that meets the assignment criteria.
• Go to for guidelines and instructions on how to read and get the most out of scholarly Psychology journal articles.
• Go to for a short video describing the peer-review process and why your professors think it's so important.
• Go to and click on the Journal Article link. Use the instructions and template to help you put together your APA citation for your article.

Additional Information

• Alternative Assignment Quick Reference Guide

Psychology Subject Pool

Please click on one of the following links for more information:

For more information, please contact the Subject Pool Administrator: Prof. Junghee Yoon ([email protected] or [email protected].

Psychology Subject Pool

The Subject Pool will be managed on-line through the Sona-Systems Research Participation Management System.  Students may go to the website by clicking on the link, “Subject Pool Research Participation Login” below.  All Introductory students will automatically registered in the Sona System. They will receive an e-mail informing them of their registration and describing the login procedure for accessing the Sona System website.

For more detailed instructions:

Participation Procedures and Requirements

The following is a list of procedures for signing up and participating in psychological research.

1. You will receive your login information and a password by e-mail during the 1st week of the semester.
2. Once you have your login information, go to http://umd-umich.sona-systems.com/to login.
3. You are required to complete a “Prescreen Survey” at the SONA-System website. The Prescreen Survey completes your registration into the Subject Pool. If the Prescreen Survey is not completed during the term, you will have to complete 5 journal summariesas alternative participation. Directions for completing the written assignment may be obtained from the Subject Pool office in CB 4051-C or through the subject pool link.
4. Show-up: Students who are signed up for a study are expected to attend that study at that particular time. Attendance at a session for which you were not signed up will not count toward your research requirement.
5. Lateness: Students are expected to be on time for their participation. If you are late for a study, you will not be permitted to participate. Late students will be treated as no-shows for attendance records.
6. No-Shows: Students who are late for a session, or who miss the session entirely, without a reasonable excuse, will be penalized.
   1. No credit will be given for participation in that study.
   2. Students who accumulate two or more unexcused no-shows will not be permitted to sign up for future research studies. Their accounts on the SONA system will be suspended and they will be required to finish their remaining Subject Pool hours by completing an appropriate number of alternative assignments. Students will be informed of the suspension of their accounts by e-mail through the SONA system.
   3. Students may appeal the suspension of their SONA account by contacting the Subject Pool Coordinator with an appropriate explanation for each unexcused no-show. At her discretion, the Subject Pool Coordinator will decide whether or not to reinstate the student’s SONA account.
7. Course Requirement: Please note: All Introductory Psychology students are expected to complete five (5) credits of research participation. This may be in the form of study participation, alternative assignments, or any combination of the two. However, no more than two hours of participation may be completed through on-line studies (i.e., studies that are not in-person). Students will not be exempt from participation if they are taking night or on-line classes. Failure tocomplete the five (5) research participation credits by the due date will result in an ‘X’ at the end of the semester. 

For more information, please contact the Subject Pool Administrator: Prof. Junghee Yoon ([email protected] or [email protected].