Nicole Zozzaro, unaware of her controversial status as a guinea pig, rapidly struck computer keys in Moore Building as part of a psychology experiment.

But while using college students such as Zozzaro in experiments may be convenient for college professors, some wonder how accurate the findings will be.

Some professors across the country don't think the use of college students like Zozzaro in psychology experiments provides a true example of human nature. The campus environment may skew the conclusions psychologists reach about human nature, said Robyn M. Dawes, professor of psychology at Carnegie-Mellon University.

But faculty and students at Penn State disagree with this generalization about the experiments conducted here.

It is not appropriate to use college students in experiments that require experience in an environment other than college, said Paul R. Cornwell, professor of psychology. But in the experiments conducted with Psychology 2 students, environment is not a factor, he said.

Because there are many students enrolled in Psychology 2, the instructor often requests participation from those students.

Before requesting the use of psychology students in their experiments, graduate students must inform the University, said Richard Carlson, associate professor of psychology. The experiment's details must then be approved by the head of the psychology department, he said.

The experiment Zozzaro participated in is one of many that students can become involved in. Last year, about 880 experiments were conducted at the University, excluding the Hershey Campus, said Lorraine Mulfinger, compliance coordinator.

There is a huge variety of experiments conducted at the University which includes anything from surveys and questionnaires to testing memory or motor skills, said Mark Detweiler, assistant professor of psychology.

Judi Friedman, who participated in the experiment with Zozzaro, said college students are not a good representation of the general public.

"As a freshman, I'm in a totally different environment and I'm going through a lot of changes," said Friedman (freshman-mathematics education). "Because of these factors, I don't think that I'm the best source for an experiment."

Another participant disagreed, saying that college students are appropriate sources for valid research.

"After practicing, just about anybody can master something -- with or without an education," said Sharon Cowdery (sophomore-mathematics education).

Although college students usually have decent verbal skills and are in the same age group, the limited sample does not hinder the experiment, said Dave Lundy (graduate-experimental psychology).

Lundy, the experimenter, wrote a program that helps investigate how people learn to do two search tasks at the same time.

In this experiment, the computer screen displays a checkerboard square with a pattern on the board and a word on top. The word, part of a previously delegated topic, and the square's pattern constantly change.

Students are required to press one key when the correct word appears and another key for the correct pattern. The rapidly changing display tests how accurately students notice that the targets are on the screen, Lundy said.

"In the beginning it was really hard because I tried to press the keys too many times," said Zozzaro (freshman-education). "Once I relaxed and learned how to do the trials, I did better."