For Researchers

How to assign a study to the MBL as a researcher. Three easy steps!

1. Obtain Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval for the study, including an IRB number. 
2. Contact the behavioral research program director to request participants for your study.
3. After participant allocations are approved, submit the study request form. 

MBL Study Request Form

Faculty researchers at the Mendoza College of Business have established a strong tradition of contributing relevant, insightful thought leadership to the business world. To advance this tradition, concentrated efforts to improve and expand the Mendoza Behavioral Lab (MBL) began in 2016. These improvements allow the lab to support a wider range of experiments than in the past and offer a greater number of resources. 

Lab resources and services include:

1. Organizing and managing administrative work related to research studies, including data collection, processing results (including double-checking data entry), and support with the Mendoza Research Team of all parts of the research process from study design through data analysis and publication. Researchers assign their studies to the MBL, providing the program director with all directions, requirements, participant goals, and deadlines. The behavioral research program director keeps the researchers up to date on their experiment status throughout the study and provides the data by the researchers’ deadlines. The program director also serves as Mendoza IRB Liaison to assist researchers through the IRB application and approval processes, thus providing an in-house resource for all Mendoza faculty.
    
2. Recruiting adequate student pools through collaboration with instructors offering course credit to participants; managing participant sign-ups, loads, credit requirements, questions, and compliance; executing studies for participants; assigning credits for participation; and handling audits or inquiries. Instructors merely assign their students to participate in the MBL at the beginning of the semester. At the end of the term, the instructor receives a specialized report detailing each student's participation credits.
    
3. Coordinating on-site and off-site experiments of all types (web-based surveys to field study interviews) and providing staffing for these. 
    
4. Managing research collaboration with other departments across the University and identifying potential new avenues.
    
5. Executing pilot studies and participating in study design.
    
6. Providing equipment and technology including but not limited to:

• Private computer stations
• Headsets with noise-canceling microphone - 3.5 mm jacks and USB
• Plug-and-play webcams
• Qualtrics survey software and other platforms as needed
• Laptops and iPads
• Biometric research platform with eye tracking, facial expression analysis, and galvanic skin response device
• Remark Office Optical Mark Recognition software
• Other equipment as needed for studies   

The Mendoza Behavioral Lab staff are dedicated to fulfilling and facilitating requests for services and equipment not listed here. Researchers are encouraged to contact the behavioral research program director to discuss their needs at any time.