MIXER Telephone Study

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Are there any penalties for signing up, but not participating?

    If you register but never complete a ten-minute conversation on the assigned topic, you will not receive any compensation.

  • Are there any penalties for signing up, but not participating?

    If you register but never complete a ten-minute conversation on the assigned topic, you will not receive any compensation.

  • How long will it take to receive a check?

    We will make every effort to get call payments to you as quickly as possible upon your completion of the MIXER study. Please understand, however, that it can take up to 8 weeks upon your completion of the study to process your payment(s).

  • What if I am on my 11th call and I have not been paired with someone who speaks the languages that I speak? Can I still get the foreign language bonus?

    Yes. You may continue to participate in the study to achieve your Non-English Completion bonus.

  • What type of phone can I use for this study?

    You may make and receive MIXER calls on any type of phone, landline or cellular.

  • Can I sign up to make/receive phone calls outside of the stated time windows? For example: during my lunch breaks?

    The MIXER platform will not call you outside of the available call window (3pm to 10pm in your timezone). If you would like to make calls at different times, the best way to do this, is to set up a time with a friend for you both to call the platform at the same time. It is not guaranteed that you will be connected to each other, but the chances of being connected to someone is very high.

  • What do you mean by unique phone calls?

    We define a unique telphone as one that you use exactly once in the study. If you use the same telephone twice, it is not unique. MIXER uses caller id to check the telephone numbers of incoming calls to determine whether you have used them before. The target number of unique calls for MIXER is 5. We prefer all other calls should be made on a single line.

    Some office and cellular phones report their telephone numbers incorrectly so that they appear to have been used before. Also, if your phone has Caller ID blocked, the platform will not be able to tell that the number is unique and will not count that call as such. Use pay phones or borrow your friend's phone. Then be sure not to use these phones again in the study. If you complete five unique calls you will receive a one-time $50.00 bonus.

  • My phone has ID blocking function. Does it matter?

    You may make MIXER calls with a phone that blocks caller ID, but it will not be counted as a unique phone. The MIXER system depends on the caller ID number to determine if the phone is the same or unique from others you have used.

  • I live in California. Is the schedule my time or Eastern time?

    You are asked to indicate your timezone when you set up your availability schedule(s). Be sure to select the timezone in which you live!

  • How do I reach you if I have any questions?

    Please contact us at participant-care@ldc.upenn.edu with any questions.

  • When will I receive my payment?

    Your payment will be processed once all your calls are completed or your tax document is on file, whichever happens last. We will give all participants a few weeks notice before the study ends so that everyone has ample time to complete their calls.

    It may take up to 8 weeks for your payment to be processed once you have completed your calls. All calls must be audited by one of our staff before they are eligible for payment.

    If you change your address or contact information during the course of the project, please update your account to insure your payment reaches you.

  • How do I calculate how much money I have earned by participating in this study?

    The more you contribute to the MIXER study, the more you earn. Here are a few examples of how the Bonus System works.

    EXAMPLE 1

    • If you completed 15 calls you would earn $90.00
    • Then you would receive the target bonus of $50.00
    • FOR A TOTAL OF $140.00



    EXAMPLE 2 - Minimum to Get All Bonuses in Fifteen Calls

    • If you complete 5 of your calls from unique phones (in English), you will receive $90 ($8.00 X 5 calls + $50 bonus)
    • If you complete 5 of your calls in one of the Non-English languages, you will receive $90 ($8.00 X 5 calls + $50 bonus)
    • If you complete the remaining 5 calls in English, you will receive $80 ($6.00 X 5 calls + $50 bonus)
    • FOR A TOTAL OF$260.00