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Resources at the HuMAN Lab
The HuMAN Lab is equipped for the assessment of hormonal and immunological parameters. It is licensed for use of radioisotopes (iodine 125) to perform radioimmunoassays. We can also perform enzymatic immunoassays. In the past, we have developed and used protocols to assess testosterone, cortisol, estrogen, and progesterone in saliva (e.g., Campbell, Schultheiss, & McClleland, 1999; Schultheiss, Dargel, & Rohde, 2003 b). We are working on developing and validating better methods for collecting, storing and processing saliva samples and for quantifying steroids in saliva precisely and accurately.
The HuMAN Lab is also equipped with 13 workstations for the computer-based assessment of motives (e.g., a computerized PSE), cognitive functions, and behavior (e.g., allocation of attention, brain laterality, implicit sequence learning, referential processing). On up to 4 of these workstations simultaneously, physiological parameters such as heart rate, skin conductance, facial EMG, and startle reflex potentiation can be measured. Eye-trackers and continuous blood pressure monitors are available for two workstations.
All data collection procedures, instructions, tasks, and questionnaires are programmed with experimental software, such as Inquisit. Sequential presentation of task and instruction modules is automatized through batch files. This ensures an extremely high level of standardization of data collection procedures, exact control over what type of stimuli participants are exposed to and for how long, eliminates the need for manual data entry and text transcription, and minimizes experimenter effects on research participants, which, given implicit motives' sensitivity to nonverbal cues, can be sizeable.
Resources
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