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2800E-001

Psychology 2800E-001

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 antirequisite 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

2.0    COURSE INFORMATION

Instructor:                                            Dr. Patrick Brown

Office and Phone Number:                     SSC 7328 / 519-661-2111 Ext. 84680

Office Hours:                                      Tuesdays 1:30 – 3:30

Email:                                               brown5@uwo.ca

Course Coordinator:                          Dr. Patrick Brown

Teaching Assistant:                           Introduced in first lab class

Office:                                                    Announced in first lab class

Office Hours:                                       Announced in first lab class

Email:                                                    Announced in first lab class  

Time and Location of Classes:              Thursday, 1:30 – 3:30 / SSC-2032

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.

   4.1    STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, the successful student should be able to:  

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

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

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 textbook and class material. The November and March midterm exams will contain essay and multiple-choice questions. The mid-year exam (December) will cover the entire first term’s material. The final exam will cover the entire second term’s material.

6.0  TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE

Fall midterm (during class in regular classroom)                November 3, 2016

Mid-year exam scheduled by Registrar                          During exam period: December 10 – 21, 2016

Winter midterm (during class in regular classroom)           March 2, 2017

Final exam scheduled by Registrar                               During exam period: April 9 – 30, 2017

7.0   CLASS SCHEDULE

Date          Topic                                                                                             White                     Stanovich

Date          Topic                                                                                             White                     Stanovich 

Jan 5	Control	7	6
Jan 12	Non-experimental  approaches	8	7
Jan 19	True experiments – Between Groups Designs	10	8
Jan 26	True experiments – Between Groups Designs	10
Feb 2	True experiments – Within Subjects Designs	10
Feb 9	True experiments – Within Subjects Designs	10
Feb 16	True experiments – Factorial Designs (1)	11**	9**

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

Feb 23                    Reading Week – no classes

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

 

March 9	True experiments –Factorial Designs (2)	11
March 16	N = 1 experiments	12	10
March 23	Case studies	12
March 30	Quasi-experiments	13	12
April 6	Review

 

Final Exam – Scheduled by Registrar during Final Exam Period (April 9-30) – 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://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.