Research is an integral part of psychology. Without new studies, the field would no longer be able to grow, and psychologists would have little new insight on why humans behave the way they do and how to develop effective methods for treating disorders and dealing with psychologically stressful life events. While some psychological research studies draw conclusions from the behaviors of animals like rats or dogs, it is often necessary for psychological researchers to observe human subjects to gain insight into human motivations and behaviors. To do this, of course, they must find human subjects who are willing to participate in the studies.

A High Proportion of College Students

Many research studies are headed by college psychology programs, providing psychology students with opportunities to play the role of researcher. The world of academia is so closely tied to experimental psychology that up to 67 percent of participants in experimental psychology studies are also college students, according to Psych Central.

Schools often encourage students to enroll in research participation pools or human subject pools and take part in these research studies, supposedly for the experience of learning how research studies are run and understand research studies from the perspective of participants. Some psychology departments require that all students in basic undergraduate psychology courses fulfill a required amount of time partaking in research studies. If you are considering going to school for psychology, or even if you choose a different major and simply have to take a psychology course as a general education requirement, there’s a good chance that you will take part in a psychology research study during your undergraduate college career.

Participant Population Controversy

Psychology research studies are supposed to follow the scientific method and meet certain requirements to ensure validity. One such requirement is to draw conclusions from a representative sample of participants. By drawing conclusions based on participants of various demographics, researchers can better identify patterns. For this reason, randomized samples of participants that replicate the overall population about which the researchers intend to draw conclusions are considered ideal.

Though human subject pools composed of undergraduate college students have long been the norm in the United States, critics are arguing that a population composed entirely of college students fails to meet the important criteria of being a representative sample. Despite some demographic differences, college students in America tend to be homogenous in terms of age, usually studying to earn their undergraduate degrees during their late teens and early 20s.

The current practice of using undergraduate students to participate in college psychology research programs has its benefits. Because students are already in close proximity to the research site and because study participation is often required to earn a grade or pass a course, getting these subjects to participate is convenient and relatively cost-effective. However, as researchers and professionals throughout the field of psychology question the utility of these ready-made research subjects, this longstanding practice may begin to change.