47.269  Research I:  Basics

Syllabus

SPRING, 2011:  Online

 

Instructor

Dr. Doreen Arcus

Office

Mahoney 211

Phone

978-934-4172

E-mail

doreen_arcus@uml.edu

Back up only; use Blackboard Mail

FAX

978-934-3074

Web

http://faculty.uml.edu/darcus

Materials released

Monday 9:00 AM EST

Chat (optional)

Wednesdays 7:00 PM EST

Prerequisite

47.101

 

 

 

Please print for easy reference!

 

I.  Course description

 

From the UMass Lowell Course Catalogue: 

 

“An introductory course concentrating on the basics of scientific research in Psychology. Students will learn: how to acquire information from libraries and the internet; methods for collecting data, such as surveys, case studies, unobtrusive measures and observational procedures, in experimental, quasi-experimental and correlational designs; how to operationalize variables to create reliable and valid measures; to identify types of data and how to describe and graph data; the basics of hypothesis testing and statistical significance; how research is communicated in research reports using APA style. Attention will also be given to ethical issues in research with human and nonhuman subjects. Prerequisite: 47.101 or its equivalent. 3 credits” 

 

A final grade of C or better in Research I is a prerequisite for enrolling in Research II and Research III.  In other words, pursuing a Psychology major is dependent on performing at a C level or above in this course.  Note that BLA students (Bachelor of Liberal Arts) who have two areas of concentration may elect to have Psychology as one of them without completing the research sequence. 

 

So, why take this course?  Research is at the core of what Psychologists do.  It is a method for acquiring evidence that can be used to support practice or policy or inform us about human nature.  It is not without its limitations.  That is one of the most important reasons to understand research methods:  to be able to interpret the literature with respect to findings and limitations. 

 

II.  Course Goals

 

When you have completed this course you should be able to:

 

·         Apply the scientific method to the formulation and refinement of research questions

·         Distinguish between primary and secondary sources

·         Identify empirical research articles and be able to search efficiently using standard databases such as PsycInfo

·         Evaluate the credibility of information available on electronic media

·         Apply principles of psychometrics for the assessment of validity and reliability to the selection and construction of research tools

·         Distinguish among experimental, correlational, and descriptive designs and apply them appropriately to research questions

·         Identify the strengths and limitations of major types of assessment (i.e., surveys, interviews, observation, physiology) and apply them to relevant research designs

·         Use operational definitions to describe psychological constructs and procedures

·         Identify the strengths and limitations of between- and within-subjects designs and apply those designs to relevant research questions

·         Use the appropriate descriptive statistics to describe the central tendency and variability of a body of data

·         Describe a research design using APA style to organize and cite information

·         Use these principles to critique the design of studies and identify whether conclusions are supported by the methods employed

·         Apply these principles to an original research design based on primary source empirical journal articles and employing an experimental manipulation.

 

You will find that this type of thinking, “What is the evidence?” translates into the types of critical thinking skills that will serve you well, not only in your psychology careers, but in reading the newspaper, engaging in conversation, watching movies, and listening to “talking heads.”

 

III.  Course Expectations

 

This is an online course. Materials are posted each week by Monday at 9:00 AM. 

 

I expect that you will keep up with the materials that are posted for you.  You can expect to spend at least 8 hours each week on this material, with significant variation depending on your personal learning style.  You must also have regular and extended access to a computer with internet connection in order to complete assigned work.  If you anticipate any problems with these expectations, you might re-think the appropriateness of taking this course at this time. 

 

You will have 10 assignments to complete.  We will use the online assignment drop box to submit assignments.  All assignments are due by the end of the week, Sunday, 11:59 PM EST unless otherwise posted.  Assignments will continue to be accepted through the following Wednesday but be penalized as late.  Assignments submitted after Wednesday will not be accepted. Please note that only assignments submitted through the drop box will be accepted.

 

You will have 8 weekly open-book, open-notes quizzes that are required, though worth relatively few points toward the final grade.  These are designed to keep you on your toes.  Some questions on the quizzes will be repeated on the exams. So it makes sense to work at them and be sure you understand the answers.  Note that quizzes will begin in the second week of class to permit some of the dust of drop/add to settle.  All quizzes must be completed by the end of the week, Sunday, 11:59 PM EST unless otherwise posted.

 

You will have three exams. The first two will focus on the material we have covered in the preceding unit.  The third will be a comprehensive final exam.  Note: All exams will be comprehensive in a sense since this material builds on what came before.

 

You will “attend” two research colloquia offered in the Psychology Department.  I encourage you to attend colloquia in person but you may also watch streaming video of the colloquia, which are posted at http://www.uml.edu/dept/psychology/colloquia.htm shortly after each talk is presented; you may choose any of the presentations from the 2007-2008 series forward.  For each research colloquium that you “attend,” you must complete a colloquium attendance form [located in 269 General Materials] and submit it via the assignment dropbox.  Note:  There is nothing wrong with doing them early rather than waiting until the last week of class when your lives will be crazy enough without one more thing to do!  Colloquia are worth 5 points each added to the assignment total.

 

You will create a RESEARCH PROPOSAL designed to test a psychological hypothesis based on your interests and the empirical literature.  You will not have to carry out the proposed study but your design and methods must be carefully thought out and must comprise an experiment rather than a simple relational study. You will write the proposal using APA style for organization as well as citing references in the text and at the end.  The proposal will be done in stages, beginning with topic approval. 

 

 

Note well:  Every italicized word in the above paragraph turns out to be critical. 

Watch for them throughout the semester

 

 

You will complete each of these items on-time.  I will not accept late submissions without a documented emergency.  There will be absolutely no exceptions to taking exams on time without a documented emergency and ADVANCE notice.  Without advance notice, you will receive a 0 for that exam.

 

Please note that you must actually turn a paper in or take an exam or quiz in order to accrue any points at all; failure to take tests or quizzes or to turn in assignments or other papers will result in a grade of 0.

 

You are also responsible for adhering to regulations outlined in the UMass Lowell undergraduate catalogue with respect to academic honesty and integrity.  I will ask that you submit copies of your research proposal to Turnitin.com for a screening process designed to detect plagiarism; watch for an e-mail containing login information. http://www.uml.edu/catalog/undergraduate/policies/academic_dishonesty.htm

 

 

IV.  Course Participation Requirements

 

Discussion Board

Your participation in the discussion board is an excellent opportunity to learn from each other.  You should take time in making your contributions thoughtful and on topic. In order to be useful, they should also be timely.  This discussion is YOUR tool.  It will not be graded per se, but you will get credit for participation (see grading below).

 

Chat

Chat allows us to be able to talk to each other by typing back and forth in real time. Participating in live chat is optional, not required.  However, it is a good idea to read through the chat transcript after the live session is over if you have not been able to take part.

 

 

V. Accommodations & Support

 

Students with disabilities need to work through the UMass Lowell Office for Disability Services.  There are also a host of resources available through the UML Student Counseling Center and the Centers for Learning.

 

 

VI.  Grading

 

Grades will be based on the quality of your work and contributions as outlined in Expectations above. 

 

Activity

Grade Contribution

Participation in weekly discussion

5%

Assignments

 
  • Workshops

  0% (Recommended, not required)
  • 10 Assignments

20%

Research Proposal

35%

Exams

 
  • Exams & final

35%
  • Weekly quizzes

  5%

 

Final grades will be based on the final average (arithmetic mean) of exams, assignments, and the final research proposal, weighted as above.  Letters grades will be distributed as follows:

 

 

A

91-100

A-

89-90

B+

87-88

B

81-86

B-

79-80

C+

77-78

C

71-76

C-

69-70

D+

67-68

D

61-66

D-

59-60

F

0-58

 

Remember that a grade of C or above is required in Research I in order for students to proceed to Research II. 

 

I do not anticipate giving grades of INCOMPLETE except in the rarest of circumstance.  The everyday stresses of daily life (work, school, family) will not be sufficient to warrant an exception.

 

 

VII.  Class Resources

 

You have an excellent textbook that is required for this course:

 

Gravetter, F.J. & Forzano, L.B. (2009).  Research Methods for the Behavioral Sciences (3nd edition).  Belmont, CA:  Wadsworth/Thomson

 

It has a companion website that you also should consult regularly:  Gravetter & Forzano, 3rd edition Companion site

URL:  http://www.wadsworth.com/cgi-wadsworth/course_products_wp.pl?fid=M20bI&flag=instructor&product_isbn_issn=9780495509783&discipline_number=24

 

Research and statistics workshops, and a variety of research methods videos are also available online:  Research Methods Workshops

URL:  http://www.wadsworth.com/psychology_d/templates/student_resources/workshops/resch_wrk.html

 

 

 

Words of wisdom:

During every week of the semester, think about how the information we are covering might inform you in some topic in which you have interest.  This will become the basis for the research proposal you develop for the end of the semester.  When we learn about literature searches, try to search for some literature about a topic of interest to you and something you might like to think about testing experimentally.  Your final proposal is really a capstone project for this course and an opportunity to demonstrate that you can apply (in theory, remember you do not have to DO it) the constructs we have covered in class.

 

 

 

VIII.  Class Schedule

 

 

47.269 Research I:  Basics

 

Remember: Workshops & self quizzes are recommended;

Assignments are required and are in bold

 

Week

Begins

Topic

Readings

Recommended

Workshops

1

1/24

Introduction & the Nature of Science

Ch 1

·         What is Science

2

1/31

The Research Process

  • Assignment 1: Library research

Ch.  2

·         Evaluating Published Research

·         Getting Ideas

3

2/7

Ethical Issues in Research

Ch. 4

·         Ethical Issues

4

2/14

Defining & Measuring Variables

·         Assignment 3: Implicit Association

 

Ch. 3 

·         Reliability & Validity

·         Controls

5

2/21

Describing Variables & Performance

·         Quiz 2

Ch. 15

(p. 416-438)

 

Statistics Workshops

·         Scales of Measurement

·         Central Tendency

·         Sampling Distb (p 1-9)

6

2/28

EXAM 1 (Ch 1, 2, 3, 4, & pp. 416-438)

  • Assignment 4:  Research Question

 

 

 

7

3/7

Selecting & Assigning Participants

Research Strategies & Validity

  • Assignment 5:  Sampling
  • Quiz 3

Ch. 5 & 6

·         Sampling Methods

·         Confounds

 

 

3/14

Spring Break—Enjoy!

8

3/21

Descriptive and Correlational Designs

Ch. 12 & 13

·         Nonexperimental Approaches

·         Surveys

·         Survey Design

 

9

3/28

Experimental Designs and Methods

No class Mon; Tues = Mon schedule on campus

Ch. 7

·         True Experiments

·         Manipulation Checks in Exp’l Res

 

10

4/4

Between & Within Designs

  • Assignment 8:  PLAN for Research Proposal
  • Quiz 6

Ch. 8 & 9 (Skip secs 8.4, 8.6, 9.4 & box 9.1)

·         Between v. Within Designs

11

4/11

Beyond Main Effects:  Factorial Designs

·         Assignment 9: Factorial

·         Quiz 7

Ch. 11

·         Common Mistakes in Student Res

12

4/18

Discussion : Follow up on Plan feedback

 

EXAM 2 (Ch. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, & 13)

 

 

13

4/25

Reporting research in APA style

  • Assignment 10:  You’re the editor

Ch. 15 & 16

·         Hypothesis Testing

·         APA Style

14

5/2

 

Inferential Statistics & testing hypotheses

·         Quiz 8

Ch. 15 & 16

·         Hypothesis Testing

·         APA Style

15

5/9

Final Research Proposal due

 

 

16

5/15

FINAL EXAM  Comprehensive

Posted 5/12-5/15

 

 

 

 

End