The school’s media effects laboratory ranks among the leading facilities of its kind dedicated to conducting experimental research on the psychological effects of media content, form and technology.

In addition to hosting experiments, the lab serves as a repository for creating and pretesting stimuli, and laboratory staff offer assistance with experimental design, data collection and analysis. The lab has promoted several interdisciplinary initiatives with faculty and students from other departments and schools, as well as from other universities.

Recent and current projects include effects of a virtual reality simulator on perceptions of schizophrenia, effects of technological advancement in video games, the differences in receiving health information from Web sites versus podcasts, and the risk perceptions of anti-smoking messages, among others. Many of these studies have been published in leading scientific journals in communication and other disciplines.

The lab is divided into two areas—an experimental room and an observation room, partitioned by a one-way mirror. The master computer is housed in the observation area and is used to record data collected from computer terminals located in the experimental area. The one-way mirror allows for unobtrusive monitoring of participants’ behaviors.

The experimental room is equipped with a bank of networked computers, audio-visual equipment and accessories, and sophisticated measurement instruments such as Applied Science Laboratories (ASL) Eye Tracker Unit (to measure eye movement), BIOPAC (to gauge physiological responses such as brain activity, heart rate, reaction time, skin conductance) and MediaLab software (for stimulus creation and to monitor reaction times and Internet browsing behavior). In addition, all computers are furnished with advanced statistical software and Web design programs.

One of the most important goals of the lab is to serve as a fertile training ground for students interested in experimental research. The laboratory’s equipment enables students—both undergraduate and graduate—to obtain a hands-on experience for conducting experimental research.