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Sage Kiernan-Sherrow\u00a0<\/strong> | News Editor<\/span><\/p>\n SONA is a program that allows Western\u2019s psychology students and faculty to both post information about studies, and sign up to participate in them. According to Western professor, Jaime Cloud, prior to SONA, the psychology department used pink slips to give students extra credit or track the credits required for specific classes.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a much more progressive, elegant solution,\u201d said Cloud.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Unfortunately, because the program is expensive, only psychology students are given SONA accounts.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cStudents and faculty would love to recruit participants from outside the psychology department, but logistically it\u2019s just not easy to set that up,\u201d Cloud stated.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n However, that means that the pool for collecting data is significantly reduced; students conducting research become desperate for participants and those who sign up but don\u2019t show up face certain consequences \u2014 like being kicked out of the SONA system for the remainder of the term if they exceed three no-shows.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Cloud stressed the importance of having students support one another on campus, especially regarding research.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBasically, the scientific method is the engine of research in psychology \u2026 and you have to put (an idea) to the empirical test and collect data …\u00a0 that very essential component cannot happen if we don\u2019t have students volunteer their time to participate in studies,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There are dozens of research projects to choose from \u2014 some even offering incentives like pizza or candy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n One such project is Dr. Foster\u2019s current study which is in collaboration with several undergraduate research students and focuses on creativity, specifically \u201cfactors that affect creative behavior \u2026 and how to elicit creative behavior in a laboratory situation,\u201d according to the SONA site.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cA lot of the studies on SONA end up being kind of predictable and survey-based, but some of them are really interactive,\u201d said Cloud.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The information gained from SONA research is shared both within Western\u2019s community and in scientific communities around the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n