(Psy 360) Experimental Psychology

syllabus     assignments     paper       grades How to compute:  standard deviation   t-test
	Dr. Regeth's Class:  Chapter 6, Variable Slides Dr. Regeth's Class:  Chapter 8, Internal and External Validity.

SYLLABUS

EXPECTATIONS
Content	This is an introductory course in the design and interpretation of experimental research in Psychology.  A major emphasis will be on interpreting and writing research reports in standard APA format.
Activities	The course consists of reading, lectures, demonstrations, written assignments, and discussion. It is your responsibility to keep current on these materials.
Attendance	Frequent absences do nothing to increase my confidence that you have learned the material covered in this class. I take attendance into consideration when determining final grades.
Honesty	Cases of cheating or plagiarism will result in no credit (0) for the assignment or test and an overall failing grade for the course.
Papers	There will be three major papers and several written assignments in this course.  All papers must be typed and written in standard English.
Quizzes	There will be six to eight quizzes. Quizzes will be announced at least one class period in advance. I will drop the lowest quiz grade in computing your final grade.  Quizzes will be multiple choice, true-false, fill-in-the-blank,  brief answer, and thought questions.
Make Ups	I will drop the first quiz you miss as your lowest quiz score.   You may make-up any subsequent test, quiz, homework assignment, or paper, but you will loose one point per day for makeups unless you have a University-approved excuse justifying the delay. Make-ups must be completed the day   you return to class.
Study Guide	I will periodically collect, review, and grade your study guides.  You will be graded on  the degree to which you have completed the exercises and answered the questions.  I will not always announce when these guides will be collected, but I have indicated tentative times in the course outline.
Final Exam	The final exam is cumulative and will be given the last day of class.   It is open note, open study guide.
Extra Credit	None.
Point Assignments	Your grades will be computed as follows... Research paper #1 ................ 20 points Research paper #2 .................20 points Research proposal .................60 points Study Guide Review .........20-35 points Group Participation ..............10 points Quizzes ................................80 - 100 points Final exam ...........................60 - 80 points
Grade Scale	Grades will be calculated on the following scale:        90% and above     B 80 - 89%     C 70 - 79%    D 60 - 69%    F less than 60%
Office Hours	Hours I will be available to discuss the course, the weather, or any topic of mutual interest at the hours posted above. If these are not convenient, please see me to make an appointment at another time.
Special Needs	If you have special learning needs, please let me know. Students requiring special considerations should get in touch with the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities. This office will notify me in writing of the accommodations you need in compliance with 504/ADA. If you have special learning needs, please let me know.

ASSIGNMENTS

TOPIC	ASSIGNMENT
INTRODUCTION	Martin, Chapter 12 Martin, Appendix A (Statistics) S & M, Chapter 15
THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD How we know what we know. Goals of science. Types of research.	S & M Chapter 1 Quiz #1
THE RESEARCH REPORT Report elements Developing Ideas Finding research	Martin, Chapters 3, 6, & 13 S & M, Chapters 9 & 10 Library Session Scavenger Hunt
ETHICS Human Research Animal Research	Martin, Chapters 4 & 5 S & M, Chapter 8 Complete the training found at: http://cme.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/learning/humanparticipant-protections.asp Quiz #2
BASIC EXPERIMENT, PART I Non-experimental Designs Basic Experiment	Martin, Chapter 2 S & M, Chapter 2 S & M, Chapters 17 Maternal Behavior &  23 Alcohol and Condoms Quiz #3 study guide hints
VARIABLES IN  RESEARCH Operational Definitions Reliability Validity	Martin, Chapter 7 S & M, pps 42-45 S & M, Chapter 16, 'Hormones and Toy Preferences'     Quiz #4
EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN, PART II Experimental Design Flow Chart. Between Subjects Design Within Subjects Design Matched Groups Designs	Martin, Chapter 8 S & M Chapter 5 S & M, Chapter 11 Identification of Cola Beverages Quiz #5
MULTIPLE VARIABLE DESIGNS Single Variable Multiple Variable Converging Series	Martin, Chapter 8 S & M, pps 45-57 S & M Chapter 20, Perspective Shifting Quiz #6
NON-EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNS Non-experiments Quasi-experiments Single subject	Martin, Chapter 10 S & M, pps 58-66 S & M, Chapter 19 The Creative Porpoise  Quiz #7

PAPER

Research Proposal: Description
Length	12 to 20 pages
Format	APA format in standard English with all references cited.
Scoring	Area                          Possible Points APA Format                             5 Abstract                                    5 Introduction                          15 Methods                                 15 Results                                    10 References                                5 Grammar, Spelling, etc.        5 Total                                       60
Process
Identify a current topic, problem, issue, or concern that interests you.
Do an initial literature search to refine the problem or question to a specific theory or hypothesis. This must be a hypothesis that can be assessed using an experimental design of your choosing.
Check with me before starting your paper.
Write your paper.
Turn your paper in to me on or before 6:00, Monday August 8, 2005
Outline
1.  ABSTRACT. Describe the nature of the study including the research hypothesis, subjects to be evaluated, design, and variables to be measured.
2. INTRODUCTION A review of the research literature. In the introduction you should review the issue you will investigate including its history, previous research, and your research hypothesis or hypotheses.
3.  METHODS A description of the subjects you will use, the variables you will measure, procedure you will follow, equipment you will use, etc. You do not have to conduct the study.   This section should also describe how you will protect participants.
4.  RESULTS Describe how you will analyze your data. Do not make up data, just describe how you will analyze it including any descriptive and inferential statistics you will compute.  If you will use inferential statistics (t-test, F test, etc.)  be sure to include your statistical hypothesis.
5.     REFERENCES List all articles, books, and other works cited in the paper.
6.   APPENDIX The Appendix should contain all copies of all materials you would use including briefing and debriefing scripts,   experimental materials, etc.