Psychology 3800F-001
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.
Antirequisite: Psychology 3830F/G
Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one can be taken for credit. So if this course has an antirequisite that you have previously taken, you will lose credit for the earlier course, regardless of the grade achieved in this one.
Prerequisites: Psychology 2810, plus registration in third or fourth year Honours Specialization in Psychology or Honours Specialization in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
Psychology Majors and Special Students who earn 70% or higher in Psychology 2820E or Psychology 2810 may enrol in this course.
1.5 lecture hours, 1.5 laboratory hours, 0.5 course
Unless you have either the requisites 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 prerequisites2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Yves Bureau, PhD., C.Psych
Office and Phone Number: 519 646-6100 ext. 65739
Office Hours: Shortly before and after class
Email: ybureau@uwo.ca or ybureau@lawsonimaging.ca
Teaching Assistant: None available
Office:
Office Hours:
Email:
Time and Location of Lectures:
Time: 12:30-3:30pm on Mondays and Wednesdays
Location: Lecture in SSC-2024, Laboratory in SSC-3133 for all days except for May 30th which will be in SSC-7438.
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
Gardner, R. C., & Tremblay, P. F. (2007). Essentials of Data Analysis: Statistics and Computer Applications.
This can be purchased at the UWO Bookstore.
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course introduces students to the use of computers in psychology. Emphasis will be placed on the use of SPSS for Windows on microcomputers connected to the SSNDS network, but other applications of computers may be surveyed briefly. The major portion of the lectures will be concerned with the rationale, interpretation, and application of various statistical procedures. Lectures will focus on selected univariate and multivariate analytic methods, and students will be shown how to make use of SPSS for Windows to perform those procedures to answer empirical questions. The laboratories will provide students with the opportunity to use SPSS for Windows and other computer packages that will be required for completing the laboratory assignments. The laboratories will be conducted in the Department of Psychology Computer Laboratory (TBA), where students will be able to work on their assignments with consultation with the course instructor. Students are allowed to use the Laboratory at other times, when available, and also have access to the SSNDS Computer Instructional Laboratory (location to be announced) to do their Psychology 3800 assignments.
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
6.0 TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE
Laboratory Assignments: 50%. There will be 10 laboratory assignments, each requiring a written report. All assignments must be handed in at the beginning of the laboratory session following the session in which it was assigned. Late assignments will not be accepted and will be given a grade of 0. The last assignment is due one week after the last laboratory session. 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 Examination: 50%. The final examination will be based on all material presented in lectures, laboratories, and the assigned text chapters. All assigned text material, regardless of whether or not it was discussed in class, is eligible exam material. The final will be set by the Registrar’s office during the official examination period and will be 3 hours long. More information about the exam’s content and format will be provided during the last week of classes.
The final exam will be scheduled by the Registrar’s Office for some time during the final examination period. No electronic aids will be allowed during the exam.
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULEDate Major Topic Date Assignment (Lab)
May 16th Introduction May 16th No Lab
May 18th T-Tests May 18th Independent-Samples t-test and Paired-Samples t-test
May 23th is a statutory holiday. No classes or lab.
May 25th Monte Carlo Methods May 25th MONTE
(Type I error, power)
May 30th Single factor analysis of variance May 30th One-Way ANOVA Posthoc
June 1st Completely randomized June 1st Two-Way ANOVA,
factorial designs and Posthoc Simple main effects
June 6th ingle-factor repeated measures June 6th Single-factor repeated
June 8th Split plot factorial designs Posthoc June 8th Repeated measures,
Simple main effects
June 13th Chi-Square June 13th Chi-Square
June 15th Correlation and Regression June 15th Correlation and Bivariate
Regression
June 20th Multiple Correlation and Regression June 20th Multiple Correlation and Regression
June 22nd Factor Analysis June 22nd Factor Analysis
Note 1: Factor analysis lab is due (Place the assignment in (location to be announced) or hand it to me personally.
Note 2: Review will take place on June 22nd.
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
The University of Western Ontario’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/2015/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
- 2015 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones, will be allowed during exams.
