This is an introductory course in statistics designed for students majoring in psychology.  The goal of the course is to help you develop the conceptual background and practical skills needed (a) to critically evaluate the statistics you will encounter elsewhere in your coursework -- and in everyday life -- and (b) to begin conducting statistical analyses of empirical data on your own (e.g., in lab courses, independent study projects, etc.).

My approach in teaching this course is to help you develop an intuitive understanding of the statistical methods we will learn.  This means going beyond rote memorization of abstract formulae.  It implies developing an appreciation for what the terms in those formulae stand for, and what the results of those formulae tell us about the underlying psychological phenomenon being investigated.  Statistics is an applied branch of mathematics.  As such, the statistics we will learn are best thought of as a means to an end, not an end in themselves.  For psychologists, statistics are important tools that help us better understand the causes and consequences of human and animal behavior.  Thus, as we learn about various statistical methods and procedures, we will always strive to keep one eye firmly focused on the research question we are ultimately seeking to answer via a statistical analysis of empirical data.  By doing so, I believe that students can acquire a richer, more complete appreciation for the meaning of the statistical principles we will be studying together.

The one piece of equipment that you must own for this course is a hand calculator.  It is very important that your calculator be able to compute (a) sums and (b) sums of squares.  That is, you should be able to enter a series of numbers (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5), and then press either one or two other buttons to obtain both the sum of those numbers (15) and the sum of the squares of those numbers (55).  These are operations that you will need to perform on every weekly homework assignment as well as on the exams, and it is critical that you be able to perform them quickly and accurately on your calculator.  Every calculator can compute sums.  But only a few can compute sums of squares in the way just described.  If you already own a calculator and do not know whether it can perform the sum-of-squares function, consult your owner's manual (it many not be obvious from looking at the calculator itself).  If you do not own a calculator, or you own one that cannot perform this function, I recommend that you consider buying a Texas Instruments TI-30X IIS (solar) or TI-30X IIB (battery).  This simple calculator is available in the UIC bookstore for under $20.  In the first week of the semester we will learn how to compute sums and sums of squares on the TI-30X IIS.  If you own any other calculator, the course TAs and I may or may not be able to show you how to compute these quantities on it -- it depends on the calculator.

• You definitely DO NOT need a fancy graphing calculator for this course.  If you already own a graphing calculator, but are not proficient in using it, I again recommend that you consider buying the less-complicated TI-30X IIS.  You will find the TI-30X IIS much easier to operate.  Using an unnecessarily complex calculator can sometimes be a nagging source of frustration and error.  Eliminating this frustration is often well worth the expense of a new calculator. 

The great 20th-century American philosopher/film-maker, Woody Allen, has been quote as saying that "eighty percent of success is showing up" (Peters & Waterman, 1982).  Nowhere is this more true than in this course.  Class attendance is very important, and can significantly affect your course grade.  My experience in teaching this course over the years is that students who attend class every day end up with better grades than those who do not.  More than any other class you will take in Psychology, this one follows a "building-block" model -- concepts presented early in the semester are essential building blocks that are needed to understand concepts encountered later on, and each lecture builds on those that have gone before.  Students with poor attendance records, and those who are chronically late or who regularly leave early, often miss key concepts presented in their absence.  Later those same students become lost when they need to apply the missed concepts in new ways.  I do not penalize students for missing class, because those who miss class already penalize themselves.

The weekly reading assignments are listed in the following table.  They all come from the textbook by Gravetter & Wallnau (2008).  A complete reference for the textbook is given below.  It is available in the UIC bookstore.  Please bring your textbook with you to class and to your discussion section meetings.  The textbook contains a number of important tables that we will refer to throughout the semester, especially once we begin studying probability and statistical inference, which starts in Week 7.

Gravetter, F. J., & Wallnau, L. B. (2008).  Essentials of Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences (6th Edition).  Belmont, CA:  Thomson/Wadsworth.

• NB:  You will get substantially more out of the lectures if you read each chapter BEFORE it is covered in class.  It is not essential that you understand everything on this first reading.  What is essential is that you (a) try to understand it, (b) get a complete picture of exactly what material is covered in each chapter, and (c) identify those portions of each chapter that are most difficult for you.  Students who read the assignments in advance are able to ask better questions during class, and are better able to integrate the content of the lectures with what is presented in the book.  As a result, they learn the material better, and perform better on both the homework and the exams.

• NB:  You will get significantly more out of the discussion section meetings if you print and carefully study each week's assignment before your discussion section meets. This includes thinking through the approach you will take to working the problems, and reviewing the formulae you will need to apply.  This preparatory work will help identify uncertainties you may have about the assignment, and so enable you to ask better questions and get these issues cleared up by the TA during the discussion section meeting, before you start the assignment in earnest.

• There are three exceptions to the Thursday-to-Thursday homework schedule.


• First, Homework Assignment 1 is to take a math quiz, which will be given during discussion section on Friday of Week 1 [see below of a description of Homework Assignment 1].


• Second, Homework Assignment 5 (due in Week 5) will be posted on the course web site on Tuesday of Week 4, and will be due at the beginning of class the following Tuesday (i.e. this will be a Tuesday-to-Tuesday cycle, not a Thursday-to-Thursday cycle).  I will post the solutions for that homework immediately after class on Tuesday of Week 5.  I am modifying the homework schedule for this week so that you can evaluate the accuracy of your homework answers, and determine where you made mistakes (if any), prior to taking Exam 1.  Exam 1 will include material covered in Homework Assignment 5.


• Third, Homework Assignment 10 (due in Week 10) will be posted on the course web site on Tuesday of Week 9, and will be due at the beginning of class the following Tuesday (i.e. this will again be a Tuesday-to-Tuesday rather than Thursday-to-Thursday cycle).  I will again post the solutions for that homework immediately after class on Tuesday of Week 10 so that you can check your homework answers prior to taking Exam 2 (which will include material covered in Homework Assignment 10).

You should anticipate that each homework assignment will take from 2 to 4 hours to complete, on average.  Please keep the following in mind when doing the homework:
 

(1)	Show all of your work!  Do not simply report the final answer for a problem.  Show the computations that produced that answer.  If it turns out that your final answer is incorrect, it may still be possible for you to earn partial credit for the problem if some parts of it are done correctly.  This can happen, however, only if you have shown all of your work, so that all of the intermediate steps can be traced.
(2)	Neatness counts!  If you show all your work, but it is illegible or is presented in such a disorganized fashion that it cannot be followed in a logical, step-by-step sequence, then again it is difficult to assign partial credit.  In the spirit of neatness, please adhere to the following rules: All homework must be done on lined graph paper (but do not use logarithmic paper).  Homework that is not done on graph paper will not be accepted. Start each problem on a new sheet of paper.  Use only the front side of the page. Clearly label each problem number and part letter.  Number the pages consecutively. Problems will usually have multiple parts (Part a, b, c, etc.).  Work each part in order.  Spread out your work vertically leaving extra space between parts. Construct all tables so that columns of numbers in the table are neat, vertical, and evenly spaced.  Use the lines on the graph paper as a guide.  All columns should be clearly labeled with column headings. Construct all graphs using the lines on the graph paper as a guide.  All lines should be drawn with a straight-edge.  Be sure to label each axis clearly.  Also be sure to label any "tick marks" that you use. Double-underline your final answer to each part of each problem (if it is a numerical result) so that it can be easily identified. Staple (do not paper clip) the pages together before turning them in, making sure that they are in proper numerical sequence.
(3)	Late homeworks, homeworks that are not done on lined graph paper, and homeworks that are not done neatly, will not be accepted.  If you are unable to turn in a homework by the due date, you will receive a 0 for that homework.  If you are having trouble with a homework problem, please see either me (Dr. Larson) or your TA so that we can help you get the assignment completed and turned in on time.

Homework Assignment 1:  Assessing Your Math Skills

To do well in this course it is important that you have a basic understanding of high school algebra, and that you be able to perform simple algebraic operations quickly and accurately.  I assume that you mastered these skills at some point in the past, although you may be a little rusty now.  To help you get back up to speed on your math skills, Homework Assignment 1 is simply to review Appendix A (pp. 505-526) in Gravetter & Wallnau (2008), the textbook for the course, and then take a brief test on this material during your discussion section meeting on Friday of Week 1.  The test will consist of 40 simple problems like those in Appendix A.  You will be given only 20 minutes for this test, so you must be able to do these kinds of problems quickly and accurately.  A calculator may be used for this test, but in most cases the problems will be simple enough that you should be able to do them in your head.  Be sure to complete your review before Friday of Week 1.  I strongly recommend that you begin by taking the "Skill Assessment Preview Exam" at the beginning of Appendix A (p. 506).  You should be able to complete it in 30 minutes or less.  Any errors that you make on this exam will help you identify the sections of Appendix A that you should pay particular attention to and study especially carefully.  Then take the "Skill Assessment Final Exam" at the end of Appendix A (p. 524-525) to make sure that you have corrected any weaknesses identified by the Preview Exam.

• The score you obtain on the math test taken during your Week 1 discussion section will carry the same weight (for grading purposes) as any other homework assignment (i.e., it will be worth 20 homework points). However, unlike the other assignments, the score on Homework Assignment 1 may not be dropped (see below under Grading).

Three exams will be given.  Each exam will consist of two parts: a true/false portion, and a computational portion.  The true/false portion is self-explanatory.  On the computational portion you will be asked to use formulae to solve problems.  The exam schedule is as follows:

Your grade for the course will be based on your performance on 13 homework assignments and three exams.

Homework Assignments

A total of 15 homework assignments will be made, with each worth a maximum of 20 homework points.  However, your 2 lowest scores from Homeworks 2-15 will be dropped (your score from Homework 1 may not be dropped).  Thus, you can earn a maximum of 13 x 20 = 260 homework points, and these will count for 40 percent of your overall course grade.

Exams

Three exams will be given that, in combination, will count for 60 percent of your overall course grade.  Exam 1, which will be the shortest of the three, will count for 16 percent of your grade.  Exam 2 will count for 20 percent.  Exam 3, the longest of the three, will count for 24 percent of your course grade.

Grade Computation

The three exams will each be scored on a percent-correct basis, and so will each be worth a maximum of 100 exam percentage points (see table below).  The percentage of points you earn (out of 260) on your best 13 homeworks will also be computed (i.e. dropping the lowest two scores from Homeworks 2-15).  These four percentages will be multiplied by the grade weights shown in the table below, and then added together to create your total grade percentage score.

Students with disabilities who require accommodation for access and participation in this course should contact me (Dr. Larson) as soon as possible after the start of the semester.  All such students must be registered with the Office of Disability Services (ODS).  Please contact ODS at 312-413-2183 (voice) or 312-413-0123 (TTY).

Students may drop courses without penalty during the first ten days of the semester (through Friday of Week 2).  From Week 3 through Week 10 students are entitled to a total of 4 "late drops" during their enrollment in UIC.  To "late drop" a course, students must see an LAS advisor.  The LAS Advising Office is located on the third floor of University Hall.  Advisors may be seen by appointment (996-3366), or during advising walk-in days (Tuesdays, 8:30a to 11:30a, and 1:00p to 3:30p).