Who can participate?

Anyone above the age of 18 may participate in the experiments at the Harvard Digital Lab at Harvard University.

Will I be contacted to participate in other experiments?

You will only be contacted via e-mail if you answer "Yes" to the question "May we contact you with requests to participate in research or to update you on projects ? (Note: We will not share your e-mail address with anyone.)" on any survey hosted on DLABSS.

Will I be compensated for participating in experiments?

No. The Harvard Digital Lab for the Social Sciences (DLBASS) does not compensate individuals for participating in experiments.

What is the purpose of the research at the Harvard Digital Lab?

All the original experiments and surveys at the Harvard Digital Lab are designed for academic research, dedicated to answering questions about how we interact, consume information, and make decisions. With your participation, the results will provide insights into key complex social relationships. Our researchers may publish the results in a scientific journal, post as a blog on an academic site, or featured in a chapter of an original academic text.

As you take each study, the researchers will give you more specific information on the what, why, how and time commitment in the Harvard Digital Lab. Without participants like you, this type of social science research would not be possible.

Who approves the studies at the Harvard Digital Lab?

All studies are approved by the Harvard Committee on Human Subjects Research and adhere to the ethical principals detailed in the Belmont Report.

What happens to my responses?

Your responses are stored anonymously and securely by the Harvard researchers leading the study. Your answers will only be used for the purposes of academic research and will always remain anonymous.

How often can I participate?

You can participate in as many individual experiments as you'd like.  However, we ask that you do not participate in the same experiment more than once.

Will any of my personal information be collected?

No personal information will be collected at any point of participation at the Harvard Digital Lab.

You may be asked questions about yourself, to help us understand more about you, such as "What is the highest level of education you have completed?". You do not have to answer these questions if you do not feel comfortable. These questions are completely voluntary, and do not affect your overall participation in the research.

How is DLABSS funded?

DLABSS is a program in the Institute for Quantitative Social Science at Harvard University and is funded by the The Pershing Square Venture Fund for Research on the Foundations of Human Behavior