Psychology 2810-001

Statistics for Psychology

If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.

 

 

Revised Jan 12, 2022

 

WESTERN UNIVERSITY

LONDON               CANADA

Department of Psychology

2021-2022

Psychology 2810    Section 001

STATISTICS FOR PSYCHOLOGY

 

1.0 CALENDAR DESCRIPTION

Introduction to data analysis with particular reference to statistical procedures commonly used in psychological research. 

Antirequisite: Biology 2244A/B, Economics 2122A/B, 2222A/B, Geography 2210A/B, Health Sciences 3801A/B, MOS 2242A/B, Psychology 2820E, 2830A/B, 2850A/B, 2851A/B, Social Work 2207A/B, Sociology 2205A/B, Statistical Sciences 2035, 2141A/B, 2143A/B, 2244A/B, 2858A/B, 2037A/B if taken prior to 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.

Prerequisite(s): One full course in mathematics plus a mark of at least 60% in 1.0 credits of Psychology at the 1000 level. To fulfill the mathematics requirement, you must complete a full course equivalent by taking 1.0 courses from among the following courses: Applied Mathematics 1201A/B, Applied Mathematics 1413, Mathematics 0110A/B, Mathematics 1120A/B, Mathematics 1225A/B, Mathematics 1228A/B, Mathematics 1229A/B, Mathematics 1600A/B, Calculus 1000A/B, Calculus 1301A/B, Calculus 1500A/B, Calculus 1501A/B, Statistical Sciences 1024A/B. 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.

Two lecture hours; Two tutorial hours; Course Weight: 1.0

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.

2.0  COURSE INFORMATION

Instructor:  J Bruce Morton                                             

Office: WIRB 5178   

Email:  bmorton3@uwo.ca 

Office Hours:  By appointment. 

               

Teaching Assistants:  

Aymee Alvarez Rivero <aalvare4@uwo.ca>

Megan Lindloff <mlindlof@uwo.ca>    

Zhuo Li <zli2455@uwo.ca>    

Zian Chi <zchi3@uwo.ca>

Cassidy Trahair <ctrahair@uwo.ca>

Office Hours: By appointment                                        

Time and Location of Lectures:  12:30 PM Tuesdays, B&GS-0165

Time and Location of Tutorials

  

Tutorial Section

Day

Time

Location

004-8876

Wednesday

10:30am to 12:20pm

STVH-1155

005-8877

Wednesday

12:30pm to 2:20pm

SSC-3026

006-8878

Thursday

9:30am to 11:20am

STVH-1155

007-8879

Thursday

12:30pm to 2:20pm

SH-3355

012-3254

Thursday

4:30pm to 6:20pm

STVH-3166

013-3255

Thursday

7:00pm to 8:50pm

STVH-3166

014-3256

Thursday

10:30am to 12:20pm

SH-3355

015-3925

Friday

9:30am to 11:20am

SSC-3010

Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Health and Wellness @Western https://www.uwo.ca/health/ 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

McClave, J. T. & Sincich, T. (2017).  Statistics (13th edition).  Pearson.

4.0  COURSE OBJECTIVES

The goal of the course is to teach you how to describe and draw statistical inferences from data. My hope is that when you have successfully completed the course, you will be able to analyze any situation in which statistical reasoning is called for and then accurately apply any of the techniques you have learned in the course. 

4.1  STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

The goal of this course is to enable students to demonstrate: 

       - that they can use MATLAB to perform basic computing operations

- that they know how to use a number of mathematical and statistical formulas to compute different statistics and related values 

- that they know how to perform a variety of statistical and data analytic procedures 

- that they can correctly calculate probabilities, evaluate probability distributions and carry out hypothesis testing/estimation procedures.

- that they are able to recognize when it is appropriate to perform and then to successfully perform a number of statistical analyses including Z-tests, t-tests, F-tests (all varieties), chi-square tests, and regression/correlation analyses. 

- that they know how to analyze data and draw correct interpretations from the analyses in a variety of experimental and non-experimental contexts 

The ways in which students will be assessed in order to evaluate the extent to which they have achieved these skills will include assignments, quizzes, and exams, and these will need to be completed within the times specified. 

Learning Outcome 

Learning Activity 

Assessment

Depth and Breadth of Knowledge.

Lectures, assignments & reading

Quizzes and Exams

Knowledge of Methodologies.

Lectures, assignments & reading

Quizzes and Exams

Application of Knowledge.

Lectures, assignments & reading

Quizzes and Exams

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5.0  EVALUATION

Students final grade in the course will be based on: (1) one in-class midterm examination on February 15th, 2022; (2) a December Exam scheduled by the registrar’s office; (3) a cumulative Final Exam scheduled by the registrar’s office; (4) quizzes administered during tutorials; and (5) weekly assignments. Students will be allowed bring their own personal computer to exams and use MATLAB for performing calculations during exams.  Students will be also be allowed to read annotated or unannotated PowerPoint slides from any PSY2810 lecture from this calendar year, or pdf copies thereof.  However, personal computers cannot under any circumstances, be connected to the internet during exams or quizzes. Computers must be used offline. Therefore, any MATLAB code or PowerPoint slides that are to be used during exams must be available to the student on the local drive of their personal computer. Students who would like to use any additional aids during exams may be permitted to do so, but must get written permission from the Instructor to do so and bring the signed permission with them to their quiz or exam. Relevant tables will be provided during the test periods. For individuals who are not available during their particular tutorial time in a given week, it may be possible to make arrangements to attend another tutorial in order to take that week’s quiz.  In more extreme circumstances, arrangements may even be made to take the quiz at some other time Thursday or Friday of that same week. No quizzes will be given after 4:30 Friday afternoon under any circumstances. Note, however, that only the top 5 quiz scores for each student will be used when calculating the quiz average, therefore, there is no real penalty for missing a quiz.  Note also that there will be no makeup or early exams for the mid-term or December exams, however, students can be excused from those exams if they have a legitimate, documented excuse issued by the Academic Counselling Office in their Faculty.  Finally, the December and Final Exams will be given during the assigned exam times regardless of when those times are.  Final exam makeups will only be given in extreme circumstances and, as with other exams, students will be required to have a legitimate, documented excuse for their absence issued by the Academic Counselling Office in their Faculty.  Thus, students are encouraged not to make travel arrangements before finding out when their exams are or risk receiving a 0 on the missed exam. With the exception of MATLAB, no computing aids will be allowed during exams or quizzes that occur in person. 


Final marks will be assigned according to the following guidelines.

Quizzes                                             5%

Statistics Assignments                 15%

MATLAB Assignment                   9%

Midterm Exam (2.0 hours)         31%

Xmas Exam (3.0 hours)               20%

Final Exam (3.0 hours)                20%

                                                ______

                                                100%

The quizzes will give you the opportunity to demonstrate these abilities in a forum that is not time-constrained.  The exams, on the other hand, measure your ability to demonstrate these skills in a speeded situation.  It is quite possible that in some cases many of you may not feel that you have had sufficient time to show how much you know by “finishing” your exam.  That is to be expected.  How much you can accurately do in the allowed time period is, nonetheless, a good measure of how well you have mastered the material relative to the other students in the class. As long as everyone is being evaluated in the same way, your mark on a speeded exam gives a very good gauge of your ability relative to other students.  In that sense, it is similar to how measuring running times in races gives the race judges the opportunity to judge the runners relative to one another.  What should also be noted, however, is that the mark you receive on these exams must always be looked at as a relative mark and not as an absolute mark.  

The expectation for course grades within the Psychology Department is that they will be distributed around the following averages:

70%     1000-level to 2099-level courses

72%     2100-2999-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

Note that in the event that course grades are significantly higher or lower than these averages, instructors may be required to make adjustments to course grades. Such adjustment might include the normalization of one or more course components and/or the re-weighting of various course components.

Policy on Grade Rounding: Please note that although course grades within the Psychology Department are rounded to the nearest whole number, no further grade rounding will be done. No additional assignments will be offered to enhance a final grade; nor will requests to change a grade because it is needed for a future program be considered. To maximize your grade, do your best on each and every assessment within the course.

6.0  ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION SCHEDULE

Assessment

Date

1. MATLAB assignment

Assigned Sept 21; Due Oct 12

2. Quizzes

During weekly tutorials

3. Stats assignments

Posted weekly

4. December exam

TBA

5. Midterm exam

March 1, 2022

6. Final exam

TBA

7.0  CLASS SCHEDULE

Date

Title

Assigned Readings

Quiz?

Asgn?

September 14, 2021

Lecture 1

Introduction 

Chapter 1, Appendix A

Download MATLAB from here:

https://wts.uwo.ca/sitelicense/matlab/

No

 

September 21, 2021

Lecture 2

MATLAB; variables, functions, syntax

https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/getting-started-with-matlab.html

No

 

September 28, 2021

Lecture 3

MATLAB; importing data; for loops; visualization

https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/getting-started-with-matlab.html

No

 

October 5, 2021

Lecture 4

Descriptive statistics & MATLAB

Sections 2.1 – 2.6

No

 

October 12, 2021

Lecture 5

Probability

Sections 3.1 – 3.7

Yes

 

October 19, 2021

Lecture 6

Probability distributions

Sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1, 5.3, 5.5

Yes

 

October 26, 2021

Lecture 7

Sampling distributions & Central Limit Theorem & MATLAB

Sections 6.1, 6.3

No

 

November 2, 2021

Reading Week

 

November 9, 2021

Lecture 8

Estimation & MATLAB

Sections 6.2, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.5, 7.6

No

 

November 16, 2021

Lecture 9

Hypothesis testing on a single sample & errors of inference 

Sections 8.1, 8.2, 8.4, 8.5, 8.7, 8.8

No

 

November 23, 2021

Lecture 10

Testing hypotheses on two independent samples: comparison of means & MATLAB

Sections 9.2

Yes

 

November 30, 2021

Lecture 11

Testing hypotheses on two independent samples: comparison of variances, the Wilcoxen test, & MATLAB

Section 9.6, Section 14.3 (posted on OWL)

Yes

 

December 7, 2021

Lecture 12

Testing hypotheses on two dependent samples: comparison of means

Section 9.3

No

 

DECEMBER BREAK

 

January 4, 2022

COVID break

No

 

January 11, 2022

Make-up exam

No

 

January 18, 2022

Review Syllabus changes and take-up exams

No

 

January 25, 2022

Lecture 13

ANOVA

Sections 10.1, 10.2, 10.4

No

Asgn’d

February 1, 2022

Lecture 14

ANOVA & MATLAB I

No

 

February 8, 2022

Lecture 15

ANOVA & MATLAB II

No

 

February 15, 2022

Lecture 16

Chi-square

Chapter 13

Yes

Due

February 22, 2022

Reading week

 

March 1, 2022

MIDTERM Exam

 

 

 

March 8, 2022

Lecture 19

Correlation

Chapter 11.5

No

Asgn’d

March 15, 2022

Lecture 20

Regression

Chapter 11.1 – 11.4

No

 

March 22, 2022

Lecture 21

Regression/correlation & MATLAB I

Chapter 11.1 – 11.4

No

 

March 29, 2022

Lecture 22

Regression/correlation & MATLAB II

Chapter 11.1 – 11.4

Yes

Due

April 5, 2022

Review

 

Note that there are no classes during Fall Reading Week (Nov 2-8) or Spring Reading Week (Feb 21-26)

8.0  LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We acknowledge that Western University is located on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak and Attawandaron peoples, on lands connected with the London Township and Sombra Treaties of 1796 and the Dish with One Spoon Covenant Wampum.

With this, we respect the longstanding relationships that Indigenous Nations have to this land, as they are the original caretakers. We acknowledge historical and ongoing injustices that Indigenous Peoples (e.g. First Nations, Métis and Inuit) endure in Canada, and we accept responsibility as a public institution to contribute toward revealing and correcting miseducation, as well as renewing respectful relationships with Indigenous communities through our teaching, research and community service.

9.0  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.

10.0      POLICY ON THE USE OF EXAM PROCTORING SOFTWARE

When examinations and tests cannot be given in person (e.g., in courses coded as Distance Studies; in the event of a lockdown order), they may be conducted using either a monitoring platform such as Zoom or a remote proctoring service, such as Proctorio. If Zoom is used for exam invigilation, 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 using Zoom will not be recorded.*

If a remote proctoring service is used, the service will require you to provide personal information (including some biometric data). The session will be recorded. The instructor will alert you to the use of this software as close as possible to the start of the term, however, in the event that in-person exams are unexpectedly canceled, you may only be given notice of the use of a proctoring service a short time in advance. More information about remote proctoring is available in the Online Proctoring Guidelines. Please ensure you are familiar with any proctoring service’s technical requirements before the exam. Additional guidance is available at the following link: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/onlineproctorguidelines.pdf

* 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 test or examination. See this link for technical requirements: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us  

11.0      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: 

  1. Submitting a Self-Reported Absence form (for circumstances that are expected to resolve within 48 hours);
  2. 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 hours after the end of the period covered by either the self-reported absence or SMC, or immediately upon their return following a documented absence

Students seeking accommodation for religious purposes are advised to contact Academic Counselling at least three weeks prior to the religious event and as soon as possible after the start of the term.

12.0      CONTINGENCY PLAN FOR RETURN TO LOCKDOWN: IN-PERSON & BLENDED CLASSES

In the event of a COVID-19 resurgence or any other event 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.

When deemed necessary, tests and examinations in this course will be conducted using a remote proctoring service.  By taking this course, you are consenting to the use of this software and acknowledge that you will be required to provide personal information (including some biometric data) and the session will be recorded.  Completion of this course will require you to have a reliable internet connection and a device that meets the technical requirements for this service.  More information about this remote proctoring service, including technical requirements, is available on Western’s Remote Proctoring website at: https://remoteproctoring.uwo.ca

 

13.0      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 notshare 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.

14.0      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

- 2021-2022 Calendar References

If you wish to appeal a grade, please read the policy documentation at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/appealsundergrad.pdf

Please first contact the course instructor. If your issue is not resolved, you may make your appeal to the Undergraduate Chair in Psychology (psyugrd@uwo.ca).

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.

Policy on the Recording of Synchronous Sessions: Some or all of the remote learning sessions for this course (if scheduled) may be recorded. The data captured during these recordings may include your image, voice recordings, chat logs and personal identifiers (name displayed on the screen). The recordings will be used for educational purposes related to this course, including evaluations. The recordings may be disclosed to other individuals participating in the course for their private or group study purposes. Please contact the instructor if you have any concerns related to session recordings. Participants in this course are not permitted to privately record the sessions, except where recording is an approved accommodation, or the student has the prior written permission of the instructor.