A Media Usability and Effects Laboratory for Undergraduate Psychology Research

商业媒体和通信技术是人们用来接收和传播有关其文化的信息的主要手段。然而，大学生很少有机会调查儿童和成人从各种媒体来源使用和获取知识的过程。这个项目是在本科院校建立第一个媒体心理学研究实验室。实验室为本科生提供资源，不仅研究媒体对用户注意力、态度、信念和知识的影响，还研究媒体技术的可用性。我们的发展计划有两个具体目标。首先，我们在三个心理学实验课程（认知心理学、人因与工程心理学、高等社会心理学）中创建新媒体研究活动。其次，我们正在为高级学生提供必要的工具，以便在学生指导的研究和荣誉项目中进行可用性和媒体效果的研究。为了提供这些研究经验，我们正在使用眼动追踪工作站、数字视频编辑设备、事件记录分析软件和连续响应测量系统。为了评估实验室对学生对可用性和效果研究的理解的影响，评估计划结合了标准化测试和由专业可用性工程师和媒体研究者进行的访谈。

Social Psychology (72), Cognitive Psychology (73)Commercial media and communication technologies are the primary means people use to receive and transmit information about their cultures. However, there are few opportunities for undergraduates to investigate the processes by which children and adults use and acquire knowledge from various media sources. This project is establishing the first media psychology research laboratory at an undergraduate college. The lab provides resources for undergraduates to conduct research not only on media effects on users' attention, attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge, but also on the usability of media technologies. Our development plan has two specific aims. First, we are creating new media research activities in three psychology laboratory courses (Cognitive Psychology, Human Factors and Engineering Psychology, and Advanced Social Psychology). Second, we are providing advanced students with the tools necessary to conduct research on usability and media effects in student-directed research and honors projects. To offer these research experiences we are employing eye-tracking workstations, digital video editing equipment, event-logging analytic software, and a continuous response measurement system. To assess the impact of the laboratory on students understanding of usability and effects research, the evaluation plan combines standardized testing and interviews conducted by professional usability engineers and media researchers.