Psychology 2800E 650 SU22
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.
WESTERN UNIVERSITY
LONDON CANADA
Department of Psychology
2021 - 2022
Psychology 2800E Section 650
Research Methods in Psychology
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 2855F/G and 2856F/G, 2820E, 2840F/G
Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one can be taken for credit. 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: A mark of at least 60% in 1.0 credits of Psychology at the 1000 level.
2 lecture hours; 2 laboratory 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: Dr. Corey Isaacs
Office Hours: via Zoom by appointment
Email: cisaacs3@uwo.ca
The best way to contact me is by email. Please include “Psych 2800” in the subject line and send emails only from your Western email account. I will always do my best to respond to your email within 48 hours, but during busy times it may take a little longer.
Time and Location of Classes: This course will be offered online asynchronously—you will not be required to attend any weekly class sessions. OWL lessons and lab modules will be released every Sunday and will remain available for the remainder of the course.
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 contact Accessible Education at aew@uwo.ca or 519-661-2147.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
This class uses an open textbook that is free to download:
Price, P. C., Jhangiani, R. S., & Chiang, I. A. (2015). Research Methods in Psychology (2nd Canadian edition). Simple Book Production.
A PDF of the book is available on OWL. Alternatively, you can read it or download it in your preferred digital format from this website: https://opentextbc.ca/researchmethods/
If you prefer to read your textbooks in hardcopy, you can print the book at one of Western’s libraries for 10 cents a page, or $32 (https://www.lib.uwo.ca/services/printingandphotocopying.html).
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES & LEARNING OUTCOMES
This course introduces the ways in which research is conducted in psychology. We will consider a range of research methods, including observations, surveys, case studies, and experiments. We’ll also consider topics closely allied to research design, such as ethics, report writing, and data presentation. In addition to providing training in research techniques needed for upper-year psychology courses, it is expected that this course will help you to develop scientific thinking skills that you can apply to your future careers and in everyday life.
Although this is a course in research design rather than statistical analysis, you will analyze data in the laboratory component of the course, and that requires an understanding of fundamental statistical concepts. Note: If you do not have credit in Psychology 2810, it is strongly recommended that you read Chapters 12 and 13 of the Price text early in the school year.
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Learning Outcome |
Learning Activities |
Assessment |
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Find, interpret, and critically evaluate empirical research |
Lectures, readings, lab activities, assignments |
Lab assignments, research report, poster presentation |
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Generate your own research ideas and hypotheses |
Lab assignments, research report, poster presentation |
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Ensure that research adheres to ethical standards |
Lab assignments, research report, poster presentation, exams |
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Evaluate the appropriateness of different methodological approaches for specific research questions |
Lab assignments, research report, exams |
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Apply relevant quantitative skills to the analysis and interpretation of empirical data |
Lab assignments, research report, poster presentation, exams |
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Communicate accurately, clearly, and logically using the discourse of the field of psychology |
Lab assignments, research report, poster presentation |
5.0 EVALUATION
5.1 EXAMS (50% of course grade)
Assessment for this course includes two midterm exams (each worth 12.5%) and a final exam (worth 25%). The exams will consist of multiple-choice questions and will be based on all the relevant OWL lessons (the exams will not assess material from the lab modules).
Exams will be open-book, but students must work independently to complete them. To minimize the possibility of collaboration during the exam, students will not have the option of returning to questions that have already been presented.
Examinations in this course will be conducted online 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.
5.2 RESEARCH PROJECT (35% of Course Grade)
Much of your work in the lab modules for this course will focus on your own research project, which you will work on throughout the course. You will work together with your group to choose a research question and hypothesis, and to design a study to test your hypothesis. You will then collect and analyze data and report the results of your research in a recorded poster presentation (completed and submitted as a group) and a final research report (completed and submitted individually). See Section 7.0 for the full schedule of lab modules.
There are two research project components (each worth 5%) that are due by 5:00 PM on Friday of weeks 3 and 6. For these assignments, you will work with your research project partners to formulate your research question (Lab Module 3) and specify your research design (Lab Module 6).
Your research project will include a poster presentation (worth 10% of your course grade) that you will record as a video with your partners and submit to OWL as a group. More information about the research poster and a grading rubric can be found on our OWL course website.
The final component of your research project is a research report (worth 15% of your course grade) that represents the culmination of your work in the labs during the course. While you will work on the research project with partners, your research report will be written entirely by yourself and submitted to OWL individually. More information about the research report and a grading rubric can be found on our OWL course website.
5.3 LABORATORY ACTIVITIES (15% of Course Grade)
Several of the weekly lab modules (Labs 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, & 8) include an activity assignment (each worth 2.5%) that is due by 5:00 PM on the Friday of that week. These activities are separate from your research project, but will focus on specific aspects of the research process that will be important for your own research. You will have until 5:00 PM on Friday each week to submit your activity assignments. See Section 7.0 for the schedule of lab modules.
5.4 POLICY ON MISSING COURSEWORK
Exams. For students who miss a midterm exam with academic considerations, the weight of that midterm will be reassigned to the final exam. Students who miss the final exam with academic considerations will be given an opportunity to write a makeup final exam at 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM on Friday, August 12.
Laboratory Activities. Laboratory activities will not be accepted after 5:00 PM on Fridays; however, submitting an SRA (self-reported absence) will extend your deadline by 48 hours (i.e., to 5:00 PM on Sunday), at which point your work will be due. If you receive academic accommodations of a longer duration from your faculty, the deadline may be extended accordingly or the weight of the missed laboratory activity may be reassigned to the remaining laboratory assessments.
Research Poster. Poster assignments submitted late will be penalized at 5% per day, including weekends. Extensions may be granted only with academic accommodations (including an SRA or SIRT) from your faculty’s academic counselling office.
Research Report. Research reports submitted late will be penalized at 5% per day, including weekends. Extensions may be granted only with academic accommodations (including an SRA or SIRT) from your faculty’s academic counselling office.
5.5 IMPORTANT NOTES ABOUT GRADES
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%.
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: https://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
Lab Module Assignments 5:00 PM on Friday each week
Midterm Exam 1 (Lessons 1 - 4) 10:00 – 11:00 AM on Saturday, June 4
Midterm Exam 2 (Lessons 5 - 8) 10:00 – 11:00 AM on Saturday, July 9
Research Poster Presentation 5:00 PM on Friday, July 22
Research Report 5:00 PM on Friday, July 29
Final Exam (Cumulative) TBA (August 2 - 5)
Makeup Final Exam (Cumulative) 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM on Friday, August 12
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
Changes to the class schedule will be announced on the OWL course website. Students are responsible for being aware of announcements made on OWL.
|
Dates |
Reading |
Lesson |
Lab Module |
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May 8 - 14 |
Chapter 1 |
1: Psych as a Science |
1: Library Resources |
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May 15 - 21 |
Chapter 2 |
2: Your Own Research |
2: Reading and Interpreting Research |
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May 22 - 28 |
Chapter 3 |
3: Research Ethics |
3: Research Project – Research Questions |
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May 29 - June 4 |
Chapter 4 |
4: Theory |
4: Interpreting Graphs |
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June 4 |
MIDTERM EXAM 1 (Lessons 1 – 4) |
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June 5 - 11 |
Chapter 6 |
5: Experimental Research |
5: Experimental Research I |
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June 12 - 18 |
Chapter 5 |
6: Measurement |
6: Research Project – Study Design |
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June 19 - 25 |
Chapter 7 |
7: Non-Experimental Research |
7: Experimental Research II |
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June 26 - July 2 |
Chapter 9 |
8: Survey Research |
8: Survey Research |
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July 3 - 9 |
Chapter 8 |
9: Complex Research Designs |
9: Research Project – Data Collection (no assignment due) |
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July 9 |
MIDTERM EXAM 2 (Lessons 5 – 8) |
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July 10 - 16 |
Chapter 12 |
10: Data Wrangling & Descriptive Stats |
10: Research Project – Data Analysis & Poster Workshop (no assignment due) |
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July 17 - 23 |
Chapter 13 |
11: Interpreting Your Results |
11: Research Project – Poster Submission Deadline |
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July 24 - 30 |
Chapter 11 |
12: Communicating Your Results |
12: Research Project – Research Report Submission Deadline |
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TBA |
FINAL EXAM (Lessons 1 - 12) |
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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: https://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 Proctortrack. 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. 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:
https://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?PolicyCategoryID=1&Command=showCategory&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12
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:
https://www.registrar.uwo.ca/faculty_academic_counselling.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
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.
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 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.
14.0 OTHER INFORMATION
Office of the Registrar: https://registrar.uwo.ca
Student Development Services: www.sdc.uwo.ca
Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site/Current Student Information for information on the following:
- 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
- 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.
