The Behavioral Research Lab within the Department of Marketing is a state-of-the-art facility that provides the E. J. Ourso College’s faculty and students with the means to conduct cutting-edge, technology-based marketing research. The lab features a control computer that supports data collection from 28 networked computer workstations, each fitted with multimedia research equipment supporting audio, video, and recording capabilities. The lab also has physiological measurement devices and eye-tracking equipment, enabling faculty and students to conduct innovative behavioral research that would not be possible without these advanced technologies.
Approximately 2,000 LSU students can participate in research performed in the behavior lab each semester, creating one of the country’s largest student-based behavioral research participant pools.
Notably, the most recent multi-year Board of Regent’s Enhancement grant, the SEEDER FOR GROWTH LA Grant (Strategic Eye-tracking and Emotional Designs in Experimental Research For Optimally Reinforcing and Growing Research & Outreach Wins That Help LA), has significantly advanced the capabilities of the behavioral lab. Dr. Dan Rice and Dr. Kris Lindsey Hall oversee the development of the lab, which now boasts 28 updated stations, including 14 stations fully equipped with eye tracking and biometrics devices. These capabilities ensure that our lab maintains a competitive advantage over peer institutions, meriting identification as a “mega-lab”—one of the top behavioral labs in the country.
Funds for the facility's construction and subsequent capability expansion were provided through generous grants from the Louisiana Board of Regents: LEQSF (2011-12)-ENH-TR-11, LEQSF (2014-15)-ENH-TR-05, and LEQSF(2021-26)-ENH-DE-08, respectively. Dan Rice, the lead Primary Investigator on three grants, has served as a director since the lab's inception. Ron Niedrich, co-PI on the original grant, Andrew Kuo and Andrew Schwarz, co-PI's on the initial expansion grant, and Kris Lindsey Hall, co-PI on the most recent enhancement grant and lab expansion, have also substantially influenced the direction, design, and function of the facility.
The lab projects have benefited considerably from the help and guidance of the LSU Department of Facilities Development and the LSU Office of Sponsored Programs. The facility's success is a testament to the world-class outcomes resulting from a partnership with the Louisiana Board of Regents and teamwork within the Department of Marketing, the Office of Dean, the college faculty, and the university departments involved in acquiring and administrating the funding grants.
Community and professional support are critical to the lab's continued successful operations and maintenance. Likewise, research partnerships provide mutually beneficial opportunities for industry and academia.
If you are interested in making a financial contribution towards the development of the Behavioral Research Lab or in collaborating with our research faculty in the Department of Marketing, please contact Dr. Lindsey Hall and/or Dr. Rice to discuss potential opportunities.
Contact Kris Lindsey Hall Contact Dan Rice
Some Marketing Faculty areas of research interest and expertise include: branding, consumer behavior, consumption emotions, consumer health and well-being, consumer psychology, construction of brand attitudes and brand beliefs, corporate social responsibility, empirical modeling, marketing strategy, new media, persuasion, retailing and services, sales force effectiveness, sensory marketing, social marketing.
Industry-academic research partnerships are impactful for a number of stakeholders. See a feature article here on how this is the case.
To sign up to participate in a study, login to our Sona Systems page.
The behavioral lab is located in room 2440 of the Business Education Complex (BEC). To get here, take the stairs or elevator by BEC 1510 (Auditorium) to the second floor of the building. On the second floor, take a left toward the graduate wing of the BEC. In the wing's main hallway, turn right (west, toward Patrick Taylor Hall) and go to the end of the hall. The Behavioral Lab is the last room on the left. Please wait in the hall until you are asked to come into the experiment.
What are the capabilities and resources of the LSU Behavioral Research Lab?
The Behavioral Research Lab offers extensive capabilities for conducting diverse behavioral studies. These include comprehensive physiological/biometric assessments and precise gaze tracking studies performed at a throughput level surpassing nearly all other academic facilities. With our advanced software and hardware capabilities, we have firmly established ourselves as a leading "mega-lab," utilizing the cutting-edge iMotions platform, a distinction shared by only a select few labs.
The lab facilitates flexible research design options, leveraging multiple computer-based platforms such as Qualtrics, iMotions, and E-Prime, enabling a high degree of customization. Additionally, we cater to traditional research methods, including pen-and-paper studies, focus groups, and individual in-depth interviews. Our expansive participant pool, ample physical space, and state-of-the-art technological equipment firmly position LSU's Lab as a trailblazing facility, poised to maintain its leadership role and provide researchers with a sustained competitive advantage well into the future.
Are the lab facilities available to graduate and doctoral students?
Yes! A unique aspect of our lab is that graduate students are allowed and encouraged to use the lab facilities to advance their research, including dissertations and academic manuscripts.
Does research conducted in the lab require approval or exemption from the LSU Institutional Review Board (IRB)?
Yes – All projects involving human subjects must receive IRB exemption or approval prior to conducting studies in the LSU Behavioral Lab.
Interested faculty and students can find more information about LSU’s IRB processes at the following link: https://www.lsu.edu/research/compliance/review_boards/irb/index.php.
What is the purpose of the student research pool?
The student research pool helps meet several objectives of the E. J. Ourso College of Business and the Department of Marketing. First, the student research pool provides faculty and students with an exemplary opportunity to access a substantial number of willing research participants in a state-of-the-art facility. Second, the lab pool provides an excellent opportunity for students to add depth to their business education by allowing them to partake in important current research and receive course credit.
How can undergraduate students get involved in research?
Students can reach out to the faculty mentors – see the Student Research Opportunities tab above.
Students are also encouraged to participate in and present their research at LSU’s Discover Day. Prior undergraduate student research projects conducted with faculty in the E. J. Ourso College of Business have been awarded monetary prizes at LSU’s Discover Day Event.
How can faculty utilize the Behavioral Lab as a way to give their students extra credit in their courses?
We rely on our faculty’s willingness to encourage and reward student participation in lab studies. Faculty that are interested in adding students from their courses to the lab pool can contact the Lab Administrator, Candice Marti, for more information.
Candice Marti (PhD Student)
Administrator, Behavioral Research Lab
mktexperiments@lsu.edu
225-578-8684
How will student credits be tracked and assigned for courses?
Students sign up to complete studies using the SONA system, which also tracks their participation and credits. Participating faculty members will be provided with a report containing a list of their students who have participated in the lab for class credit. This report details the total number of credits that the student received for the semester as well as the number that the students selected to assign for a particular class. Each faculty member can determine how credits are assigned in their courses as outlined in their syllabus or course policies.
Who can I contact if I am an E. J. Ourso College of Business faculty member that would like to utilize the lab resources?
Faculty that are interested in utilizing lab resources can contact the Lab Administrator, Candice Marti, or Lab Director, Dr. Dan Rice, for more information.
Candice Marti (PhD Student)
Administrator, Behavioral Research Lab
mktexperiments@lsu.edu
225-578-8684
Dan H. Rice (Associate Professor of Marketing)
Director, Behavioral Research Lab
225-578-8788
danrice@lsu.edu
The LSU Behavioral Research Lab offers opportunities to students at all levels interested in business research. Students interested in research collaborations can also contact the marketing faculty mentors below for more information regarding potential opportunities. Additional mentors may be available depending on the timing and research topics.
Instructor; Honors Advisor
Research interests: Digital marketing, social media, sales, marketing management, social issues, and business as a driver of societal impacts
Assistant Professor of Marketing
Research interests: Organizational frontline and services marketing including employee-customer interactions, service failure and recovery, customer and employee engagement, strategic collaboration, and the influence of technology integration on marketing strategy
"My own research journey started during my undergraduate career. In fact, I had never considered a career in academia until my advisor helped me publish my very first academic publication from my undergraduate thesis! Without the assistance and encouragement of several brilliant, passionate, and patient mentors at every stage of my career, I likely wouldn't be where I am today -- in my dream job as a researcher and professor of marketing at LSU. So, I feel compelled (and honored) to lend as much support and guidance for the next generation of researchers as was provided for me."
Associate Professor of Marketing
Research interests: Consumer response to context, perceptions of product bundles and assortments, construction of brand attitudes and brand beliefs, determinants of endorsement effectiveness, behavioral theories of pricing
"The program gives undergraduates the opportunity to participate in cutting-edge research. It allows them to see firsthand how different marketing strategies work and gives them insight into academic research. In addition to being a worthwhile resume-builder, it can help students decide whether a career in academia is something they might want to consider."
Drs. Lindsey Hall and Rice were invited to attend the 2023 Affective(ly) Research Conference along with other “Mega-Lab” administrators, researchers, thought leaders and software/service providers to discuss best practices for managing, outfitting, utilizing, and funding a Behavioral Research Lab.
Dr. Lindsey Hall and Dr. Rice hosted a booth representing the LSU Behavioral Lab and Department of Marketing at the LSU Welcome Week Undergraduate Research Information Fair. They were able to discuss the resources offered by the lab, demonstrate the eye-tracking capabilities, recruit undergraduate students interested in research, and engage with potential future business scholars.
Candice Marti (PhD Student)
Administrator, Behavioral Research Lab
mktexperiments@lsu.edu
225-578-8684
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