The worldwide growth in cognitive science research is reflected in the growth of research capacity, number of core faculty, and graduate students in the Department of Cognitive Science. Learn more about recent and ongoing impactful research happening in our Department by following the links below.<\/p>\n
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Graduate Research Showcase – Department of Cognitive Science (carleton.ca)<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p><\/dd> <\/p>\n Clusters – Department of Cognitive Science (carleton.ca)<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p><\/dd> <\/p>\n Research Labs – Department of Cognitive Science (carleton.ca)<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p><\/dd> <\/p>\n Cog. Sc. Colloquia Schedule: Fall 2025 \u2013 Winter 2026<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p><\/dd> <\/p>\n Introduction to Sona \u2013 Research Participation Credits<\/strong><\/p>\n If you are taking certain undergraduate courses like CGSC 1001, you will have the opportunity to have an \u201cup close\u201d look at cognitive science research through research participation studies conducted by Cognitive Science professors, graduate students, and honours thesis students from Carleton University\u2019s Department of Cognitive Science.<\/p>\n Research participation comes in several forms (i.e., lab studies, online studies). All are designed to foster understanding and appreciation of cognitive science research.\u00a0Research participation credits are worth 4% and\u00a0count as\u00a0bonus<\/u>\u00a0grades.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>Participating in Cognitive Science Studies for Credit<\/strong><\/p>\n If you are enrolled in a course that makes SONA available, at the beginning of the term\u00a0you will\u00a0receive an e-mail containing your SONA login information and instructions explaining how to use the system to sign up for your \u00a0choice of Research Participation Studies.\u00a0<\/strong>In order to see a list of the available studies, you will need to log into the\u00a0SONA system<\/strong>\u00a0at\u00a0https:\/\/carleton-ics.sona-systems.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n There are two types of studies that you can sign-up for:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>Lab studies:<\/strong>\u00a0For each 30 minute block that you spend participating in a lab study on campus, you will earn 0.5%. There is\u00a0no cap<\/u>\u00a0(i.e., no limit) on the number of lab studies you can participate in up to the maximum of 4% towards your research participation credits.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>Online studies:<\/strong>\u00a0For each 30 minute block that you spend participating in an online study, you will earn .25%. There\u00a0is a cap<\/u>\u00a0on the number of online studies you can participate in; you can earn a maximum of 3% (of the 4%) towards your research participation credits by participating in online studies. The remaining 1% can be earned by lab study participation or an alternative assignment provided by your instructor.<\/p>\n * The reason for the online cap is that we want to encourage students to experience a lab study which typically provides a richer and more interactive experience.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>What if I sign up for a session but can\u2019t make it?<\/strong><\/p>\n If you sign up for a lab\u00a0study session and need to cancel or postpone, you must let the researcher know via email at least 24 hours in advance. Failure to do so will result in a \u2018no show\u2019 penalty being assigned to you. If you collect two \u2018no-shows\u2019, you will be blocked from SONA, the system that is used to sign up for studies (and thus you will not be able to collect bonus points using SONA). This policy is there so that researcher time is not wasted setting up for study\u00a0sessions that result in no-shows.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>What is the last day that I can earn Research Participation Credits?<\/strong><\/p>\n This varies a bit from instructor to instructor, but unless stated otherwise, you will then have until the last day of classes for the term to earn your research participation credits.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>What if I have issues accessing my information\u00a0or\u00a0logging in?<\/strong><\/p>\n Check your in-box and re-read your email that you received prior to contacting the SONA Administrator.<\/p>\n If you find that you are still having difficulty, email\u00a0cogsci@carleton.ca<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p><\/dd> <\/p>\n Note: any students who have mistakenly found this page please click here<\/a> for student participant information.<\/p>\n Some important information on using Sona is summarized\u00a0on link below:<\/span><\/p>\n Sona CheatSheet (004)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n What\/where is Sona?<\/strong><\/p>\n Sona is an online application. There are two Sona\u2019s \u2013 one for psychology and one for cognitive science. Cognitive science faculty and their student researchers must use the cognitive science Sona, found here: carleton-ics.sona-systems.com<\/a><\/p>\n Who can use the \u201ccognitive science\u201d Sona?<\/strong><\/p>\n Sona is available to all cognitive science faculty and their students.<\/p>\n How does a researcher (my student, myself, etc.) get access to Sona?<\/strong><\/p>\n Sona requires a researcher ID and a password. To get the ID\/password, please email the Sona administrator \u2013 their email can be found at the bottom of the Sona page (carleton-ics.sona-systems.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n What happens once I get my login information?<\/strong><\/p>\n Once you get your login information and log into Sona by entering it on the Sona webpage (carleton-ics.sona-systems.com<\/a>), you can add information about your study and set up time slots so that participants can sign up. The Sona admin will send you the Sona manual<\/a> that describes how to do this step. It is the researcher\u2019s responsibility to read the manual and set up their study.<\/p>\n Can I email the Sona administrator if I need help setting up my study in Sona?<\/strong><\/p>\n It is the researcher\u2019s responsibility to set up their studies in Sona \u2013 the Sona administrator does not provide support for this process beyond providing links to the documentation. Please note that beyond the Sona manual you will be provided, there is a great deal of documentation available online (e.g., on using Qualtrics in conjunction with Sona).<\/p>\n What if my study is a Survey (e.g. Survey Monkey)?<\/strong><\/p>\n You need to set-up your study in SONA and link it to Survey (see the SONA manual).<\/p>\n Can online studies be set up through Sona?<\/strong><\/p>\n Yes (also see next item).<\/p>\n Is there support for online research provided at Carleton?<\/strong><\/p>\n Carleton provides free access to Qualtrics, which is software for setting up surveys online and collecting data through these surveys. For more information on getting this software, please contact the ethics office (carleton.ca\/humanresearchethics<\/a>). Once you get the software, please refer to the Sona manual and Qualtrics documentation for setting up your study.<\/p>\n How do much and what way can participants recruited via Sona be compensated?<\/strong><\/p>\n The standard compensation is course credit (currently for CGSC 1001). Please be sure to follow the guidelines outlined here when determining the amount of credit:<\/p>\n carleton.ca\/ics\/current-students\/undergraduate\/participating-in-psychological-research-sona\/<\/a><\/p>\n In particular, please do not alter the amount of credit given for participation outlined in these guidelines.<\/p>\n Sona participants can also be paid in lieu of course credit.<\/p>\n Do I need ethics approval to recruit via Sona?<\/strong><\/p>\n Yes, ethics approval is needed to recruit participants using Sona. See HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n When is Sona available?<\/strong><\/p>\n Currently, Sona is available whenever CGSC 1001 is offered (typically during the fall, winter, spring, and summer terms, but please check the calendar for exact dates).<\/p>\n <\/p><\/dd> <\/p>\n This is a service for the distribution, tracking, and citation of unpublished or draft material related to cognitive science. The documents here are checked for formatting and appropriateness of content, but are not otherwise reviewed in any way. By submitting a document, the authors grant permission to distribute it on this site, but the copyright remains with them. Although this service is intended primarily for the cognitive science community centered around Carleton, we will consider submissions from elsewhere.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Sona Recruitment: Q&As for Researchers<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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