FAQ
What does an economic experiment involve?
The details of the session will vary from experiment to experiment. All economic experiments have a clear set of instructions that the monitor will read aloud to all participants. The instructions specify the rules involved in the experiment and the details concerning the decisions you will make.
Economic experiments have a non-deception policy and UC Experiments strictly adheres to it. In contrast to many psychology studies, our instructions do not deceive or mislead participants.
Where are the experiments held?
Almost all of our experiments will take place in the Harper Center (Hyde Park campus) of the Graduate School of Business at the University of Chicago, on the corner of 58th Street and Woodlawn Avenue.
Click here for a map and directions.
How do I make money from this?
Usually, there are two ways in which you can make money in an economic experiment. The first way is the show-up fee that we give you for showing up at the specified location on time.
The second way you make money is through the decisions that you and/or other participants make in the experiment. All you experimental earnings, plus the show-up fee, will be paid to you in cash at the end of the experimental session.
How much money will I make?
Since most of your earnings depend on the decisions that you and/or others make in the experiment, we cannot guarantee your earnings to be at a certain level. However, keep in mind that it is in our interest to make participants happy (on average) with their earnings, because we would like you to participate in future studies being run at UC Experiments.
Do you have walk-in studies?
Almost all of our experiments are by appointment only. In order to participate, you need to reply to our email invitations and show up at the specified date, time and location.
How important is punctuality?
Punctuality is very important. In order to avoid delays, it's best to show up five minutes before the appointed time. If you are late and the session has begun, your participation can be denied and the show-up fee will not be paid.
What about privacy?
UC Experiments respects the privacy of its participants. All of our experiments are approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at the University of Chicago. At the beginning of every experiment, you will be assigned an experimental ID number and all your decisions will thus be confidential. Information that can identify you, such as your student ID number, will be used for payment purposes only. With regards to the data about you that we have in our listhost (e.g., email and name), note that we will not share our database in part or in full with anyone outside of UC Experiments.
Is there risk of physical harm in an economic experiment?
No. Economic experiments are never designed to involve physical harm, and will not require you to take any medications. The risks of participating in our experiments are usually minimal.
If you have any other question that has not been answered by this FAQ, please send us an email to ucexperiments@gmail.com