Paid Participants Studies List

The Paid Participant Studies List is hosted on the Psychology Graduate Student Council website. While most studies here are conducted in the Psychology Department, other departments recruiting participants are welcome to advertise.

Notice to Researchers: Researchers willing to advertise should note that as this page is accessible to the public, we cannot monitor nor guarantee the quality of data you may collect, particularly for online studies. To ensure the integrity of your data, we strongly recommend implementing additional quality checks within your study design.

Advertise on the List


Current Studies

We welcome both the general public and students to participate, and please check the eligibility requirements for each study.

Your participation in our studies is greatly appreciated! To ensure that the research results are accurate and meaningful, it’s important that you give your full attention and respond honestly to all questions. Please make sure to carefully read and follow the instructions provided in each study.

Last updated: November 19, 2024


Visuomotor Learning MEG (in-person)
Researcher: Alexander Cook (Graduate student), Meriwether Morris (RA), and Hee Yeon Im (PI)
Description: This study seeks to evaluate participants’ learning of new motor movements through a behavioural task. You will first complete a few short visual assessments, followed by a computer task while being seated in an MEG scanner. Before you enter the scanner, we will place sensors along your hairline and just below your eyes.
Eligibility:
  • 6-11 years of age
  • Have normal or corrected-to-normal vision
Location:
SFU Imagetech Facility, Surrey Memorial Hospital
13750 96 Ave
Surrey, BC
V3V 1Z2​
Contact Information: If you’re interested and meet the eligibility criteria, please email Meriwether at ubcvcnlab@bcchr.ca
Reimbursement/Time: The study will be conducted in one session, lasting between an hour to two hours. You will receive $60 for your participation.
Study end date: December 2024. Posted 6 May 2024.

Ensemble MEG (in-person)
Researcher: Hee Yeon Im (PI), Minsu Song (Graduate Student), Meriwether Morris (RA)
Description: This study seeks to evaluate participants’ perception of facial features. You will complete a computer task while being seated in an MEG scanner. Before you enter the scanner, we will place sensors along your hairline and just below your eyes.
Eligibility:
  • 19-45 years of age
  • Have normal or corrected-to-normal vision
Location: SFU Imagetech Facility, Surrey Memorial Hospital
13750 96 Ave
Surrey, BC
V3V 1Z2
Contact Information: If you’re interested and meet the eligibility criteria, please email Meriwether at ubcvcnlab@bcchr.ca
Reimbursement/Time: The study will be conducted in one session, lasting about 2 hours. You will receive $60 for your participation.
Study end date: December 2024. Posted May 6 2024.

 Neuromodulation with tACS

Researcher: Dr. Abhijit Chinchani, Dr. Todd Woodward

Description: tACS is a non-invasive brain stimulation method utilizing weak electrical currents applied to the head to influence neural firing. This safe, painless, non-invasive brain stimulation technology holds great promise as a therapeutic application for brain health conditions. We aim to identify neural oscillations (aggregate of the ongoing electrical activity in a population of neurons) and networks linked to behaviour like accuracy, reaction time, saccades (ballistic movement of eyes resulting in the shift of gaze from one fixation point to another) etc. We will then use tACS and modulate these brain oscillations to induce a change in individual behaviour. Participation as a subject in this study will aid the study investigators in developing protocols to influence network-level brain function in a precisely targeted manner and test specific hypotheses about the role of different brain networks in particular aspects of cognition and behaviour.

Eligibility: To participate you must be a healthy adult human participant (19-60years of age) with normal or corrected-to-normal vision and no history of any neurological disorders. Additional eligibility criteria will be reviewed upon initial screening.

Location: The experiment will be conducted in person in the Cognitive Neuroscience of Schizophrenia Lab at Detwiller Pavillion (2255 Wesbrook mall)

Contact Information: Email brain.dynamics@ubc.ca

Reimbursement/Time: Participants will receive a compensation of $30 CAD per session (2 hours), with a total of two sessions. Compensation will be provided via cash after each session.

Study End Date: Ongoing. Posted November 19, 2024.

Culture Depths: Unveiling Depressive Symptom Diversity

Researcher: Claire Song, PhD Candidate, School of Nursing, University of British Columbia; Primary Investigator: Dr. Farinaz Havaei

Description: This study investigates how cultural background may impact the expression of depressive symptoms and the effectiveness of standard depression screening tools. Participants will complete an online survey and an optional follow-up questionnaire, taking approximately 2 hours in total.

Eligibility: Participants must be 18-24 years old, clinically diagnosed with depression, and identify as either East Asian (Chinese, Japanese, or Korean) or White.

Location: This is an online study.

Contact Information: Claire Song; Email: claire.song@ubc.ca

Reimbursement/Time: Eligible participants will receive a $50 gift card.

Study End Date: Ongoing. Posted November 15, 2024.

Investigating imagery representations associated with physical and visual experience

Researcher: Dr Matthew Scott (CO-I), Carrie Peters (PhD candidate), Dr Nicola Hodges, Dr Sarah Kraeutner (PI)

Description: Participants are needed for a UBC study to investigate how different experiences contribute to brain activations during different types of imagery. Participants will undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before and after practicing a task with their right hand. During these scans, participants will imagine performing a right-handed task under different instructions. Participants may be required to complete an additional series of scans which will involve watching and imagining tasks. This study is being run by the Neuroplasticity, Imagery, and Motor Behaviour Laboratory in the department of Psychology by principal investigator Dr. Sarah Kraeutner.

It is anticipated that the study will take approximately 2-2.5 hours. Scanning time will be 1-1.5 hours. Participants are required to attend 1 hour prior to scanning for to provide informed consent, complete questionnaires and complete a familiarization. A $25 honorarium will be provided upon completion of the study.

Eligibility: Participants must be aged 18-50 years old, right hand dominant, with no experience in American sign language.

Participants must also meet the following criteria.

1) No injury to the right hand or any known neurological disorders – overall movement will atypical of the general population

2) No previous experience with languages expressed with movement of the hands and face (such as American Sign Language ) – because we want to isolate the role of experience during motor imagery, Participants cannot have any previous task specific experience

3) Cannot have poor vision that cannot be corrected for – glasses can not be worn within the scanner, contact lenses can be worn.

4) Below 50 years of age – reaction time, movement speed, coordination of hands and feet are reported to decline after age 50 years on average (Kauranen & Vanharanta, 1996).

5) Self-reported ability to perform motor imagery (imagine movement).

6) No physical disorders or injuries that impede full body movements.

7) No contraindications to MRI as determined by screening. Important that you are not claustraphobic. 

Specifically, there are a number of contraindications to MRI owing to the strong magnetic field present. Potential participants will undergo a standard, comprehensive screen to determine eligibility. In addition, the MRI scanner bed has a maximum weight of 500 lbs so there is a weight restriction on subjects

Location: Room LL190, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health 2215 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver BC V6T 1Z3.

Contact Information:  If you meet these qualifications, please email kin.msl@ubc.ca and include “fMRI study” in the subject line. In your email, please include a UBC email address (if available), a phone number, and your availability over the next 2 weeks. 

Reimbursement/Time: It is anticipated that the study will take approximately 2-2.5 hours. Scanning time will be 1-1.5 hours. Participants are required to attend 1 hour prior to scanning for to provide informed consent, complete questionnaires and complete a familiarization. A $25 honorarium will be provided upon completion of the study.

Study End Date: Ongoing.

Multisensory integration for motion prediction and movement control

Researcher: Jeremy Thomas (Graduate Student), Dr Miriam Spering (Principal investigator)

Description: We are looking for healthy volunteers to take part in a study to understand how humans sense and predict motion under high visual uncertainty. If you agree to participate in this study, you will be asked to look at a moving object on a screen and follow its motion with your eyes, all while hearing auditory cues through headphones.

Eligibility: To participate, you must fulfill the following requirements:

  • 19-30 years old
  • Normal vision, or vision corrected with glasses or contact lenses
  • Normal hearing and no history of hearing impairment
  • If using contact lenses, must have soft contact lenses, because the eye camera cannot accurately record eye movements through hard contact lenses
  • No implanted pacemaker or defibrillator,
  • No history of neurological disease (such as multiple sclerosis, stroke, trauma to the head, including 
a concussion within 12 months of the study), psychiatric disease (such as schizophrenia or depression), or eye disease (such as strabismus or amblyopia, known as “lazy eye”)

Location: The study location is 2366 Main Mall, Computer Science building, ICICS Room X715, UBC campus.

Contact Information: You can contact Jeremy at: jjthoma@student.ubc.ca

Reimbursement/Time: The experiment consists of a single session lasting up to 90 minutes. You will be compensated $10/hour in cash upon completion of this study.

Study End Date: Ongoing.

Culture and Mental Health Technologies Study – supporting therapeutic writing and sharing of mental health stories using LLMs

Researcher: Sang-Wha Sien – PhD student, UBC Computer Science; Kersten Smith – Master’s student, UBC Computer Science; Dr. Joanna McGrenere – Principal Investigator, Professor, UBC Computer Science

Description: The goal of this study is to explore the needs and challenges associated with writing and sharing mental health experiences. We aim to explore how best to support this activity using two different large language model (LLM) designs.

Your participation in this study will last approximately 90 minutes and will involve the following activities:
Initial interview: We will introduce the designs and give you instructions on the tasks that must be completed (10 minutes on Zoom or in person).
Story writing: You will write two stories, each crafted using a different LLM-based design (30 – 60 minutes at home or another location).
Questionnaire: Immediately after writing the stories, you will complete a questionnaire about your writing experience (10 minutes at home or another location).
Interview: Following the writing session, you will participate in an interview to discuss your writing experience (30 minutes on Zoom or in person).

Eligibility: You are eligible to participate if you are a current UBC student who would find it (or has found it) challenging to write about their mental health and well-being experiences to share with others. Eligible participants must be 18 or older and feel comfortable discussing and sharing their mental health and well-being experiences. All participants must meet in person or use Zoom with their video feed for the interviews.

If you are interested in participating, please take this survey at https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_73rohnDhD9hGiOO. Not all eligible participants will be contacted.

Location: In person and online

Contact Information: For further information, contact Sang-Wha Sien (swsien@cs.ubc.ca).

Reimbursement/Time: You will be compensated $50 at a prorated amount for participating.

Study End Date: February 2025

Understanding how older adults learn software tasks (in-person)

Researcher: Dr. Joanna McGrenere (Principal Investigator), Teerapaun Tanprasert and Manushree Singhania

Description: We are conducting a study to understand the learning behavior of older adults while informally learning and doing new software tasks. The study session will be about 1.5 to 2 hours long, where participants will learn some new tasks on a laptop provided by us and reflect on their learning experience. The study will be conducted in-person in Vancouver at UBC. The session will be audio/video recorded.

Eligibility:

We are looking for in-person individual participants who are:

  • Age 55+
  • Speaks English Fluently
  • Ability to operate a computer (laptop or desktop, not a smartphone or a tablet)

Location: The study will be conducted at a quiet location at University of British Columbia,Vancouver.

Contact Information: If you meet the criteria above and are interested in participating, please fill this short screening survey: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4SWJ8sx55NPtihE For more information, please email ms3@student.ubc.ca

Reimbursement/Time: Each participant will receive 40 CAD honorarium (in cash or via Interac e-Transfer) for participating in the 1.5 to 2-hour session.

Study End Date: Ongoing. Posted Oct 27 2024.

Designing Technology for Housing Community Members through Mutual Aid (online or in-person)

Researcher: Clair Ross (Student Investigator), Joanna McGrenere (Principal Investigator)

Description: We are recruiting participants for 1-hour interviews to better understand what technology is being used for acquiring and sharing free housing. We wish to understand how technology and mutual aid intersect in times of housing instability. The study focuses on housing located in near Vancouver and mutual aid networks that effect the people accessing this housing.

We have worked to proactively consider some access needs but we will try to accommodate additional ones that are requested when the interview is being scheduled.

Eligibility:

People who meet the following criteria:

  • You have provided or been provided housing that had no expectation of compensation and that the situation was not one of legal obligation – such as a guardian housing their dependent.
  • Be at least 18 years of age
  • Be comfortable discussing the Vancouver housing crisis and housing insecurity
  • Be fluent in English
  • Currently be living in the Greater Vancouver area

Location: Participant has the choice of online or in-person. If online, Zoom will be used. If in person, a location of convenience may be specified or a room can be provided in the ICICS Building on UBC (2366 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4).

Contact Information: Clair Ross, clair.ross@ubc.ca, (604)-226-4028

Reimbursement/Time: $25 CAD honorarium (in cash or via Interac e-Transfer) for participating in the 1-hour interview. If needed, bus-fare can be provided.

Study End Date: Ongoing. Posted Oct 8 2024.

Everyday pain experiences in autistic young people (online study)

Researcher: Dr Tim Oberlander (Principal investigator)

Description: Our research team at BC Children’s Hospital and the University of British Columbia are looking to understand the perspectives of autistic children and young people on pain.  The study contains an online questionnaire and an online check-in survey to be completed 3 times a week, for 2 weeks. Youth can skip any questions in the questionnaire and the survey that they don’t want to answer, and privacy will be protected throughout.

Eligibility:

We are looking for youth who:

1) Have a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder

2) Live in British Columbia

3) Are between 8 and 25 years old

to participate in this study.​

Location: Online.

Contact Information: If you or someone you know might be interested in participating, please contactASD&Pain@bcchr.ca or 604-875-2000 ext. 5445

Compensation: Participants who complete all steps of the study will receive a $100 e-gift card from any Canadian store of their choice.

Time Commitment: In its entirety, participating in this study will take about 5 hours.

Reimbursement: Youth will receive a $20 gift card for completing the questionnaire, and an additional $20 gift card for each week at least 80% of the check-in questions are completed. ​

Study End Date: December 31, 2025

Positive Experience Study among First-Year Students (in-lab + online)

Researcher: Dr. Elizabeth Dunn (Principle investigator), Ruoning Li, Dunigan Folk (Graduate students)

Description: This study explores first-year students’ thoughts and feelings about university life.

Eligibility:

  • You must be a first-year student who just started at UBC.
  • You must be able to access Discord on your phone.
  • You must be able to provide your phone number and receive text messages.

What to Expect:

  • Lab Visit (in person, 30 minutes): We’ll help you set up Discord on your phone. You’ll provide your phone number and complete a short survey.
  • Daily Activity (online, 14 days): Each day, you’ll participate via Discord, sharing your thoughts or experiences and completing a 1-minute survey.
  • Final Survey (online, Day 15): Complete a brief follow-up survey.

Time Commitment: Total of 120 minutes, including the lab visit and daily surveys.

Lab Location: Room 2214 – 2222, Douglas T. Kenny Building (2136 West Mall)

Contact Information: Clair Tang (clairtang99@gmail.com)

Reimbursement: You will receive $20 for completing the entire study. To qualify for the payment, you must:

  • Attend the lab visit (Part 1).
  • Participate via Discord and complete at least 12 of the 14 daily surveys (Part 2).
  • Complete the final survey (Part 3).

If these criteria aren’t met, no compensation will be provided. Payment will be issued in one week after completing Part 3.

Please Sign up Here: https://calendly.com/happylabronnie/positive-experience-study

Study End Date: December 6th, 2024

Canadian-based racialized Two-Spirit, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (2SGBTQ) men’s suicidality – an online photovoice study

Researcher: Calvin C. Fernandez (Student Investigator), Dr John Oliffe (Principal Investigator)

Description: Interested participants can contact the student investigator, and will be invited to a 15-minute Zoom pre-interview meeting to i) assess their eligibility, ii) receive briefing about the study and consent details, and iii) review safety measures while participating in the study. Eligible participants will subsequently complete a sociodemographic form and be invited to take and submit 5 to 10 digital photographs that best illustrate their strategies, including strengths and challenges for dealing with suicidality. They will then undergo individual Zoom interviews with the student investigator, using the submitted photographs to illustrate, narrate and/or discuss their experiences of suicidality.

Eligibility: Only those who: i) self-identify as a racialized 2SGBTQ man, ii) aged 19 and above, iii) currently live in Canada, iv) can speak and understand English, and v) have experienced suicidal ideation, planning and/or attempt more than a year ago will be eligible to participate in the study.

Location: The submission of digital photographs and individual interviews will be conducted online.

Contact Information: To participate, contact Calvin Fernandez at calvin.fernandez@ubc.ca

Compensation: Participants who complete all steps of the study will receive a $100 e-gift card from any Canadian store of their choice.

Time Commitment: Participants are expected to spend approximately 15 minutes for the pre-interview meeting, and approximately 1 hour for the individual interview. Additional time may be required e.g. time taken to take photographs which may vary between participants.

Study End Date: Ongoing. Posted Sep 26 2024.

Exploring Youth Perspectives on Racism and Healthcare Experiences
Researcher: Dr. Carla Hilario (Principal Investigator)
Description: We are looking for youth aged 15-24 to participate in interviews and/or focus groups to share their experiences of racism and mental health service use. The interviews will be between 45-60 minutes and the focus groups will be 90 minutes. This project will help us better understand how racism and racial discrimination shape youth’s experiences when accessing mental health support. Audio from the interviews and focus groups will be recorded.
Eligibility:
To be eligible to participate, you must be:
– between 15-24 years old
– living in British Columbia
– able to speak and understand English
– have access to internet and Zoom
Location: Online (Zoom)
Contact Information: Please contact Carla.Hilario@ubc.ca
Reimbursement/Time: The study consists of an interview (45-60 minutes) and/or a focus group (90 minutes). Participants will have the option to attend either or both. They will receive $25 in form of a gift card for each interview or focus group that they attend.
Study End Date: Ongoing. Posted Sep 17 2024.

Cannabidiol Adjunctive Therapy for Acute Bipolar Depression: A Randomized Double-Blind, Placebo Controlled Trial (in-person study)

Researcher: Lakshmi Yatham (Principal Investigator), Shannon Reid (Research Coordinator)

Description: This study is examining whether cannabidiol (also known as CBD) is effective in treating episodes of depression in people diagnosed with bipolar disorder when added to their regular medications for 6 weeks. Participants visit the clinic for a screening visit and a baseline visit, as well as visits at week 2, 4, and 6 to complete clinical assessments with a study doctor, laboratory tests, and answer questionnaires. Eligible participants will receive either placebo (i.e. an inactive substance) or 200-600mg of CBD to take daily for 6 weeks. The assignment to placebo vs CBD group is random, and neither the participant nor the study staff will know to which treatment group the participant has been assigned.

Eligibility: Individuals who meet the following criteria are eligible to participate:

·         Aged 19-70 years

·         Diagnosed with bipolar disorder

·         Currently experiencing depression

·         Currently taking medication for mood stabilization (e.g. lithium, epival/valproate, risperidone, olanzapine, quetiapine, aripiprazole, ziprasidone, and/or lamotrigine)

Individuals meeting any of the following criteria are not eligible to participate in this trial:

·         Current or past month daily use of CBD/cannabis

·         Have met criteria for an alcohol/substance use disorder within the past 6 months

·         Are pregnant or lactating

Location: Mood Disorders Centre (2nd floor of UBC Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health), 2215 Wesbrook Mall

Contact Information: Please email or call the study coordinator at bipolar.research@ubc.ca or (604) 822-8045

Reimbursement/Time: The total time commitment required for the study is approximately 7-8 hours over 8-10 weeks, and participants will be compensated for their time and travel expenses.

Study End Date: Ongoing. Posted Oct 31 2023.


Singlehood and Dating (Online study)
Researcher: Hilary Tsui, Dr Yuthika Girme (PI)
Description: This project seeks to analyze single British Columbians’ individual characteristics and views about relationships and how these influence single peoples’ wellbeing and dating behaviour.
Eligibility: Must be:
1) currently single
2) 18 years or older
3) residing in British Columbia
Contact Information: If you have any questions, please contact Hilary Tsui (hjtsui@sfu.ca).
Reimbursement/Time: The survey is estimated to take between 15-20 minutes. Upon completion of the survey, participants will be given the chance to enter 1 of 5 $20 Amazon gift cards.
Study End Date: Ongoing. Posted Sep 9 2024.

ACE-Ex Study (partially in-person and online)

Researcher: Gabrielle Zieff, Dr. Eli Puterman and Dr. Joelle LeMoult

Description: Engaging in exercise has many benefits for physical and mental health, including changing how we respond to social events throughout the day. People who have experienced challenging periods early on in life may especially benefit from exercise in this regard. Our team of researchers is exploring how participating in 6 weeks of a simple, app-based, at-home exercise program may be beneficial to physical and mental health in adults who have experienced challenging childhoods. More specifically, we will investigate how exercise may impact our body’s and mind’s responses to a social event. In our study, participants will attend two in-person sessions separated by 6-7 weeks, with short weekly surveys in-between. Financial compensation will be provided for completion of the study. Those who may be enrolled in a Psychology course will have the opportunity to receive 6 HSP credits for participating instead of the monetary incentive. 

Eligibility: Individuals who have experienced a challenging childhood, are between the ages of 18-35, and would like to begin exercising regularly.

Location: The study will take place in Medical Sciences Block C, Health Sciences Mall, UBC Campus. Further details will be provided following an eligibility screening.

Contact Information: Please click here to see if you are eligible and to complete a pre-screening survey: https://acexstudy.kin.ubc.ca/interested/

Reimbursement/Time: Participants will be paid $40 for both 90-minute in-person sessions, and $5 for each of the five weekly surveys, for a maximum total of $105.

Study End Date: December 6th, 2024. 

 


Visuomotor Adaptation

Principal Investigator: Nicola J. Hodges

Study team / Co-Investigators:  Beverley Larssen, Carrie Peters,  Matthew Scott

Description

Participants are needed for a UBC study to investigate processes used in visuomotor adaptation. The mechanisms underlying motor learning (physical practice and observational practice) will be examined in this project. Participants will be expected to learn how to reach accurately to visually-presented targets by physically moving in a modified environment. This study is being run in the Motor Skills Lab in the School of Kinesiology by principal investigator Dr. Nicola Hodges.

It is anticipated that the study will take approximately 60-90 minutes. This time may be across one or two consecutive days. A $15 honorarium will be provided upon completion of the study.

Eligibility:

We are looking for individuals who are/have:

Between ages 18-50 years old

Right-hand dominant for most skills

Normal or corrected-to-normal vision

No existing injury to the right hand

No known physical disorders or injuries that impede full body movement

No known neurological disorders

Must be able to understand instructions written and spoken in English

Location: War Memorial Gym, 6081 University Blvd, Vancouver BC

Contact Information: A resume is not required to partake in the study, we simply ask that participants meet all the qualifications listed. If you meet these qualifications, please email kin.msl@ubc.ca and include “VMA study” in the subject line. In your email, please include a UBC email address (if available), a phone number, and your availability over the next 2 weeks.


Reimbursement/Time: 

It is anticipated that the study will take approximately 60-90 minutes. This time may be across one or two consecutive days. A $15 honorarium will be provided upon completion of the study.

Study end date: Ongoing. Posted June 19 2024.


General Surface Touch Interaction Techniques using IR Halo Effect

Researcher: Ziyi (Kaseya) Xia (Contact, Graduate Research Assistant), Dr. Robert Xiao (PI)

Description: You will be asked to interact with projected graphical objects on some day-to-day surfaces and finish a series of virtual keyboard phrase typing tasks to help evaluate our system. Your hands will be recorded for further analysis during the interaction. We will also ask you for your impression of the interaction experience by filling out a survey.

Eligibility:

·      Inclusion Criteria:

o   18-50 years old

o   Be able to communicate in English

o   Used mobile phone to type words regularly

·      Exclusion Criteria:

o   Blindness and Deafness

 

Location: ICICS 509x

Contact Information: Kaseya Xia (zxia0101@student.ubc.ca), 778-680-6770

Reimbursement/Time: Your participation will take approximately 1h and will be done in our lab in the ICICS building. You will be compensated $16 for your participation.

Study End Date: September 5th, 2024


RSO2 Study (in person study) / Quantifying Consistency in Tissue Oxygenation Across Anatomical Landmarks in Healthy Individuals Through Near-Infrared Spectroscopy
Researcher(s): 
Principal Investigator: Dr. Shadgan
Amir Parham Pirhadi Rad
Vincent Levandier
Kiana Jahanshahi
Description: 
Determining a standard location for measurement of tissue oxygen levels in healthy adults. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a non-invasive tool used in critical care to monitor tissue oxygenation. This study aims to identify reliable body sites for measuring regional tissue oxygen saturation (%RSO2) in healthy adults. Using a Health Canada and FDA-approved NIRS device, %RSO2 will be measured from various body regions. Sites include the forehead, arms, legs, sternum, and others. The research also incorporates subcutaneous tissue thickness data and color sensor readings. The goal is to establish a standard %RSO2 range and determine the most consistent measurement sites.
The study has three main goals:
a. We want to figure out the normal levels of oxygen in tissues for healthy people using NIRS.
b. We’re looking into how oxygen levels differ in various parts of the body for healthy individuals.
c. We plan to gather information and analyze data from 107 different people, to get a diverse range of perspectives.
Eligibility: 
One Hundred and seven adult men and women will be assigned to participate in this study: You will be included in the study if:
a. Your age is between 19 and 70 years.
b. You are in good general health with no known neurological disorders or musculoskeletal impairments that could affect muscle function.
You will be excluded from the study if you have:
A: Medical Conditions:
a. Severe cardiovascular conditions (e.g., unstable angina, heart failure).
     b. Severe respiratory conditions (e.g., chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).
c. Severe neurological conditions (e.g., epilepsy, uncontrolled seizures).
d. Severe skin conditions at the sensor placement sites (e.g., open wounds, burns).
B: Medications:
a. Use of medications that affect vascular tone or blood flow (e.g., vasodilators, vasoconstrictors) if they cannot be safely discontinued during the study.
C: Allergies:
a. Known allergies to the materials used in NIRS sensors or adhesives.
D: Pregnancy:
a. Exclusion of pregnant participants due to potential changes in blood circulation and oxygenation.
E: Cognitive Impairment:
a. Severe cognitive impairment that may affect the participant’s ability to provide informed consent or cooperate during the study.
F: Previous Negative Reactions:
a. Previous adverse reactions to NIRS measurements or discomfort during NIRS experiments.
J: Communication Barriers:
a. Language or communication barriers that may hinder the participant’s ability to understand study instructions.
K: Other Exclusionary Factors:
a. Any other factors specific to the research study that might affect data quality or safety.
The above list will be applied to mitigate potential risks and confounding variables.
Location:
818 West 10th Ave.
3rd floor, in the main laboratory space.
Contact Information: 
Reimbursement/Time:
[Reimbursement] Voucher for a free drink (value of $3.50) at the Bean Around the World cafe in the ICORD building.
[Time] Session takes approximately 30 minutes.
Study End Date: December 31st, 2024.

Zoom Speed Dating Study
Researcher: Dr. Lauren Human (PI)
Description: You will be asked to complete an online pre-event questionnaire and attend two Zoom speed dating events one week apart. During the Zoom event you will have a brief date with up to eight other participants making ratings of your interaction partners, self, and conversations. After the first Zoom event, you will then have the option to opt into a second date with any of your interaction partners for the second event the following week. We will also ask that you complete a follow-up survey two weeks after the final event. You will also be asked to provide, with their permission, contact information (i.e., e-mail addresses) of three people who know you well so they can fill out a brief questionnaire about you online.
Eligibility:
Age 18 – 30
Currently live in Kelowna or Vancouver
Able to complete all questionnaires and interactions in English.
Have access to a computer with a webcam and microphone
Single or in a nonexclusive relationship (all genders and sexual orientations welcome)
Location: This study is hosted by the University of British Columbia Okanagan and takes place over Zoom.
If you would like to participate, please complete the scheduling survey: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_e8njDvXGK4Y3OR0
Contact Information: If you have any questions, please email research.siplab@ubc.ca
Reimbursement/Time: You will be compensated $20 for completing the pre-event questionnaire and attending the first event, $20 for attending the second event, and $10 for completing the follow-up questionnaire. The events will last 60-90 minutes, and the follow-up questionnaire will take roughly 20 minutes. Compensation will be paid in the form of an online gift card to your choice of amazon.ca or Starbucks Canada.
Study End Date: Ongoing. Posted July 29 2024.

 Social Media and Perceptions Study (SMAP)
Researcher: Dr. Lauren Human (PI)
Description: This study is examining first impressions based on social media profiles. You will be asked to view up to 15 social media profiles and rate their personalities and complete questionnaires about your own personality. The entire study will be conducted remotely via an online questionnaire we ask that you complete the study in one sitting.
Eligibility:
Age 18 years or older
Identify as male
Student attending a Canadian University who can provide a valid student email
Location: To participate in the online survey, please first complete the following eligibility questionnaire: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9SokxcPFuRkW1mK
Contact Information: If you have any questions, please email human.lab@ubc.ca
Reimbursement/Time: The survey takes approximately 2 hours to complete. You will be compensated in the form of a $20 Amazon.ca or Starbucks Canada e-gift card.
Study End Date: Ongoing. Posted July 29 2024.

Social Consequences of First Impressions – Zoom
Researcher: Dr. Lauren Human (PI)
Description: This multi-part study is examining whether first impressions predict social outcomes. First, you will be asked to fill out an online initial questionnaire about your personality, relationships, and well-being. Second, you will attend a Zoom session where you will be asked to have brief conversations with up to 5 other participants and provide ratings about each other. Third, if you consent, you will be emailed one optional follow-up questionnaire one month after the study session. You will be asked to provide, with their permission, contact information (e.g., email address) of three people who know you well, so they can fill out a brief questionnaire about you online.
Eligibility:
Age 18 years or older
Student at UBC Vancouver or UBC Okanagan and able to provide a valid UBC email address.
Able to complete all questionnaires and interactions in English.
Have access to a computer with a webcam and microphone
Location: This study is hosted by the University of British Columbia Okanagan and takes place over Zoom.
You will be sent a link to complete the initial online survey prior to the Zoom session and will receive the Zoom link in the same email.
Contact Information: If you have any questions or would like to register, please email human.lab@ubc.ca
Reimbursement/Time: The initial survey takes roughly 30 minutes to complete, and the scheduled Zoom interactions take about 90 minutes to complete. Those who complete the initial questionnaire and attend the Zoom session will receive $20 in the form of an Amazon.ca or Starbucks Canada gift card.
You may receive an additional $10 gift card if you choose to complete the follow-up survey, which takes approximately 20 minutes to complete.
Study End Date: Ongoing. Posted July 29 2024.

Exploring the Perceptions and Health Impacts of Climate Change among LGBTQIA+ People (virtual)

Researcher:

Shelby Yamamoto (Primary Investigator), Sammy Lowe (Co-Investigator), Ishwar Tiwari (Postdoc), Sachit Gurung (RA), Nandia Shirchindorj (RA)

Description: The CHEER Lab is investigating the perceptions and health impacts of climate change amongst LGBTQIA+ identifying adults (≥18 years). We are interested in learning about the physical and mental health impacts of climate change.

Participants will join a virtual focus group discussion for approximately 60 minutes. Questions will focus on an overall discussion of climate change and health, personal lived experience with climate change, climate change information and resources, and climate hope and resilience.

Eligibility:

We are looking for:

  • LGBTQIA+ adults, who are 18 or over
  • Living in British Columbia or Alberta
  • Have access to the Internet 
Location: Online/Zoom
Contact information: Please fill out this form if interested in participating. For more information, contact Sammy at cheerlab@ualberta.ca.
Reimbursement/Time: Participants will receive a $10 gift card. The discussion should take approximately 60 minutes.
Study end date: Ongoing. Posted July 4 2024.

Evaluating tangible designs for social well-being of older adults and their communities (in-person)

Researcher: Dr. Joanna McGrenere (Principal Investigator), Kersten Smith, Sang-Wha Sien (Graduate Students)

Description: We are conducting an evaluation of a set of tangible technology designs aimed at supporting social connection of older adults and their communities. The study will be conducted in a quiet and safe location in Vancouver and/or Victoria agreed upon by all participants. Interested individuals will be invited to take part in a 90 minute group co-design session and additional 15 minutes self paced preparation activities.  Activities may require writing on paper. The study will take place between July 14th to 27th 2024. Please indicate whether you would be participating in Vancouver or Victoria.

Eligibility: We are looking for people who are
 55 years old or older
 Fully or partially retired
 Living independently or with a spouse/partner
 Fluent in English
OR
 18 years old or older
 Fluent in English
 A member of an older adult’s social network
OR
 18 years old or older
 Fluent in English
 Have previous or current experience in a formal work or volunteer position
interacting with older adults such as community outreach workers, activity group
leaders for older adults, counselors, and other types of support workers

Location: The location is not yet determined. We may be hosting sessions in both Victoria and Vancouver at a quiet and safe location that ensures privacy and is agreed upon by participants.
Contact Information: Kersten Smith, kmds@student.ubc.ca , (604) 900 – 7078
Reimbursement/Time: You will be compensated $30 CAD for your time. Expected participation is 115 minutes including a 10 minute break.
Study End Date: August 31, 2024. Posted June 25 2024.

Investigation of Interactive Affective Touch: Happraisal Substudy

Researcher: Preeti Vyas

Description: The Sensory, Perception, and Interaction (SPIN) Research Group in the UBC Dept. of Computer Science is looking for participants for a study investigating the sensing, design, and interpretation of emotive interactions with a small robot. You will be compensated $15/hr for your participation.We will ask you to interact with a stationary and/or moving small zoomorphic robot prototype. Before the study, we will ask you to complete a screening questionnaire. During the study, we will record your bio-signals (heart rate, breathing rate, etc.) and ask you to describe the motions and perceived emotional content from such interaction and/or ask you to talk about your experiences with animals and pets and your process for emotion regulation. Your interactions may be video recorded given your consent. This study is part of a graduate student research project.The study will take place between June 14th to 27th 2024. Please contact us at the email below to sign up for the study.
Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions

Eligibility: People 18 years or older

Contact information: pv@cs.ubc.ca

Reiumbursement/Time: $15 per hour, expected time to complete is 2 X 1hr sessions.


Older Adults and Misinformation in Social Media (Online, over Zoom sessions)

Researcher: Ishita Haque (MSc student), Co-Investigator,Dr Joanna McGrenere, Professor, Principal Investigator

Description: We are conducting a study to understand how older adults use different assessment approaches to deduce the validity of information found on social media and decide whether to share it.

Your participation will involve:

1. Completing an online screening survey to confirm eligibility (approximately 5 minutes)
2. Participating in an interview (up to 1 hour and 50 minutes) over Zoom, where you will interact with our design concepts and will be asked about your assessment process before sharing social media content that might be misinformative. The session would be video-recorded.
3. Fill out a short online post-interview survey (approximately 5 minutes).

Eligibility: We are looking for someone who:

– Is aged 60+
– Has shared or considered sharing any content found on any social media platform within the last month.
– Shares or considers sharing any content found on any social media platform at least several times a month.
– Is free of diagnosed cognitive, visual, or hearing impairments.
– Is able to join the study over Zoom on a desktop computer, laptop, or tablet.

Location: The study will be conducted online (via Zoom).

Contact Information: If you are interested in participating or want to know more about this study, please complete this survey at https://tinyurl.com/f4x4fufr or contact Ishita Haque (ihaque94@cs.ubc.ca, 778-956-6095 ).

Reimbursement/Time: You will receive an honorarium of $30 CAD via INTERAC e-Transfer, PayPal, or similar platforms after the post-interview survey is completed. The study will require 1.5 to 2 hours of participation.

Study End Date: Ongoing. Posted July 4 2024.


Designing cognitively accessible financial technology to support people as they age (in-person or Zoom design sessions)

Researcher: Dr Jiamin (Carrie) Dai, Postdoctoral Fellow, Co-Investigator, Dr Joanna McGrenere, Professor, Principal Investigator, Department of Computer Science, University of British Columbia

Description: We are conducting a study to help design future financial technologies that are easier to use for older adults. Each design session will involve 2–5 participants to discuss fictional user profiles (personas) and critique and sketch features for online banking and digital payment scenarios. The design session will be audio-recorded. You will be asked to fill in a short background questionnaire at the end.

Eligibility: Older adults (aged 65+) and family members (spouses or adult children) who help with technology or banking, joining as pairs or individually

– Both have used online banking or digital payment at least once in the past year

– Both are able to read, write, and communicate verbally in English

We particularly welcome older adults:

– who are experiencing confusion or memory loss with aging

– who have been diagnosed by a medical professional with mild cognitive impairment or early-middle stage dementia

Location: The study will be conducted online (via Zoom) or in person at a place of mutual convenience in Vancouver (e.g., a community centre or a UBC research lab).

Contact Information: Dr Jiamin (Carrie) Dai, jiamin.dai@ubc.ca (preferred), 514-756-4580

Reimbursement/Time: $30 honorarium per person (in cash or via Interac e-Transfer) for joining a 1.5-hour design session.

Study End Date: Ongoing. Posted 30 May 2024.


Youth-Parent Relationships in South Asian Immigrant Families (in-person)
Researchers: Aisha Ghani, MA (graduate student); Dr. Anusha Kassan (co-PI); Dr. Laurie Ford (co-PI)
Description:  The primary purpose of this study is to understand intergenerational relationships in South Asian immigrant families from the perspective of youth. Participants will be asked to complete an interview with the researcher about their relationships with their parents, any influences to that relationship, and the strengths of that relationship. This study is considered exploratory as the goal is to highlight each participant’s unique perspectives.
Eligibility: 
– You identify as South Asian Canadian
– You identify as a second generation immigrant (i.e., your parents are first generation immigrants, so they moved to Canada in their lifetime, and then you were born in Canada) OR you identify as a first generation immigrant, but you immigrated to Canada before starting kindergarten.
– You are between the ages of 15-18 years
– You can speak English fluently
Location: UBC Neville Scarfe Building (2125 Main Mall). The interview can also take place at a mutually agreed upon location with a private room, such as a meeting room at UBC, a UBC library, or at a community centre in the lower mainland.
Contact information: Please contact Aisha at aisha023@student.ubc.ca
Reimbursement and time: The interview will take about 1 hour to 1.5 hours and participants will receive a 20 dollar gift card for their time. To ensure the researcher has accurately captured the participants’ perspective, the researcher may contact the participant to ask for feedback on their analysis via email.
Study end date: ongoing. 6 May 2024.

Investigation of the Biological Markers of Major Depression (OPTIMUM-D) (In-person)

Researcher: Research coordinators, Dr. Raymond Lam

Description: This study involves standard treatment for depression and randomization into placebo groups. Patients will be treated by a psychiatrist for 12 weeks with an antidepressant medication approved to treat depression. The study will involve a total of 5 in-person visits, 3 remote visits over 12 weeks.

Throughout the visits, the study will involve 3 x Collection of blood (Baseline, Week 8, 12) 3 x Stool Sample Collection (Baseline, Week 8, 12) 3 x Urine Collection (Baseline, Week 8, 12) 3 x Electroencephalography (EEG) (Baseline, Week 8, 12) 1 x Electrocardiography (ECG) (Week 1) 2 clinical assessments done by a psychiatrist over the phone (Week 4, 10).

Eligibility: Are between 18-60 years of age. Have been diagnosed with depression or suspect you may have depression, and are currently feeling depressed. in activities, change in appetite, poor sleep, fatigue, low self-esteem, and poor concentration. Are willing to take a standard antidepressant medication as treatment for your depression. Are willing to undergo blood/lab tests and brain scans.

Location: UBC Mood Disorders Centre (2nd floor), 2215 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3

Contact Information: Research coordinator, Lam.MDDResearch2@ubc.ca/604-822-7804, https://app.reachbc.ca/project/study/356

Reimbursement/Time: To be discussed/12 weeks

Study End Date: Ongoing. Posted Apr 25 2024.


Feasibility study of long-term light and ion therapy for maintenance treatment in depression (LIMIT-D) (In-person)

Researcher: Dr. Raymond Lam, Department of Psychiatry

Description: The UBC Mood Disorders Centre at the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health is now recruiting for a feasibility study exploring the use of two separate non-medication treatments, light therapy and ion therapy, as maintenance treatment in major depression. We are interested in exploring factors affecting the two treatments as maintenance treatments (to help prevent the return of symptoms) instead of medications in people with Major Depressive Disorders who wish to stop their antidepressant treatment.

Participation would include daily use of a bright light device or ion device provided by our clinic for 6 months, as well as regularly completing self-rated scales and meeting the study doctor for assessments. However, half of the treatment devices have been modified so that they are inactive (placebo). You have a 1 in 2 chance (like flipping a coin) of receiving an active or an inactive device.

Eligibility:
We are looking for people who
  • are 19-65 years old
  • meet criteria for major depressive disorder (not bipolar disorder)
  • are currently taking an antidepressant, with no dose change in the past month
  • are interested in stopping your antidepressant
  • are feeling well (no longer depressed), according to a clinical interview
  • do not have a seasonal pattern of depressive episodes (seasonal affective disorder)
  • do not have any other major medical or psychiatric conditions
  • do not have a problem with substance use currently or within the past 6 months.

Location: UBC Mood Disorders Centre, at the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health

Contact information: Rachel Leong, rachel.leong@ubc.ca

Reimbursement/Time: $15 per visit (1-2 hours)

Study End Date: Ongoing. Posted July 29 2024.


Genetic Architecture of Youth Anxiety (GAYA)

Researcher: Dr. S. Evelyn Stewart (PI)

Description: Anxiety disorders can significantly interfere with youth’s lives, so it is important to better understand how and why these disorders develop through mechanisms like genetics. To better understand the development of anxiety disorders among youth, we need to include larger samples of youth in current genetic research.
Participants in the GAYA study will complete questionnaires online, provide a DNA saliva sample, and play two phone games on the GAYA app.You can complete this study entirely at home if you wish, and you will be able to complete the study in less than 45 minutes.

Eligibility:

– 10-19 years of age

– Speak English

– Able to use a smartphone

Location: Online or at BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute
938 W 28th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4

Contact Information: If you are interested in participating, please contact the study team at GAYA@bcchr.ca.

Reimbursement/Time: What participants will be paid $15 after completing the study. The study would take approximately 45 minutes to complete

Study End Date: Ongoing. Posted April 10 2024.


Recognition of high-level visual form (In-person)

Researcher: Dr. Ipek Oruc (Principal Investigator); Caitlin Long (Graduate Research Assistant)

Description: In this study, we investigate how human observers recognize complex visual patterns and objects such as letters and faces. You are invited to participate in this study because we would like to understand how visual recognition is normally accomplished in healthy human observers. Participants will be seated comfortably in front of a computer screen where they will view displays of visual stimuli. Participants will then be asked if they recognize the stimuli.

Eligibility: Participants should have normal or corrected to normal vision and hearing.

Location: ICORD at Vancouver General Hospital; 818 W 10th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

Contact Information: Caitlin Long; caitlong@student.ubc.ca

Reimbursement/Time: The study will take approximately 1 hour, and participants will be compensated $10.

Study End Date: Ongoing. Posted April 10, 2024.


Using eye movements as a readout of audiovisual integration

Researcher: Jessica Chalissery, Philipp Kreyenmeier, Anthony Herdman & Miriam Spering (Principle Investigator)

Description: We are looking for healthy young adults who will participate in a 60 minute study. You will complete short assessments to test your vision and hearing to confirm eligibility, then view visual and auditory stimuli on a computer monitor while your eye movement data is recorded. There are no known risks associated with participating in this study beyond those of working on a computer in daily life.

Eligibility:

  • between ages 19 and 25
    ability to provide informed consent
    have normal or corrected-to-normal vision
    have normal or corrected-to-normal hearing
    no history of hearing impairment
    no history of eye disease (such as strabismus or amblyopia, known as “lazy eye”)
    no history of brain injury or neurological disease (such as multiple sclerosis, stroke, trauma to the head, including a concussion within 12 months of the study.)
    have no history of psychiatric disorders
    not taking any psychiatric medication

Location: The BRANE Lab, room B28, 2194 Woodward (IRC), Health Sciences Mall, UBC campus

Contact Information: You can contact Jessica Chalissery at jesschal@student.ubc.ca if you are interested in participating in this study.

Reimbursement/Time: You will be paid $10/hr upon completion of this study.

Study End Date: ongoing. Updated Oct 1 2024.


Substance Use and Gambling Behaviours Among Canadian University Students

Researchers: Daniel McGrath (Principal Investigator and supervisor, University of Calgary); Diandra Leslie (PhD student and co-investigator, University of Calgary); Lianne Tomfohr-Madsen (co-investigator, University of British Columbia)

Description: The Substance Use and Gambling Lab at the University of Calgary and the Healthy Families Lab at the University of British Columbia are running a study about substance use and gambling trends among university students across Canada.

Eligibility: All currently enrolled University of British Columbia students are eligible to participate. You can participate even if you don’t use drugs/substances or gamble.

Location: Online survey. Click this link to join the studyhttps://survey.ucalgary.ca/jfe/form/SV_8ufcigA3cZq6lb8

Contact Information: For more information, send an email to mcgrathlab@ucalgary.ca or visit https://www.ucalgary.ca/labs/gamblinglab/participate

Reimbursement/Time: The survey takes about 15 to 25 minutes to complete. Everyone who complete the survey can enter to win one of four $100 gift cards to a variety of stores such as Amazon, Apple, Best Buy, Sephora, Skip the Dishes, Starbucks, Walmart, and more.

Study end date: Friday, April 5 at 10:59 pm PDT.


Famous Faces in Focus: Athlete Portraits and Motor Embodiment (in person)

Researcher: Liz Kalenteridis (student lead), Nicola Hodges (Principal Investigator)

Description: Participants are needed for a UBC study to investigate the influences of perception on our own motor system. In this research study, we examine motor reactions to images of famous tennis and soccer players.

Eligibility: 

– Between ages 18-50 years old

– Identify as male

– Normal or corrected-to-normal vision

– No existing injury to the dominant hand and foot

– No known neurological disorders

– Must be able to understand and speak English

– Must be familiar with famous tennis and soccer players

Location: Room 300A, UBC War Memorial Gym. 6081 University Blvd, Vancouver, BC, V6T1Z1 (http://www.maps.ubc.ca/PROD/index_detail.php?locat1=428).

Contact Information: If you meet the requirements and are interested, please email lizkal@student.ubc.ca with “Famous Faces Study” in the email subject line. You will receive a pre-screen survey to complete prior to testing.

Reimbursement/Time: It is anticipated that the study will take approximately 60 minutes. A $10 honorarium will be provided upon completion of the study.

Study End Date: Ongoing. Posted Apr 1 2024.


Healthy Lifestyle Intervention (in-person)
Researcher: Alfredo Sherman (Student lead), Juliet Fowler, Taha Liaqat, Vasily Vakorin, Bernhard Riecke, Sylvain Moreno (Principal Investigator)
Description: Are you interested in improving your lifestyle through a month-long healthy lifestyle intervention? This study investigates changes in the brain after completing a healthy lifestyle intervention, and explores how the experience of the intervention might affect its impact on the brain. The study comprises three in-person sessions, assessments, and weekly remote check-ins. The intervention will take place during your everyday activities.
Eligibility: You may be able to participate if:
  • You are between 18 and 40 years old
  • You have no known significant health problems
  • You are not currently participating in a health intervention
  • You do less than 1 day of weekly moderate exercise
  • You are right-handed
  • You have normal or corrected-to-normal vision
Location: Simon Fraser University, Surrey Campus, 250-13450 102 Ave, Surrey, BC V3T 0A3. Room SRYC 3760, Computational Neuroscience Research Lab, School of Interactive Arts and Technology.
Contact Information: If interested, please complete the pre-screening survey. The survey includes further details. If you have any questions, please email the student lead at alfredo_sherman@sfu.ca. Pre-screening survey link: https://forms.gle/EJCtLWPzawWNHGof9
Reimbursement/Time: Participants who successfully complete the intervention will receive up to $210 and participate in a raffle to win one Apple Watch. This study includes two in-person assessments, one in-person instruction session, and four weekly remote check-ins. The in-person assessments will take place before and after the intervention. Both will have an approximate duration of 60 to 120 minutes. The in-person training session will be approximately 30 minutes long. The remote check-ins will occur remotely over a secured Zoom meeting every week and will be around 5 to 15 minutes long. The healthy lifestyle intervention will take place during your everyday activities during the month for the intervention.
Study End Date: Ongoing. Posted Mar 16 2024.

Normal Values for Cervical and Ocular Vestibular-Evoked Myogenic Potentials (VEMP):  Comparison of air conducted (AC) and vibratory stimuli (bone conduction-BC). The study recommends in person attendance to the lab.

Researcher: Ph.D. student May Elbar under the supervision of Professor Navid Shahnaz, associate professor (School of Audiology and Speech Science).

Description: In this study, we are investigating the influence of stimulus parameters on the lowest levels (threshold) that we could obtain these responses and the time it will take for each response wave to be produced (latency).  We hope that the normative data obtained using this relatively new method will help find a more reliable way of diagnosing balance issues. The following tests will be conducted in this study: Otoscopic examination (Small equipment that helps us to visualize the external part of your ear), Wideband tympanometry and middle ear muscle reflex (the first test, wideband tympanometry, is a safe test to assess your middle ear function.  In this test, a sound will be presented to your ear while the air pressure in the outer ear canal is changed within a safe range.  You don’t have to do anything.  The only things that you should not do during that test are speaking and/or swallowing.  It lasts for almost 1 minute), Automatic Audiometry (Bekesy Audiometry 250-16000 Hz) (the hearing assessment will be done in a specific testing sound booth and will require you to press a button when you hear beep sounds of varying quality and level that are presented through headphones), Otoacoustic emission: (Assessment of the hearing function through introduction of different tones at different frequencies through prob tip put in your ears), Ocular and cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential vestibular evoked myogenic potential: (We will place some surface electrodes on your head, neck, and around the eye, and small earphones will be inserted into your ears, then a vibrator will be put behind your ear.  In a part of the test, you will have to do a certain position with your neck.  In another part, you have to look at a specific target).

Eligibility criteria:

  • Adults between the ages of 18 to 29
  • Normal hearing thresholds: more than or equal 25 decibel Hearing level between 250Hz to 8000 Hertz.
  • Normal balance function.
  • Free of any history of severe head accidents, balance dysfunction, noise exposure, or ototoxic drug.
  • No outer or middle ear defects were visible during the otoscopy.
  • All participants should have normal middle ear function.
  • All participants should be fluent in the English language as they should be able to follow instructions on test protocol during the test. English as a second language participant whose first language is Farsi or Arabic can be accommodated.

Location: Testing will be completed in the Middle Ear Lab located on the UBC campus in the IRC building. Faculty of Medicine, 2177 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC Canada V6T1Z3

Contact Information:  get in touch with the Middle Ear Lab through email at mel@audiospeech.ubc.ca to set up an appointment.

Reimbursement/Time:  There is no reimbursement for participation in this study. However, participants will have a complete hearing check-up and vestibular assessment by VEMP. In case of detecting any abnormality, we can refer the participant to the recommended medical specialist.it takes about one and a half hours to complete a clinical hearing test and other measures of middle ear function and vestibular system.

 Study End Date:  ongoing study.  Posted Mar 16 2024.


Career Development in Recovery Study

Researcher: Dr. Robinder Bedi

Description: Eight in-person group counselling sessions involving discussions on career development for individuals with a history of problematic substance use.

Eligibility:

  • Participants will be adults, defined as being at least 19 years old.
  • Participants must have previously experienced problematic substance use, but no severe problems with substances in the last year.

Location: Online. Participants must be located in BC or Alberta.

Contact Information: If you meet the requirements mentioned above, please email bedi.lab1@ubc.ca to indicate interest. Alternatively, you can leave us a message at 604 822 8953 or complete this contact form:https://bit.ly/CareerStudyContact. A researcher will contact you to provide more information about the study and to obtain information to determine eligibility (takes approximately 20 minutes).

Reimbursement/Time: Up to $160 upon completion of a set of questionnaires before, after, and at 3-months and 9-months after the groups.

Study End Date: Ongoing until July 2026. Posted Mar 16 2024.


Virtual Reality Empathy Trainer for Student-Professor Communication
Researcher: Dr. Luanne Sinnamon (Principal Investigator); Yusheng Ding (Co-Investigator), School of Information, University of British Columbia
Description: We are conducting a focus group with current university students to understand what miscommunication between students and professors is, and how students think and get motivated when they are trying to communicate or deciding not to. We are also interested in student’s ideas and suggestions for designing an information service to help students get better at communication with professors through virtual reality and large language models.
Eligibility: We are seeking university students (i.e. undergraduate, master, PhD), who do not have human-computer interaction or design background.
Location: The focus group will be conducted physically on UBC campus by scheduling a date and time (through Qualtrics) with the interested potential participants.
Contact Information: Please email the researchers if you are interested at dingyush@student.ubc.ca“VR Empathy Trainer – [Your Name]” in the email subject to ensure your email does not get lost.
Reimbursement/Time: The total time commitment required for the single focus group is an hour and a half and participants will be compensated for $30.
Study End Date: Ongoing (until March 30nd 2024)

Computational principles of motor skill (In-person)
Researcher: Amanda Arteaga, Gregg Eschelmuller, Davin Hu, Rebecca Niven, Annika Szarka, Romeo Chua (Co-I), J. Timothy Inglis (Co-I), Hyosub Kim (PI)
Description: Participation in this study involves making reaching movements to visual targets in a simple video game-like setting. Your participation will help us advance our understanding of how the human motor system controls reaching movements and utilizes different types of sensory feedback for this purpose.
Eligibility: We are looking for healthy volunteers aged 18-35 with normal or corrected-to-normal vision (i.e., 20/20 with glasses or contacts) and no known history of neurological impairment.
Location: Room 203, Osborne Ctr Unit 2, 6108 Thunderbird Blvd, UBC Vancouver Campus
Contact Information: If you are interested in participating, please send an email to ccm.lab@ubc.ca. We will be in touch with further study information and scheduling.
Reimbursement/Time: The study involves an approximately 90-120 minute test session. Participants will receive a $15 honorarium. If interested, participants may be asked to return for 1-2 additional test sessions of similar length and receive an additional $15 honorarium for each session.
Study End Date: Ongoing. Posted Feb 7 2024.

Cognition Under Tension:  A Qualitative Study on the Lived Experience of Being In & Out of Control

Researcher: Laura Bickel (Graduate Student Investigator) and Dr. Rebecca Todd (Principal Investigator; Motivated Cognition Lab, UBC)

Description:

We invite you to participate in our study investigating “what it is like” to feel in control and out of control around food, focusing on those attentional processes and emotions that are likely to generate and motivate restrictive eating and compulsive patterns of overeating. The participation involves keeping a diary via What’s App and journaling to open-ended questions over three weeks.  You will also engage in three interview sessions that will be held at the end of each week.

Eligibility: In order to be eligible to take part in the study, you must meet the following criteria:

– Must be over 19 years of age

– Must be fluent in English

– Must be located in Metro Vancouver

– Must have access to a smartphone or laptop

– Must have What’s App installed on your mobile phone or laptop and commit to using it at least three times a day

– Must be comfortable with being voice recorded in interview sessions

– Must be willing to share your What’s App diary notes

– Must be able to commit approximately 3 hours per week for 3 weeks (a total of 9 hours) and a 30 minute pre-study meeting

– Must experience at least one binge eating episode per week

Location:

The journaling may take place on UBC campus, at participant’s home or in the field. The interview sessions will take place either on UBC campus, via Zoom, or at participant’s home.

Contact Information:

For more information, please email Laura Bickel at lbickel@mail.ubc.ca

Reimbursement/Time:

If you agree to participate, you will be asked to dedicate approximately 9 hours of your time for journaling activities and interview sessions taking place across three weeks (3 hours per week). Participants will receive a gift card (28$) for one yoga session at YYoga or for the book store Indigo.

Study End Date: Ongoing. Posted Jan 28, 2024


Alcohol Use in Emerging Adulthood: A Virtual Daily Diary Study

Researcher:

Student Principal Investigator:
Jasmin Katz, M.A., Ph.D. Candidate, Clinical and Counselling Psychology
Graduate Student, Psychology of Emerging Adulthood Research Lab
Applied Psychology and Human Development, OISE/University of Toronto

Faculty Supervisor:

Abby Goldstein, Ph.D., C. Psych., Associate Professor
Director, Psychology of Emerging Adulthood Research Lab
Applied Psychology and Human Development, OISE/University of Toronto

Description:

  • The purpose of this study is to better understand the relationship between depression and problematic alcohol use among emerging adults
  • We are interested exploring potential psychological factors that contribute to problematic alcohol use
  • We hope this information will provide us with a better understanding of alcohol use in emerging adulthood and give us insight into treatment targets for emerging adults struggling with depressive symptoms and alcohol use
  • We hope that a total of 50 emerging adults will participate in this study

What will you be asked to do?
This study involves two phases, each described below.

  • Complete initial baseline assessment in a virtual video meeting
  • Provide 14 days of daily self-report data on REDCap through accessing a link sent to smartphone

Eligibility:

You may participate in this study if you:

  • Reside in North America
  • Are between the ages of 18 and 29
  • Own a smartphone
  • Are fluent in written English
  • Use alcohol regularly (2+ times/week)
  • Experience depressive symptoms (CES-D-10 score of >10)

Location: Virtual

Contact Information: Please contact: project.emerge@utoronto.ca if you are interested in participating.

Other questions: Jasmin Katz, M.A. Ph.D. Candidate Email: jasmin.katz@mail.utoronto.ca

Reimbursement/Time: This study requires you to take approximately 30 minutes for the baseline assessment appointment (20 minutes for the online survey and 5-10 minutes for training on the daily diary survey), and then 5-10 minutes each day for 14 days. We want to be sure you are compensated for the time you are putting into the study. You will be compensated $for filling out the online baseline survey. As a thank you for your ongoing efforts, you will be paid $15 for each week you complete the survey. We will also give you a bonus $10 for completing 80% of the surveys (34 out of 42 surveys). In total, you have the opportunity to receive $60 for participating in the study. Payment will be in PayPal e-transfer, or Amazon.ca gift card at the end of the study.

Study End Date: Estimated end date is May 2024


Social networks of adults 50 years and older in BC

Researcher: Primary Investigator- Dr. Carolyn Szostak

Honour’s Student – Harshita Gupta

Directed Studies Student- Siu Lin Rodriguez

Description: Researchers from UBC Okanagan are interested in learning more about the social networks of adults 50 years and older. We hope to gain insight into the social connections that make up the social networks to help us better understand how to improve the quality of these relationships and, hopefully, enhance people’s well-being.

Eligibility: – 

1. Are you 50 years of age or older?
2. Do you live in BC? We are looking for people who live in rural/remote AND urban/semi-urban communities within BC.
3. Do you have a mental health concern, such as symptoms of depression, anxiety, or problems with drug or alcohol use?

If you answered yes to these questions, you are eligible to participate.

Location: To participate, please click on the following link:  https://bit.ly/SocialNetworks2023

Contact Information: If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact: Harshita Gupta (harshi11@student.ubc.ca)

Reimbursement/Time: Survey participants will have the opportunity to enter a draw for a chance to win one of five prizes!
Most people are able to complete the survey in about 1.5 hours. The exact time will depend upon how many people are in your social network.

Study End Date: Ongoing study. Posted on Jan 16, 2024.

Sensorimotor Control and Adaptation of Voluntary Movement (In-person)

Researcher: Gregg Eschelmuller, Annika Szarka, Nick Butler, Tim Inglis (Co-I), Hyosub Kim (Co-I), Romeo Chua (PI)

Description: We are conducting studies to examine the use of vision and limb position sense in movement control. We are interested in how we prepare, control, and adapt our voluntary movements.  In this study, you will be asked to make reaching movements in response to visual targets. Your primary goal will be to make target-directed reaches under a variety of sensory conditions. A computer-controlled motion analysis system will be used to monitor eye and hand movements. Visual and position sense stimuli will be presented via visual displays and muscle vibration.

Eligibility: You may be able to participate if:

  • Age 18-40
  • Have normal or corrected vision
  • No known neurological disorder

Location: Room 202, Osborne Ctr Unit 2, 6108 Thunderbird Blvd, UBC Vancouver Campus

Contact Information: If you are interested in participating, please send an email to pmd.lab@ubc.ca. We will be in touch with further study information and scheduling.

Reimbursement/Time: The study consists of one session of testing, approximately 60-75 minutes. Participants will receive a $10 honorarium for participation.

Study End Date: Ongoing. Posted Jan 3 2024.


The Social Communication, Historical Experiences, Memory and Affect (SCHEMA) Study for Men

Researcher: Dr. Connor Kerns (PI), Dr. Daniela Palombo (Co-PI), Dr. Jason Rights (Co-PI), Dr. Veronica Dudarev (Collaborator)

Description: We would like to invite autistic and non-autistic young adults to help us better understand the relationship between social and emotional processing and well-being in young adulthood. This is a three-part study that includes one in-person visit at UBC (1-2 hours) and two online sessions (45 minutes each).

  • Part 1: Approximately 5 days prior to your scheduled in-person visit (study part 2), you will be asked to complete some online questionnaires at home.
  • Part 2: The second part of the study will involve a testing session at our lab. During this session, you will complete an online questionnaire about your emotions and some cognitive tasks, including one that involves a computer-based eye tracker. Please note that one of the cognitive tasks will involve some images that may be disturbing or upsetting.
  • Part 3: For the third part of the study, you will be asked to complete some computer-based cognitive tasks at home.

Approximately, 5 days prior to your scheduled visit, we will send you a link to the sample images in the welcome email.

Eligibility:

Identifies as a man; 18-30 yrs old; fluent in English; and does not have/meet any of the following conditions:

  • colour blindness
  • documented intellectual disability
  • psychotic disorder
  • history of psychosis
  • seizure, epilepsy, and/or head injury (last 6 months)
  • eye movement abnormalities
  • wears glasses with more than one power

Location:

  • Parts 1 and 3 of the study are completed online (45 mins each).
  • Part 2 is a 1-2 hour in-person lab visit at: Room 4207, Douglas T. Kenny Building (2136 West Mall, Vancouver BC, V6T1Z4)

Contact Information: If you’re interested, please complete a brief screening survey: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0k4rlcA33CLdZKm. If eligible, we will email you a link to Part 1 of the study and schedule you for Part 2 (in-person visit) of the study.

Please contact schemastudy@psych.ubc.ca if you would like to view the consent form prior to signing up for the study or if you have any questions regarding the study.

Reimbursement/Time: You will receive $15 per hour as an Amazon gift card. The study will take approximately 2.5 hours (for non-autistic participants) or 3.5 hours (for autistic participants).

Study End Date: Ongoing (until 2026). Posted Oct 30 2023.


Clairvoyant – Psilocybin Assisted Psychotherapy for Alcohol Use Disorder (In-person)
Researcher: Dr. Christian Schutz (Principal Investigator); Zachary Allan (Study Coordinator)
DescriptionThis phase 2 clinical trial evaluates the safety and efficacy of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in adults with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) through analysis of alcohol consumption and symptom severity over 13 visits across approximately 29 weeks. 

Eligibility: Participants must meet the following criteria in order to participate. Additional criteria may apply.

  • Individuals between 19 and 70 years of age.
  • Generally healthy with no unstable health conditions. 
  • Have alcohol dependence and/or use alcohol almost daily and in large amounts.

Location: UBC Hospital – Detwiller Pavilion (2255 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC)

Contact information: Please email the research team at brainlab.clairvoyant@ubc.ca. A researcher will contact you to provide additional information about the study and a link to the eligibility questionnaire. 
Reimbursement/time: The study will take approximately 29 weeks. Each participant will dedicate approximately 43 hours to the study. Remuneration includes $50 for each visit and $100 for each dosing visit. 

Study end date: March, 31st, 2024


The vocational experience of autistic adults: A self-deterministic perspective (Online Study)

Researcher: Talia Vacca, Dr. Charles Chen (PI) 

Description: We are conducting a research study on vocational experiences in autism. The purpose of this study is to better understand the career experiences of individuals with a confirmed autism diagnosis. We are looking to conduct virtual interviews with a total of 15 individuals who would like to share their work experience, with the ultimate goal of understanding how their diagnosis, motivations and meaning, influence their career outcomes and work experience.  

Eligibility:

  • Between 18 and 25 years of age 
  • Have a confirmed diagnosis from a psychiatrist or psychologist
  • Have worked for a minimum of 2 consecutive months within the last 5 years
  • Fluent in English, as interviews will be conducted in English

Location: Online (Microsoft Teams) 

Contact InformationIndividuals who are interested in participating can contact the researcher by email at vocationinautism@gmail.com to learn more about the study.  

Reimbursement/Time: The interview will last approximately 1 hour. Participants will receive $10 for their time. 

Study End Date: Ongoing.  


DaNI – Daily Nature Interactions (online)

Researcher: Johanna Bock (PhD student), Dr. Lorien Nesbitt (PI)

Description: The aim of this study is to understand how people living in cities use nature in their day-to-day life to support their mental health. We are asking you as a resident of Metro Vancouver to share your experiences with us in order to learn about the diverse interests and perceptions of the many different people living in this city. For this study, we send you a survey link every night for a week with a quick survey about your day, how you are feeling and how much time you spent engaging with nature, doing different activities, and in different places.

Eligibility: Individuals between 18 and 65 years of age, living in Metro Vancouver, without physical impairments that affect their use or enjoyment of natural environments.

Location: Online survey (compatible with phone, tablet, computer). This is the link to the first survey: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1Sa0qiCvO62fPeK, please fill it out at the end of the day.

Contact Information: If you have any questions, contact Johanna Bock, jbock@mail.ubc.ca

Reimbursement/Time: The study will take about 40 minutes in total over seven days (Ten minutes on day one, five minutes for the following six days). All participants will be entered into a draw to win $100.

Study End Date: September 30, 2023


Disruptive Technologies and Negative Heritage: Evaluating the Social and Economic Impacts of the 3D printed Triumphal Arch of Palmyra (In-person Study)

Researcher: Dr. Lindsay Der (PI); Pamela Zamora Quesada (RA), Rachel Thibeault (RA).

Description: We are looking for Syrian citizens for a research study on Syrian cultural heritage. Eligible participants will be invited to attend in-person focus group sessions for up to two hours and/or in-person individual interviews for up to three hours (interviews may be divided into different sessions if it is convenient for participants). In the focus groups, participants will be asked their views and thoughts on cultural heritage, the impact of the Syrian civil war on cultural heritage and any work done to mitigate such destruction. In the interview, participants will be asked more in-depth questions about the 3D-printed Triumphal Arch of Palmyra, cultural heritage and cultural diplomacy.

Eligibility:

  • Adults, 19 years old or older.

  • Self-identified Syrian nationals.

  • Fluent in English and/or Arabic.

Location: Focus groups will primarily take place ace in Vancouver and Surrey. Interviews will take place in Metro Vancouver.

Contact Information: Dr. Lindsay Der, lindsay.der@ubc.ca.

Reimbursement/Time: Selected participants will be compensated $16.75 per hour.

Study End Date: Ongoing.


An Exploration of Parents with ADHD and Their Experiences of Raising Children with ADHD (online)

Researcher: Bethany Ee (PhD Candidate) & Dr. Laurie Ford (PI)

Description:This study aims to explore and describe the lived experiences of mothers with ADHD while they raise a child with ADHD. While there is a lot of research documenting the difficulties that families with ADHD experience, we hope to explore the potential strengths that mothers with ADHD have when it comes to parenting their child with ADHD. The study will require participating in a Zoom interview (60mins) and completing four short journal entries (5-10mins).

Eligibility:Mothers with ADHD, who have a biological child with ADHD between the ages of 6 to 12 years old.

Location:online

Contact Information:BethanyE@student.ubc.ca

Reimbursement/Time:Participants will receive an honorarium in the form of a $25 Amazon gift card

Study End Date: Ongoing


Visual Anticipation in Volleyball

Researcher: Ellie Saplywy (RA), Ryan Jinn (RA), Matt Krueger, Dr. Matthew Scott, and Dr. Nicola Hodges (PI; School of Kinesiology, UBC)

Description: This study will require participants to come to the War Memorial Gym for a testing session taking up to 1 hour. In this experiment, participants will be shown various videos of offensive volleyball plays that will be occluded (edited) at various points in time to prevent information about ball flight. Participants will be asked to respond on force plates (pressure sensitive mats) about the direction of the ball (left, right, centre/straight-up).

Participants will be reimbursed $15 minimum for participation in 1 testing session (or $15.65/hr whichever is more depending on time).

No resume is required, we simply as that you meet all the listed qualifications. If you meet these qualifications, please email kin.msl@ubc.ca with the subject line “Volleyball anticipation“. In your email, please include your ubc email if applicable, a phone number and your availability over the coming weeks.  Thank you for your interest!

Eligibility: In order to participate in this study, you must meet all of the following requirements:

  • Males and females between ages 19-35 years
  • Must have some experience playing volleyball. We are looking for individuals of two different experience types. You may participate if you have NOT played post-secondary/competitive volleyball (i.e., only played recreationally). Alternatively, you can partake if you are have played at the Collegiate or USport level in Canada (high level of experience).
  • Normal or corrected-to-normal vision
  • No existing injury to lower limbs and no known neurological disorder
  • Good understanding of English instructions

Location: 300A in the War Memorial Gym (6081 University Blvd; http://www.maps.ubc.ca/PROD/index_detail.php?locat1=428).

Contact Information: If you meet the eligibility criteria, please email kin.msl@ubc.ca and include “Volleyball” in the subject line. In your email, please include a UBC email (if available), a phone number, your gender and availability over the next two weeks.

Reimbursement/Time: The study is estimated to take up to 1 hour across one visit. Participants will be reimbursed $15.65 per hour.

Study End Date: Ongoing. Posted Apr 12, 2023


Gambling PET/MR Imaging Study (In-person)
Researcher: Dr. Lester Tong, Dr. Luke Clark, Dr. Catharine Winstanley (PI)
Description:  The purpose of this study is to understand brain activity associated with gambling decisions. Participants will undergo:
  • A gambling task during the PET & MRI brain imaging scans
  • A positron emission tomography (PET) scan
    • Uses a small amount of radiation (4.63mSv) attached to a known chemical compound to help the scanner image chemicals in your brain
    • 90 minutes to complete
  • Magnetic Resonance imaging (MRI) scans
    • Uses a large magnet inside the scanner to take pictures of your brain and measure
    • Done at the same time as the PET scan in the same scanner
  • Total time requirement is 3 hours
Eligibility:
  • Healthy male and female volunteers age 19-50
  • Normal or corrected to normal vision and hearing
  • Fluent English
Location: Charles E. Fipke Integrated Neuroimaging Suite, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, 2215 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3
Contact Information: Lester Tong (lctong@mail.ubc.ca)
Reimbursement/Time:  You will be compensated for your time and receive cash bonuses earned on the gambling task

Study End Date: Ongoing, posted March 29, 2023.


Fostering Empathy through Intergenerational Storytelling in Embodied Virtual Reality

Researcher: Chenxinran Elise Shen (MSC student), Joanna McGrenere, Dongwook Yoon

Description: 

The study involves using our experimental VR system to switch bodies and discuss life events in different points of views. We will ask the participants to do the following:

(1) Participants are required to complete an online screening survey to confirm their eligibility.

(2) A 20-minute Zoom meeting will be scheduled with the older adult participant to share information about their memorable life events and relevant photos.

(3) Participants will be invited to attend a 30-minute VR session at the UBC lab, where the older adult participant will share their life event in a designed VR space to the younger participant.

(4) After the VR session, participants will be interviewed for 20 minutes about their experience in a semi-structured format.

Eligibility:

  • Participants must have at least one generational gap (e.g. parent and child, grandparent and grandchild, uncle and niece)
  • Both participants must be 18 years or older and able to effectively communicate in English.
  • The older family member will share life stories and provide relevant photos. Participants will also need to provide photo(s) of their front face for VR avatar modeling

Location: Room x521, Department of Computer Science (2366 Main Mall #201, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4)

Contact Information: If you are interested in participating or would like more information, please contact  Chenxinran Shen at elise007@cs.ubc.ca or text me at 4379730599.

Reimbursement/Time: You and your family member will receive $80 in total via e-transfer for your commitment to the project, at a prorated amount. We will cover the transportation expense with a cap at $50.

Study End Date: Ongoing, posted March 29, 2023.


Normal Values for Cervical and Ocular Vestibular-Evoked Myogenic Potentials (VEMP): Comparison of air conducted (AC) and vibratory stimuli (bone conduction-BC) (In-person)

Researcher: Ph.D. student May Elbar under the supervision of Professor Navid Shahnaz, associate professor (School of Audiology and Speech Science).

Description: In this study, we are investigating the influence of stimulus parameters on the lowest levels (threshold) that we could obtain these responses and the time it will take for each response wave to be produced (latency).  We hope that the normative data obtained using this relatively new method will help find a more reliable way of diagnosing balance issues. The following tests will be conducted in this study: Otoscopic examination (Small equipment that helps us to visualize the external part of your ear), Wideband tympanometry and middle ear muscle reflex (the first test, wideband tympanometry, is a safe test to assess your middle ear function.  In this test, a sound will be presented to your ear while the air pressure in the outer ear canal is changed within a safe range.  You don’t have to do anything.  The only things that you should not do during that test are speaking and/or swallowing.  It lasts for almost 1 minute), Automatic Audiometry (Bekesy Audiometry 250-16000 Hz) (the hearing assessment will be done in a specific testing sound booth and will require you to press a button when you hear beep sounds of varying quality and level that are presented through headphones), Otoacoustic emission: (Assessment of the hearing function through introduction of different tones at different frequencies through prob tip put in your ears), Ocular and cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential vestibular evoked myogenic potential: (We will place some surface electrodes on your head, neck, and around the eye, and small earphones will be inserted into your ears, then a vibrator will be put behind your ear.  In a part of the test, you will have to do a certain position with your neck.  In another part, you have to look at a specific target).

Eligibility criteria:

  • Adults between the ages of 18 to 29
  • Normal hearing thresholds: more than or equal 25 decibel Hearing level between 250Hz to 8000 Hertz.
  • Normal balance function.
  • Free of any history of severe head accidents, balance dysfunction, noise exposure, or ototoxic drug.
  • No outer or middle ear defects were visible during the otoscopy.
  • All participants should have normal middle ear function.
  • All participants should be fluent in the English language as they should be able to follow instructions on test protocol during the test. English as a second language participant whose first language is Farsi or Arabic can be accommodated.

Location: Testing will be completed in the Middle Ear Lab located on the UBC campus in the IRC building. Faculty of Medicine, 2177 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC Canada V6T1Z3

Contact Information:  get in touch with the Middle Ear Lab through email at mel@audiospeech.ubc.ca to set up an appointment.

Reimbursement/Time:  There is no reimbursement for participation in this study. However, participants will have a complete hearing check-up and vestibular assessment by VEMP. In case of detecting any abnormality, we can refer the participant to the recommended medical specialist.it takes about one and a half hours to complete a clinical hearing test and other measures of middle ear function and vestibular system.

Study End Date:  ongoing. Posted 2023 march 1


Emerging Adults’ Experience of Caring for Parents with Advanced Disease (Online Study)

Researcher: Eryn Tong, Dr. Abby Goldstein (PI)

Description: We are currently conducting a study to better understand the experience of emerging adults caring for parents living with an incurable, terminal illness. This study is being conducted at the University of Toronto. Interested individuals will be invited to participate in a one-to-one interview lasting approximately 60 minutes. We are hoping to recruit a range of individuals with diverse experiences.

Eligibility:

  • Between 18 and 29 years of age
  • Currently providing unpaid support to a parent living with an incurable, terminal medical condition
  • Living in Canada
  • Fluent in English

Location: Online (Microsoft Teams)

Contact Information: Please include “Caregiving Study” in the subject line; Eryn Tong eryn.tong@mail.utoronto.ca

Reimbursement/Time: The interview will last approximately 1 hour. Participants will receive a $20 gift card for their time.

Study End Date: Ongoing. Posted 2023 Feb 7


Effect of Audiovisual Multisensory Integration on Manual Interception (in-person)

Researcher: Dr Miriam Spering (Principal investigator), Abibat Akande, Philipp Kreyenmeier (Graduate students)

Description: We are looking for healthy volunteers to take part in a study on audiovisual multisensory integration on manual interception. If you agree to participate in this study, you will be asked to look at a moving object on a screen and follow its motion with your eyes. You will also be asked to intercept it by hitting it on the screen with your finger. You can collect points during the experiment based on your performance.

Eligibility:  To participate, you must fulfill the following requirements:

  • be between 19-49 years old.
  • have normal or corrected-to-normal visual acuity.
  • do not have hard contact lenses.
  • have no history of neurological disease (such as multiple sclerosis, stroke, trauma to the head, including a concussion within 12 months of the study).
  • have no history of eye disease (such as strabismus or amblyopia, known a “lazy eye”)
  • do not have an implanted pacemaker or defibrillator.
  • have no history of psychiatric disease (such as schizophrenia or depression).

Location: The study location is 2366 Main Mall, Computer Science building, ICICS Room X715, UBC campus.

Contact Information: Please email Abibat: akande02@student.ubc.ca

Reimbursement/Time: The experiment consists of a single session lasting up to 90 minutes. You will be compensated $10/hour in cash upon completion of this study. In addition to this, you will be paid out your winnings based on the number of points you collected during the experiment.

Study End Date: Ongoing. Posted Jan 10, 2023


Advertise on the List

If you have paid studies you want to list on the mailing list/listserv, please send an email to Talia Morstead (tmorstead@psych.ubc.ca) with the following information. Please send your listing plain-text in an email with 1) ethics approval attachment; 2) “Paid study posting” in the email subject to ensure your email does not get lost.

Study Title: A unique title used to identify your study (Indicate if this is an online study or not)

Researcher: The grad student(s) and the primary investigator

Description: A few sentences or a short paragraph about what participants will do. You can use the Human Subjects Pool style as a guide.

Eligibility: Any restrictions, such as if you only want students, psych majors, a certain age, etc.

Location: Where the participant will take part in the study (e.g., Kenny building, UBC campus, Vancouver General Hospital, online). Please note that not all readers of the list are UBC students, and so if your location is a building on campus, we recommend you include a street address so participants can look up the location of the building.

Contact Information: A name, email address/phone number, a scheduling link (if eligible) so participants can organize a time to participate

Reimbursement/Time: What participants will be paid and how long will the study take

Study End Date: When the study will be removed from the list. Studies labelled ongoing will remain on the list for one year or until you contact Talia to remove them.

Please note: This list is a posting service only. All studies affiliated with UBC involving human participants are required to have a research ethics certificate before using this service and the use of this site needs to be specifically outlined in the research ethics application. It is the responsibility of the researcher to ensure proper ethics guidelines are being followed in using this list as an advertising space. For information on UBC Research Ethics, consult the Office of Research Ethics website. This list is hosted online by, but not affiliated with, the Psychology Graduate Student Council.