PSYCHOLOGY 110 RESEARCH METHODS II: STATISTICS

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UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT
Spring Semester 2009
PSYCHOLOGY 110
RESEARCH METHODS II: STATISTICS
Billings Lecture Hall / Campus Center Theater
Tuesdays and Thursdays 4pm-5:15pm
4 credits
Instructor:
Keith Burt, Ph.D.
Dewey Hall Room 340
[email protected]
Office phone: 656-4285
Office Hours: Thursdays 11am-12pm and by appointment (with extra hours prior to exams)
GENERAL INFORMATION
Course Website / Contacting: http://bb.uvm.edu. Handouts, course announcements, Web links, and
other important information will be posted on the website. You should familiarize yourself with the
Psyc110 Blackboard page and check it frequently for important updates. Please do NOT use the email
function in Blackboard; rather, email me directly. I generally respond to emails within 24-48 hours.
Course Overview and Objectives
The major purposes of this course are to provide you with the tools to conduct basic statistical tests in
psychology, and to aid in developing statistical reasoning skills. Efforts will be made to explore statistics
in context, across a variety of domains in the field, including comparative, developmental, social, and
clinical psychology.
The course will consist of both lecture and laboratory format. Lab sessions will be devoted both to
conducting observational and experimental studies, analyzing data, and writing results. In addition, as part
of lab you will conduct and write up an original research project. A separate lab schedule and syllabus
will be distributed at the first lab.
Code of Conduct
The rules that apply to students of the University of Vermont and of the College of Arts and Sciences in
regard to cheating and plagiarism apply in the class as well (see in particular the UVM Code of Academic
Integrity at http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmppg/ppg/student/acadintegrity.pdf). To review these rules in detail,
please consult your student handbook. Also see the following site for more information on and examples
of what is and is not plagiarism: http://www.uvm.edu/~agri99/plagiarism.html.
In addition, please exhibit basic classroom courtesy by speaking one at a time, raising your hand when
appropriate, remaining in your seat during the lecture, and not conducting conversations with classmates
during lecture. If you know you will be leaving early for any reason, please sit near the back exit and
leave quietly.
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Required Textbook
The book required for this course is available through the University bookstore:
Howell, D. C. (2008). Fundamental statistics for the behavioral sciences (6th ed.).
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
COURSE EVALUATION AND ASSIGNMENTS
Exams: There will be three exams during the semester, worth 30 points each. Exams will include a mix of
multiple-choice, short answer, and practical problems. The latter may require calculations of a statistical
nature, similar to problems that will be demonstrated in class. You are allowed to use a calculator on
exams, but not cell phones, PDAs, computers, or other electronic devices.
Statistics as a discipline is cumulative, with later topics in the course building directly on earlier topics.
Therefore, the final exam will also be cumulative, including material from the entire semester. The final
will include a mix of multiple-choice, short answer, and practical problems and will be worth 60 points.
Make-up exams are, in general, not permitted. Any exceptions to this rule are at the instructor’s discretion
and most likely need verification by the dean. Any make-up exams given may include a mix of multiple
short-answer and possibly essay questions.
Lab worksheets: Four lab worksheets will be assigned to complete in lab, each worth 5 points. These
are used to assess participation in lab, application of course information to the lab context, and the ability
to summarize data. Late assignments will not be accepted.
Writing assignments: Certain laboratory experiences will involve a write-up of procedures and results.
At these lab meetings, you will work with your TA on elements of proper APA technique and have the
opportunity to begin writing yourself. The first write-up will be worth 5 points and the others will be
worth 10 points. Late assignments will not be accepted.
Homework: Homework assignments will be given out in lab and posted on the course website. They will
generally be examples of practical problems to give practice for exams. Each homework assignment will
be worth 10 points. Late assignments will not be accepted.
Final paper: To integrate the skills that you learned in Research Methods I: Research Methods with
Research Methods II: Statistics, you will conduct and report on original research conducted by you and
your classmates. You will work in groups of up to 4 students to collect your data, and each of you will
hand in your own APA formatted report. Paper length should not exceed 10 pages, but there is an extra
page allowance for relevant figures, tables, and diagrams. As a group, you will select one of the preapproved study topics provided by the TAs (or make a strong case for a topic not on the list). A project
guide with more details will be distributed in lab and is considered a part of this syllabus (and thus part of
the syllabus contract).
Because this is a group project, I urge you to be sensitive to intellectual property rights. You will be
working close together, using similar articles and having the same data set. Still, you must present
original work. Therefore, I strongly recommend that when it comes time to write the literature review and
discussion, work alone, with no other members of your group present to discuss ideas. Too often, sharing
during this process results is remarkably similar sentences/passages to be found in more than one paper,
which constitutes as plagiarism and a violation of UVM’s Academic Integrity code. It is, however,
advisable that once you finish writing you seek comments from the group on style or presentation.
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The final paper will be due on the last day of class (April 28) so that your TA has time to thoughtfully
grade your papers, and is worth 45 points. Late papers will not be accepted.
Group planning sheets and materials: As part of your group work on the final paper, you will complete
planning sheets and other materials (e.g., method section draft) throughout the semester that detail your
proposed study and related work, to be reviewed by your TA. These will be worth 30 points total and are
described further in the lab syllabus. Late sheets will not be accepted.
Extra Credit: There are multiple opportunities for extra credit in the course. One is to participate in an
approved psychology study by writing a one page paper about the purpose of the study and what type of
statistical test could be used to answer their research question. You will find specific guidelines of how to
write this paper on the extra credit form which will be posted on Blackboard. Another way to earn extra
credit is to participate in a Psyc110 “data blitz” (tentatively scheduled for Thursday, April 16, 5:30pm7pm) where you will take part in a mass survey session, the data of which will be used for your final
projects. Finally, there will be one extra credit point associated with each exam. There will be a cutoff
date for your TA to accept extra credit.
Grading: It is essential that you understand that you cannot earn a high grade in this course without
attending both lecture and lab, as well as handing in assignments when they are due. Grades will be
available on Blackboard and not posted anywhere in the building. Please be sure to keep all graded
assignments-it has not been unheard of that typing errors are made when entering the grades online. To
receive the correct grade, you must be able to produce the original graded paper.
Total course grade: 300 points
Course component
Lecture (150 points total)
Exam 1
Exam 2
Exam 3
Final exam
Points
30
30
30
60
Course component
Lab (150 points total)
Lab worksheets (4)
Writing assignments (3)
Homework assignments (3)
Group sheets/materials (3)
Final paper
Grade ranges:
Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
% of Points
93-100
90-92
87-89
83-86
80-82
77-79
73-76
70-72
67-69
63-66
60-62
Below 60
Points
279-300
270-278
261-269
249-260
240-248
231-239
219-230
210-218
201-209
189-200
180-188
0-179
3
Points
20
25
30
30
45
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Lecture Schedule
As much as possible, we will adhere to the following schedule of topics, although some topics
may change slightly if extra time is needed for a particular unit.
Date
1/13
1/15
1/20
1/22
1/27
1/29
2/3
2/5
2/10
2/12
2/17
2/19
2/24
2/26
3/3
3/5
3/10
3/12
3/17
3/19
3/24
3/26
3/31
4/2
4/7
4/9
4/14
4/16
4/21
4/23
4/28
TBA
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Topic
Course overview & introduction
Terminology, scales of measurement
Graphs and plots
Mean, median, mode
Variability
Normal distribution, Z-scores
Probability
Exam #1
Sampling distributions, hypothesis testing
One sample T-test
Paired T-test
Independent samples T-test
Confidence intervals and Effect Size
Statistical Power
NO CLASS – Town Meeting Day
Exam #2
NO CLASS – Spring break
NO CLASS – Spring break
Correlation
Regression
Multiple Regression
(continued)
Chi-Square
NO CLASS – optional review session
Exam #3
ANOVA introduction
ANOVA continued
In-class survey data collection
Factorial ANOVA
Statistical test selection
Wrap-up and review
FINAL EXAM
*Readings to be completed before the day in question.
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Reading*
Chapters 1 & 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 12
Chapter 13 (pp.309-317)
Chapter 14
Chapter 13 (pp.317-322)
Chapter 15
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 19
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 21
Final paper due
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Syllabus Contract
By submitting this paper, I verify that I have read and understand the syllabus for the psychology
course Research Methods II: Statistics. The syllabus includes both the course and lab syllabus.
In particular, I understand that:
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I am responsible for bringing my own calculator to exams
The final exam is cumulative
Late assignments will not be accepted
I will behave as a respectful student to my teacher, TA, and classmates
I will behave as a thoughtful and ethical researcher
I am signing this paper to state that I understand that this is a contract for our class
Sign and Write Your Name Below To Agree To These Statements and the Content of the Syllabus
___________________________________
Signature
___________________________________
PRINT your name
___________________________________
Date
Please return this form to your TA at your scheduled meeting time during the lab week of January 26.
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