Psy250: Statistics and Research Methods 1

    Spring 2011, Tuesday & Thursday


    Class: Bush 160, 11:00am-12:15pm (RR)

    Lab: Olin Computer Lab (251), 2:00-3:15pm

     

    Course Schedule


    Instructors:     Dr. Roger Ray

    E-mail:            rdray@rollins.edu

    Office:             Johnson Center J183

    Office Phone:  (407) 646-2278

    Office Hours:  Tu/Th 8-9am or by appt

     

    TA:                  Kevin Miraglia

    E-Mail:            kmiraglia@rollins.edu

    Office:             Johnson Center J277

    Office Phone:  (407) 646-2570

    Office Hours:  Tu/Th 12:30 – 1:30 PM or by appt

     

    Required Texts and Software

    Jaccard, J., & Becker, M. A.  (2010). Statistics for the behavioral sciences, 5th edition.  Belmont, CA: Thomson,Wadsworth.

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

    Shaughnessy, J. J., Zeichmeister, E. B., & Zeichmeister, J. S. (2009). Research methods in psychology, 8th edition.  New York: McGraw-Hill.

     

    Course Description

    This is a laboratory course giving you an opportunity to examine the principles of descriptive statistics and the application of these statistical techniques in observational and correlational research.  We will focus on the process of developing appropriate strategies for collecting and summarizing quantitative and qualitative data.  The course will use a variety of exercises as well as a series of laboratory and field study experiences to develop your working knowledge of statistical concepts and enable you to become a Ògood consumerÓ of psychological research.  The course will also lay the foundation of knowledge necessary for those of you interested in pursuing careers in psychology or other fields involving quantitative research.

     

    An underlying philosophy of the course is that students learn the most by doing rather than listening.  Although class will involve lectures, the discussions, problem sets, and projects are meant to help you understand and integrate the wealth of information that will be provided to you over the semester.  During the lab periods you will be participating in experiments and activities designed to give you additional hands-on experience with different concepts.  You will also be learning how to write according to the formatting of the American Psychological Association.  These experiences, in addition to your reading of the required texts (outside of class), will provide you with the knowledge necessary to complete the assignments that will comprise your grade.

    Course Goals

    Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

    1.     Organize data in graphs, tables, and charts so that the essential characteristics of these data become apparent.

    2.     Critically analyze and interpret data in various standard representations.

    3.     Draw conclusions about a population from a random sample, making appropriate statements pertaining to the statistical significance of those conclusions.

    4.     Make basic statistical calculations with small data sets, by hand or with non-statistical calculators.

    5.     Discuss the use of probability and theoretical distributions in applying descriptive statistics.

    6.     Use SPSS statistical software to analyze large quantitative and qualitative data sets.

    7.     Critically assess the use of descriptive statistics in newspapers, magazines, websites, and a wide variety of other contexts.

    8.     Write an empirical manuscript using the style required for publication in the field by the American Psychological Association.

     

    Class Attendance

    Attendance is necessary to complete the course successfully.  If you have to miss a class or lab, you must email your instructor before your absence.  Medical-related absences or those required by athletics need to have appropriate documentation to be considered excused.  We will take attendance in class and, after 2 unexcused absences, your final grade will be deducted half a letter grade (e.g., B+ to B). You are expected to know the material whether or not you were in class. We encourage you to get the name and email addresses of several classmates, so you have someone to contact if you miss a class. Finally, please be on time—it is very distracting when students arrive late and it will be hard for you to follow the lecture if you miss the beginning of class.

     

    Reading Assignments

    The reading assignments on the attached schedule are to be completed before you come to class on the day indicated.  They will provide you with background knowledge to understand lectures and participate in class discussions.  It is very important that you keep up with all assignments. 

     

    Graded Assignments

     

    1.     Quizzes

    á      There will be in-class quizzes throughout the semester on the reading material assigned for that day and/or material previously covered.  Quizzes can be given at any time and will not be announced in advance.

    á      Quizzes are designed to provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate your mastery of the material and to prepare you for the tests.

    á      The format of the quizzes will vary and may include true/false, multiple-choice, calculation problems, graphing, or short essay questions.

    á      There will be no make-ups of missed quizzes.

    á      Quizzes represent 10% of your total course grade.

    2.     Exams

    á      There are three closed-book exams covering material from class, lab sessions, homework, and reading assignments.  The first two exams will be in-class and the cumulative final will be during finals period.

    á      Exams are designed to provide you with every opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge of the material covered in this course. 

    á      All exams may be made up of associations, true/false, multiple-choice, calculation problems, graphing, or short essay questions. 

    á      Make-up exams will not be given except under special circumstances such as illness with a note from a physician or a death in the family.  You must notify your instructor before you miss the exam.  If you must miss an exam, you may be given a different exam that covers the same material.

    á      Exams represent 30% of your total course grade (10%, each).

    3.     Problem Sets

    á      There are ten problem sets to be worked on both in and outside of class and turned in for a grade.  The schedule to turn in problem sets is clearly indicated below.

    á      Since practice and feedback are critical for learning, problem sets are designed to provide you with an opportunity to practice computing statistics and to demonstrate that you have a clear understanding of the underlying principles and a chance to attempt new concepts. 

    á      The problem numbers in each assignment are indicated on the schedule below.   Make sure you attempt all assigned problems before coming to class on the day the draft of the problem set is due.  

    á      You must show your work for ALL problems for an assignment to be considered complete.  If you find that you are having difficulty with any of the problems, TJÕs has excellent statistics tutors for psychology. 

    á      Late problem sets will not be accepted.

    á      Problem sets represent 10% of your total course grade.

    4.     APA Certification & Assignments

    á      There will be online certification quizzes throughout the semester on the reading material from the APA manual assigned for days when we have APA Style Labs.  APA certifications are to be completed before you get to lab on the day they are assigned.

    á      Certifications are designed to provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate your mastery of APA style in order to prepare you for written lab work.

    á      The format of the certifications will vary and may include true/false, multiple-choice, calculation problems, graphing, or short essay questions.

    á      There will also be a number of APA assignments designed to aid your reading and understanding of the Publication Manual.

    á      There will be no make-ups of missed certifications or assignments.

    á      APA certifications & assignments represent 5% of your total course grade.

     

     

     

     

    5.     Lab Reports

    á      There are two major research projects that will be written up using APA style guidelines and turned in for a grade.  Each research project will be written up in stages resulting in three lab reports for each study.  The schedule to turn in lab reports is clearly indicated below.

    á      Lab projects are designed to help you develop your observational and survey skills and lab reports are to help you master APA style.  Your reports will be graded on your capacity to grasp the material and express it verbally as well as your ability to follow APA style guidelines.  Several of the reports will include revisions of earlier reports after you receive feedback.

    á      They will require you to conduct statistical analyses using SPSS software and to summarize the nature of your research question in a literature review, the methodology used to investigate the question, the results of the investigation, and your discussion and conclusions regarding the results.  Specific guidelines on the content of each report will be provided in class.

    á      The lab reports you produce should represent your best writing.  As with all writing, the orderly presentation of ideas, the smoothness of expression, and the use of good grammar can facilitate clear communication.  If you find that you are having difficulty expressing yourself or understanding APA formatting, the Writing Center has excellent psychology tutors skilled in both.

    á      Turning in a lab report late will lower your grade by 10 points for each day it is past due.  If you do not turn in the lab report 3 days after it is due, you will receive no credit for the report. 

    á      Lab reports represent 30% of your total course grade.

    6.     Lab Activities

    á      Other lab activities will be written up and turned in for a grade.  These activities can occur during any lab period and will be announced in advance.

    á      Lab activities are designed to give you hands on experience with the concepts that we are covering in the course, and to practice your ability to express yourself verbally.  Again, as with all writing, the orderly presentation of ideas, the smoothness of expression, and the use of good grammar can facilitate clear communication. Summaries with more than three editing errors will not be graded.

    á      Lab activities will be written up as executive summaries of APA reports.

    á      Turning in a lab activity late will lower your grade by 10 points for each day it is past due.  If you do not turn in the lab report 3 days after it is due, you will receive no credit for the report.  

    á      Lab activities represent 12% of your total course grade.

    7.     Research Participation

    á      It is important to the mission of the college that you be an active member of your community.  For this class, community is defined as the Psychology Department at Rollins.

    á      To be an active member of this community means being a participant in ongoing research conducted by other classes or faculty and/or by attending instructor-sanctioned events and then writing a brief description of your experience.

    á      You must participate in two such events or research studies during the semester.

    á      Participation represents 3% of your total course grade (1.5% per study).

     

    Grading

    The breakdown for your total course grade is listed below.  Assignments within each category will be averaged together and then weighted as indicated below for inclusion in your final grade.  Assignment grades can be checked during the semester on-line on Blackboard.

     

     

    Quizzes =                    10%    

     

    Exams =                      30%

     

    Problem Sets =            10%

     

    APA Certifications =     5%

     

    Lab Reports =                         30%

     

    Lab Activities =           12%

     

    Participation =               3%    

                                        100%  

    The scale for final grades will be:

    92.5 - 100    = A                      89.5 - 92.49 = A-                   

    87.5 - 89.49 = B+                   82.5 - 87.49 = B                      79.5 - 82.49 = B-       

    77.5 - 79.49 = C+                   72.5 - 77.49 = C                      69.5 - 72.49 = C-

    67.5 - 69.45 = D+                   62.5 - 67.49 = D                     59.5 - 62.49 = D-

    F < 59.5

     

    Students with Disabilities

    Rollins College is committed to equal access and does not discriminate unlawfully against persons with disabilities in its policies, procedures, programs or employment processes. The College recognizes its obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to provide an environment that does not discriminate against persons with disabilities.

     

    If you are a person with a disability on this campus and anticipate needing any type of academic accommodations in order to participate in your classes, please make timely arrangements by disclosing this disability in writing to the Disability Services Office at (box 2613) - Thomas P. Johnson Student Resource Center, 1000 Holt Ave., Winter Park, FL, 37289 or call 407-646-2354 for an appointment.

     

    Concerns

    If you have any questions or concerns about the course or your performance in it, please do not hesitate to come by and talk to us during the office hours listed above or schedule an appointment.  We would also like to recommend using the psychology tutors at TJÕs and the Writing Center.  These are excellent resources and should be taken advantage of for this course.

     

    Disclaimer

    The syllabus schedule represents our best intentions for the coverage of topics and due dates.  Because something often gets in the way of realizing best intentions, we reserve the right to alter this syllabus at any time.  Any changes will be announced in class.

     

     

    The Honor Code and You


    Honest (adj) –     1. Marked by or displaying integrity; upright

    2. Not deceptive or fraudulent; genuine

    3. Equitable; fair

                            4. a) Characterized by truth; not false / b) Sincere; frank

    5. a) Of good repute; respectable / b) Without affectation; plain

    6. Virtuous; chaste

     

    Honor (n) – Principled uprightness of character; personal integrity

     

    Integrity (n) – Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code

     

    Virtue (n) – Moral excellence and righteousness; goodness

     

    Responsible (adj) – 1. Involving personal accountability or ability to act without guidance or superior authority

                                2. Able to make moral or rational decisions on one's own and therefore answerable for one's behavior

                                3. Able to be trusted or depended upon; reliable.

     

    Definitions Quoted Directly from The American Heritage¨ Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

    Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.

    Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

    Downloaded from www.dictionary.com on 8/17/06


     

     

    The Honor Code is About a Culture of Integrity, Not About Rules:

     

    As a student at Rollins College, you belong to a community where the members (i.e., students, faculty, and administration) have agreed to abide by an Academic Honor Code. Although this code includes rules, judicial processes, and sanctions for dishonesty, its primary purpose is not as a system of enforcement and punishment.  At its base, the Rollins College Academic Honor Code recognizes that you are a responsible individual embodying the characteristics of honesty, honor, integrity, and virtue. Because you are this type of individual, we are proud to have you as a member of our community. The Honor Code is not about being a good student, it is about being a good person. We trust that you are a good person and hope that you will never violate this trust.

     

    As an individual of honesty, honor, integrity, and virtue, we acknowledge that you would never engage in acts of plagiarism, cheating, unauthorized collaboration, fabrication, or lying, nor would you submit work prepared for another course for a current assignment without the professorÕs permission, facilitate academic dishonesty, or violate testing conditions (see definitions below). We also acknowledge that, as a responsible member of your community, you would feel obligated to report an honor code violation if you had knowledge of one occurring.

     

    If you do not think that you can live up to these expectations, if you are not fully committed to the principles of the honor code, or if you simply believe that this whole policy is unrealistic and nonsensical, you do not belong at Rollins College – we wish you well, but please find another school that is better suited to your world view.

     

    Definitions from the Rollins College Academic Honor Code:

     

    1.   PLAGIARISM.  Offering the words, facts, or ideas of another person as your own in any academic exercise. 

     

    2.   CHEATING.  Using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in an academic exercise.  This includes sharing knowledge of previously administered or current tests.  The keeping of tests, papers, and other assignments belonging to former students is prohibited.  Use of external assistance (e.g., books, notes, calculators, conversations with others) in completing an "in class" or "take home" examination, unless specifically authorized by the instructor, is prohibited.

     

    3.   UNAUTHORIZED COLLABORATION.  Collaboration, without specific authorization by the instructor, on homework assignments, lab reports, exam preparations, research projects, take home exams, essays, or other work for which you will receive academic credit.

    4.   SUBMISSION OF WORK PREPARED FOR ANOTHER COURSE.  Turning in the same work, in whole or in part, to two or more instructors, without the consent of the instructors in both courses.

     

    5.   FABRICATION.  Misrepresenting, mishandling, or falsifying information in an academic exercise.  For example, creating false information for a bibliography, inventing data for a laboratory assignment, or representing a quotation from a secondary source (such as a book review or a textbook) as if it were a primary source.

     

    6.   FACILITATING ACADEMIC DISHONESTY.  Helping another student commit an act of academic dishonesty.

     

    7.   VIOLATION OF TESTING CONDITIONS.  Looking at other studentsÕ answers, allowing other students to look at your test, and working past allotted time are just a few examples where test conditions may be considered to be violated.

     

    8.   LYING.  Lying is the making of a statement that one knows to be false with the intent to deceive.   It includes actions such as (a) lying to faculty, administrators, or staff; (b) falsifying any college document or record by mutilation, addition, deletion, or forgery; or (c) lying to a member of the Honor Council or judicial affairs officer.

     

    9.   FAILURE TO REPORT AN HONOR CODE VIOLATION.  Failure to report occurs when a student has knowledge of or is witness to an act in violation of the Academic Honor Code and does not report it within five class days.

     

     

    Honor Code Statement

     

    Membership in the student body of Rollins College carries with it an obligation, and requires a commitment, to act with honor in all things. Because academic integrity is fundamental to the pursuit of knowledge and truth and is the heart of the academic life of Rollins College, it is the responsibility of all members of the College community to practice it and to report apparent violations.

     

    The following pledge is a binding commitment by the students of Rollins College:

     

    The development of the virtues of Honor and Integrity are integral to a Rollins College education and to membership in the Rollins College community.  Therefore, I, a student of Rollins College, pledge to show my commitment to these virtues by abstaining from any lying, cheating, or plagiarism in my academic endeavors and by behaving responsibly, respectfully and honorably in my social life and in my relationships with others. 

     

    This pledge is reinforced every time a student submits work for academic credit as his/her own.  Students shall add to all papers, quizzes, tests, lab reports, etc., the following handwritten abbreviated pledge followed by their signature:

     

     ÒOn my honor, I have not given, nor received,

    nor witnessed any unauthorized assistance on this work.Ó

     

    Material submitted electronically should contain the pledge; submission implies signing the pledge.