One characteristic of our department is a full suite of experimental facilities. In order to robustly investigate the link between the human mind and society, excellent quality data is indispensable. Generally, most social science research is represented by studies using a variety of methods such as cross-sectional surveys, field surveys, computer simulations etc. However, here in our department, we consider our strength to be in experimental methods. We are one of Japan’s leading social science experimental labs, with our experiment facilities running over 200 days a year, administering experiments with over 2,800 participants annually.
We conduct the majority of our experiments in the department’s sister social science center, the Hokkaido University Center for Experimental Research in the Social Sciences (CERSS) （. Located in the Humanities Building at the southern end of campus, we make use of CERSS’s three experimental facilities – the Sounds-dampened Experiment Booths, the Group Experiment Room, and the Sensory System Experiment Room. We also make use of CERSS’s MRI facilities, in collaboration with the Hokkaido University Department of Medicine and Dentistry.