Smith Schools Netcentric Behavioral Lab Enables Technology-Driven Behavioral Research

The Smith School has opened a new behavioral research laboratory that combines state-of-the-art technology with traditional resources to conduct advanced behavioral research in business. The Netcentric Behavioral Laboratory enables Smith School faculty and doctoral students to conduct research in a dedicated workspace, which features 18 networked computer workstations; leading behavioral research software applications; and video and audio taping capabilities. Four team rooms, also outfitted with computer workstations and software, complement the main lab space. The lab is the third major component of the business schools Netcentricity Laboratory, which also includes the Supply Chain Management Center and the Netcentric Financial Markets Laboratory.

The addition to the Netcentric Behavioral Laboratory is an important step in the Smith Schools strategy to advance research excellence by providing an infrastructure that stimulates prolific, top-quality business research, said Howard Frank, dean of the Smith School. Supporting the many faculty conducting behavioral research with a first class research facility is a must for Smith - and any top business school - to maintain a position among the nations elite research institutions.

Researchers from across the schools academic departments, from marketing to decision and information technologies, will utilize the behavioral lab to administer computer-aided experiments; conduct Internet-based behavioral research; and videotape interviews and focus groups. Illustrating the behavioral labs advanced technology, one study currently being conducted in the lab tests the effects of adding features to high technology products on consumers satisfaction with the products. Conducting this experiment with virtual audio and video players on the labs workstations allows the researchers to record users clickstreams as they interact with the products.

The labs technology allows us to more fully capture the users experiences with the products than would other methods of data collection, said Rebecca Hamilton, assistant professor of marketing at the Smith School. In the lab environment, we can carefully control the stimuli users see, meaning that we can measure the effects of small but potentially important adjustments to the products on user satisfaction.

In addition to increasing faculty and doctoral student research productivity, the lab provides resources for teaching at the undergraduate, MBA, and doctoral levels. Instructors can use the lab to conduct computer-aided demonstrations, run simulation games, and videotape team interactions. The laboratory also provides students with the opportunity to participate in research and observe first-hand how experimental research is conducted.