INSEAD-Sorbonne Université Behavioural Lab

Below are time-saving templates to help you set up your study.

Consent Form

This is a consent form, which is distributed before the experiment to all participants. All text in italics must be changed by the researcher before the experiment. The standard text has been written in cooperation with the INSEAD legal department and it is not to be altered.

Debriefing

The debriefing contains the true purpose of the experiment, written in a non-technical way. It should reveal the cover story and explain any motivations. The debriefing should also contain general information regarding the kind of research you are doing, such as the use of resources. The participant, upon reading the debriefing, should have the impression of having participated in a worthwhile experiment.

The INSEAD-Sorbonne Université Behavioural Lab was custom designed for behavioural research. To avoid unnecessary distractions, all experimental rooms are sound-insulated, blind and decorated in neutral colours. The entrance area has a coffee corner for participants.

The following list of resources was updated in June 2023. The lab continuously updates its hardware and software to better respond to researchers’ requirements. Is there something missing for your research project? Please contact Jean-Yves Mariette.

Experimental rooms

• 6 cubicles seating one or two participants each
• 2 mid-size rooms seating one to four participants
• 2 rooms seating up to twelve participants

Hardware​

• 40 computers 
• 1 Biopac MP150 (physiological responses such as skin conductance, respiration, heart rate)
• 4 x Bionomadix wireless amplifiers
• 4 Tobii X3-120 Eye Trackers
• 2 Tobii glasses
• 4 Empatica E4 wristbands
• 12 Optitrack motion capture cameras
• 12 iPads
• 9 Mac mini
• 20 headphones DT 770 PRO

Software

• Acqknowledge
• Empirisoft MediaLab
• Empirisoft DirectRT
• E-Prime
• Inquisit
• MATLAB
• Noldus FaceReader
• Noldus Media Recorder
• Noldus Observer XT
• OptiTrack Motive Tracker
• Python
• Qualtrics
• IBM SPSS Statistics
• Tobii Pro Studio

Access to the INSEAD-Sorbonne Université Behavioural Lab (rooms, software, and hardware) is free for researchers from affiliated schools. Researchers from affiliated schools may access the lab’s additional services (RA, participant compensation). In this case, the researcher only picks up the cost incurred for his/her study. 

The research team has advanced degrees in the behavioural sciences and well-documented experience of experimental research.The team will help you with your research project from start to finish.

Good ethical and general research conduct - We help ensure good ethical (e.g. formal ethical approval of studies, informed consent, debriefing, etc.) and general research conduct (e.g. randomization, adherence to study protocol and procedures).

Study design - We help you develop of study materials and procedures (e.g. advice on scale development or on implementing procedures within the lab setting).

Translation - We translate your experimental material into the French language and cultural context. All translations are performed by in-house, French mother-tongue social psychologists.

Programming - We can help you program your studies using our software: MediaLab, Qualtrics, E-Prime, FaceReader, MATLAB Python, Powershell, Tobii Pro Studio...

Audio-visual material - We assist with the set-up and use of audio-visual material.

Pre-testing - We pre-test your study materials and procedures, including participant interviews to probe general understanding, suspicion and effectiveness of manipulations and measures.

Management of research team - We handle the recruitment, training and supervision of research assistants, confederates.

Management of participants - We recruit participants for research studies according to the study specifications (e.g. demographic criteria, pre-study survey responses, prior participation in related projects) and management of study restrictions.

Data collection - Collecting data at the lab is easy, informal and quick, simply send your material to us. All studies are dealt with in order of arrival; there are no reservations.

Participant payment management - We handle the compensation of your participants (management of cash advances, participation receipts).

Data management - We manage data merging, data entry, codebook creation and coding, according to your instructions. Please note that the data collection remain the priority of the lab.

The INSEAD-Sorbonne Université Behavioural Lab offers world-class facilities and support to conduct behavioural research. The INSEAD Institutional Review Board (IRB) provides formal validation of all research with human participants at INSEAD. The IRB protects the rights and welfare of individuals who volunteer to participate in the research conducted at the lab. The purpose of the IRB is to protect not only the rights of human participants but also the school and its researchers.

Applications to the IRB are valid for a specific research project. Please contact the lab team at [email protected] to get the link to the application survey and further information.

Most applications to the IRB are treated within a 2-week period.

For more information, please contact the IRB at [email protected]

How can the INSEAD-Sorbonne Université Behavioural Lab help faculty and PhD students publish more papers? 

Every year the lab conducts a range of studies, including computer-based studies, group interaction studies, interview studies, ‘pen-and-paper’ surveys, studies on food consumption and negotiation studies. More than 180 peer-reviewed articles have been published in A-list journals since the lab was opened in 2002. The lab offers assistance at every phase of your research project – you concentrate on the research while we take care of the logistics.

My research project requires that my participants have no distractions or interactions. Can you help me?

The lab is custom-made for behavioural research. To avoid environmental distractions, all experimental rooms are sound-insulated and decorated in neutral colours.

I would like to conduct a study with real people and real stimuli, is this possible?

Since opening in 2002, more than 150,000 people have participated in lab studies involving real stimuli (and real behaviour). We have a pool of more than 7000 people willing to participate in research on very short notice. The lab recruits and manages the participant pool courtesy of the lab. The average hourly rate for participant time is €12. We typically fill up the timeslots for your study within 48 hours. It is also possible to use the pool for online studies and obtain data swiftly at minimum cost (around €150 for a short study). The standard population consists of students at Parisian universities. The lab will recruit participants specifically for your study if you require a special profile.

I can’t come to the lab personally. Can I still use it?

The lab’s research team will conduct the study, according to your instructions. You will not have to hire an RA or worry about contracts, training, etc.

How much does it cost to conduct a study at the lab?

Faculty members have free access to our premises, software, hardware, ethical validation and databases. Researchers affiliated with INSEAD can benefit from the help of an RA (unless you have your own RA or are working with a PhD student). Your costs are only those incurred by your study, such as participant compensation. HEC-affiliated researchers must settle costs incurred by their study (compensation, translation, coding, and an RA if necessary).We encourage PhD and post-doctoral students to carry out their own studies. Thus, you pay only the costs related to the recruitment of participants (compensation). For more information, please contact Hoai Huong NGO.

My study is in English and it is adapted to a North-American/Asian/Scandinavian context, can it be translated into a French context?

The lab in-house translators are native French speakers and have advanced degrees in Social Psychology. The team is multilingual and can adapt your stimuli to a French context. The team has successfully translated and adapted materials for more than 400 studies since 2002.