2810-001

Psychology 2810-001

Statistics for Psychology

If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.

1.0    CALENDAR DESCRIPTION

            Introduction to data analysis with particular reference to statistical procedures commonly used in psychological research. 

Antirequisites:  Biology 2244A/B, Economics 2122A/B, 2222A/B, Geography 2210A/B, Health Sciences 3801A/B, MOS 2242A/B, Psychology 2820E, 2830A/B, 2850A/B, 2851A/B, the former 2885, Social Work 2207A/B, the former 2205, Sociology 2205A/B, Statistical Sciences 2035, 2141A/B, 2143A/B, 2244A/B, 2858A/B and the former 2122A/B (and Statistical Sciences 2037A/B if taken before Fall 2010)

 

Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one can be taken for credit.  So if you take a course that is an antirequisite to a course previously taken, you will lose credit for the earlier course, regardless of the grade achieved in the most recent course.

 

Prerequisites:  One full course in Mathematics plus at least 60% in a 1000-level Psychology course.  To fulfill the Mathematics requirement you must complete a full course equivalent by taking 1.0 courses from among the following courses:  Applied Mathematics 1201A/B or the former Calculus 1201A/B, Mathematics 0110A/B, 1120A/B, 1225A/B, 1228A/B, 1229A/B, 1600A/B, Calculus 1000A/B, 1100A/B, 1301A/B, 1500A/B, 1501A/B, the former Linear Algebra 1600A/B, Statistical Sciences 1024A/B, the former Mathematics 030 and 031.

If Mathematics 0110A/B is selected, then either Statistical Sciences 1024A/B or Mathematics 1228A/B must also be taken.  The combination of Mathematics 1228A/B and Statistical Sciences 1024A/B is strongly recommended.

 

Unless you have either the prerequisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enrol in it, you may be removed from the course and it will be deleted from your record.  This decision may not be appealed.  You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.  Your attention to this matter will not only help protect your academic record but will also ensure that spaces are available for students who require this course for graduation.


2.0    COURSE INFORMATION

INSTRUCTOR                                              ASSISTANTS:         OFFICE:        OFFICE HRS:

AND COURSE         Stephen Lupker           Claire Wilson 7312 SSC        2:00-4:00 (W)            

COORDINATOR:                                         cwils26@uwo.ca

E-MAIL:                    lupker@uwo.ca           Anita Feher                7312 SSC        12:30-2:30 (W)           

OFFICE:          Rm. 7324 SSC          afeher2@uwo.ca       

PHONE:              661-2111, Ext. 84700      

OFFICE HRS:     11:00-12:00 (T)                                                                                                                                       11:00-12:00 (W)

                                   

Lecture:                        7:00-8:50, Tuesday - Room 2024 SSC

Tutorial 012:                4:30-6:20, Thursday - Room 4185 TH - TA: Claire

Tutorial 013:                7:00-8:50, Thursday - Room 4185 TH - TA: Claire

Tutorial 014:                10:30-12:20, Thursday - Room 4185 TH - TA: Anita

Tutorial 015:                9:30-11:20, Friday - Room 3024 SSC - TA: Anita


If you or someone you know is experiencing distress, there are several resources here at Western to assist you.  Please visit:  http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for more information on these resources and on mental health.

Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you. You may also wish to contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at 519-661-2111 ext 82147 for any specific question regarding an accommodation.

3.0  TEXTBOOK

TEXT:  McClave, J. T. & Sincich, T. (2017).  Statistics (13th edition).  Pearson. (Required)


4.0    COURSE OBJECTIVES

            My goal as your instructor is to teach you how to think statistically.  My hope is that when you have successfully completed the course, you will be able to analyze any situation in which statistical reasoning is called for and then accurately apply any of the techniques you have learned in the course.  What the course is not is a course in which you will be taught cookbook techniques for solving exam problems.

   4.1    STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

The goal of this course is to enable students to demonstrate:

 

  • that they know how to use a number of mathematical and statistical formulas to compute different statistics and related values

 

  • that they know how to perform a variety of statistical and data analytic procedures "by hand" (not on a computer)

 

  • that they can correctly calculate probabilities, evaluate probability distributions and carry out hypothesis testing/estimation procedures.

  • that they are able to recognize when it is appropriate to perform and then to successfully perform a number of statistical analyses including Z-tests, t-tests, F-tests (all varieties), chi-square tests, and regression/correlation analyses.

 

  • that they know how to analyze data and draw correct interpretations from the analyses in a variety of experimental and non-experimental contexts

 

The ways in which students will be assessed in order to evaluate the extent to which they have achieved these skills will include assignments, quizzes, and exams, and these will need to be completed within the times specified. 


5.0     EVALUATION


Although the Psychology Department does not require instructors to adjust their course grades to conform to specific targets, the expectation is that course marks will be distributed around the following averages:


70%     1000-level and 2000-level courses
72%     2190-2990 level courses
75%     3000-level courses
80%     4000-level courses
   
The Psychology Department follows the University of Western Ontario grading guidelines, which are as follows (see http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf ):

A+  90-100      One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level
A    80-89        Superior work that is clearly above average
B    70-79        Good work, meeting all requirements, and eminently satisfactory
C    60-69        Competent work, meeting requirements
D    50-59        Fair work, minimally acceptable
F    below 50    Fail

 

EVALUATION:

            There will be 2 mid-term examinations, the first around Halloween (on topics 1-5), the second in mid-March (topics 10-13), a Christmas Exam (topics 1-10), nearly weekly quizzes in the tutorials based almost entirely on the material presented that week in lecture (likely 18 of them), a comprehensive Final Exam and, of course, weekly assignments.  Exams and quizzes will be of the closed book variety.  Relevant tables and formulas will be available during the test periods.  Also, students should obtain calculators for use during the test periods.  For individuals who cannot attend their particular tutorial in a given week, it may be possible to make arrangements to attend another tutorial in order to take that week’s quiz.  In more extreme circumstances, arrangements may even be made to take the quiz at some other time Thursday or Friday of that same week.  An individual who misses a quiz because of illness will be excused only after presenting a written medical excuse, which is to be presented to an Academic Counsellor in their home faculty. NO QUIZZES WILL BE GIVEN AFTER 4:30 FRIDAY AFTERNOON UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, however, only the top 15 quiz scores for each student will be used when calculating the quiz average.  THERE WILL BE NO MAKEUP OR EARLY EXAMS FOR THE MID-TERM EXAMS, however, STUDENTS CAN BE EXCUSED FROM THESE EXAMS IF THE ACADEMIC COUNSELLOR RECOMMENDS TO THE INSTRUCTOR THAT AN ACCOMMODATION BE MADE. Finally, the Christmas and Final Exams will be given during the assigned exam times regardless of when those times are.  Makeups will only be given in extreme circumstances (i.e., health reasons) and, as with other exams, students will be required to have a legitimate, documented excuse for their absence, which, as noted above, is to be presented to an Academic Counsellor .  Thus, students are encouraged not to make travel arrangements before finding out when their exams are or risk receiving a 0 on the missed exam.  Please note that no electronic devices, including cell phones, will be allowed during exams

 

Final marks will be assigned according to the following guidelines.

 

Quizzes                       15%

Assignments                  5%

Midterm Exams          30%

Xmas Exam                 20%

Final Exam                  30%

                                    ______

                                    100%

 

            As noted above, the goal of this course is to teach you how to think statistically. Thus, the goal of the evaluations (exams and quizzes) is to measure how well you have learned to think statistically.  Thinking statistically involves many subskills, including (among others) the ability to reason both logically and numerically, the ability to retrieve numerical facts and relationships, the ability to recognize what concept needs to be applied in a particular situation to solve a certain problem and, of course, the ability to correctly carry out the relevant statistical procedures.

 

            The quizzes will give you the opportunity to demonstrate these abilities in a forum that is not time-constrained.  The exams, on the other hand, measure your ability to demonstrate these skills in a speeded situation.  It is quite possible that in some cases many of you may not feel that you have had sufficient time to show how much you know by “finishing” your exam.  That is to be expected.  How much you can accurately do in the allowed time period is, nonetheless, a good measure of how well you have mastered the material relative to the other students in the class.  The point to keep in mind here is that the goal of giving marks is to rate students relative to their peers.  As long as everyone is being evaluated in the same way, your mark on a speeded exam gives a very good gauge of your ability relative to other students.  In that sense, it is similar to how measuring running times in races gives the race judges the opportunity to judge the runners relative to one another.  What should also be noted, however, is that the mark you receive on these exams must always be looked at as a relative mark and not as an absolute mark.  At the end of the course, your relative marks will be scaled to produce a final mark that is indicative of your ability to think statistically.  Typically, this scaling procedure involves adding some number of points to your final mark

 

A set of optional problems (drawn from previous Christmas and Final Exams) will be available and can be purchased in hard copy for $10 or downloaded from the OWL website for this course.  I recommend that you obtain and do these problems.  In addition, from time to time (e.g., typically prior to the Christmas and Final Exams), sets of review problems will be posted on one of the websites.

MORE INFORMATION ON THE POLICY REGARDING MISSED EXAMS:

 

            Although there will be no make-up mid-term exams (or make-up quizzes after the Friday, 4:30 deadline), students are entitled to be excused from exams or quizzes for legitimate compassionate or medical reasons. In all cases, it is the student's responsibility to inform the instructor in a timely manner and to provide acceptable documentation to an Academic Counsellor in their home faculty to support a compassionate or medical claim or risk his/her claim being denied. These documents must indicate that the student was unable to attend the exam/quiz at the time it was given.  Statements indicating simply that the student visited a doctor at some point in time are insufficient.  If a final examination is missed, students must arrange for a Special Examination or an Incomplete through their Dean's office, for which they will, of course, be required to provide acceptable documentation.

 

Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:

http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/2016/pg117.html

 

Students must see the Academic Counsellor of their home faculty and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation:

http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html

 

 

            If you feel that you have a medical or personal problem that is interfering with your work, you should contact your instructor and the Faculty Academic Counselling Office as soon as possible.  Problems may then be documented (and submitted to the Academic Counselling Office) and possible arrangements to assist you can be discussed at the time of occurrence rather than on a retroactive basis.  In general, retroactive requests for grade revisions on compassionate or medical grounds will not be considered.  If you or someone you know is experiencing distress, there are several resources here at Western to assist you.  For more information on these resources and on mental health see http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/.

 

Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you. You may also wish to contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at 519-661-2111 ext 82147 for any specific question regarding an accommodation.



6.0  TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE


7.0   CLASS SCHEDULE

SEQUENCE OF TOPICS:

 

1.         Statistical Terminology                                   Chapter 1, Appendix A

2.         Descriptive Statistics                                      Sections 2.3 - 2.6

3.         Probability                                                       Chapter 3

4.         Discrete Random Variables                            Sections 4.1 - 4.4

5.         Normal Distributions                                      Sections 5.1, 5.3, 5.5

6.         Sampling Distributions                                   Sections 6.1, 6.3

7.         Estimation                                                       Sections 6.2, 7.1, 7.2, pp. 344-347

8.         Hypothesis Testing                                         Sections 8.1, 8.2, 8.4 (S)

9.         Beta                                                                 Section 8.7 (S)

10.       Single Sample Tests                                        Sections 7.3, 7.4, 8.5, 8.6, 7.6, 8.8 (S)

11.       Two Sample Tests                                           Sections 9.1, 9.2, 9.6, 9.3, 14.3 (on-line) (S)

12.       Analysis of Variance                                       Sections 10.1, 10.2, 10.4, 10.5 (S)

13.       Chi-Square                                                      Chapter 13

14.       Correlation and Regression                             Chapter 11

 

(S)  Indicates that coverage given these topics will include some information not contained in the book.

ASSIGNMENTS: 

            A problem set will be assigned each Tuesday in lecture.  This set will be due the following Tuesday.  These assignments will not be thoroughly graded but will be surveyed by your TA and recorded as being handed in.  Please write your name and your TA’s name on the top of your assignments and leave them in one of two piles (based on who your TA is) on the instructor’s desk before class.  For individuals who inadvertently leave their assignments at home, they may be turned in at the instructor's office any time before noon Wednesday.  Any assignments received after that time will not be accepted.



8.0     STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES

Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offenses. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offenses because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offense are described at the following link:  http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf

As of Sept. 1, 2009, the Department of Psychology will take the following steps to detect scholastic offenses. All multiple-choice tests and exams will be checked for similarities in the pattern of responses using reliable software, and records will be made of student seating locations in all tests and exams. All written assignments will be submitted to TurnItIn, a service designed to detect and deter plagiarism by comparing written material to over 5 billion pages of content located on the Internet or in TurnItIn’s databases. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between Western and Turnitin.com http://www.turnitin.com

Possible penalties for a scholastic offense include failure of the assignment, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.



9.0    POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR MEDICAL ILLNESS

Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/2016/pg117.html

Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation:
http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html


10.0        OTHER INFORMATION

Office of the Registrar web site:  http://registrar.uwo.ca

Student Development Services web site: http://www.sdc.uwo.ca

Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site for information on the following:

    http://psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/student_responsibilities/index.html

- Policy on Cheating and Academic Misconduct
- Procedures for Appealing Academic Evaluations
- Policy on Attendance
- Policy Regarding Makeup Exams and Extensions of Deadlines
- Policy for Assignments
- Short Absences
- Extended Absences
- Documentation
- Academic Concerns
- 2016 Calendar References

No electronic devices, including cell phones, will be allowed during exams.

PROCEDURES FOR APPEALING ACADEMIC EVALUATIONS:

 

            In the first instance, all appeals of a grade must be made to the course instructor (informal consultation).  If the student is not satisfied with the decision of the course instructor, a written appeal must be sent to the Executive Officer of Undergraduate Affairs.  If the response of the Department is considered unsatisfactory to the student, he/she may then appeal to the Dean of the Faculty in which the course or program was taken.  Only after receiving a final decision from the Dean may a student appeal to the Senate Review Board Academic.  A Guide to Appeals is available from the Ombudsperson's Office.