(PSY 365) RESEARCH METHODS

syllabus    assignments    research proposal      literature review    grades

 
Required: McBurney, H. H. (2002) Research Methods (5th Ed). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks Cole
Patten, M. (2002) Educational & Psychological Research (3rd Ed) Los Angeles: Pyrczak Publishing
 Sweeney, D. C. (2003)  Research Methods Study Guide 
Reserve:
Babbie, Earl (1995) The Practice of Social Research, Belmont CA: Wadsworth Publishing
Graziano, A.M. & Raulin, M. L.(1997) Research Methods: A Process of Inquiry , New York:   Harper Collins
Rosnow, R. L. & Rosenthal, R. (1993) Beginning Behavioral Research, New York:Macmillan
Schweigert, W. A. (1994) Research Methods and Statistics for Psychology, Pacific Grove, CA, Brooks Cole
Whitley, B. E. (1996) Principles of Research in the Behavioral Sciences, Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Press
Suggested: Publication Manual for the American Psychological Association. American Psychological Association.

SYLLABUS

COURSE EXPECTATIONS
Content

This is an advanced course in applied and laboratory research techniques.  The emphasis will be on the evaluation, design, implementation, and documentation of psychological research.  The main goal will be to prepare a research report ins standard APA format.
Activities

The course consists of reading, lectures, demonstrations, research projects,  written assignments, and discussion. It is your responsibility to keep current on these materials.
Attendance

Frequent absences will do nothing to increase my confidence that you have learned the material covered in this class.  I will take attendance into consideration when determining final grades.

Honesty/Integrity

All work must be your own.  Cases of cheating or plagiarism will result in no credit for the assignment or test and an overall failing grade for the course.
Papers

There will be two papers.  These papers will represent approximately 2/3 of you course grade.   Papers must be typed and formatted in standard APA format.  All work on papers must be your own.
Assignments

There will be assignments to be completed as part of the research projects you are managing.  It is your responsibility to complete these projects on time.
Quizzes

There will be three to four quizzes. All quizzes will be announced at least one class in advance. You may drop your lowest quiz score.

Participation

Frequent participation in class discussions will assure me that you are awake, alert, and involved with the class.   I will take participation into account when grading borderline cases. 

Group Work

A considerable amount of work in this class will be group work.  I expect each person to participate fully in their group.  You will be graded on the extent to which you both participate in and contribute to your group's activities.
Make-ups

You may make-up any test or quiz 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 week you return to class.
Final Exam

There is NO final exam in this course.
Grades

Your grades will be computed as follows:
Research Paper   
       Research Proposal    Study Guide Review   
Quizzes     		60       points
60       points
40-60  points
100     points
Grade Scale

Grades will be calculated on the following scale:

A 90% and above   B 80 - 89%     C 70 - 79%    D 60 - 69%    F less than 60%
Extra Credit

None
Office 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.PPT

   

 

THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD.PPT

How we know what we know.
Goals of science.
Types of research.

McBurney, Chapter 1

Graziano & Raulin, Chapter 1

Research Project Assignments

THE RESEARCH PAPER

Elements of the research paper.
Elements of a literature review.
Annotated Bibliography
Literature Review
Meta-Analysis

McBurney, Chapter 4

Rosnow & Rosnow, App. A

APA Publications Manual

ETHICS.PDF

Ten Ethical Principles
Ethics of Animal Research

McBurney, Chapter 3

Schweigert, Chapter 2
Rosnow & Rosenthal, Chapter 3
APA Ethical Principles in the Conduct of Research with Human Participants.

HYPOTHESES,  STATISTICS, & POWER.PDF

The Research Process
The Research Hypothesis
Logical Hypotheses
Statistical Hypotheses
Power

 McBurney, Appendix A

 

 

Study Guide Review #1

VARIABLES and MEASUREMENT.PDF

Operational Definitions
Measurement Scales
Reliability and Validity
Reactivity Problem
Measurement Issues

McBurney, Chapter 1, Chapter 5

Rosnow & Rosenthal, Chapter 6
Babbie, Chapter 5, pps 122-129
Whitley, Chapter 4

 

EXPERIMENTAL VALIDITY.PDF

Types
Threats
Statistical Issues

McBurney, Chapter 7

 

Study Guide Review #2

 NATURALISTIC RESEARCH.PDF

Naturalistic Observation
Participant Observation
Field Experimentation
Archival Research
Case Study

McBurney, Chapter 9

Rosnow & Rosenthal, Chapter 4

 

 

SURVEY TECHNIQUES.PDF

Steps in Conducting Survey Research
Sampling and Generalizability
Survey Design
Problems in Self-Report Techniques
Survey Interpretation

McBurney, Chapter 10

Babbie, Chapter 6
Rosnow & Rosenthal, Chapter 5
Whitley, Chapter 5, pps 129-157

 

Study Guide Review #3

CORRELATIONAL APPROACHES.PDF

Overview
Applications
Problems
Multiple Regression
Factor Analysis
Interpretation

McBurney, Appendix A

Graziano & Raulin, Chapter 7
Whitley, Chapter 9

EXPERIMENTAL  RESEARCH

Experimental Control Terminology
Poor Designs
Pre-experimental designs
Experimental designs

Within Subject Designs
Between Subject Designs
Factorial Designs

McBurney, Chapters  8, 11, & 12

 

 

 

 

 

Study Guide Review #4

QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNS

Non-Equivalent Control Group
Delayed Control Group
Interrupted Time Series
Longitudinal Designs

Program Evaluation

 McBurney, Chapter 14

SINGLE-SUBJECT DESIGNS

Introduction
Basic Design
Examples

McBurney, Chapter 13

 

Study Guide Review #5

PAPER: Research Proposal

 

Research Proposal: Description
Length

12 to 20 pages
Format  

 APA format in standard English with all references cited.
Scoring

Area 

Possible Points

APA Format           
Abstract                  
Introduction          
Methods                  
Results                    
References               
Grammar, Spelling
Total                 

5
5
15
 15
5
10
  5
 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 one of the four research techniques we discuss in class.

Check with me before starting your paper.

Write your paper.

Turn your paper in to me on or before May 6, 2003

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

An exhaustive 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, correlation, multiple regression, 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.


PAPER: Literature Review

Literature Review: Description

Length

20 to 30 pages

Format  

 APA format in standard English with all references cited.

Scoring

Area

Possible Points

APA Format           
Abstract                  
Introduction          
Review                    
References               
Grammar, Spelling
Total                          

 

5
5
10
 25
10
  5
 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.  Summarize this research in an annotated bibliography

Check with me before starting your paper.

Write your paper.

Turn your paper in to me on or before May 6, 2003

Outline

1.  ABSTRACT.

Describe the nature of the review including the major issue or points you want to make.

2. INTRODUCTION

Summarize the areas you will be reviewing, those you will exclude,  key definitions,  and state how the paper is organized.

3.  REVIEW

This is the heart of your paper and should contain a critical evaluation of previous studies, not just a list of the studies.

4.  SUMMARY

This is a recapitulation of what you have reviewed together with your recommendations for what additional research should be done.

5.     REFERENCES

List all articles, books, and other works cited in the paper.