2800E-001
Psychology 2800E-001
Research Methods 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
Using selected examples, this course will introduce students to the variety of ways to conduct research in psychology. Topics to be covered include: the scientific approach; ethical issues in human and animal research; designing, running, analyzing and writing up a research project; experimental, observational and correlational research strategies.
Antirequisites: Psychology 2820E, 2840F/G, 2855F/G and 2856F/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.
Prerequisite: At least 60% in a 1000 level Psychology course
2 lecture hours, 2 laboratory hours, 1.0 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 prerequisites.
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Dr. Corey Isaacs
Office: SSC 7440
Office Hours: Tuesdays 6:00 – 7:00 pm (by appointment)
Email: cisaacs3@uwo.ca
Time and Location of Classes: Tuesday & Thursday 7:00 – 10:00 pm / SSC 2032
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
White, T.L., & McBurney, D.H. (2013) Research Methods, Ninth Edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/ Thomson Learning.
It is not necessary to purchase a copy of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological
Association (APA) 6th Edition, but it is necessary to have access to a copy (readily available at the
library and the Psychology Resource Centre (SSC 3115). Instructions on how to access the UWO
library system from off campus may be found at http://www.lib.uwo.ca/offcampus/remote.shtml.
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course introduces the ways in which research is conducted in psychology. We will consider a wide range of research methods, including observation, surveys, case studies, and experiments. We will also consider topics relevant to research, such as ethics, report writing, and data presentation.
The major objective of the Psychology 2800E lab is to teach students the logic of research designs used in psychology and the mechanics of conducting and communicating research. Throughout the course, students will collaborate to design and conduct their own original research and will present that research in a written report and in class presentations.
Although this is a course in research design rather than statistical analysis, you will analyze data collected in the laboratory component of the course, which requires an understanding of fundamental statistical concepts. If you have not taken Psychology 2810 (or are not taking it this summer), it is recommended that you review Chapter 15 of the White & McBurney text.
4.1 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this course, the successful student should be able to:
|
Outcome |
Assessment |
|
Access, interpret, and critically evaluate research in psychology |
Research proposal; Written report; In-class activity |
|
Evaluate the appropriateness of different methodological approaches to address a specific psychological question |
Exams; Research proposal; In-class activity |
|
Formulate a research hypothesis to address a psychological question and design a research project to test that hypothesis |
Research proposal, Written report |
|
Apply ethical standards to the practice of their own research |
Research proposal; Written report |
|
Apply relevant quantitative skills to the analysis and interpretation of psychological phenomena |
Written report; Exams; In-class activity |
|
Use evidence to support claims |
Research proposal, Written report; Exams |
|
Communicate in writing accurately, clearly, and logically, using the discourse of the discipline of psychology |
Research proposal, Written report; Exams |
|
Communicate orally accurately, clearly, and logically, using the discourse of the discipline of psychology |
Oral presentation of research project |
5.0 EVALUATION
The breakdown of course components and their worth toward the final grade are as follows:
Exams (3 x 15%) 45%
Research Proposal 5%
Research Report 30%
Research Presentation 10%
In-Class Participation 10%
NOTE: To earn credit in Psychology 2800E, you must earn a passing grade on both the laboratory (i.e., assignments) and lecture (i.e., exams) components of the course. For the student who fails one or both components but has a calculated overall grade above 50%, an artificially deflated grade of 48% will be the final grade recorded for the registrar. In this case, the 50/50 split is not the actual calculation. In this case, there is not a suggestion that the student almost passed the course. This is, instead, departmental policy that results in a failing grade without unduly lowering the student’s overall university standing.
Grades will not be adjusted on the basis of need, and you will not be given the opportunity to improve your grade by completing additional assignments beyond what is listed here.
5.1 EXAMS
The evaluation of the lecture component will involve three exams, each worth 15%. The exams will consist of multiple-choice and short-answer questions, and will cover all textbook and lecture material from the relevant chapters:
Exam 1 (Tuesday, May 30th): Chapters 1-4
Exam 2 (Thursday, June 29th): Chapters 5-7, 10
Exam 3 (TBA; Exam Period): Chapters 8, 9, 11-13
5.2 ASSIGNMENTS
The evaluation of the lab component will involve several parts, worth a total of 45%. The lab assessment will involve a research project for which students will write a research report in APA format and present their research in class. This project will be completed in stages and submitted in parts throughout the duration of the course. Late submissions will receive a grade of zero, though you may ask for feedback on the assignment to improve your final report. Although the length of the research report may vary, it is unlikely that an acceptable report would be less than 10 double-spaced pages (excluding appendices). More details of the assignments will be given in class and on OWL.
Submitting Assignments
Students must submit assignments using the OWL Assignments tool. In the case of technical difficulties with OWL (which happens occasionally), students must email a copy of the assignment to their instructor prior to the deadline to receive full credit. The assignment must still be submitted to OWL to be graded. All assignments are due by midnight on the assigned due date. Late assignments will NOT be accepted.
Extensions on Assignments
Extensions will be granted only for documented medical or compassionate reasons. Students must inform their instructor of any medical or compassionate issues prior to assignment deadlines; extensions will not be granted retroactively. Where medical documentation is required, such documentation must be submitted by the student directly to the appropriate Faculty Dean’s office, and it will be the Dean’s office that will make the determination whether accommodation is warranted. For more information on Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness, see Section 9.0.
Please make sure that you back up all electronic documents, as extensions will not be granted due to hard drive failure, computer problems, etc.
Assignment deadlines missed due to illness or another approved reason must be made up at a later date. This means that marks will not be re-weighted as a result of failing to hand in an assignment. If you do not hand in the assignment, you will be assigned a grade of zero.
Plagiarism
Recall that students must submit electronic copies of all sections of the research report via OWL. These electronic copies will be analyzed using the Turnitin.com service to check for plagiarism. The minimum penalty for an act of plagiarism is a grade of zero on the assignment. Serious cases of plagiarism may result in failure in the course, or expulsion from the university.
Plagiarism is the unacknowledged borrowing of another writer’s words or ideas. The following rules pertain to the acknowledgements necessary in academic papers: In using another writer’s words, you must both place the words in quotation marks and acknowledge that the words are those of another writer; in adopting another writer’s ideas, you must acknowledge that they are his/hers. If you are in doubt about whether what you are doing is inappropriate, consult your instructor. A claim that you “didn’t know it was wrong” will not be accepted as an excuse.
Plagiarism can occur in group settings. If a group assignment contains instances of plagiarism, responsibility for the offence(s) rests upon each member of the group. Please note that while some work may be completed in pairs or groups, submitted assignments must be written up individually. This means that no part of the paper was written by or in conjunction with anyone else, even if students were working together on the project. It is a serious academic offence to copy material from another student or to submit work under another student’s name. Any duplication or unreasonable similarity between two students’ papers will be considered an act of plagiarism, regardless of whether the similarity occurs in a single sentence, full paragraph, or entire section.
Although it isn’t technically an instance of plagiarism, the act of turning in content from previous assignments is an act of intellectual dishonesty, and is against university policy (UWO Scholastic Offence Policy, 1.1). The penalty for intellectual dishonesty is the same as the penalty for plagiarism.
The minimum penalty for an act of plagiarism is a grade of zero on the assignment. Serious cases of plagiarism may result in failure in the course, or expulsion from the university.
5.3 PARTICIPATION
There is a participation component worth 10% of your course grade. This grade is based on work completed in class during group or individual learning activities and submitted at the end of class. This work may be a completed assignment, the product of an in-class activity, feedback on classmates’ work, or some other form. Work submitted may be graded based on completeness. Missed work cannot be made up for any reason, so attendance is essential for earning a high grade.
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
Exam Dates:
Exam 1: Tuesday, May 30, 2017
Exam 2: Thursday, June 29, 2017
Exam 3: Final Exam Period (July 31 & August 1)
Lab Components Due Dates:
Research Proposal Sunday, June 11, 2017
Introduction, Method, & Appendices Sunday, June 25, 2017
Results, Discussion, & Abstract Sunday, July 16, 2017
Research Presentation Tuesday/Thursday, July 25/27, 2017
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
|
Week |
Tuesday |
Thursday |
|
May 9 & 11 |
Introduction & Ice-breaker |
Ch1: Psychology as a Science |
|
May 16 & 18 |
Ch2: Developing a Research Question |
Ch3: Ethics in Research |
|
May 23 & 25 |
PsycINFO; Understanding research |
Ch4: Writing in Psychology |
|
May 30 & June 1 |
EXAM 1 (Ch 1-4) |
Ch5: Variables |
|
June 6 & 8 |
Ch6: Validity |
Writing: Intro & Method |
|
June 13 & 15 |
Ch7: Control |
Ch10: Single-Factor Experiments |
|
June 20 & 22 |
Ch11: Factorial Experiments |
Group Work on Research Projects |
|
June 27 & 29 |
Writing: Results, Discussion, Abstract |
EXAM 2 (Ch 5-7, 10) |
|
July 4 & 6 |
Data Collection 1 |
Data Collection 2 |
|
July 11 & 13 |
SPSS Data Analyses; Tables & Figures |
Ch12/13: Other Types of Experiments |
|
July 18 & 20 |
Ch8: Nonexperimental Research |
Ch9: Survey Research |
|
July 25 & 27 |
Presentations 1 |
Presentations 2 |
|
July 31 or Aug. 1 |
EXAM 3 (Ch 8, 9, 11-13) |
|
Note: The above schedule is tentative and changes may be necessary as the term progresses. Any changes to the above schedule will be announced in class and on OWL. Students are responsible for remaining informed about any announcements made in class or online.
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://westerncalendar.uwo.ca/2017/pg954.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
- 2017 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones, will be allowed during exams.
