2820E-650

Psychology 2820E-650

Research Methods and Statistical Analysis 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

An introduction to the design, conduct, and statistical analyses of psychological research. The intent is to provide students with knowledge of how to implement and evaluate research in both laboratory and applied settings. Design and statistical analysis will be taught in the context of specific studies and data sets from correlational, experimental, quasi-experimental and qualitative research. Written research projects will be required.

 

Antirequisites: Biology 2244A/B, Economics 2122A/B, 2222A/B, Geography 2210A/B, Health Sciences 3801A/B, MOS 2242A/B, Psychology 2855F/G and 2856F/G, 2800E, 2810, 2830A/B, 2840F/G, 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 course 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 be taken. The combination of Mathematics 1228A/B and Statistical Sciences 1024A/B is strongly recommended.

1.0 course

 

Unless you have either the prerequisites 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. Livia Veselka                            

       Office:              SSC 7439/7440

       Office Hours:    by appointment                   

       Email:               lveselka@uwo.ca


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

   3.1 REQUIRED

Haslam, S. M., & McGarty, C. (2014). Research methods and statistics in psychology (2nd ed.). London, UK: Sage.

In addition to purchasing the required textbook, please also ensure that you have access to a reliable calculator with a “STAT mode”. All brands of calculator are acceptable. However, the Sharp brand calculator will be used by your instructor in demonstrating how to carry out calculations in this course. As a result, if you are not comfortable using calculator functions, it is recommended that you purchase a Sharp calculator, ideally a D.A.L. model.

 

   3.2 SUGGESTED

American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

It is not necessary to purchase a copy of this resource, as copies of the book are available at a number of the on-campus libraries, including the D.B. Weldon Library. There also many websites online that provide guidelines pertaining to APA style. However, if you do plan on continuing your studies in the area of psychology, this text may prove to be a good investment. 


4.0    COURSE OBJECTIVES

In this course, we will discuss several methods used to conduct research in psychology. In the first part of the course, we will discuss topics that researchers must consider whenever they design and implement any research project. These topics include generating research ideas, ethical aspects of the research project, issues of validity and reliability, and how to form the sample(s) of participants to be used in the research. Following these general considerations in conducting research, we will consider how each of these issues is involved in individual research designs and describe, with the aid of specific examples, how each of the research designs would be implemented. In order to introduce students to statistical analyses, typical methods of analyzing data collected in each of the individual research designs will be presented during the discussion of each design.

   4.1    STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

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

 

  • compare and critique a variety of methods employed in psychological investigations (Exam 1)
  • identify the correct statistical procedures that should be used to address specific research questions (Exam 2, Exam 3)
  • use a number of mathematical and statistical formulae to compute a variety of statistics and related values (Exam 2, Exam 3)
  • articulate clear and concise research hypotheses pertaining to an area of study in psychology (stage 1: research topic proposal)
  • integrate findings and theories from academic sources to develop a sound rationale for assessing a set of hypotheses (stage 2: annotated bibliography; stage 3: introduction)
  • design a feasible and ethical research study that effectively tests a set of hypotheses (stage 4: method)
  • apply the correct statistical procedures to a specific research problem, and work out basic statistical procedures by hand (stage 5: results)
  • produce a research report that describes and summarizes a research investigation using APA format  (stage 6: final paper)

5.0     EVALUATION

There are two major components to this course: the lecture component and the lab component. The lecture component will provide the background information for progressing through the various topics to be covered. The lab component is intended to give students first-hand experience with the research process, including the generation of a sound research idea, literature search in support of that idea, ethic review, data collection and analysis, and writing a research paper suitable for journal submission.

 

Additional details regarding the expectations and grading criteria for each of these components of the course will be available on the OWL course website.

 

 

5.1 LECTURE COMPONENT (50%)

 

Student evaluation in the lecture portion of the course will be based on three exams:

 

Exam 1

20%

Exam 2

15%

Exam 3

15%

      

Exams in the course may include any of the following formats: multiple-choice, short-answer, long-answer, and calculation/word problems. All exams will be closed-book and non-cumulative in nature, and they will be written either on campus or at a designated exam centre. Each exam will cover the modules leading up to that session, including textbook material, lecture material, and supplementary readings and resources. Exams will not be returned to students but may be reviewed in the instructor’s office.

 

 

5.2 LAB COMPONENT (50%)

 

Student evaluation in the lab portion of the course will be based on a research project, which each student will complete in stages. For this research project, students will develop a research idea and corresponding hypotheses, carry out a small-scale study to test their hypotheses, and produce a complete research report in APA format describing their rationale, procedure, and findings. The stages of the research project are listed below:

 

Stage 1

Research topic proposal

pass/fail

Stage 2

Annotated bibliography

5%

Stage 3

Introduction

10%

Stage 4

Method

7.5%

Stage 5

Results

7.5%

Stage 6

Final paper

20%

 

In developing their research idea, students must consider the practical and ethical limitations on the type of research that can be conducted. Specifically, students are not allowed to develop any research hypothesis pertaining to sensitive issues (e.g., sexual practices or orientation, history of abuse, illegal drug use, body image issues) or to conduct a study that would require them to engage in any harmful or illegal behaviour. Further, it is not acceptable to conduct studies in preschools, elementary schools, secondary schools, or on individuals less than 16 years of age.

 

The instructor must approve all studies via the research topic proposal before the studies are carried out. Failure to submit a research topic proposal or failure to obtain a pass on the research topic proposal will prevent students from conducting a research project, and will result in a failing grade in the course.

 

 

 

5.2 CALCULATION OF THE FINAL COURSE GRADE

 

Students must separately pass both the lecture component and the lab component in order to the pass the course. The weighting of the lecture and lab will not be changed under any circumstances, and the requirement that students pass both the lecture and lab separately also will not be changed under any circumstances. 

 

Because you are required to separately pass both the lecture and lab component of this course, the situation may arise that your overall course grade would be a passing mark, but you fail the course because you fail either the lecture or lab. For this reason, the following section describes how final grades will be determined under three possible situations.

 

1. You pass both the lecture and the lab. 

In this case, your course grade will be calculated as the average of lecture and lab components.

2. You fail one of either the lecture or lab, but using the 50/50 lecture/lab split your calculated grade would have been a passing grade. 

Given that you fail one of either the lecture or lab, you automatically fail the course. However, the question arises as to what grade should appear as your course grade. In order to give a grade in this situation, it has been recommended that all such cases receive a grade of 48%, so as to not unduly lower your overall university average.

3. You fail one, or both, of the lecture or lab, and your overall course grade using the 50/50 split would be a failing grade. 

In this case, given that your overall grade would be an F, you will receive the actual calculated average based on your grades. Here, the grades for F could vary from 0-49%.  


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



6.0  TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE

Assessment

Date

Lecture

 

Exam 1

Saturday, November 12, 2016

Exam 2

Saturday, February 4, 2017

Exam 3

April exam period (April 9-30, 2017)

 

 

Lab

 

Research topic proposal

Friday, October 7, 2016

Annotated bibliography

Friday, October 21, 2016

Introduction

Friday, December 2, 2016

Method

Friday, January 27, 2017

Results

Friday, March 10, 2017

Final paper

Friday, April 7, 2017

 

The Office of the Registrar in combination with Distance Studies will arrange the times and locations at which the three course exams will be written. You are responsible for making the appropriate arrangements to ensure you can write on the date and time provided. Each exam is set for 2 hours.

 

Exams are scheduled to begin at 9AM, 2PM or 7PM. You should be prepared to write an exam at any of these times on the exam dates specified, although you will be notified of the exam time prior to the date of each exam, as soon as the exam schedules are finalized.

 

The various components of the lab research project will be submitted online via OWL. Each component must be submitted before 11:55 PM on the day it is due. 


7.0   CLASS SCHEDULE

This is an online course. However, the course is arranged to ensure that the schedule and evaluation reflect the same amount of time commitment that would be required in a face-to-face course. To succeed in this course, you will need to manage your time well, and pay close attention to the deadlines indicated on the lecture schedule below. If you encounter any problems accessing information or require material in a different format than what is provided, please contact the instructor immediately so the problem will not continue to a point where it affects your performance in the course.


Each week of the course represents a unique module, and each module will have a separate tab on the OWL course website, which will contain resources relevant to that module. Specifically, for each module, you will be provided with a video lecture that you can stream or download, and re-watch as needed. You will also be given the lecture slides in PDF and PowerPoint formats, as well as any applicable supplementary material. When viewing lecture videos, please be sure to take notes, as you would in a regular classroom setting. Note that the brief notes provided in the videos and lecture slides do not summarize exhaustively all information that is covered in each lecture.

Module content will be posted on or before the first day indicated on the lecture schedule, along with instructions regarding its completion. Due to holidays and testing deadlines, some modules may be shorter or longer than others. Each module, once opened, will remain visible for the duration of the course.

 

Note: the schedule listed below is subject to change, so make sure to monitor the course site closely for announcements and updates.

Fall, 2016

 

Module

Week

Topic and course content

Textbook chapters

1

Sept. 12

Introduction to research in psychology

Chapter 2

2

Sept. 19

Ethical considerations in psychology

 

Chapter 14

3

Sept. 26

Writing research reports in psychology

 

Appendix A

4

Oct. 3

Research methods in psychology

 

Chapter 3

 

Oct. 7

Research topic proposal due: pass/fail

Submit online by 11:55 PM (Eastern Time)

 

 

5

 

Oct. 10

Experimental design

Chapter 4

6

Oct. 17

Survey design

 

Chapter 5

 

Oct. 21

Annotated bibliography due: 5% of final grade

Submit online by 11:55 PM (Eastern Time)

 

 

 

Oct. 24

Fall Study Break: no lecture this week

 

 

7

 

Oct. 31

Qualitative methods

Chapter 12

 

Nov. 7

Review week

 

Chapter 5

 

 

Nov. 12

Exam #1 (2 hours): 15% of final grade

Time and location TBA

 

 

covers modules 1-7

 

8

Nov. 14

Descriptive statistics

 

Chapter 6

9

Nov. 21

Principles of statistical inference

 

Chapter 7

 

Nov. 28

Completion of Tri-Council ethics certification

 

https://tcps2core.ca/welcome

 

 

Dec. 2

Introduction due: 10% of final grade

Submit online by 11:55 PM (Eastern Time)

 

 

 

 

--Winter Holidays--

Winter, 2017

 

Module

Week

Topic and course content

Textbook chapters

10

Jan. 9

Single-sample hypothesis testing

Chapter 8

11

Jan. 16

Two-sample hypothesis testing (independent)

 

Chapter 8

12

Jan. 23

Two-sample hypothesis testing (dependent)

 

Chapter 8

 

Jan. 27

Method due: 7.5% of final grade

Submit online by 11:55 PM (Eastern Time)

 

 

 

Jan. 30

Review week

 

 

 

 

Feb. 4

Exam #2 (2 hours): 15% of final grade

Time and location TBA

 

covers modules 8-12

 

13

Feb. 6

Correlation

 

Chapter 9

14

Feb. 13

Regression

 

Chapter 9

 

Feb. 20

Reading Week: no lecture this week

 

 

15

Feb. 27

Single factor independent groups analysis of variance

 

Chapter 10

16

Mar. 6

Single factor repeated measures analysis of variance

 

Chapter 10

 

Mar. 10

Results due: 7.5% of final grade

Submit online by 11:55 PM (Eastern Time)

 

 

17

Mar. 13

Completely randomized factorial analysis of variance

 

Chapter 10

18

Mar. 20

Chi-square analysis of frequency data

 

Chapter 11

 

Mar. 27

Review week

 

 

 

Apr. 7

Final paper due: 20% of final grade

Submit online by 11:55 PM (Eastern Time)

 

 

 

 

Apr. 9-30

Exam #3 (2 hours): 20% of final grade

Will be scheduled by the Registrar’s Office

 

covers modules 13-18

 



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.