Behavior Lab

Founded in 2018, the Behavior Lab is an innovative and comprehensive hub dedicated to conducting scientific research into various aspects of human behavior. 

Our facilities are located in EBB 109 on the basement level of the Huntsman School of Business and are administered by the Department of Marketing & Strategy. 

On This Page

Research Areas

As an interdisciplinary behavioral research lab that explores human behavior within numerous domains, we welcome partnerships with industry, fellow researchers, and the broader community. By embracing diverse perspectives and interdisciplinary collaboration, we enrich our research outcomes and accelerate the pace of innovation. 

Many of our current researchers support the “Better Marketing for a Better World” initiative, where their research focuses on how marketing can improve lives, sustain livelihoods, strengthen societies, and benefit the world at large. Additionally, many of the research projects being investigated in the Behavior Lab are in line with the Transformative Consumer Research movement, which includes research that benefits consumer welfare and quality of life for all beings affected by consumption across the world.

Some of the active projects in the Behavior Lab examine sustainable behavior, consumer privacy, health choices, electric vehicle adoption, public policy-based interventions, and the sharing economy. 

If you are seeking researchers to collaborate with on any project, please contact the Lab Director, Dr. Matthew D. Meng (matthew.meng@usu.edu). 

Lab Benefits

The Behavior Lab was founded to provide specific in-person benefits to USU faculty and students, such as:
  • Conducting complex experiments: Many experiments examining real behavior, especially those involving physical interactions or complex scenarios, are only possible in a physical environment.
  • Providing a controlled environment: Our facilities have been meticulously designed to provide a neutral, controlled testing environment and minimize external influences on participants’ behavior, which improves the reliability and internal validity of generated findings.
  • Observing real-time interaction: Researchers can directly observe participants' behavior, reactions, and body language in real-time, providing richer insights into their decision-making processes.
  • Studying group dynamics: Researchers can study group dynamics and interactions among participants, which can be crucial for some research objectives.
  • Enhancing data quality: Instructions can be provided to participants verbally as well as on-screen, and issues and questions can be addressed in real-time.
If you have a research need that could be fulfilled by our lab, please contact the Lab Director, Dr. Matthew D. Meng (matthew.meng@usu).

Capabilities

Our specialized facilities allow researchers to study how people think, feel, and act in various situations and environments. Research findings can generate theoretical insights into, and solutions for, real-world problems and challenges that affect individuals, organizations, and society. 

Currently, the Behavior Lab consists of:
Behavior lab computers
  • 37 individual research stations in the main room, each separated by a privacy screen.
  • An isolated pair of research stations for dyadic research.
  • A cluster of three research stations within a partitioned room for interactive, qualitative, and/or sensitive research.
  • Observation and preparation room, with one-way mirrors, allowing for discrete monitoring of participants.
  • Lab assistant terminal that can control and communicate with each individual research station.
  • Adjustable lighting.
  • A room-length magnetic whiteboard.
  • Two digital projectors.
Behavior lab computer desks
Within the lab, each individual research station has:
  • Computer, keyboard, and mouse.
  • Removable opaque privacy screens.
  • Headphones.
  • Ample desk space for physical stimuli.
  • Microphone and participant-facing camera, both with recording capabilities.
  • Questionnaire and survey software.
  • Adjustable wheeled chair.

We also incorporate cutting-edge technology into aspects of the lab, such as:
  • Biometric sensors: To measure physiological responses such as skin conductance, which provide invaluable data about people’s nonconscious and emotional reactions to various stimuli.
  • Artificial Intelligence: Used to enhance various aspects of our behavioral research, such as generating unique, customized, and directly relevant stimuli, and Natural Language Processing (NLP) to extract patterns, sentiments, and themes from open-ended survey responses, interviews, and textual data.
 
If there are any capabilities or equipment that we don’t currently have, but you would like to see, please contact the Lab Director, Dr. Matthew D. Meng (matthew.meng@usu.edu).

Collecting Data

Traditionally, we offer research sessions on Fridays during the semester. These sessions can take up to 45 minutes, depending on the number of unrelated surveys the participants are assigned to complete. Our participant pool is predominantly made up of undergraduate students participating for course credit.
 
Please contact the Lab Director, Dr. Matthew D. Meng (matthew.meng@usu.edu) if you are interested in:
  • Offering research participation opportunities to your students.
  • Including your survey in our Friday research sessions.
  • Running studies on other days/evenings.
  • Recruiting an alternative sample.
  • Recruiting a paid sample.

Services

We at the Behavior Lab also provide research-related services and support to any interested faculty and students, including:
  • Research question and conceptual development.
  • Institutional Review Board (IRB) protocol submissions.
  • Grant application writing.
  • Software and hardware tutorials.
  • Methodological assistance.
  • Survey design and development.
  • Participant recruitment (in-person and online).
  • Pretest surveys for issues and timing.
  • Research session organization and supervision.
  • Interview recording and transcription.
  • Data analysis and visualization.
  • Research presentation and communication.
  • Copyediting and publication support.
  • Presenting to classes about the data collection experience.
  • Field study assistance.
To utilize any of our offered services, please contact the Lab Director, Dr. Matthew D. Meng (matthew.meng@usu.edu).

Contact Us

Whether you are an academic striving for interdisciplinary collaboration, a business seeking to decode consumer preferences, or an individual passionate about understanding human behavior, we encourage you to contact: