Psychology
596 (Fall, 2007)
Section
70, T 5:00 – 7:40, DiLoreto 013
Psychological
Research: Design and Analysis I
Professor: Jim Conway
Office: Marcus White Hall, Room 215
Hours: Monday 9:00-10:00, Tuesday 11:00-12:00
& 3:50-4:50, Wednesday 9:00-10:00, Thursday 11:00-12:00; and by appointment
Phone: 860-832-3107 (office)
E-mail: conwayj@ccsu.edu
Home
page: http://www.psychology.ccsu.edu/conway
Admission
into MA program
Required
Text
Spector, P. E. (1992). Summated
rating scale construction: An introduction.
Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Recommended
Text
American Psychological
Association (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.).
Required
Readings
There is
a set of required readings, listed at the end of the syllabus, and available
through CentralPipeline.
Not a
Bad Idea to Get:
Brace,
Kemp, & Sneglar (2003). SPSS
for psychologists: A guide to data analysis using SPSS for Windows (2nd
ed.).
Suggested
Software
You will need to use SPSS software to
complete course requirements (and to analyze your masters thesis data). The software is available in several
ways. (1) SPSS is available on all (as
far as I know) networked computers at CCSU.
E.g., the computer lab in the Marcus White Annex. (2) You can buy the SPSS 15 Student Version
for Windows from Prentice Hall (www.prenhall.com)
for $96, or you could shop around. The
student version has some important limitations but will do most of what we need
to do. (3) It is theoretically possible
(I’ve never done it) to get access to SPSS through the internet, using the
Citrix Web Service link on the Welcome tab in CentralPipeline.
Handouts
Several
handouts will be needed during the semester.
You will need to obtain copies and bring the handouts to class on
specified dates -- it is very important that you have the handouts when
needed. The handouts will be
available through CentralPipeline
Computer
Account
Calculator
I
strongly suggest you buy an inexpensive calculator. You will be able to use your calculator for
all exams. Also, we will at times do
computations in class so you should bring your calculator to all classes.
Course
Description and Objectives
This
course will provide an overview of research methods and data analysis in
psychology, and will be continued in PSY 597.
You will design a study and write a full research proposal.
By the
end of this course, you should be able to:
1.
Develop a scientific view of how behavior can be investigated,
2.
Understand how variables are measured and the process of creating new measures;
3.
Understand the place and limitations of experimental and nonexperimental
methodologies in psychological research,
4.
Analyze the structure of experimental designs (isolation of independent and
dependent variables, between- vs. within-subject manipulations, etc.),
5.
Appreciate the psychological literature and carry out significant library
research using the PsycINFO database and other resources,
6.
Understand and use APA format for research reports,
7.
Analyze and criticize the design of studies, with thorough appreciation of
potential threats to internal validity, and recognition of alternative
explanations,
8.
Understand experimental and statistical control procedures for purposes of
extraneous variable control,
9.
Perform and apply descriptive and inferential statistics, both manually and
with computer assistance (SPSS), and
10.
Design valid psychological studies using both experimental and correlational
methodologies.
Evaluation
and Grading
Exams. There will be a total of four exams during the
semester. There will be no final
exam. Instead you will do an oral
presentation of your research proposal (described below) during the final exam
time on December 18 (6:15-8:15 p.m.). The exams will be based on material presented
in class as well as in the readings and handouts, and will consist of
short-answer/short essay and occasional multiple choice questions as well as
problems (e.g., computations). Exams
will take up about the first half of the class period, after which we will
continue with class. The exams will be
somewhat cumulative, because earlier material provides a base for the later
material. If an exam is canceled for any
reason (e.g., snow) the exam will take place during the
Exams
will be given on the following dates: Sept.
25, Oct. 23, Nov. 13, and Dec. 4.
Homeworks. There will be frequent homeworks (about one
every week or two). These assignments
will include library research (e.g., literature searches, PsycINFO), computer
assignments, and written assignments.
Late assignments will be graded as follows: You will receive half credit
for assignments one week late or less (i.e., turned in by the next class
meeting after the due date) and no credit for assignments turned in more than
one week late. You may drop your lowest
homework score.
Attendance and class participation. You will not be graded on attendance or class
participation but I expect you to attend all classes and participate in
discussions. Attendance at all classes
is especially important because we only meet once each week. Comprehension of the material is assisted
greatly by participation in discussions so I strongly suggest you participate
frequently.
Full research
proposal & oral presentation.
You will be required to design a research study, using either an
experimental methodology or a correlational methodology. You will write a full
You will present the full proposal at the
end of the semester on December 18 (our
final exam period is from 6:15-8:15 p.m.).
Your oral presentation should be about 10 minutes long and must include
some type of visual aid, such as overhead transparencies or PowerPoint slides.
*** In the SPRING 2008 semester you will conduct your proposed
study. You are expected to present the
results in poster format at either
All exams and assignments will be graded
on a scale of 0 - 100 and final grades
will be computed as follows:
Mean of
exam scores 40%
Mean of
homeworks (minus lowest) 15%
Full
research proposal 40%
Presentation 5%
_________________________________
Total 100%
As
stated above, the objectives of this course include your learning and thinking
about research methods/statistics. With
that in mind, it is essential that any work you hand in (including exams,
papers, and other assignments) be your own work. Papers and assignments should be written in
your own words, and demonstrate your own thinking. You may use other scholar’s words or thoughts
if you give them the appropriate credit by citation. If I suspect that what I read is not your own
work, I will talk with you about it, and may take other action as
necessary. The graduate policy for
academic misconduct can be found in the Graduate School Handbook which can be
accessed from http://www.ccsu.edu/grad/.
If you have any questions about how you can use the work of other
scholars with integrity, you may want to attend a workshop in Academic
Integrity, offered by The Learning Center.
If you
need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you have
emergency medical information to share with me, or if you need special
arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment
with me as soon as possible.
Schedule
for Research Proposal, Oral Presentation, & Poster Presentation
Throughout
the semester you will work to choose a topic, conduct a literature review,
design an experiment or correlational study, and write a full
1.
Decide on a general topic; do this by September
25.
2. Find
a "keystone" article in the library representing the state of the art
in your topic area. The article must be
recent (2000 or later) and be in a peer-reviewed journal. It must describe at least one original study
(not a review). Make a copy of the
entire article, which you must know thoroughly.
On October 9 you will give me
a photocopy of the first page of the article along with a summary/critique
(details later).
3.
Explore the literature on your topic using PsycINFO and the reference list from
your keystone article. You should
identify at least nine additional articles, which you will read and
summarize. You will give me an annotated
bibliography including all 9 sources along with photocopies of the first page
of each article by October 30 (if
you wear a Halloween costume I will consider giving you extra credit).
4.
Decide on a variation on the theme that has not been tried yet. It should be a variation that you can
actually carry out next semester, so consider where you will get the
participants as well as what you will ask them to do. Develop a hypothesis. Write an APA-style Introduction section
justifying your study. The Introduction
will include a review of your keystone article and all of your other articles.
Design
in detail your study. If it is an
experiment it must include a true independent variable (not a subject variable
such as sex or handedness). If it is a
correlational/passive observation study then you must include at least three
variables (for use in multiple regression analysis, to be discussed in the
spring semester). Write a formal design
proposal (Method section) in
The full
proposal using
You will
give an oral presentation of the full proposal on December 18 (6:15-8:15
p.m.).
Lecture
Outline
Basic Issues in Research
Sept. 4 How we answer questions: science vs. other approaches
Validity
in research design/brief overview of designs
Sept. 11 Validity
in research design/brief overview of designs (continued)
Ethics
in Research
Readings: Cook & Campbell (1979), Validity - Ch.
2 pp. 37-41, 50-51, 59-64, 70-73)
Tutorial
on Ethics (NIH):
http://cme.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/learning/humanparticipant-protections.asp
Sept. 18 Ethics
(continued)
Developing
hypotheses/literature reviews
Mediation
& Moderation
Readings: Zimbardo (1973), Ethics
Frese
(1999) introduction (moderation example)
Chang
(2000) introduction (mediation example)
Sept. 25 Measurement/Operational
definitions
Observation, surveys, unobtrusive
measures
Readings: Spector (1992)
Oct. 2 Descriptive
statistics/SPSS **Handout**
** Meet at Marcus White
Annex PC Classroom on Oct. 2 **
Oct. 9 Measurement/Operational
definitions (continued)
Readings: Spector (1992)
Oct. 16 Hypothesis
testing and confidence intervals **Handout**
Oct. 23 Hypothesis
testing and confidence intervals
Readings: Harris (1997)
Loftus
(1996)
Wilkinson
et al. (1999)
Experimental
Designs
Oct. 30 Logic
of Experiments: Comparison and control
Internal
validity/threats to internal validity
Between-subjects
design
Readings: Cook & Campbell (1979), Logic of
Experiments (pp. 341-344); Threats to internal validity (pp. 51-54)
Nov. 6 Between-subjects
design
Nov. 13 Within-subjects
and matched-subjects designs
Non-Experimental
Designs
Nov. 20 Correlational,
quasi-experimental, single-subject designs, meta-analysis
Nov. 27 Non-experimental
designs (continued)
Readings: Hunter & Schmidt (2004), Meta-Analysis
(pp. 17-32)
Carey & Weintraub (2007)
Statistics
Dec. 4 Correlation/regression
**Handout**
Dec. 11 Correlation/regression
(continued)
Dec. 18 Oral Presentations ** 6:15 – 8:15 p.m. **
Required
Readings
Carey, J., & Weintraub, A.
(2007, August 6). When medical studies
collide: Contradictory reports?
Meta-analysis may make things more confusing. Business
Week, 4045, 38. Retrieved August 29,
2007, from Expanded Academic ASAP via Gale database.
Chang,
E. C. (2000). Perfectionism as a predictor of positive and negative
psychological outcomes: Examining a mediation model in younger and older
adults. Journal
of Counseling Psychology, 47(1), 18-26.
Cook,
T. D., & Campbell, D. T. (1979). Quasi-experimentation: Design and analysis
issues for field settings. Boston:
Houghton Mifflin Co. [excerpts]
Frese, M. (1999). Social support as a moderator of the relationship
between work stressors and psychological dysfunctioning: A longitudinal study
with objective measures.
Journal of Occupational Health
Psychology, 4(3), 179-192.
Harris, R. J. (1997).
Significance tests have their place. Psychological
Science, 8(1), 8-11.
Hunter,
J. E., & Schmidt, F. L. (2004). Methods
of meta-analysis: Correcting error and bias in research findings. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Loftus,
G. R. (1996). Psychology will be a much better science when we change the way we
analyze data. Current Directions
in Psychological Science, 5(6), 161-171.
Spector, P. E. (1992). Summated
rating scale construction: An introduction (Sage University Paper series on
Quantitative Applications in the Social Sciences, No. 07-082). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Wilkinson, L., & Task Force
on Statistical Inference. (1999). Statistical
methods in psychology journals: Guidelines and explanations. American Psychologist, 54(8), 594-604.
Zimbardo, P. G. (1973). On the ethics of intervention in human
psychological research: With special
reference to the Stanford Prison Experiment.
Cognition, 2, 243-256.