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.

Anti-requisites: Psychology 2820E, 2840F/G, 2855F/G and 2856F/G

Anti-requisites 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
2 lecture hours, 2 laboratory hours, 1.0 course

Unless you have either the requisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enroll 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 in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.

2.0    COURSE INFORMATION

Instructor:    Dr. Patrick Brown
Office and Phone Number:    SSC 7328 / 661-21101 Ext. 84680
Office Hours:    Tuesdays 1:30 – 3:30
Email:    brown5@uwo.ca
Course Coordinator:    Dr. Patrick Brown

Teaching Assistant: See lab outline

Time and Location of Classes: Wednesday 7:00 – 9:00 pm / SSC 2024

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 (10th edition). Pearson Education Inc.

4.0    COURSE OBJECTIVES

This course provides an introduction to 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.

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/handbook/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

The course requirements, along with relative weightings in the determination of final grades, are listed below:

Midterm #1 (Fall term)                                     10%
Mid-year Exam (December)                               15%
Midterm #2 (Winter term)                                  10%
Final Exam (April)                                             15%
Laboratory Component    50% (see lab outline for details)

All tests and exams will contain both essay and multiple-choice questions, and will be based on both the textbook and lecture material. The Mid-year Exam will cover the entire first term’s material. The Final Exam will cover the entire second term’s material.

For details on the marking scheme for the lab component of the course, see the lab outline provided during the first lab meeting.

6.0  TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE

Fall midterm    November 4, 2015 (during class in regular classroom)

Mid-year exam    Scheduled by Registrar – during exam period: December 11 – 22, 2015

Winter midterm    March 2, 2016 (during class in regular classroom)

Final exam    Scheduled by Registrar – during exam period: April 9 – 30, 2016

7.0   CLASS SCHEDULE

Date

 

Sept 16

Topic

 

Introduction – Psychology as a science

White

 

1

Stanovich

 

1

Sept 23

Characteristics of the scientific method

1

2

Sept 30

Ethics in research

3

 

Oct 7

Ethics in research

3

 

Oct 14

Developing a research question

2

 

Oct 21

Oct 28

Communication in science

Surveys (1)

4

9*

4

5*

*Note: these chapters will be tested on the December Exam

Nov 4  Fall Midterm – Chapters: White 1, 2, 3, 4 / Stanovich 1, 2, 4 + corresponding lectures

Nov 11

Surveys (2)

9

5

Nov 18

Variables

5

3

Nov 25

Tables & graphs (1)

14

 

Dec 2

Validity of argument (1)

6

11

Dec 9

Validity of argument (2)

6

11

Mid-year exam – Scheduled by registrar – Chapters: White 1 – 6, 9, 14 / Stanovich 1 – 5, 11 + corresponding lectures

Jan 6

Control

7

6

Jan 13

Non-experimental approaches

8

7

Jan 20

True experiments – Between Subjects

10

8

Jan 27

True experiments – Between Subjects

10

8

Feb 3

True experiments – Within Subjects

10

 

Feb 10

True experiments – Within Subjects

10

 

Feb 17

Reading Week – no classes

 

 

Feb 24

True experiments – factorial designs (1)

11**

9**

March 2 Winter Midterm Exam – Chapters: White 7, 8, 10 / Stanovich 6, 7, 8 + corresponding lectures

March 9

True experiments – factorial designs (1)

11

9

March 16

N = 1 experiments

12

10

March 23

Case studies

12

 

March 30

Quasi-experiments

13

12

April 6

Program evaluation

13

 

Final exam – Scheduled by registrar – 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

The University of Western Ontario’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/2015/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
- 2015 Calendar References

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