Instructor: Dr. Jim LarsonINTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH IN PSYCHOLOGY Psychology 242 Fall, 1998 M & W 12:00-12:50 F4 Lecture Center
Teaching Assistants: TBA
Overview
This course examines many of the most widely used methods of empirical research employed by psychologists and other behavioral scientists. Research methods relevant to a broad range of content areas will be discusses. A non-mathematical approach of the logic underlying these various research methods is emphasized, although a number of rudimentary statistical concepts will be presented.
Briefly stated, the course has two goals: (1) to provide you with a basic understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the various research strategies used by psychologists as others so that you will become an informed consumer of behavioral science research, and (2) to help you begin developing a set of research skills that will prepare you for more advanced study in the behavioral sciences (e.g., as a Psychology Major).
Grading
Your grade for the course will be based on the Research Activity Reports you turn in during your Discussion Section meetings, and on your Exam performance.
Research Activity Reports. Prior to each meeting of your Discussion Section you will be expected to complete a research activity. The topics of the weekly activities are listed in the table that appears at the end of this syllabus. Each activity will culminate in a typed report that is to be turned in at the beginning of your Discussion Section meeting. Be sure to make a copy of your Research Activity Report so that you will have it to look at as the TA reviews the assignment during the Discussion Section meeting. Each report will be graded as either satisfactory (worth 5 points) or unsatisfactory (worth 1 point). In this way you may earn up to 60 points on the Research Activity Reports. Note: If your Research Activity Report is not turned in on time, or if it is not typed, you will be given a 0 for that activity. Only numerical computations and graphs are exempt from the typing requirement. All other material must by typed and neatly presented. Late Reports, and Reports that are not properly typed, will not be accepted.
Although there are 14 research activities, only 12 need be completed satisfactorily in order to earn all 60 Research Activity Points (i.e., 12 ´ 5 = 60). This means that you can afford to get an unsatisfactorily score on 2 activities, or even skip two activities altogether, and still earn the maximum Research Activity Points. (Sorry, no extra credit points will be give for completing more than 12 activities satisfactorily). However, it is not a good idea to skip one or more activities early in the semester. Later you may find yourself with fewer Research Activity Points than you anticipated (e.g., because you get an unexpected unsatisfactory grade on one or more Reports). If you think you want to skip an activity, wait until the last several weeks of the semester, when you will know exactly how many Research Activity Points you have earned.
Exams. Four exams will be given, each worth a maximum of 60 points. There will be three Progress Exams, one every five-weeks during the semester (see the table at the end of this syllabus for exact dates). Each Progress Exam will cover only the material presented in the readings and lectures during the preceding five-week period. There will also be a Final Exam. Unlike the Progress Exams, the Final Exam will be comprehensive, covering material presented during the entire semester. Course grades will be base on three of these four exams, as follows:
(b) If you miss one of the Progress Exams, the Final Exam is mandatory. In this case, your grade will be computed on the basis of your two Progress Exams and the Final. You will be given a score of 0 for any additional exams you miss. No make-up exams will be give.
where Best1, Best2, and Best3 are your best three exam scores, and RA Points are the points you earned on the Research Activities. Your total points will then be converted to a letter grade according to the follow procedure. First, the scoring distribution for the entire class for Progress Exam 1 will be divided so that approximately 15 percent of the class is in the A category, 30 percent is in the B category, 45 percent is in the C category, and the remaining 10 percent is split between the D and E categories. The lowest point value in each of the A, B, C, and D categories will then be used to define the lowest total point values needed to earn grades of A, B, C, and D in the course as a whole, respectively, by multiplying those points by 4, and then adding 5 to the total. For example, if the lowest point value in the A category on Progress Exam 1 happens to be 50, then in order to earn a grade of A in the course, you would have to earn at least (4 ´ 50) + 5 = 205 points overall. Similarly, if the lowest point value in the B category on Progress Exam 1 happens to be 45, then in order to earn a grade of B in the course, you would have to earn at least (4 ´ 45) + 5 = 185 points overall, and so on. The lowest point value in each of the A, B, C, and D categories, as well as the lowest total point values needed to earn grades of A, B, C, and D in the course as a whole, will be announced the week after Progress Exam 1 is given. Thus, after Progress Exam 1, you will know at all times exactly where you stand in the course, and exactly how well you need to perform on subsequent Research Activities and Exams in order to earn the grade you want.
Weekly Reading Assignments
The weekly reading assignments are listed in the table that begins on the next page. The reading assignments are all from:
The weekly research activity topics are also listed in the table that begins
on the next page. Specific information about the research activities will
be handed out each week during your Discussion Section meeting.
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RESEARCH ACTIVITY
WEEK (of) READING
ASSIGNMENT
DUE THIS WEEK
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1 (8/24)
Ch. 1: What is Science?
Nothing due this week.
Ch. 2: Introduction to the Methods of Science
First activity handed out.
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2 (8/31)
Ch. 3: Developing the Hypothesis
Behavioral Science
in the Popular Press
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3 (9/7)
No Class 9/7 (Labor Day Holiday)
Library Research
Ch. 4: Description of Behavior Through
Numerical Representation
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4 (9/14)
Ch. 5: Inferential Statistics: Making
Graphical and Numerical
Statistical Decisions
Descriptions of
Bivariate Relationships *
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5 (9/21)
No Assignment
Sampling Distributions *
PROGRESS EXAM 1: Wednesday, September 23rd
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6 (9/28)
Ch. 6: Testing the Hypothesis: A Conceptual
Computing a t-Test *
Introduction
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7 (10/5)
Ch. 7: Control: The Key of the Experimental
Identifying Confounds
Method
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8 (10/12)
Ch. 8: Applying the Logic of Experimentation:
Random Assignment
Between-Subjects Designs
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9 (10/19)
Ch. 9: Extending the Logic of Experimentation:
Interpreting a 2 x 2
Within-Subjects and Matched-Subjects
Factorial Design
Designs
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10 (10/26) Ch. 10:
The Ecology of the Experiment: The
How Many Research
Scientist and Research Participants
Participants?
in Relation to Their Environment
PROGRESS EXAM 2: Wednesday, October 28th
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11 (11/2)
Ch. 11: Quasi-Experimental, Correlation, and
Observer Reliability **
Naturalistic Observation Designs
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12 (11/9)
Ch. 12: Single Subject Designs
A Naturalistic Field
Study: Just How Rushed
is "Rush-Hour?"
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13 (11/16)
Ch. 13: Questionnaires, Survey Research
Single Subject Research
and Sampling
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14 (11/23)
Ch. 14: Ethics
Constructing an
Ch. 15: Sharing Results
AIDS Questionnaire
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15 (12/30)
Ch. 16: Beyond Method
Writing an IRB Proposal
PROGRESS EXAM 3: Wednesday, December 2nd
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Finals Wk FINAL EXAM: Friday, December 11th, 10:30-12:30
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* You will need a standard deck of 52 playing cards for these three assignments.
** You will need to work on
this assignment with a partner from your Discussion
Section.
So, get to know someone you would like to work with!
Note: Many of the Research Activities require that you perform simple arithmetic computations. It will therefore be very helpful for you to have -- and know how to use -- an inexpensive hand calculator. The calculator need not be able to compute anything more complex than square roots, which virtually any calculator can do.