The Daily Bulletin Archive

By Mary A. Durlak

Sociology faculty members are very excited about the renovated human interactions lab in their department. “The more we familiarize ourselves with the lab,” said Thomas S. Weinberg, professor of sociology, “the more ideas we come up with for using it.”

The new human interactions lab is a three-room suite consisting of a classroom, an equipment room, and the lab proper. The project is within the footprint of the old lab; all three rooms underwent substantial renovation. The classroom was enlarged slightly and converted to a smart classroom. The equipment room houses a new SONY TriCaster production system that controls cameras in the lab as well as sound and video recording. The equipment can also be used for editing. Innovative furnishings enable all students in the equipment room to observe the screens and control board.

The lab itself contains a table and chairs at one end. At the other end, four comfortable chairs and a small sofa cluster around a coffee table. It looks like a television studio set up for intimate on-camera interviews—which was the intention. Three small digital cameras, which can sweep over and zoom into their viewing areas, are fastened unobtrusively high up on the wall.

David Ross, chief television engineer with Instructional Resources, provided extensive technical assistance. “With the new classroom being a smart classroom,” he said, “we were able to connect output from the equipment room to the classroom.” This enables an entire class to observe a real-time small-group interaction together. To meet budget specifications as well as the department’s desire for small, unobtrusive, and quiet cameras, Ross adapted surveillance cameras for use in the lab.

“Dave was invaluable,” said Weinberg. “He guided us through every step of selecting and integrating the equipment.”

A human interactions lab is a necessity because sociology is the study of human interactions, whether those interactions are within a family or between cultures. Learning how to observe and analyze small-group interactions is a valuable tool for sociology students, enabling them to develop the skills necessary as they pursue careers or graduate work.

“The lab will give students tremendous opportunities to do research,” said Timothy McCorry, assistant professor of sociology. “The lab is comfortable, so people will be more relaxed, and students will be able to act as interviewers, participants, or observers with better results.”

Students will also be able to improve their skills at conducting research interviews, a tool necessary for practicing sociologists. “Whether a student goes on to conduct ethnographic research or to work in marketing research collecting data from focus groups,” said Weinberg, “this lab will help them develop professional-grade skills.” Students will be able to see themselves on video and learn from critiquing each other’s interviews in class.

Besides using the lab for studying group dynamics, faculty members and students will use the equipment room to edit video taken in other classes. “Our students in applied sociology classes have already used the Adobe Premier Pro software to edit a video we shot in the field,” said Gary Welborn, associate professor. “We hope to shoot more videos, because leaders in the refugee communities use them to show newcomers how to use American kitchens, Laundromats, and similar facilities.”

Weinberg said the lab can also be used to replicate some classic sociological research, such as the famous Asch conformity experiments. “Conducting research, observing small-group dynamics, and editing videos are just the beginning,” said Weinberg.