Social Science Research Laboratory

The Social Science Research Laboratory (SSRL) offers a flexible, well-equipped space for focus groups, surveys and behavioral experiments. 

About the lab

Designed as a shared resource for advancing human-subject and social science research, the SSRL provides dedicated research space equipped with private cubicles, networked computers, audio-visual recording capabilities* and a focus group room. By making these facilities available across disciplines, the lab supports innovative scholarship and fosters collaboration within the College of Liberal Arts research community. The SSRL is open to all University of Nevada, Reno College of Liberal Arts graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, instructors, and faculty. 

*Video-recording equipment is available through the @One.

Reserve the lab

Lab hours: Monday - Sunday 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

  1. Reserve your date and time via the SSRL Outlook portal.
  2. After you reserve the lab, a laboratory coordinator will contact you to confirm details and discuss any equipment/software needs.
  3. If you don't hear back, please contact Nicholar Seltzer (nseltzer@unr.edu).

Researchers are responsible for leaving the lab in the same condition they found it and for following all privacy and research-integrity guidelines.

Conduct research

The SSRL offers an ideal environment for a wide range of research activities, including focus groups, survey research, and computer-based behavioral experiments. The lab is designed with both flexibility and privacy in mind: the focus group room provides a secure and comfortable space for guided discussions, while individual cubicles ensure participant confidentiality during survey or experiment sessions.

The facility is equipped with high-quality audio recording equipment, video recording options, and projectors to support data collection and presentations. Each workstation is fully networked and allows for the installation of custom software, enabling researchers to design and implement studies tailored to their specific needs. Whether you are gathering qualitative insights, administering complex surveys, or running behavioral experiments, the SSRL provides the resources necessary to conduct rigorous, professional research in a supportive environment.

Lab Features

Rooms

The SSRL is designed to support a wide range of research needs through its two dedicated spaces:

meeting room with large table and chairs

Focus group or meeting room

This room accommodates up to 12 participants and is equipped with a projector, high-quality audio and video recording equipment, and a private, professional environment for group-based research. It is ideal for conducting focus groups, small meetings and collaborative research activities that require discussion and recording capabilities.

room with computer cubicles

Computer cubicles

The lab features 10 privacy-screened cubicles, each with an inter- and intra-networked PC. These stations are well-suited for computer-based survey research and behavioral experiments, offering both confidentiality for participants and the technical infrastructure required for rigorous data collection.

Please note that the rooms must be booked together; they cannot be booked separately.

Software

Software in the SSRL is designed to support both traditional survey research and cutting-edge behavioral experiments. The lab provides access to a range of platforms tailored for data collection, experimental design, and interactive research. If your project requires additional licenses beyond what is currently available, please contact the lab so that we can help arrange access.

Researchers may also install additional software on lab machines, provided they have the appropriate rights or licenses.

Qualtrics

Qualtrics is the lab’s primary web-based survey platform. It is a versatile tool for designing and administering questionnaires, both online and in the lab. Researchers can easily incorporate multimedia such as images, audio, and video clips into their surveys, making it well-suited for a wide variety of research designs.

Qualtrics SMS

Qualtrics SMS extends these capabilities by allowing researchers to reach participants quickly via text message. Short surveys can be sent directly to participants’ phones, making data collection more flexible and accessible. Contact the lab for more information about setting up SMS-based surveys.

oTree

oTree is an open-source platform designed for building and running interactive, web-based experiments. It supports a wide variety of research activities, including psychology experiments, multiplayer and strategy games, auction markets, dynamic surveys, and behavioral assessments. Its flexibility makes it a powerful tool for studying decision-making, cooperation, and competition in controlled settings.

Equipment

The SSRL is equipped with a variety of tools to support high-quality research:

Subject pools

Researchers using the SSRL have access to several established participant pools that make it easier to recruit subjects for surveys and experiments:

Qualtrics Panel

A participant pool managed by Qualtrics that allows researchers to draw random samples or to target participants with specific demographic or behavioral characteristics. This service is especially useful for obtaining large, diverse, or specialized samples quickly.

Psychology SONA

A subject pool managed by the University's Social Psychology Program, primarily composed of undergraduate students who participate in research studies for course credit. This pool is a valuable resource for behavioral, psychological, and experimental studies. Only available to participating departments and programs.

Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk)

A crowdsourcing platform operated by Amazon that enables researchers to access a large, diverse pool of online participants. MTurk is widely used for survey research, experimental tasks, and pilot studies due to its flexibility and scalability.

Please note that these resources are available at the researcher's expense.

Contact the SSRL

Admin
Nicholas Seltzer
Nicholas Seltzer, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
(775) 682-7771
1129