Elizabeth L. Haines, Ph.D.

Experimental Psychology II

Psychology 203-01
Fridays 9:30-1:45
Science Hall East 2047

Required Texts

 Myers, A. & Hansen, C.H. (2011).  Experimental psychology, 7th Edition. New York:  Wadsworth. ISBN: 0495602310

American Psychological Association (2009).  Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.).   Washington, D.C.

Required Materials

• Dropbox account to back up data and files

• Thumb drive to save data and files.

Highly Recommended Materials

• SPSS Grad Pack Version 19 or higher for home SPSS home use.

• Prerequisites: PSY 110. Math 110 or Math 130. Perseverance and Grit.

Also Recommended

Kirkpatrick, L.A. & Feeney, B.C. (2010) A. simple guide to SPSS for Windows version 17.0, 10th Edition. Wadsworth Publishing: New York. ISBN 0840031882

George, D. & Mallery, P. (2010). SPSS for Windows step by step, 10th Edition. Allyn & Bacon: New York ISBN-10 0-8400-3188-2

Course Objectives

Experimental Psychology is the underlying theme in all psychology courses. This course has three general objectives:

• To gain research experience. You will learn how to: formulate and test hypotheses, generate a novel hypothesis, manipulate variables to determine cause and effect, measure psychological constructs, recruit subjects, use random assignment, control for confounds, gather valid data, perform the statistical analyses, interpret and critique the results, and present research to an audience.

• To learn the tools of research. You will learn to: locate, read, and critique professional research journals, navigate research databases and use professional level statistical programs.

• To become a scientific writer and thinker. You will practice and enhance your scientific writing skills and apply the conceptual logic of experimentation to your own research. (Also, see "Advice on Writing" below.)

Course Format

Class will follow a lecture/discussion/laboratory/workshop format. All students are expected to participate in class discussion and activities. Expect to have homework, a quiz, or an assignment every classes. Questions are encouraged. As the semester progresses, more time will be devoted to discussion and methodological problem solving. As a courtesy to other students please turn off phones during class time. Face book, email and other non-course uses of computer are not permitted during class.

Prerequisites

• General Psychology: PSYC110

• C- or above in Experimental Psychology I: PSYC202

If you did not successfully complete these classes you are not eligible for this course. If you completed these classes but received grades lower than a B, you may not be ready for this course. For example, you should have mastered the following skills and concepts  from the prerequisite courses: independent variable and dependent variable, descriptive vs. experimental research, types of data (interval, ratio, nominal, discrete etc) validity, reliability, confounds, type I and type II errors, cause and correlation, random assignment vs. random selection, how to choose a statistical test given a research design, t-tests, F tests, post hoc tests, main effects and interactions, probability, theories and hypotheses, descriptive and inferential statistics (to name a few).

Evaluation

Independent Project 50%

Throughout the semester, each student will pursue his or her own research idea including: the development of a research idea and a testable hypothesis, creation of an annotated bibliography, creation of stimulus materials, creation of measurement, data analysis, write up and a presentation on the last day of class .Independent project papers are typically between 25-30 pages.

Quizzes 20%

Eleven quizzes will evaluate your comprehension of research method and design. Quizzes may consist of multiple choice questions, fill in the blank, true false, and/or short answer. Quizzes will cover material from the text, web pages, handouts, lectures, and discussion. Answers to the quizzes will be posted on the web. There will be no make up quizzes; if you come late to class you will not be able to take the quiz.

Assignments 20%

Throughout the semester I will give assignments to sharpen and enhance your research skills. Some of these assignments include journal article review, annotated bibliography, and perusal of Psychology related web-sites.

Class Participation/Attendance 10%

All students are expected to participate in class discussion 2. Attendance is required. Missing even one class ("excused" or otherwise) will lower your overall grade. Leaving class before dismissal at 1:45 will also count as an absence; two latenesses will also count as one absence. If you are late to class you will receive a 0 on the quiz for that day.

Handing in Assignments

All assignments will be due at the beginning of class to be handed in both 1) on paper and 2) on blackboard . All files must be in microsoft word format. All assignments should be labeled as your lastname_assignmentX_date such as haines_a1_011216doc. Late assignments will not be accepted. Assignments handed in at the end of class will not be accepted. Printout failures, documents not in .doc, not uploading an assignment attachment (bb), uploading the wrong version of an assignment (bb), inability to get on blackboard (barring a system disruption that lasts for more than 24 hours), or other computer mishaps will result in a zero for that assignment.

Attendance

Attendance is required for all classes. No exceptions.

Advice on Writing

College Level Writing

The course emphasizes writing skills and I expect all students to write at least on college level. College level means that papers are heavily edited, proof read, spell checked and stapled together. Editing requires as much time as actual writing; therefore, schedule extra time for the papers and visit the writing center if you need assistance in writing. I also expect that comments on previous papers be acknowledged and corrected on subsequent papers.

Scientific Writing

Scientific writing has an agenda: to tell the story of research. As a result, scientific writing has strict guidelines for format, language, precision, and even punctuation. Your A.P.A. publication manual is the most important piece of information for learning and improving your scientific writing. It is essential that you read the manual and refer to it any time you are writing a paper for Experimental Psychology.

Academic Honesty

It is expected that all work handed in for this class is based upon your learning and personal effort. Violations of academic integrity, including cheating, plagiarism, collusion, and lying, can not be tolerated. Please familiarize yourself with the University's Academic Honest Policy.

Plagiarism

While most plagiarism is unintentional, it will result in an F in his course and expulsion from the University. The most common type of plagiarism is a student’s "overusing" the author’s words in a research article because s/he does not understand the article’s content. To avoid plagiarism in this course, 1) read over the research article thoroughly before writing 2) keep notes IN YOUR OWN WORDS about the article rather than the author’s 3) do not use a thesaurus to replace words to make it appear as if the words are yours.

Collusion

Collusion is working together in preparing separate course assignments in ways not authorized by the instructor. Academic work produced through a cooperative (collaborative effort) of two or more students is permissible only upon the explicit consent of the professor. The collaboration must also be acknowledged in stating the authorship of the report.

Communication

Communication is essential to the learning process. In class I communicate with you by directing discussion, answering questions, giving instruction and providing feedback and you communicate with me by providing comment, asking questions, and performing on assignments and exams. I also believe that students should have individual attention. I strongly encourage student appointments and visits during my office hours. These appointments allow the privacy and individual attention you deserve. If the question is quick, email is the most efficient method of contact. Email also reduces phone-tag. Communication between students is strongly encouraged. The first day of class it is a requirement to get two students' so that you may collaborate on notes, have a study partner, and/or to check on information you may have missed in class.

Important Withdrawal Dates: Tuesday 1/27 last day for 100% refund for withdrawal from a course; Wednesday 2/24 last day for 50% refund for withdrawal from a course; Wednesday 3/9 last day to academically withdraw from the course (no refund) .

Applications

Microsoft Office. The most recent version of Microsoft office documents are used in this course. Please note that all university computers use the most recent software.

SPSS Statistical Program for the Social Sciences. SPSS is a university licensed program to assist in the computation of statistics. It can only be used from a campus computer. If you would like to rent this software for the semester you can download it by clicking here.

Qualtrics. A program for designing and implementing research online you will be given access to this program with a username and password http://www.qualtrics.com/