As in most major universities, Purdue's Department of Psychological Sciences requires students in PSY 120, Elementary Psychology, to participate as subjects in psychology research (or to complete alternate assignments). 

This participation serves two purposes:

1. It helps students become acquainted, through personal experience, with the investigative techniques discussed in this course;
2. It provides additional research information about human behavior.

The Department administers this research participation through a Human Subjects Advisory Group which screens all research to assure that researchers conform with ethical procedures and that they contribute to your educational experience.

Your participation as a research subject in psychology experiments is voluntary.  Although this participation has no bearing on your in-class grade, it is a departmental course requirement.  Should you choose not to volunteer for the experiments, alternative projects are available.

Go to http://www.psych.purdue.edu/Research/alternate.html