Behavioral Research Insights Through Experiments Lab
Wisconsin School of Business

Guidelines for Lab Use

The BRITE lab has officially transitioned to Grainger Hall and is open for in-person and virtual use. User responsibilities are as follows:

     (a) schedule sessions in SONA,

     (b) ensure that you have the necessary number of participants,

     (c) schedule a Lab time slot,

     (d) notify participants at least 24 hours in advance if you need to cancel a time slot, and

     (e) be prepared to pay all participants who arrive for a session.

To utilize the BRITE lab virtually, see information at here.

To utilize the BRITE lab in person, see information below:

Lab Calendar and Sign-Up.

The lab has a Calendar that the Lab Manager maintains. The calendar will allow you to view currently scheduled experiments as well as schedule your own. Follow these steps:

  1. Notify the Lab Manager of the dates and times you would like to reserve the Lab. The Lab manager will approve your request or facilitate you selecting a different date based on availability.
  2. Once approved, the Lab manager will work with Academic Affairs to reserve the Lab space.
  3. Once reviewed and approved by Academic Affairs, the Lab Manager will update the Calendar.
  4. Important notes:
    • Because the BRITE Lab shares space in the Learning Commons, there are limitations on reservations during certain times of the year (such as Midterms and Final exams), and
    • Researchers are responsible for custom signage and any equipment deployment in the reserved space (such as the curtain divider in the Huber Lab/BRITE Lab).  The staff of the Learning Commons can assist in this process.

Recruiting Participants in SONA (our research management tool).

  • Complete SONA training (contact Lab Manager).
  • Obtain IRB approval. https://irb.wisc.edu/arrow/
  • Obtain Lab Manager approval. Be prepared to (a) list IRB approval code(s) in SONA and (b) provide the IRB time-stamped consent form (or a copy of their consent form exemption).
  • If you need to cancel an experiment, you must do so 24 hours in advance and be sure to alert your participants.

Payment (extra credit or monetary).

  • Extra credit. You are responsible for providing a list of attendees to the professors of the classes for which credit will be granted.
  • Monetary. Be prepared to do the following:
    • Pay a $5 “show-up fee” to any participant who arrives for a scheduled session, but is turned away for any reason.
    • Describe the type of experiment (flat fee or variable).
    • Flat fee payment schedule. You must disclose to participants the minimum payment schedule (but you may pay more than these amounts).

  • Variable fee payment schedule. You must disclose to participants the average payout calculation: total cost of the session/# of subjects in that experiment = $ per person. For example, for a 60 min. experiment with a variable payment type, some individuals may receive less than $15 and some may receive more, but the average payment for that experiment should be at least $15/person. The individual(s) who receive less than average must not be compensated by less than $5, which can be thought of as a minimum “show-up fee”.