Psychology 3800F-001 (Online for 2020-21)
Psychological Statistics Using Computers
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
This course covers most statistical procedures used in psychological research, and the use and interpretation of SPSS for Windows. Topics covered include the t test, various forms of analysis of variance, chi-square, bivariate and multiple regression and correlation, factor analysis, multivariate analysis of variance, and Monte Carlo methods.
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 in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.
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.
2 lecture hours, 2 laboratory hours; 0.5 course
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Dr. Xuan Pan
Office Hours and Room: by appointment
Email: xpan55@uwo.ca
Lab Section 002:
Teaching Assistant: Chenglin Lou
Office Hours and Room: by appointment
Email: clou6@uwo.ca
Lab Section 003:
Teaching Assistant: Ana Ruiz Pardo
Office Hours and Room: by appointment
Email: aruizpar@uwo.ca
The primary delivery of course content will be through the online audio "lectures" (webcasts) posted on the course OWL site and the readings from an optional textbook. The webcasts are slides accompanied by audio commentary (by Instructor and Teaching Assistants). In addition, .pdf copies of the lecture slides (without audio) will be available for download. These files should play on PC and Mac. Students may access the course materials at times that are convenient for them. Each lecture video is locked until the week in which we will cover that material. In other words, next week's lecture is locked until 12.00 am Monday morning (lab videos will be available 12:00 am Thursday morning).
Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Mental Health@Western
http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for a complete list of options about how to obtain help.
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 Student Accessibility Services (formerly known as Services for Students with Disabilities) at 519-661-2147.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
Optional: Gardner, R. C. & Tremblay, P. F. (2006). Essentials of Data Analysis. Theory and Computer Applications. Printed by the University Book Store.
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course introduces students to research methodology and statistical analysis using the SPSS software package. Other computer applications for creating data files and conducting secondary analyses are surveyed briefly. The lectures present a balance of the theory, the rationale, interpretation, and detailed examples of key univariate and multivariate statistical procedures.
The laboratories will provide students with the opportunity to conduct statistical analyses using SPSS and other secondary software packages and to report their findings using APA style reports. Students can access SPSS remotely using MyVLab to do their SPSS assignments for this course. More details will be posted on the course OWL site.
4.1 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
|
Learning Outcome |
Learning Activity |
Assessment |
|
Depth and Breadth of Knowledge. Recommend and justify an appropriate statistical procedure to use for a given research question or hypothesis. Differentiate between the statistical procedures in terms of their permissible applications based on the scale properties of the data. |
Ten weekly labs are designed to develop applied knowledge of the statistical procedures. In each lab, a problem is presented with a data set or with a request to generate simulated data with specific properties. The labs are described in tutorials led by graduate student TAs. Students develop the research hypotheses, analyze the data, and write a research report. |
10 Assignments Final Exam |
|
Application of Knowledge & Methodologies. Develop research questions and generate hypotheses to address specific research questions and analyze data using appropriate descriptive and inferential statistical procedures. |
For each of the ten procedures presented in class, students have the opportunity in the weekly labs to apply the procedure to a real research problem that addresses real challenges such as violations of assumptions or lack of statistical power. For the final exam, students choose and carry out the appropriate analyses based on given questions, and report the results and findings. |
10 Assignments Final Exam |
|
Communication Skills. Write research reports clearly and effectively in a way that a reader would have the necessary instructions to replicate their study and the necessary information to interpret their results. |
Students have the opportunity to develop their research writing skills through weekly reports, receive weekly written feedback from their TAs. This structure helps address timely correction of problems or fine tuning of writing format in specific areas of the report. |
10 Assignments |
|
Awareness of Limits of Knowledge. Describe, critique, and justify their research methodology especially in the discussion section of their research reports. Generate ways to improve upon their research methodology. |
Feedback from TAs on the lab reports highlights any needed correction in the interpretation of results and limitations. The lab assignments include questions that specifically address the limits of what can be concluded from the results. |
10 Assignments |
|
Autonomy and Professional Capacity. Demonstrate their capacity to work independently and in an ethical manner by producing their own written work and meeting the timelines for the 10 reports. |
Students are responsible for 10 weekly lab reports, and must produce their own original reports. |
10 Assignments
|
5.0 EVALUATION
Laboratory Assignments: 60% in total (6% x 10 labs). There will be 10 lab assignments, each requiring a written report. These will be graded by the Teaching Assistant. All assignments must be uploaded to the course OWL site no later than the deadline (5:00 pm on Thursdays). Late assignments will not be graded and will be given a grade of 0. Students are responsible for their own assignments— copying assignments constitutes plagiarism. The Laboratory Assignment grade is the mean grade obtained in the 10 assignments. These 10 assignments together constitute the written component of 2,500 words required for a half-year essay course.
Final Exam: 40%. The final exam will be held online on OWL and will be 3 hours long. The final exam will be based on all materials presented in lectures and laboratories and will be short answer essay (a paragraph or two) format. Students will carry out the appropriate analyses based on given data sets and research questions, and report the results and findings.
Note that per departmental policy, course grades will NOT be rounded.
PLEASE NOTE: Because this is an essay course, as per Senate Regulations, you must pass the essay component to pass the course. That is, the average mark for your written assignments must be at least 50%.
This course is exempt from the Senate requirement that students receive assessment of their work accounting for at least 15% of their final grade at least three full days before the date of the deadline for withdrawal from a course without academic penalty.
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 ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION SCHEDULE
Assignment % of the grade Due date
t-tests 6 Sept. 24
Monte C. 6 Oct. 1
ANOVA (oneway) 6 Oct. 8
ANOVA (factorial) 6 Oct. 15
ANOVA (repeated) 6 Oct. 22
ANOVA (split plot) 6 Oct. 29
Correlation 6 Nov. 19
Multiple regression 6 Nov. 26
Factor analysis 6 Dec. 3
Chi-square 6 Dec. 10
Deadlines are strictly enforced. Full marks for each assignment will be lost if you miss the deadline. Late assignments will not be graded and will be given a grade of 0. Extensions will be granted only for documented health reasons, self-reported absence or on documented compassionate grounds.
The final exam will be set by the Registrar’s Office during the official examination period and will be 3 hours long. If a student misses the final exam due to sickness or other acceptable excuse the student must present an official document to the Academic Counselling Office in their home faculty justifying the absence and only in this situation a makeup exam will be arranged.
The final exam will be conducted using Zoom. You will be required to keep your camera on for the entire session, hold up your student card for identification purposes, and share your screen with the invigilator if asked to do so at any time during the exam. The exam session will not be recorded. *
More information about the use of Zoom for exam invigilation is available in the Online Proctoring Guidelines at the following link:
https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/onlineproctorguidelines.pdf
Completion of the final exam will require you to have a reliable internet connection and a device that meets the system requirements for Zoom. Information about the system requirements are available at the following link:
https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us
* Please note that Zoom servers are located outside Canada. If you would prefer to use only your first name or a nickname to login to Zoom, please provide this information to the instructor in advance of the final exam.
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
Week 1 (Sept. 14) – t-tests
Week 2 (Sept. 21) – Monte Carlo simulation methods
Week 3 (Sept. 28) – Single Factor ANOVA
Week 4 (Oct. 5) – Factorial designs ANOVA
Week 5 (Oct. 13) – Repeated measures ANOVA
Week 6 (Oct. 19) – Split plot (mixed design) ANOVA
Week 7 (Oct. 26) – Bivariate correlation and regression
Week 8 (Nov. 2) – No Class (Fall Reading Week)
Week 9 (Nov. 9) – Multiple correlation and regression
Week 10 (Nov. 16) – Factor analysis
Week 11 (Nov. 23) – Chi-square tests
Week 12 (Nov. 30) – Review
8.0 STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES
Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offences. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offences because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offence 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 offences. 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).
Computer-marked multiple-choice tests and/or exams will be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating.
In classes that involve the use of a personal response system (PRS), data collected using the PRS will only be used in a manner consistent to that described in this outline. It is the instructor’s responsibility to make every effort to ensure that data remain confidential. However, students should be aware that as with all forms of electronic communication, privacy is not guaranteed. Your PRS login credentials are for your sole use only. Students attempting to use another student’s credentials to submit data through the PRS may be subject to academic misconduct proceedings.
Possible penalties for a scholastic offence include failure of the assignment/exam, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.
9.0 POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR ILLNESS OR OTHER ABSENCES
Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?PolicyCategoryID=1&Command=showCategory&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12
The full policy for consideration for absences can be accessed at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/Academic_Consideration_for_absences.pdf
If you experience an extenuating circumstance (e.g., illness, injury) sufficiently significant to temporarily make you unable to meet academic requirements, you may request accommodation through the following routes:
- Submitting a Self-Reported Absence form (for circumstances that are expected to resolve within 48 hours);
- For medical absences, submitting a Student Medical Certificate (SMC) signed by a licensed medical or mental health practitioner in order to be eligible for Academic Consideration;
- For non-medical absences, submitting appropriate documentation (e.g., obituary, police report, accident report, court order, etc.) to Academic Counselling in their Faculty of registration in order to be eligible for academic consideration. Students are encouraged to contact their Academic Counselling unit to clarify what documentation is appropriate.
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation. The self-reported absence form must be submitted before the exam/coursework deadline in order to be valid. It may NOT be used for absences longer than 48 hours; coursework/tests/exams/etc., worth more than 30% of the final grade; or exams scheduled in the December or April final-exam periods: http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
Students seeking academic consideration:
- are advised to consider carefully the implications of postponing tests or midterm exams or delaying handing in work;
- are encouraged to make appropriate decisions based on their specific circumstances, recognizing that minor ailments (upset stomach) or upsets (argument with a friend) are not normally an appropriate basis for a self-reported absence;
- must communicate with their instructors no later than 24 hoursafter the end of the period covered by either the self-reported absence or SMC, or immediately upon their return following a documented absence
10.0 Contingency Plan for Return to Lockdown
In the event of a COVID-19 resurgence during the course that necessitates the course delivery moving away from face-to-face interaction, all remaining course content will be delivered entirely online, either synchronously (i.e., at the times indicated in the timetable) or asynchronously (e.g., posted on OWL for students to view at their convenience). The grading scheme will not change. Any remaining assessments will also be conducted online as determined by the course instructor.
11.0 STATEMENTS CONCERNING ONLINE ETIQUETTE
In courses involving online interactions, the Psychology Department expects students to honour the following rules of etiquette:
- please “arrive” to class on time
- please use your computer and/or laptop if possible (as opposed to a cell phone or tablet)
- please ensure that you are in a private location to protect the confidentiality of discussions in the event that a class discussion deals with sensitive or personal material
- to minimize background noise, kindly mute your microphone for the entire class until you are invited to speak, unless directed otherwise
- In classes larger than 30 participants please turn off your video camera for the entire class unless you are invited to speak
- In classes of 30 students or fewer, where video chat procedures are being used, please be prepared to turn your video camera off at the instructor’s request if the internet connection becomes unstable
- Unless invited by your instructor, do not share your screen in the meeting
The course instructor will act as moderator for the class and will deal with any questions from participants. To participate please consider the following:
- If you wish to speak, use the “raise hand” function and wait for the instructor to acknowledge you before beginning your comment or question.
- Please remember to unmute your microphone and turn on your video camera before speaking.
- Self-identify when speaking.
- Please remember to mute your mic and turn off your video camera after speaking (unless directed otherwise).
General considerations of “netiquette”:
- Keep in mind the different cultural and linguistic backgrounds of the students in the course.
- Be courteous toward the instructor, your colleagues, and authors whose work you are discussing.
- Be respectful of the diversity of viewpoints that you will encounter in the class and in your readings. The exchange of diverse ideas and opinions is part of the scholarly environment. “Flaming” is never appropriate.
- Be professional and scholarly in all online postings. Use proper grammar and spelling. Cite the ideas of others appropriately.
Note that disruptive behaviour of any type during online classes, including inappropriate use of the chat function, is unacceptable. Students found guilty of Zoom-bombing a class or of other serious online offenses may be subject to disciplinary measures under the Code of Student Conduct.
12.0 OTHER INFORMATION
Office of the Registrar: http://registrar.uwo.ca
Student Development Services: 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
- 2020-2021 Calendar References
Copyright Statement: Lectures and course materials, including power point presentations, outlines, videos and similar materials, are protected by copyright. You may take notes and make copies of course materials for your own educational use. You may not record lectures, reproduce (or allow others to reproduce), post or distribute any course materials publicly and/or for commercial purposes without the instructor’s written consent.
