Not feeling like a subject of a psychological experiment while touring the Media Effects Research Laboratory in James Building is difficult.

The main observation room is cold and dim with pale pink walls and speakers lining the ceiling. Six chairs are arranged in somewhat straight rows in front of a television and a large screen, making it feel like a cross between a living room and the waiting room of a doctor's office.

The lab, directed by S. Shyam Sundar, associate professor of communications, is one of the few of its kind in the world used to research the psychological and physiological effects of media and new technologies.

PHOTO: Dave Slaugenhoup/Collegian S. Shyam Sundar is the director of the Media Effects Research Laboratory.

Serving as tour guide, Sriram Kalyanaraman, communications graduate assistant who has worked with Sundar on a variety of studies, described coming to Penn State in order to earn his doctorate in communications after giving up a career in the computer industry.

"I quit all the riches of software because of Shyam's work," Kalyanaraman said. "It's been absolutely fascinating."

Sundar came to Penn State in 1995 after obtaining a doctorate in communication and psychology at Stanford University with the primary goal of creating a facility where research on the psychological effects of new technologies and the media in general could be conducted.

"Media effects as an area of research came with me to this institution," Sundar said.

Under the guidance of Sundar and Mary Beth Oliver, associate professor of communications, both undergraduate and graduate students have conducted more than 60 studies since the lab opened in 1997. Most recent studies examined effectiveness of Internet pop-up advertisements and how the speed of a Web site downloading can effect arousal.

"It's really psychological research that specifically looks at how media messages influence individual thoughts, actions and behavior," Sundar said.

The lab is equipped with a computer, television, laser disc player, cable television and a VCR that is used to conduct much of the research. It also has such features as surround sound and a nine-foot screen, which have been used to research the effects of sounds and the effects of screen size on memory.

In addition to the different media, researchers can use various psychophysiological measures to observe the cardiac, brain, muscular and eye movement of participants.

"My next plan for the lab is to keep up with the times," Sundar said, adding he would like to get more computers to conduct more online-related research. Results from experiments have been applied to a variety of areas. Web site designers use it to create software, and it has been used to design programs for building critical media-viewing skills in children.

"There is a sense of exhilaration knowing that this has so many practical applications," Kalyanaraman said.

Sundar testified in front of the U.S. Congress two years ago when it was found that a $200 million anti-drug campaign using commercials to discourage teenagers from using drugs was actually making them more curious.

"It was a pretty pressure-cooker atmosphere," Sundar said.

The lab also has attracted international attention. Recently a researcher visited from South Africa to learn about the lab, and people have called from everywhere ranging from London to Malaysia wanting information about media effects.

"We get queries from all over the world about certain studies and how to conduct studies," Kalyanaraman said.

Along with being a research facility, the lab has become a major resource for teaching, Sundar said.

Oliver has conducted several studies on how entertainment influences test subjects, particularly the influences of violence and sexuality.

"People use media, either television or the Internet, more then any other activity other then working or sleeping," Oliver said. "I think it is imperative to understand the way media functions in our lives."