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ki4jgt
December 15th, 2011, 11:27 AM
Could I get paid for doing an international social experiment (after doing the experiment)? I'm doing an experiment on social suggestion that I expect to spread like wild fire. I have the experiment fully funded but I'm wondering if I could possibly make some money off of the experiment also.
It will document how society as a whole can be influenced by the suggestions of their peers. I don't want to reveal any more as this would ruin the experiment. I'll do this even if I don't make a dime (I just want to know how others have made money off of their research.)

Alwimo
December 15th, 2011, 11:34 AM
I take it you're an individual doing it independently of any university or research group?
Do you have training about constructing studies (including about ethics) and how to analyse results?

Try to get it reviewed by people social psychology researchers.

You could write a book on it (or ebook).

I would recommend talking to social psychologists about the subject before doing anything, though.

ki4jgt
December 15th, 2011, 12:03 PM
I take it you're an individual doing it independently of any university or research group?
Do you have training about constructing studies (including about ethics) and how to analyse results?

Try to get it reviewed by people social psychology researchers.

You could write a book on it (or ebook).

I would recommend talking to social psychologists about the subject before doing anything, though.

Thanks. Yes, I'm an individual doing it. I haven't got access to a social psychologist (unfortunately). My family is broke so college isn't an option and I don't want to just hand the experiment over to someone who will get all the credit for it once the experiment is finished. It's like a HUGE version of the telephone game with a few twists that cover other areas of the human mind. I've already got all of the documentation prepared. I just need to put together a team of about 6 people to pull it off. There may also be ethical side effects (as this would not be a controlled experiment in the manner that I would have control of what was said/believed in the telephone game). It doesn't put people or places down, but some of the participants may end up putting others down (public figures, celebrities, the whole shabang of famous people). I won't be able to control the telephone game once it gets started, and it may ridicule people to put down other faiths and ideas because of what they're forced to accept from the rest of society. I know for certain where the end of the experiment will be. I just don't know what'll happen during the experiment.

ninjaaron
December 15th, 2011, 12:09 PM
I have the experiment fully funded but I'm wondering if I could possibly make some money off of the experiment also.

"Fully funded" research generally implies that the researcher is paid. If you are not being paid, you could look into getting either a government or a private research grant. There are lots of grants out there. Do a Google search for grants related to your research.

In addition, if you learn something useful in the process, you might be paid for putting that information to practical use, in a popular-level book, as was already suggested, or perhaps as a private consultant.

How are all of your other projects going (programing, hardware prototyping, and audio dramas)?

ninjaaron
December 15th, 2011, 12:12 PM
My family is broke so college isn't an option.

If your family is broke, you have a better chance of getting financial aid and other scholarships. Many kids whose families are not broke but refuse to pay for their higher education put themselves through college with part-time jobs and student loans.

College is an option for everyone.

ki4jgt
December 15th, 2011, 12:22 PM
If your family is broke, you have a better chance of getting financial aid and other scholarships. Many kids whose families are not broke but refuse to pay for their higher education put themselves through college with part-time jobs and student loans.

College is an option for everyone.

The problem with that is, my mom's broke (so broke that my financial aide applications have been flagged 3 times for review.) and my dad's a paranoid schizophrenic who believes everyone's out to get him and everyone's out to hurt him. Try getting that to sign for a federal loan and you get nothing. I've talked to colleges all over the world. They accept me and then they drop me because I have no financial backing. I can't sign for my own federal loan until I turn 25 or married or a member of the military or in the custody of the state (psych ward). I've already given up on college though. It tore me apart in side. I had the grades and stuff but the parents were unwilling.

In our society, college is still not an option for everyone (even though that's what the schools tell you and want you to believe). As for my other projects, they're going well.

EDIT: and yes, I did have a job. One which paid WELL ABOVE minimum wage.

Paqman
December 15th, 2011, 12:32 PM
What's the objective of the experiment? Just to satisfy personal curiosity?

ki4jgt
December 15th, 2011, 12:42 PM
No, to show society how impressionable they are. Most people believe they make choices for themselves. Though I believe this is true for a SMALL percentage of the population, I believe the majority of the population makes choices based on suggestions of peers. The purpose of the experiment is to prove to society that (even though it is possible to make decisions on your own) a majority of most people's decisions are not their own.

Paqman
December 15th, 2011, 12:47 PM
No, to show society how impressionable they are.

Ok, have you thought about what format you would use to publish your results, and (because it seems like this is the way your brain is going) how you would monetise that information?

ki4jgt
December 15th, 2011, 12:53 PM
Ok, have you thought about what format you would use to publish your results, and (because it seems like this is the way your brain is going) how you would monetise that information?

The money isn't that important, but if there is money to be made, I (and everyone else responsible for publishing the essay) want to be the one making it. Depending on what you mean by format. If you're talking scholarly papers, I'm not familiar with any of the formats. I was just going to publish the findings as a collaborative essay between the team members using Google Docs (with the names of every team member involved as well).

The entire study could take 1-5 years.

Paqman
December 15th, 2011, 01:01 PM
By format I mean where would you publish it (and with who), how you would get it out to the people you wanted to engage with, and how you would interact with that audience once it was published.

Have you ever conducted this kind of research before? And if not, have you thought about consulting with someone more experienced on the design of the experiment and the interpretation of the data? Have you checked the literature to see if anyone has done a similar experiment already?

forrestcupp
December 15th, 2011, 01:07 PM
There may also be ethical side effects (as this would not be a controlled experiment in the manner that I would have control of what was said/believed in the telephone game). It doesn't put people or places down, but some of the participants may end up putting others down

I wasn't the one who brought it up, but by "ethics" it was probably at least partially meant are you setting up a sound system to ensure that the study is truly fair and unbiased?

Also, aren't you the one who wants to be sponsored to ride a bike across the U.S.? Or is that someone else? If so, you're trying to do a lot all at once.

ki4jgt
December 15th, 2011, 01:17 PM
I wasn't the one who brought it up, but by "ethics" it was probably at least partially meant are you setting up a sound system to ensure that the study is truly fair and unbiased?

Also, aren't you the one who wants to be sponsored to ride a bike across the U.S.? Or is that someone else? If so, you're trying to do a lot all at once.

That was me and I'm still consulting sponsors about it. I've taken strep throat during the last week so I've had to post pone speaking with sponsors. I've gotten someone else interested and they may be tagging along (Plus my two uncles are pondering the idea of following me across the state). We're discussing routes and what to do for psychological breakdowns right now, but there's only so much information you can stretch until you have to let time pass to get more.

The system would be fair and unbiased as it would include a rumor. Everyone would be given the choice of whether or not to believe that rumor. No one would be secluded.

drmrgd
December 15th, 2011, 01:25 PM
I do biological research, and so I'm not sure if the same rules apply for the kind of research you propose. However, anytime you are working with human subjects in a research study, there usually needs to be quite a bit of paperwork and oversight to be sure that ethical rules of conduct are being followed. I would definitely recommend some web research to find out what kind of documentation and oversight you'll need for such a study if you truly intend it to be serious study that may result in some kind of publication.

Getting grant money can be very difficult, especially given the current financial state we're in. However, there are a lot of small government grants and whatnot that one can apply for. A little web research might point you in the right direction there. I would especially look at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to see if there are any small grants that one could apply for.

Going at this alone could be very difficult. I'm interested to see if you could get a private research study off the ground, though. Good luck!

ki4jgt
December 15th, 2011, 01:27 PM
By format I mean where would you publish it (and with who), how you would get it out to the people you wanted to engage with, and how you would interact with that audience once it was published.

Have you ever conducted this kind of research before? And if not, have you thought about consulting with someone more experienced on the design of the experiment and the interpretation of the data? Have you checked the literature to see if anyone has done a similar experiment already?

If the experiment goes as planned, the article will publish itself. The surprise of the article will warrant public attention. I hopefully wouldn't interact with the audience afterwards. I want to show people something. I don't want to talk to them about what I've shown afterwards.

In grade school I did an experiment similar to this. The experiment is sound (to my conceivable knowledge), however I will need to find someone who has an opposing view of the data (which I've already placed a spot for on the team). I would be willing to bring someone more knowledgeable into the team as it would be a benefit to the entire study. I can assure you that this experiment (exactly) has not been done before but there have been MANY like it.

ki4jgt
December 15th, 2011, 01:31 PM
I do biological research, and so I'm not sure if the same rules apply for the kind of research you propose. However, anytime you are working with human subjects in a research study, there usually needs to be quite a bit of paperwork and oversight to be sure that ethical rules of conduct are being followed. I would definitely recommend some web research to find out what kind of documentation and oversight you'll need for such a study if you truly intend it to be serious study that may result in some kind of publication.

Getting grant money can be very difficult, especially given the current financial state we're in. However, there are a lot of small government grants and whatnot that one can apply for. A little web research might point you in the right direction there. I would especially look at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to see if there are any small grants that one could apply for.

Going at this alone could be very difficult. I'm interested to see if you could get a private research study off the ground, though. Good luck!

I'm honestly looking for something I can place my name on. I don't want the money as much as finding out the results and then saying I did it (along with my team). I don't want anything unethical because in my honest opinion unethical studies generally turn out to be biased EVERY TIME.

thatguruguy
December 15th, 2011, 02:35 PM
The problem with that is, my mom's broke (so broke that my financial aide applications have been flagged 3 times for review.) and my dad's a paranoid schizophrenic who believes everyone's out to get him and everyone's out to hurt him. Try getting that to sign for a federal loan and you get nothing. I've talked to colleges all over the world. They accept me and then they drop me because I have no financial backing. I can't sign for my own federal loan until I turn 25 or married or a member of the military or in the custody of the state (psych ward). I've already given up on college though. It tore me apart in side. I had the grades and stuff but the parents were unwilling.

In our society, college is still not an option for everyone (even though that's what the schools tell you and want you to believe). As for my other projects, they're going well.

EDIT: and yes, I did have a job. One which paid WELL ABOVE minimum wage.

Actually, broke people have a better chance of getting needs-based financing. Moreover, I was able to get a full tuition scholarship (plus a smaller one for books) based on academics. And, like you, I'm in Kentucky. Are those no longer available?

3Miro
December 15th, 2011, 04:18 PM
Actually, broke people have a better chance of getting needs-based financing. Moreover, I was able to get a full tuition scholarship (plus a smaller one for books) based on academics. And, like you, I'm in Kentucky. Are those no longer available?

Actually many of those have been cut in the last 3 - 4 years.

When I was in College, I had an academic scholarship that covered about half of my tuition. It would have covered most of it, but I was a foreign student so I had to pay more. I was in West Virginia and then the life there was so cheap that I would support myself on 20 hours of week at minimum wage. I was poor and miserable, but I had enough not to starve. My parents could help with a couple of thousand dollars for tuition each semester, however, I had friends that didn't have this luxury. Then you get a seasonal summer job doing mostly manual labor at low pay and working lots of hours. It's a sh*** job, but if you work hard and ignore the idiot supervisors, you could actually make enough to cover the extra tuition. I did it once just to get a car, it was a cheap piece of junk, but it ran. Others worked longer to get enough money for tuition. Also, if you are a US citizen, it is much easier to get a legal job.

The education that I got certainly wasn't top of the line, but it was enough to get a full ride in a graduate school. Now I have a Ph.D. from a top University.

This was in the early 2000. Tuition has gone up since then and there are fewer scholarships. Things are much harder now, but I hope something like that is still doable.

haqking
December 15th, 2011, 04:26 PM
Are you doing it before or after you bike across the USA and redesign the Internet ? ;-)

ki4jgt
December 15th, 2011, 08:03 PM
Actually, broke people have a better chance of getting needs-based financing. Moreover, I was able to get a full tuition scholarship (plus a smaller one for books) based on academics. And, like you, I'm in Kentucky. Are those no longer available?

I don't know. Everyone I've spoken with told me that I needed to take out federal loans. They told me that in order to pay for ANY college I apply for, I MUST take out a federal loan. They told me it would be the same for every college I applied to and so far it's hasn't been an incorrect statement. I have a 60+ (don't remember the score) on an unstudied for ASVAB. I have a 18 on an unstudied for ACT and a 25 on the ACT that I've studied for. My Junior year of HS, I was the only person in my class to score Distinguished in all four of our state's core testing and my IQ is 133. You can see how I get accepted into these schools. Afterwards, I somehow always manage to get the boot for lack of financing. So you tell me.

thatguruguy
December 15th, 2011, 08:49 PM
I don't know. Everyone I've spoken with told me that I needed to take out federal loans. They told me that in order to pay for ANY college I apply for, I MUST take out a federal loan. They told me it would be the same for every college I applied to and so far it's hasn't been an incorrect statement. I have a 60+ (don't remember the score) on an unstudied for ASVAB. I have a 18 on an unstudied for ACT and a 25 on the ACT that I've studied for. My Junior year of HS, I was the only person in my class to score Distinguished in all four of our state's core testing and my IQ is 133. You can see how I get accepted into these schools. Afterwards, I somehow always manage to get the boot for lack of financing. So you tell me.

According to this (http://www.actstudent.org/scores/norms1.html), an 18 composite score is only in the 34th percentile, and a 25 is only in the 79th percentile. If you're correct about your IQ, you significantly under-achieved on that test. I'd think that you'd need to be in at least the 90th percentile (at least 28 or above) to have a realistic chance to get an academic scholarship. Again, that's just a guess on my part, since my scores were... somewhat higher.

If you've already taken the ASVAB (which I admit I never did), you apparently have considered a career, or at least spending some time, in the military. That may be a good option for you, since the military still pays for school, and the US has just pulled out of Iraq. Then, once you're mustered out of the military, you can go to school and conduct this experiment in a proper academic setting, with appropriate backing and oversight.

Dry Lips
December 15th, 2011, 09:16 PM
Regarding the OPs idea. This is probably far from what ki4jgt had in mind,
but here is an article that you'll find interesting:


Are You Following a Bot?
How to manipulate social movements by hacking Twitter

One day last February, a Twitter user in California named Billy received a tweet from @JamesMTitus, identified in his profile as a “24 year old dude” from Christchurch, New Zealand, who had the avatar of a tabby cat. “If you could bring one character to life from your favorite book, who would it be?,” @JamesMTitus asked. Billy tweeted back, “Jesus,” to which @JamesMTitus replied: “honestly? no fracking way. ahahahhaa.” Their exchange continued, and Billy began following @JamesMTitus. It probably never occurred to him that the Kiwi dude with an apparent love of cats was, in fact, a robot.

Read the rest of the article here: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/05/are-you-following-a-bot/8448/

MG&TL
December 15th, 2011, 09:31 PM
" take about 1-5 years"

IDK about you, but are you sure you still want to be doing this in five years' time?



and +1 haqking, that made me chuckle. :lol:

3Miro
December 15th, 2011, 09:35 PM
According to this (http://www.actstudent.org/scores/norms1.html), an 18 composite score is only in the 34th percentile, and a 25 is only in the 79th percentile. If you're correct about your IQ, you significantly under-achieved on that test. I'd think that you'd need to be in at least the 90th percentile (at least 28 or above) to have a realistic chance to get an academic scholarship. Again, that's just a guess on my part, since my scores were... somewhat higher.

If you've already taken the ASVAB (which I admit I never did), you apparently have considered a career, or at least spending some time, in the military. That may be a good option for you, since the military still pays for school, and the US has just pulled out of Iraq. Then, once you're mustered out of the military, you can go to school and conduct this experiment in a proper academic setting, with appropriate backing and oversight.

I think one has to be in the 90% percentile compared to the other people in the same school (or high compared to the others, maybe not necessarily the 90%). That's why I think the OP should try to go to a cheaper school.

There are many legal international students in the US Universities. Some of them come from families rich enough to afford the education, others have to work hard. International Students don't qualify for student loans and any kind, so it is possible to get education without loans. It is just very hard.

The Army is also a good option.

forrestcupp
December 15th, 2011, 10:00 PM
Are you doing it before or after you bike across the USA and redesign the Internet ? ;-)

:lol:

At least he's not apathetic and boring.

ki4jgt
December 15th, 2011, 10:28 PM
According to this (http://www.actstudent.org/scores/norms1.html), an 18 composite score is only in the 34th percentile, and a 25 is only in the 79th percentile. If you're correct about your IQ, you significantly under-achieved on that test. I'd think that you'd need to be in at least the 90th percentile (at least 28 or above) to have a realistic chance to get an academic scholarship. Again, that's just a guess on my part, since my scores were... somewhat higher.

If you've already taken the ASVAB (which I admit I never did), you apparently have considered a career, or at least spending some time, in the military. That may be a good option for you, since the military still pays for school, and the US has just pulled out of Iraq. Then, once you're mustered out of the military, you can go to school and conduct this experiment in a proper academic setting, with appropriate backing and oversight.

All the schools I've spoken with have an acceptance score of 16 - 18 on the ACT. I would think that a 25 would at least cause some ripples in the pond. The admissions advisors all told me to aim for around 22 (as this would allow me to get a scholarship). But 28 is what I need for scholarships? That puts the ball in an entirely different field. As for the IQ, it was an official MENSA test.

mikewhatever
December 15th, 2011, 11:00 PM
No, to show society how impressionable they are. Most people believe they make choices for themselves. Though I believe this is true for a SMALL percentage of the population, I believe the majority of the population makes choices based on suggestions of peers. The purpose of the experiment is to prove to society that (even though it is possible to make decisions on your own) a majority of most people's decisions are not their own.

Isn't that something fairly obvious? Why prove the fact to people, when they probably won't object it the first place?

ki4jgt
December 15th, 2011, 11:13 PM
Isn't that something fairly obvious? Why prove the fact to people, when they probably won't object it the first place?

This goes into a deeper sense of the human need to belong to something and how that need to belong, fuels us to accept things which are not our ideas as our ideas. Oh forget it. Does anyone know where I can round up a team of individuals with certain characteristics. (I'm requiring a form with about 20 questions to be filled out to ensure I've got the right people.)

ninjaaron
December 15th, 2011, 11:23 PM
[stuff...]
I did the opposite. :)

I didn't do very well in high school, and I wanted to save money, but I didn't really want to go to a community college, so I ended up doing my degree in Europe, where it's rather cheaper to study, and grades in secondary school were not as much of a factor (for me, at least). My school was also kinda junk (with some exceptions), but it also got me into a top grad-school, where I am currently finishing my MA.

Point being to the OP, even if conventional ways of arranging your education fail, there are always back doors. Where there's a will (and some creativity), there's a way.

While I don't think that everyone necessarily needs to go to college, especially those doing IT work, if you want to do serious academic research, you need to go to college. This is not because it will necessarily teach you anything about sociology or psychology that you couldn't learn on your own. What it will do is is force you to become disciplined about methodology. Nobody gives a crap about your ideas without rigorous standards applied to the research, and that's coming from a humanities major. :P

ki4jgt
December 15th, 2011, 11:27 PM
Nobody gives a crap about your ideas without rigorous standards applied to the research, and that's coming from a humanities major. :P

Totally 100% agree.
But you can't practice psychology without a certified education. You can't practice medicine without an education. You can't Drive a semi without certification. You can't get numerous other career fields without the required certifications and school is cheaper in Europe?

ninjaaron
December 16th, 2011, 01:45 AM
Yes, Usually.

3rdalbum
December 16th, 2011, 02:40 PM
When I read your idea for research, it makes me think of "Facebook is going to charge $5 a month unless you copy and paste this into your status!". Instead of Facebook you could probably use Twitter with a unique hashtag, so you can track how far and wide it spreads.

DZ*
December 16th, 2011, 04:34 PM
if you want to do serious academic research, you need to go to college. This is not because it will necessarily teach you anything about sociology or psychology that you couldn't learn on your own. What it will do is is force you to become disciplined about methodology.

To add, many things are impossible to access or implement without a degree and a qualifying position. If my postdoc wants to have access to certain "publicly available" data sets, I have to apply for that, as a PI, write a proposal, run it through a bunch of approvals, then designate the postdoc as someone who'd be looking at the data under my supervision: even a PhD and employment at a research lab are not enough.

To OP: As one of those "damn foreigners" without a penny who managed to get a US education, I'd say get your stuff together and go to college :-) Maybe you can do your project as a master thesis or something.

DZ*
December 16th, 2011, 04:43 PM
You can certainly get paid for doing a social experiment, if you're a ruthless dictator of a small resource-rich country.

Docaltmed
December 17th, 2011, 03:35 AM
Jesse,

Looking at your threads, it is clear you are looking to hit a home run in some way.

It's not going to happen the way you're going about it.

Hitting a home run begins with hitting a lot of dingers. A bike ride across the U.S. begins with a lot of 20-mile, 30-mile, 60-mile rides. A new technology begins with 1,000 light bulbs that don't work.

If you want my suggestion -- and you do, otherwise you wouldn't creating all of these threads -- is to find one thing you like to do, and start doing it. Not in a big way, but in a small way. If you like the sound of a chain smartly snapping onto a sprocket, not once, but 50 times, you might make a good bicycle mechanic. If you think you might like sociological or psychological research, volunteer as a subject.

Then, once you find something you intrinsically like, not just on the grand, fun, look-at-me scale, but in a micro scale where you can get close and personal with your project and give it tissues when it sneezes -- then start doing it.

And fail.

Then fail again.

Then *really* fail.

Do that about 30 more times.

Then, Jesse -- and only then -- will you be ready to even begin to do just one of the things you keep proposing on these forums.