How to Recruit Participants for a Research Study
Psychology students commonly carry out research studies or experiments to fulfill their graduation requirements. Most graduate and undergraduate students must design research studies and finding willing research participants is one of the toughest parts of successfully executing this research.
Many psychology departments offer incentives for students who participate in other students’ research, often in the form of extra credit or a small payment. But for some studies, psychology majors need to assemble a much larger research population sample. They need to find non-student participants, along with those who do not fit into the W.E.I.R.D. (white, educated, industrialized rich Democrat) demographic group.
Are you unsure of how to recruit a more diverse group of participants? Several experts share their top tips below.
Recruiting Participants for a Psychology Research Experiment
Additional Resources for Psychology Students
- Psychology Research on the Net This database publishes recent psychological research articles, which you can use for your research or literature reviews.
- Simply Psychology Research Methods This website breaks down the scientific research method for psychologists in a simple and easy-to-understand manner.
- APA Psychological Research Unit You can find plenty of information about psychology research with this online lesson plan from the American Psychological Association (APA).
- PsycInfo The APA also publishes this database of peer-reviewed research on its website.
