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Psychology 201 - Research Methods
Overview
This course serves as an intensive introduction to the design and performance of psychological research. It is a 1.5 credit single course meeting twice a week for 2.5 hours. The course has two components, lecture and lab. In lecture, the concepts underlying the design and performance of psychological research will be discussed. In lab, students will use the ideas from lecture in class exercises and in the design and execution of a group research project. The results of these projects will be presented in a research report (in APA format) and at an evening research colloquium at the end of the semester. At the beginning of the semester, we will spend more time on the lecture component of the course whereas towards the end of the semester we will spend more time working on group research projects.
Lecture Component
The lecture component is a survey of research concepts and techniques used by psychologists. The text readings will be supplemented by reading original research articles. The material will build upon the understanding you began to develop in Statistics last Fall; although, as you will see, the breadth of the research process is larger than Statistics. For the Lecture material, there will be three exams, two midterms and a final plus occasional ‘reading check’ quizzes.
Laboratory Component
The lab component of the course has two subcomponents. First is a series of hands-on exercises that exemplify a certain concept or technique we are talking about in lecture or working on a group research project. These exercises will introduce you to analyzing data in a the SPSS statistical analysis package. The second component is a group research project in which you and your group will decide on the research question to be investigated, conduct a literature review on this topic and develop the methods to be used to study the question. Then you will collect data that speaks to this question and analyze them using stastitical methods to determine how the question should be answered. Because the scientific process is an inherently social one (as we will discuss), your results will be described in a research report and in an oral presentation at a nighttime colloquium that is open to all psychology students and faculty.
Scientific Writing
A primary goal of the class is the development of scientific writing skills. The writing of the research report will be done incrementally throughout the semester. You will be required to write the lab report following American Psychological Association (APA) writing style. We will go over the specifics of this style in detail, but we stress from the onset that you will be writing drafts. Writing is a process; a good manuscript grows and changes qualitatively as it is critiqued. Initially, what is clear to you (the author) may make little sense to someone else. When you receive feedback on your drafts it isn't a matter of merely mechanically filling in missing pieces. Our goal as instructors is not to teach you how to write a specific lab report on a specific research project, but rather to help you gain an appreciation that writing is a developmental process.
Group Work
Collaborating with other students on a research project is a valuable experience. Many of your future careers require this kind of creating a social product. Note, however, that there are perils in this kind of project. Control of the work must necessarily be spread among a number of people. Please be aware of your responsibility to the group and remember that you should not do too much or too little. Striking this balance is sometimes difficult depending upon the combination of personalities in the group. Ideally, all members of the group will share work equally and, consequently, all members will receive the same grades. I do, however, monitor members’ contributions and will, if necessary, adjust grades for the project accordingly.
Grading
Two exams will be given during the semester as well as a oral final at the end of the course whose goal is to integrate the lecture concepts with the group research project. The final grade will be calculated as follows: 50% of the final grade will be based on the three exams, 35% will be based on the group research project, and 15% will be based upon assignments and quizzes. |
