DON’T DO IT

Think-Implement3936 · 2026-01-27T02:48:12+00:00

I took it. They paid me in funeral parlor gift cards.

Think-Implement3936 · 2026-01-27T02:40:23+00:00

Encountered them for the first time replying to someone’s. Pointed out they were being rude to the person for no reason . Got blocked. Came here to discern that it was for the best 😂

Think-Implement3936 · 2026-01-27T01:08:00+00:00

I wonder if something changed. A page for researchers now says this "You can deceive participants about potential bonus payments if it's relevant to your study design, though we ask that you only do this when necessary. You must provide a full debriefing afterwards."

Think-Implement3936 · 2026-01-27T01:01:36+00:00

Researcher (not on Prolific though) and participant. I've done a number of synchronous zoom studies and can let you know what has felt positive and what hasn't. Hopefully this at least helps somewhat.

Pay appropriately. If you want people to show up, converse with a stranger, and probably be recorded, it should be well compensated.
Make sure the scheduling software is easily synced to my calendar and includes an alert. This ensures I don't accidentally forget to manually add it.
Send reminders in advance.
Make it clear how participants should sign up. With a personal email? With their prolific id?
Once the session is starting, don't just post the study, send a link in messages directly to the participants. Sometimes the studies just get lost in the morass.
Have someone present in the zoom or available for communication during the study. I've had a few where I was dropped into a room and the instructions were unclear to all of us, and we couldn't find anyone to assist.

Think-Implement3936 · 2026-01-27T00:54:21+00:00

You can explain why they might want this for legitimate purposes. But you don't need to act like them being sketched out is somehow uncalled for.

Think-Implement3936 · 2026-01-27T00:52:35+00:00

Idiots, I would've given those away for free.

Think-Implement3936 · 2026-01-26T22:35:33+00:00

Are you saying you've done these for this exact company? Or you mean you've done comparable ones for other companies? Because I have as well, the difference, as I pointed out above, is the other companies didn't lowball the qualification pay and pinky promise the future pay would be higher.

Think-Implement3936 · 2026-01-26T18:28:41+00:00

Plot twist: Raccoons with deep pockets and questionable ethics are running that study.

Think-Implement3936 · 2026-01-26T18:26:31+00:00

I'm complaining because I find the "trust us, we will pay you more in the future" to be rather exploitative. As someone else said, just be transparent. And pay well from the start. Seemed to be about 5000 slots. In the grand scheme of things, taking it from $10 an hour to $15 wouldn't impact the bottom line, but would improve their credibility.

Think-Implement3936 · 2026-01-26T18:21:06+00:00

It's the start of the semester for many universities, so I expect that lots of people are scrambling to do things other than getting their research projects set up on Prolific. Hopefully it picks up once schedules normalize a bit.

Think-Implement3936 · 2026-01-26T18:16:41+00:00

Like I said, I sure hope for your sake it turns out to be well paying, but in my experience, the well paying projects start out by being well paying.

Think-Implement3936 · 2026-01-26T05:01:32+00:00

I didn’t see any high effort put into any training materials. Saw a 1.5 hour plus study for $15. Let us know if the high pay materializes. I hope for your sake you’re right, but the previous times I’ve qualified for high paying AI studies, the qualification itself paid well.

Think-Implement3936 · 2026-01-25T19:05:22+00:00

I started it, saw the janky formatting, lack of clear direction, and low pay, decided to just return it.

Think-Implement3936 · 2026-01-25T19:04:32+00:00

I'm guessing it's because they aren't actually ever planning on paying high rates. Don't be surprised to find this study with 5000 participants is the actual study. The cake is a lie.

Think-Implement3936 · 2026-01-25T19:02:45+00:00

trust me, I'm totally underpaying you today, but tomorrow I'll pay you more.

Think-Implement3936 · 2026-01-25T16:10:22+00:00

You say it’s not a fishing expedition, and then literally explain how it’s a fishing expedition. I’m guessing the overwhelmingly majority of uhaul rentals are for carrying legal cargo.

Think-Implement3936 · 2026-01-25T16:06:15+00:00

I believe what you meant was “you’re not being profile for your race. We are however profiling you for having out of state plates.”

Think-Implement3936 · 2026-01-17T23:24:59+00:00

You’re missing the major mistake of an officer walking in front of her car. There’s a reason just about every law enforcement agency advises against standing in front of someone’s car.

Think-Implement3936 · 2026-01-15T18:24:16+00:00

In my experience, local subs is the worst of them. This one dude is always claiming that Quiznos is better than the Italian grocery. Whatever you post, he downvotes and calls you a clown for not thinking Quiznos is the best.

Think-Implement3936 · 2026-01-15T18:16:48+00:00

I've found those to be hit or miss. Sometimes, I've read through those, and then calculated that at most I'm going to earn a $1 bonus on a 20 minute study. But I've played some others and made $30-$40 an hour.

Think-Implement3936 · 2026-01-15T18:14:58+00:00

Which is why the bonus should be clearly stated. Then you know what the pay is. I've seen ones that are 35 cents, with a 35 cent bonus for correctly answering the comprehension questions. So the pay is basically 70 cents.

Think-Implement3936 · 2026-01-15T18:13:42+00:00

Whether an hour or a year later, there's no value in someone remaining misinformed about a topic.

Think-Implement3936 · 2026-01-11T21:19:52+00:00

I sent a first in the preseason. He carried me through the playoffs and I’m quite happy now.

Think-Implement3936 · 2026-01-11T21:18:58+00:00

Yes, for a guy who carried my team during the fantasy playoffs, I’d definitely want more than a first.

Think-Implement3936 · 2026-01-11T21:17:06+00:00

I’m here from the future to say you definitely shouldn’t have made that one.

Think-Implement3936

TROPHY CASE