Psychology 2800E-002
Research Methods in 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
Using selected examples, this course will introduce students to the variety of ways to conduct
research in psychology. Topics to be covered include: the scientific approach; ethical issues in
human and animal research; designing, running, analyzing and writing up a research project;
experimental, observational and correlational research strategies.
Antirequisites: Psychology 2855F/G and 2856F/G, 2820E, 2840F/G
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 anti-requisite to a course previously taken, you will
lose credit for the earlier course, regardless of the grade achieved in the most recent course.
Prerequisite: At least 60% in a 1000 level Psychology course
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 this course and it will be deleted from your record. This
decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees if you are dropped from a
course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.
2 lecture hours and 2 laboratory hours, 1.0 course
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Dr. Patrick Brown
Office and Phone Number: SSC 7328 / ext. 84680
Office Hours: Wednesday 1:30 – 3:30
Email: brown5@uwo.ca
Teaching Assistant: Announced in first lab meeting
Office: TBA
Office Hours: TBA
Email: TBA
Time and Location of Classes: Wednesdays, 7:00 – 9:00 / SSC-2028
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
White, T.L. & McBurney, D.H. (2013). Research Methods (9th edition). Wadsworth, Cengage Learning
Stanovich, K.E. (2013). How to Think Straight about Psychology (11th edition). Pearson Education Inc.
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course introduces the ways in which research is conducted in psychology. We shall consider a wide
range of alternative research methods, including observation, archival research, questionnaire surveys,
case studies, and experimentation. We’ll also consider topics closely allied to research design, such as
ethics, report writing, and data presentation. In addition to providing training in research techniques
needed for third- and fourth-year psychology courses (e.g., Psychology 4850), it is expected that
Psychology 2800E will contribute significantly to the development of scientific thinking skills that
students can apply to their future careers and in everyday life.
Although this is a course in research design rather than statistical analysis, you will analyze data collected
in the laboratory component of the course, and that requires an understanding of fundamental
statistical concepts. If you do not have credit in Psychology 2810, it is recommended that you read
Chapter 15 of the White text early in the school year.
Students should note that lectures are complements for text chapters, not substitutes. Some material
appearing in the text will not be covered in lectures. Equally, some material covered in lectures will not
be found in the text. Students are responsible for understanding all course material, presented in lab,
lecture, and the texts.
4.1 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Outcome Evaluation
Access, interpret, and critically evaluate
appropriate research in psychology
Lab assignments – experiment proposal;
correlation study and experiment study reports
Evaluate the appropriateness of different
methodological approaches to address a specific
psychological question
Exam essay questions; Lab assignments –
experiment proposal and ethics review
Formulate a research hypothesis to address a
psychological question and design a research
project to test that hypothesis
Lab assignments – correlation study written report;
experiment proposal and written report, especially
Introduction and Method sections
Apply ethical standards to the practice of their own
research
Research proposal and ethics review form are
graded
Apply relevant quantitative skills to the analysis
and interpretation of psychological phenomena
Analysis of correlation study data and of
experiment study data, evaluated in the form of
Results sections for both papers
Use evidence to support claims Exam essay questions; Lab assignments –
correlation study and experiment reports,
particularly Discussion sections
Communicate in writing accurately, clearly and
logically, using the discourse of the discipline of
psychology
Lab assignment – Written reports on two research
projects (correlation study and experiment); Exam
short answer and essay questions; Essay exam
questions
Communicate orally accurately, clearly and
logically, using the discourse of the discipline of
psychology
Lab assignment – oral presentation of experiment
project results and conclusions
5.0 EVALUATION
Important Note: Because this is an essay course, as per Senate Regulations, you must pass the essay
component to pass the course. The lab component counts as the essay component of the course. That is,
the average mark for your written assignments in the lab must be at least 50% for you to pass the
course. This is a formal policy of the University, not a matter of the instructor’s discretion.
The course requirements, along with relative weightings in the determination of final grades, are:
Midterm #1 10%
Mid-year Exam 15%
Midterm #2 10%
Final Exam 15%
Laboratory Component 50% (see lab outline for details)
All tests and exams will be based on both the textbooks and lecture material. All exams for this course
will contain multiple-choice questions only.
• The Mid-Year exam will cover the entire first term’s material.
• The Mid-year exam will emphasize first term material not covered on the October midterm, but
the exam will contain some questions on chapters and lectures covered on the midterm.
• The Final exam will cover the entire second term’s material.
• The Final exam will emphasize second term material not covered on the March midterm, but the
exam will contain some questions on chapters and lectures covered on the midterm.
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 Western's 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
6.0 TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE
IMPORTANT: Please note that the Fall midterm and the Winter midterm will be held on Saturday
mornings (October 27 in the Fall term, March 2 in the Winter term), from 10 am – 12 pm.
Fall midterm – Saturday, October 27, 2018, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm in UCC 37, 41, & 146
Mid-year exam Scheduled by Registrar – During exam period: December 10-21, 2018
Winter midterm – Saturday, March 2, 2019, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm in UCC 37, 41, & 146
Final exam Scheduled by Registrar – During exam period: April 11 – April 30, 2019
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
Date Topic White StanovichSept 12 Introduction – Psychology as a science 1 1
Sept 19 Characteristics of the scientific method 1 2
Sept 26 Ethics in research 3
Oct 3 Developing a research question 2
Oct 10 Reading Week – no class
Oct 17 Communicating in Science 4 4
Oct 24 Exam review session
Fall Midterm – Saturday October 27 – White 1, 2, 3, 4 / Stanovich 1, 2, 4 + corresponding lectures
Oct 31 Surveys 9 5
Nov 7 Variables 5 3
Nov 14 Tables & graphs 14
Nov 21 Validity of argument (1) 6 11
Nov 28 Validity of argument (2) 6 11
Dec 5 Exam review session
Mid-year exam – Scheduled by registrar for Midyear Exam period (December 10-21) – Chapters: White 1
– 6, 9, 14 / Stanovich 1 – 5, 11 + corresponding lectures
Jan 9 Control 7 6
Jan 16 Non-experimental approaches 8 7
Jan 23 True experiments – One variable Designs 10 8
Jan 30 True experiments – One variable Designs 10
Feb 6 True experiments – One variable Designs 10
Feb 13 True experiments – Factorial Designs (1) 11*
Feb 20 Reading Week – no class
Feb 27 True experiments – Factorial Designs (2) 11* 9
*McBurney & White Chapter 11 will be tested on the Final Exam, not the midterm
Winter Midterm – Saturday, March 2 – White 7, 8, 10 / Stanovich 6, 7, 8 + corresponding lectures
March 6 N = 1 experiments 12 10
March 13 Case studies 12
March 20 Quasi-experiments 13 12
March 27 Program evaluation 13
April 3 Exam review
Final exam – Scheduled by Registrar for Final Exam period (April 11 – April 30, 2019) – Chapters: White 7,
8, 10 – 13 / Stanovich 6 – 10, 12 + corresponding lectures
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://westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?Command=showCategory&PolicyCategoryID=1&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12
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
- 2018 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones and smart watches, will be allowed during exams.
