The interdisciplinary Mainz Behavioral and Experimental Laboratory (MABELLA) is devoted to cutting-edge experimental research in the social sciences.
The primary goal of the MABELLA research unit is not only to learn individuals’ economic and moral decision-making behavior but to gain an evidence-based understanding how institutions, cooperations and governments can implement effective incentives and rules.
The laboratory facility and supporting staff are provided by the Johannes Gutenberg University and the Interdisciplinary Public Policy research unit. By taking part in the laboratory’s experiments, you will obtain insight in our own decision-making behavior and contribute to research projects that found important societal planning. Participation is compensated. Please click here to register as a participant.
Once you have registered, you will obtain invitation emails for the upcoming experiments. If you are interested in participating in any such experiment, you may select a suitable appointment and confirm your participation using the link in the invitation email. Please read and agree to the terms and conditions presented on the registration screen. Besides this, the Data Protection Declaration of JGU applies.
You can find MABELLA at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Natural Sciences and Medicine Building 1321, Ground Floor, Johann-Joachim-Becher-Weg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany.
Information About Experiments
- Very good German language skills are required to participate in experiments.
- Laboratory experiments take place in the MABELLA computer laboratory at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (Natural Sciences and Medicine Building 1321).
- To ensure that only invited participants who have properly registered take part in an experiment, every participant must present valid identification (student ID or photo ID). If a participant cannot provide identification, or if their first and last names do not match the information provided during registration, they will not receive compensation for showing up. They may also be denied participation in the experiment.
- More participants may register for each experiment than are actually needed. If too many participants are invited, participants will be selected at random. Registered participants who arrive on time but cannot participate due to capacity limitations or other reasons will receive €5 as compensation for showing up.
- Any behavior that may disturb other participants or damage or dirty the laboratory facilities is prohibited. This includes, in particular, eating and smoking.
- Unless explicitly permitted for a specific experiment, the use of the internet is prohibited.
- Tampering with laboratory equipment, particularly hardware and software configurations, is prohibited.
- Users may be held responsible and liable for any damage to laboratory facilities caused by improper use.
- Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz does not provide insurance coverage for participants in the study, in particular participant accident insurance or insurance coverage for accidents occurring while traveling to or from the experiment. By participating in the study, participants irrevocably agree to this condition.
- If you wish to register using your student email address, please note that it must end in @students.uni-mainz.
Registration for an experiment is binding, and cancellations are generally not permitted. If a cancellation is nevertheless necessary, the laboratory must be notified immediately by email (mabella@uni-mainz.de), and no later than 72 hours before the experiment takes place. Cancellations received after this deadline can only be considered in exceptional cases.
Failure to attend the experiment or arriving late may result in the experiment being cancelled. The laboratory management reserves the right to exclude individuals from participating in experiments.
Participant Database
The data collected by MABELLA during registration are used exclusively for the organisation of scientific experiments and are not shared with third parties. MABELLA is subject to the central data protection regulations of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). Data collected outside the studies are processed exclusively by MABELLA staff. The data are used for the following purposes:
- To inform participants about and invite them to new laboratory or online experiments.
- To select participants for specific experiments based on scientific criteria.
- To monitor whether registered participants attend or fail to attend experiments.
No link is established between respondents’ personal data and their answers.
Upon request by a participant, their recorded data will be deleted in full. To request deletion, please send an informal written request to: mabella@uni-mainz.de
Experiments
Participation in our studies and experiments is voluntary.
When experiments are conducted, data are generated based on the decisions made by participants. These data are analyzed for scientific research purposes. The decision data are anonymized and cannot be linked to any individual. The generated, anonymized data are used exclusively for the preparation of scientific research papers and presentations. These works may also be published.
Audio and Video Experiments
Some experiments are conducted in the form of audio and/or video experiments. Participants are explicitly informed of this when they are invited to take part in an experiment.
During audio and video experiments, audio recordings and/or video and audio recordings of participants are made. The data collected in these experiments are scientifically analyzed by MABELLA researchers. In particular, transcripts of the conversations are produced. MABELLA researchers are entitled to publish selected excerpts as part of presentations.
Please sign up here MABELLA: Anmeldungsformular.
| MABELLA – Mainz Behavioral and Experimental Laboratory Nat.-Med.-Gebäude 1321 (Erdgeschoss) Johann-Joachim-Becher-Weg 15 55128 Mainz E-Mail: mabella@uni-mainz.de |
Answer: In principle, each experiment offers compensation. However, the amount depends on your decisions and those of the other participants. We do not disclose the exact expected value or the minimum and maximum amounts.
Answer: In general, cancellations for experiments are not permitted.
You must make sure that you are available for an experiment BEFORE registering for a time slot.
If you become ill or are unable to attend due to exceptional circumstances, please reply to your invitation email AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE and explain your reasons. We will then cancel your registration. As a general rule, you must notify us at least 72 hours before the experiment begins.
You may miss experiments without an excuse or with an excuse submitted too late only twice. After that, you will no longer be allowed to participate in experiments.
Answer: If we invite you to an experiment, you can only participate if you explicitly confirm your attendance. You can do so by clicking the link in the invitation email and selecting an available time slot. After confirming your attendance, you will receive another email confirming the date and time of your appointment.
However, once you have confirmed your attendance for a time slot, you are expected to attend. For information on how to cancel your registration, please read the relevant FAQ. If you fail to attend without an excuse or arrive late on two occasions, you will no longer be allowed to participate in experiments.
Answer: For most experiments, we invite only a randomly selected group of participants. This is to ensure that the same participants who check their emails most frequently do not always end up registering for the experiments.
In some cases, we invite only specific groups of participants, for example, those who have not previously taken part in other experiments.
As a result, you may see experiments in the calendar that you have unfortunately not been invited to participate in. However, if not enough participants register for these experiments, we may send out additional invitations to other participants.
Answer: Please avoid providing false information when registering. This information is essential for the scientific evaluation of the experiments. Furthermore, you will not be invited to participate in experiments if we discover that the information you have provided is incorrect.
If there is certain information you do not wish to disclose, simply leave the corresponding fields blank. However, providing additional information increases your chances of being invited to participate in an experiment.
Answer: All interested students can register to participate in experiments. However, to take part in laboratory experiments, you must of course be able to come to
our laboratory.
Answer: The person conducting the experiment is responsible for compensating participants, both financially and in the form of research participation credits. In some experiments, participants can choose between monetary compensation and research participation credits.
Compensation is provided immediately after the experiment. Participants who choose research participation credits will receive a number of credits corresponding to the duration of the experiment.
The exact procedure may vary from one department to another. In addition, research participation credits may not be transferable between departments. Relevant information will be provided in the respective invitation.
Answer: Almost all experiments are conducted on multiple dates. Naturally, you can only register for one session per experiment. The other available dates will then disappear from the list.
You will receive a separate email for each experiment you are eligible to register for. In general, this means that you can register for one session per invitation email.
Answer: After an experiment, we need some time to enter the participation data into the database. Until the experimenter has entered this data, the three question marks appear as the participation status next to the experiment. Once the data has been entered, the status changes to “yes” or “no”.
Answer: For some experiments, we need participants who meet specific criteria. Therefore, we ask you to attend only those experiments for which you have personally received an invitation and registered. Otherwise, you will not be able to participate.