Psychology 2855F 001 FW24
Research Methods in Psychology I
Western University
London Canada
Department of Psychology
Fall/Winter 2024
Psychology 2855F Section 001
Research Methods in Psychology I
1 Calendar Description
This course will introduce students to the variety of ways research is conducted in psychology. Topics to be covered include the scientific approach, ethical issues in human and animal research, specific experimental and non-experimental designs, and APA writing style.
https://www.registrar.uwo.ca/academics/timetables.html
Antirequisites: Psychology 2800E, Psychology 2820E, Psychology 2830A/B, Psychology 2840F/G; Health Sciences 2801A/B.
Prerequisites: A mark of at least 60% in 1.0 credits of Psychology at the 1000 level.
2 lecture hours; 2 laboratory hours; Course Weight: 0.5
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 Course Information
Instructor: Caroline Strang
Office & Phone: 519.661.2111 ex.89759
Office Hours: see Brightspace for details
Email: cstrang@uwo.ca
Teaching Assistant: TBA
Office: TBA
Office Hours: TBA
Email: TBA
Time and Location of Classes: see Student Centre for Timetable
For courses that include an online component, students must have a reliable internet connection and computer that are compatible with online learning system requirements.
3 Course Materials
Research Methods in Psychology – 4th edition
Authors: Rajiv Jhangiani, I-Chant A. Chiang, Carrie Cuttler, & Dana C. Leighton This is an OPEN ACCESS textbook available online at https://kpu.pressbooks.pub/psychmethods4e/
A hard copy version is available for purchase. ISBN – 10: 1085976920
4 Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes
|
Learning Outcome |
Learning Activity |
Assessment |
|
Depth and Breadth of Knowledge · Analyse published articles and experiments in psychology |
lectures, laboratory activities, group discussions, readings |
Analyse and present a published research paper |
|
Knowledge of Methodologies · Recognize and compare experimental and non-experimental designs in psychology |
Tests, exam, lab activities, ethics documents |
|
|
Application of Knowledge · Critique experimental work and formulate new research ideas |
Research Proposal |
|
|
Communication Skills · Identify and describe the important aspects of published research articles in psychology |
Research proposal, group presentation |
|
|
Autonomy and Professional Capacity · Develop oral and writing communications skills · Understand the ethical standards for research in psychology |
Research proposal, group presentation, ethics documents |
5 Evaluation
Essay Requirement: Evaluation consists of two components: (1) exams that cover lecture material and (2) lab work (research proposal). Each is worth 50% of the course final mark. Students must pass both the class component and the lab component to receive a final passing mark in the course.
Lecture component
Tests cover lecture material: There will be two non-cumulative tests in this course. Tests are based on lecture material and the course textbook. Tests are equally weighted, so each contributes 25% to the final course mark (2 tests x 25% = 50% for class component). Tests may include questions in several formats, including multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, definitions, and short answer. All tests are closed book with no aids allowed.
Lab component
Oral presentation (12%): The oral presentation will be performed in groups to be assigned by the instructor. Each group will pick a primary research article from a provided list of preapproved articles to present to the class using PowerPoint. In addition, the group should note any shortcomings in the study’s design and the interpretation by the authors and propose new research to address shortcomings and/or extend the work to a further research question of interest. Groups have the option of presenting live or prerecording their presentation, but all group members must be present to answer questions following the presentation. Every member of the group will receive the same mark.
Research Proposal (34%): Each student will individually generate an original research proposal of approximately 6 pages/1500 words (excluding title page and references). The proposal will follow APA style guidelines and build on published research on a topic in psychology of the student’s choice. All written work in this course must be submitted electronically through the course website.
The proposal will be completed in a series of assignments:
- Topic & Annotated Bibliography (3%): Topic & list of 2 relevant references with one sentence justification for their inclusion
- Abstract and Proposal Outline (6%): Abstract and Outline of the full proposal
- Ethics Documents (3%): Each student must complete ethics documents for their proposal. These documents will be submitted prior to the research proposal, reviewed, and then the final revised version must be submitted with the final research proposal.
- Final proposal, including ethics documents (22%): 2% of this grade is for submission of revised ethics documents
Participation (4%): For 9 of the labs there will be .5 participation grades for completion of in class activities. Only 8/9 lab participation grades will count towards the final 4% participation grade.
The evaluation and testing formats for this course were created to assess the learning objectives as listed in section 4 and are necessary for meeting these learning objectives
Policy on Missing Coursework
University policy on academic considerations are described here. This policy requires that all requests for academic considerations must be accompanied by a self-attestation. Further information about academic considerations, and information about submitting this self-attestation with your academic consideration request may be found here. Please note that any academic considerations granted in this course will be determined by the instructor, in consultation with the academic advisors in your Faculty of Registration, in accordance with information presented in this course outline.
Test 1: Students who are approved for accommodation will be able to write a makeup test. The makeup may be a different format that the original test.
Test 2: Test 2 takes place in the final exam period and is subject to the university rules for examinations scheduled by the registrar (i.e. supporting documentation is required for accommodation).
Presentation: Please note that this assessment is considered to be central to the learning objectives for this course. Accordingly, students seeking academic consideration for this assessment will be required to provide formal supporting documentation. Students who are granted academic consideration for this assessment will be provided with the following opportunity to make up this work: alternate presentation format.
Participation: Participation grades will be awarded based on work completed during labs. You can miss 1 of the graded labs and still obtain 100% on the participation grade. Please note, because not all elements of this assessment are required in the calculation of the final course grade, the instructor reserves the right to deny academic consideration for these missed elements.
Ethics documents: Late penalties will not be applied for the first 48h past the deadline and will then be applied at 5% per day, with weekends counting as a single day. Please note, assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a numerical grade, but may not receive written feedback.
Annotated bibliography: Late penalties will not be applied for the first 48h past the second deadline and will then be applied at 5% per day, with weekends counting as a single day. Please note, assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a numerical grade, but may not receive written feedback.
Abstract & Outline: Late penalties will not be applied for the first 48h past the deadline and will then be applied at 5% per day, with weekends counting as a single day. Please note, assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a numerical grade, but may not receive written feedback.
Final Proposal: Late penalties will not be applied for the first 48h past the deadline and will then be applied at 5% per day, with weekends counting as a single day. Please note, assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a numerical grade, but may not receive written feedback.
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%.
The Psychology Department follows Western’s grading guidelines: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf
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
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.
6 Assessment/Evaluation Schedule
|
Component |
Weight |
Date/ Deadline |
|
Test #1 |
25% |
October 22nd (in class) |
|
Test #2 |
25% |
Final Exam Period |
|
Presentation |
12% |
October 24 & 31 |
|
Participation |
4% |
See class schedule |
|
Research Proposal |
34% |
See below for component deadlines |
|
Annotated Bibliography |
3% |
October 24th |
|
Abstract & Outline |
6% |
November 7th |
|
Ethics documents (initial submission) |
3% |
November 14th |
|
Final Proposal & revised ethics documents |
22% |
December 3rd |
7 Class Schedule
|
Week/Class |
Date |
Description |
Assignments and/or Readings Due |
|
|
|
|
e.g., topic, content |
e.g., quiz, paper, group project, exam. |
|
|
1 |
Lab |
Sept 5th |
Introductions/Course Overview |
|
|
2 |
Lecture |
Sept 10th |
Psychology as a Science/Scientific Method |
Readings: Chapter I & Chapter II |
|
Lab |
Sept 12th |
Scientific Method |
Readings: Chapter I & Chapter II |
|
|
3 |
Lecture |
Sept 17th |
Research Ethics |
Readings: Chapter III |
|
Lab |
Sept 19th |
Literature in Psychology |
Special Instructions: presentation groups assigned *Participation Grade* |
|
|
4 |
Lecture |
Sept 24th |
Psychological Measurement |
Readings: Chapter IV |
|
Lab |
Sept 26th |
Presenting a Research Article/Literature Review |
Readings: Chapter XI – 50. Special Instructions: computers will be used in class *Participation Grade* |
|
|
5 |
Lecture |
Oct 1st |
Experimental Research |
Readings: Chapter V |
|
Lab |
Oct 3rd |
Group Meetings |
Special Instructions: Each group will have a scheduled meeting time *Participation Grade* |
|
|
6 |
Lecture |
Oct 8th |
Non-Experimental Research & Correlations |
Readings: Chapter VI |
|
Lab |
Oct 10th |
No Lab |
||
|
7 |
Lecture |
Oct 15th |
Reading Week |
|
|
Lab |
Oct 17th |
|||
|
8 |
Lecture |
Oct 22nd |
Test #1 (25%) |
Test: during class, lecture & textbook material from weeks 1-6 |
|
Lab |
Oct 24th |
Presentations |
Special Instructions: Annotated Bibliography Due *Participation Grade* |
|
|
9 |
Lecture |
Oct 29th |
Quasi-experimental research & Single-subject designs |
Readings: Chapters VIII & X |
|
Lab |
Oct 31st |
Presentations |
*Participation Grade* |
|
|
10 |
Lecture |
Nov 5th |
Surveys & Sampling |
Readings: Chapter VII |
|
Lab |
Nov 7th |
Project discussions/Peer feedback |
Special Instructions: Abstract & Outline Due *Participation Grade* |
|
|
11 |
Lecture |
Nov 12th |
APA formatting & plagiarism |
Readings: Chapters XI |
|
Lab |
Nov 14th |
Ethics documents |
Special Instructions: Computers will be used in class Ethics documents due *Participation Grade* |
|
|
12 |
Lecture |
Nov 19th |
Between-subjects designs |
Readings: Chapter V |
|
Lab |
Nov 21st |
Proposal Checklist & Computer Programming for Research |
Special Instructions: Computers will be used in class *Participation Grade* |
|
|
13 |
Lecture |
Nov 26th |
Using and interpreting statistics and graphs |
Readings: Chapters XII & XIII |
|
Lab |
Nov 28th |
Introduction to animal research: Bumblebees
|
Special instructions: Live bumblebees will be in class *Participation Grade* |
|
|
14 |
Lecture |
Dec 3rd |
Review Session/Exam prep |
Special Instructions: Research Proposals & Revised Ethics Documents @ 11:55pm |
|
Lab |
Dec 5th |
No Lab |
|
|
|
Final Exam Period |
Test # 2 (25%) |
Test: Lecture and textbook material from weeks 9-13 |
||
8 Academic Integrity
Scholastic offences are taken seriously, and students are directed to read the appropriate policy, specifically, the definition of what constitutes a Scholastic Offence, at the following Web site: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf.
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.
Statement on Use of Electronic Devices
Students can use electronic devices in class (laptops, tablets, cell phones). Please do so respectfully and avoid distracting classmates, the professor, or teaching assistant.
Use of electronic devices is prohibited during tests/exams unless specific accommodations have been given.
Plagiarism Detection Software
All required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to the commercial plagiarism detection software under license to the University for the detection of plagiarism. 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.
Use of AI
The use of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT to produce written work is not permitted unless permission is granted by the instructor for specific circumstances. Any work submitted must be the work of the student in its entirety unless otherwise disclosed. When used, AI tools should be used ethically and responsibly, and students must cite or credit the tools used in line with the expectation to use AI as a tool to learn, not to produce content.
Multiple Choice Exams
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.
9 Academic Accommodations and Accessible Education
View Western’s policy on academic accommodations for student with disabilities at this link.
Accessible Education provides supports and services to students with disabilities at Western.
If you think you may qualify for ongoing accommodation that will be recognized in all your courses, visit Accessible Education for more information. Email: aew@uwo.ca Phone: 519 661-2147
10 Absence & Academic Consideration
View Western’s policy on academic consideration for medical illnesses this link
Find your academic counsellor here: https://www.registrar.uwo.ca/faculty_academic_counselling.html
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain academic considerations. Students must communicate with their instructors no later than 24 hours after the end of the period covered SMC, or immediately upon their return following a documented absence.
Medical Absences
Submit a Student Medical Certificate (SMC) signed by a licensed medical or mental health practitioner to Academic Counselling in your Faculty of registration to be eligible for Academic Consideration.
Nonmedical Absences
Submit appropriate documentation (e.g., obituary, police report, accident report, court order, etc.) to Academic Counselling in your Faculty of registration to be eligible for academic consideration. Students are encouraged to contact their Academic Counselling unit to clarify what documentation is appropriate.
Religious Consideration
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.
11 Other Information
- Office of the Registrar: https://registrar.uwo.ca
- Student Development Services: sdc.uwo.ca
- Psychology Undergraduate Program: https://www.psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/index.html
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.
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 in writing 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.
12 Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that Western University is located on the traditional territories of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak, and Chonnonton. Nations, on lands connected with the London Township and Sombra Treaties of 1796 and the Dish with One Spoon Covenant Wampum. This land continues to be home to diverse Indigenous Peoples (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) whom we recognize as contemporary stewards of the land and vital contributors of our society.
