Understanding the Cost Structure of Lioness-lab Experiment Platform
Running online experiments, be it cognitive tasks or behavioral experiments, has become a mainstay in modern psychological research. The Cognition platform has been continuously developing tools like Lioness-lab to support researchers in their endeavor to run seamless online experiments. However, the cost associated with these platforms can sometimes be a roadblock for some researchers.
Lioness-lab License Models
Before you get started on your journey of online experimentation with Lioness-lab, it's essential to understand its licensing model. Lioness-lab offers a tiered licensing model. One is the free license, which comes with limited functionality. The second is the standard license offering complete functionality, responsive customer service, and an open number of experiments. Lastly, they provide a comprehensive package that includes priority support and the capability to run unlimited experiments with comprehensive data analysis options.
Running an Experiment with 100 Participants
Suppose you're running an experiment involving 100 participants, let’s break down the standard costs. Assume a reward rate of $10 per participant, totaling $1,000 of direct costs. To this, add the basic monthly subscription fee for Lioness-lab, let's say it's $50/month. If your study spans two months, you're looking at an additional $100. You can expect an approximate cost of $1,100 for running such an experiment.
Potential Hidden Costs
While the license fee and participant rewards are upfront, several hidden costs can creep up on you. One potential hidden fee comes with an increased number of participants or experimental runs. Remember, testing on a large number of subjects may require an upgrade from the standard license.
Furthermore, consider the value of your time. If you’re new to the world of online experiments and specifically to Lioness-lab, you’ll need to invest substantial time learning the platform, building your experiment, troubleshooting complexities, and analyzing data.
Tips to Reduce Costs
Fortunately, there are several tried-and-tested ways to keep your experiment costs low:
- Leverage Open-source Tools: Tools like jsPsych can be used to build most cognitive tasks for your experiments which can significantly curtail your costs.
- Plan ahead: To avoid encountering sudden surges in costs, plan your experiment in advance. Ask yourself: How long will my study last? How many participants do I need? What kind of support will I require?
- Collaborate: Collaborate with fellow researchers and share the cost of premium tools and platforms. A platform like Cognition can facilitate such collaboration.
While the costs of running online experiments can seem daunting initially, keep in mind the potential payoffs. You will be able to gather rich data from a diverse pool of participants, leading to robust and more generalized findings. With appropriate planning, running online experiments on Lioness-lab can certainly be a rewarding endeavour.