diff --git a/rllab/sampler/stateful_pool.py b/rllab/sampler/stateful_pool.py
index beba84cf4..512dd2dc0 100644
--- a/rllab/sampler/stateful_pool.py
+++ b/rllab/sampler/stateful_pool.py
@@ -1,13 +1,14 @@
-
-
-from joblib.pool import MemmapingPool
+import inspect
 import multiprocessing as mp
-from rllab.misc import logger
-import pyprind
 import time
 import traceback
 import sys
 
+from joblib.pool import MemmapingPool
+import pyprind
+
+from rllab.misc import logger
+
 
 class ProgBarCounter(object):
     def __init__(self, total_count):
@@ -68,6 +69,12 @@ def run_each(self, runner, args_list=None):
         in the args_list, if any
         :return:
         """
+        assert not inspect.ismethod(runner), (
+            "run_each() cannot run a class method. Please ensure that runner is"
+            " a function with the prototype def foo(G, ...), where G is an "
+            "object of type rllab.sampler.stateful_pool.SharedGlobal"
+        )
+
         if args_list is None:
             args_list = [tuple()] * self.n_parallel
         assert len(args_list) == self.n_parallel
@@ -83,6 +90,12 @@ def run_each(self, runner, args_list=None):
         return [runner(self.G, *args_list[0])]
 
     def run_map(self, runner, args_list):
+        assert not inspect.ismethod(runner), (
+            "run_map() cannot run a class method. Please ensure that runner is "
+            "a function with the prototype 'def foo(G, ...)', where G is an "
+            "object of type rllab.sampler.stateful_pool.SharedGlobal"
+        )
+
         if self.n_parallel > 1:
             return self.pool.map(_worker_run_map, [(runner, args) for args in args_list])
         else:
@@ -92,6 +105,13 @@ def run_map(self, runner, args_list):
             return ret
 
     def run_imap_unordered(self, runner, args_list):
+        assert not inspect.ismethod(runner), (
+            "run_imap_unordered() cannot run a class method. Please ensure that"
+            "runner is a function with the prototype 'def foo(G, ...)', where "
+            "G is an object of type rllab.sampler.stateful_pool.SharedGlobal"
+        )
+        
+
         if self.n_parallel > 1:
             for x in self.pool.imap_unordered(_worker_run_map, [(runner, args) for args in args_list]):
                 yield x
@@ -117,6 +137,13 @@ def collect_once(G):
         :param threshold:
         :return:
         """
+        assert not inspect.ismethod(collect_once), (
+            "run_collect() cannot run a class method. Please ensure that "
+            "collect_once is a function with the prototype 'def foo(G, ...)', "
+            "where G is an object of type "
+            "rllab.sampler.stateful_pool.SharedGlobal"
+        )
+
         if args is None:
             args = tuple()
         if self.pool: