http://www.csub.edu/~lvega/300Asylspr10.html
SYLLABUS 
PSYCHOLOGY 300A: Understanding Psychological Research I 
(CRN=30467) Spring 2010 - -Main Campus
Mon & Wed  9:30 - 11:35 a.m.  -  BDC 154B
INSTRUCTOR
Luis A. Vega, Ph.D.lvega@csub.edu.
http://www.csub.edu/~lvega/.
Office: DDH 111D  (Tel. 654-3024)
Hours: Mon & Wed 8:00a.m.-9:30 a.m. 
 Tue 9:30-11:30 & by Appointment  		TEACHING ASSISTANTS


Note: We will make intensive use of the class homepage. Instructions will be provided in class.
 http://www.csub.edu/~lvega/psy300a.html and http://www.csub.edu/els/Blackboard%209/item1187.html
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Asking and answering questions scientifically; critical thinking about research conclusions; data collection, univariate designs and statistical analysis, presentation of data, overview of research ethics. Prerequisites: PSYC 100, PSYC 200, and PSYC 290 (or equivalents with a gade of C or better). Note: A grade of C or better in this class is required to enroll in PSYC 300B.

COURSE OBJECTIVES
The student will learn research methodology in psychology, including but not limited to literature searchers, research ethics, design, assumptions, terminology, types of research studies, APA writing style, article critiques and analysis, univariate data analysis and presentation, and warranted and unwarranted conclusions. Also, in this class you will learn to conduct research so that you can make meaningful statements about behavior. The expectations are that you will become better producers and consumers of research as a result of taking this class. You will learn about the logic and limitations of a variety of research methods, as well as the types of inferences you can draw given the methods you have employed. Finally, this class will provide foundations and tools for your future success, be it in psychology or any other social science field. Learning objectives for this course include:

  1. Recognize, evaluate, and constructively criticize research approaches presented in class.
  2. Select and justify  appropriate methodologies to answer research questions.
  3. Derive testable hypotheses from psychological theory.
  4. Know and apply APA ethical principles as they apply to human & animal research.
  5. Use electronic resources to find appropriate journal research articles for a psychological topic of inquiry.
  6. Use the literature to write and justify a rationale for hypotheses to be tested.
  7. Choose and properly interpret statistical tests and analysis for research designs we do in class.
  8. Describe strengths and weaknesses in terms of validity and reliability of conclusions.
  9. Evaluate strengths and weaknesses of alternative explanations to hypotheses.
  10. Write reports using correct APA style and correct English grammar, mechanics, and syntax.
  11. Use and apply technology to psychological research: PAWS or PSPP, Graphics, Powerpoint, and homepage resources.
Please see below, under "Outcomes Assessment," for specification of goals and objectives for the Psychology Major covered by this class.

REQUIRED TEXTS can be found at the university bookstore:
American Psychological Association. (2009). Publication manual of the American Psychological
        Association (6th ed.). Washington, D. C.: American Psychological Association.
Stangor, C.  (2007). Research methods for the behavioral sciences (3rd ed). Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 
   [student link: http://college.hmco.com/psychology/stangor/research_methods/3e/ace/ace2.html]

ADDITIONAL READINGS
Bem, D. J. (1995). Writing a review article for Psychological Bulletin. Psychological Bulletin, 118, 172-177.
           Retrieved  March 22, 2008 from http://dbem.ws/Writing%20Review.pdf
Miller, L. R. (1997). Writing, revising, and writing again: Preparing a manuscript for publication. Psi Chi
         Journal of Undergraduate Research, 2(2), 41-46. Retrieved September 1, 2003, from
         http://www.psichi.org/pubs/articles/article_305.asp
Sternberg, R. J. (2003). The psychologist's companion: A guide to scientific writing for students and
        researchers (4th ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (Chapter 1: Eight Common
        Misconceptions About Psychology  Papers, sample chapter: Retrieved April 26, 2004, from 
        http://assets.cambridge.org/97805218/21230/sample/9780521821230ws.pdf.)

ELECTRONIC RESOURCES For Research Methods in Psychology

* Classics in the History of Psychology
* Methods' Methods Resources in the WWW
* Social_Psychology Network
* Western Psychological Association
* American Psychological Society
* Association of Psychological Science
* Elements_of Style (Strunk & White) 
* Psych_Web Resources (Russ Dewey)
* APA style--worth browsing

CLASS SCHEDULE--please note deadlines for assignments

                             Spring 2010 Calendar and Dates to Remember:  http://www.csub.edu/facultyAffairs/files/calendar/AcademicCalendar2009.pdf

Unless specified, all readings will be from Stangor (2007)
3/29 M 1. INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH
3/31 W
 Holiday- Cesar Chavez Day  (no classes)
4/5 M  2. DEVELOPING THE RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
(Strunk & White--http://www.bartleby.com/141/index.html) Assessment 1.
4/7 W 3. ETHICS IN RESEARCH - http://www.apa.org/ethics/code2002.html  

 
4/12 M Case Studies of Ethical Breaches Assessment 2
4/14 W
 4. MEASURES & SCALES   (Writing I APA Ch. 1-2  pp. 9-60)    Assessment 3  


4/19 M 5. REALIABILITY AND VALIDITY  (Writing II APA Ch. 3 pp. 61-86 )  Assessment 4  TECHNICAL PAPER 1 DUE
4/21 W TEST 1.
  
4/26 M
 6. SURVEYS & SAMPLING (sampling handout)  (Writing III APA Ch. 4 pp. 87- 124) Assessment 5
4/28 W
 7. NATURALISTIC METHODS  (APA paper sections: Click Here)   Assessment 6


5/3 M
 8. HYPOTHESIS TESTING AND INFERENTIAL STATISTICS   Assessment 7
5/5 W
 9. CORRELATIONAL RESEARCH DESIGNS (Identifying and Correcting Confounds)    Assessment 8  


5/10 M 10. EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH: ONE-WAY DESIGNS  TECHNICAL PAPER 2 DUE 
5/12 W
 (Data theory and statistics)  Assessment 9

  
5/17 M
 TEST 2
5/19 W 11. EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH: FACTORIAL DESIGNS (Main Effects,  Interactions, and Factorials) Assessment 10  


5/24 M 12. EXPERIMENTAL CONTROL AND INTERNAL VALIDITY (Identifying exp. designs)  Assessment 11   GUIDED PAPER DUE
5/26 W
 13. EXTERNAL VALIDITY (Summary of validities in research) Assessment 12  

   
5/31 MHoliday- Memorial Day  (no classes)
6/2 W 14. QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH DESIGNS 


6/7 M
 PAWS (and PSPP)--program knowledge and procedure identification Assessment 13
6/9 W EXAM 3 -- FINAL --    11:00 a.m. -- 1:30 p.m.  
 *Note: Due to California Faculty Association and CSU Administration contract negotiations, designated forlough days are noted in this syllabus by this color.

GRADING (TESTS will include both objective and essay components) 
2 Tests (Readings & Lectures)
Final Test (comprehensive)
13 Assessments
2 Technical Papers
1 Guided APA Paper
TOTAL
200
120
130
80
70
600
 
A = 92-100%  B- = 80-81.9%  D+ = 68-69.9% 
A- = 90-91.9%  C+ = 78-79.9%  D = 62-67.9% 
B+ = 88-89.9%  C = 72-77.9%  D- = 60-61.9% 
B = 82-87.9%  C- = 70-71.9%  F = 0-59.9% 

ASSESSMENTS: Assessments will be 10-point tests designed to measure your understanding of the textbook chapters, lectures, and additional assigned readings. These tests will be done either during class, through Webct, or through homeworks. Preparing for these tests can be done through doing your reading on time, answering the questions at the end of each chapter, attending lectures, and reading assigned readings. 

TECHNICAL PAPERS: These assignments are designed to give you exposure and practice in PAWS, PSPP, and APA style. Separate handouts will be giving for each of these assignments. You will be asked to formulate a research hypothesis, find peer-reviewed sources addressing your chosen hypothesis, writing a PAWS (and PSPP) program to analyze data, presenting your results through appropriate APA style, writing statistical results, and graphing results. A brief discussion of your results is also require. Although these are not full blown research papers, the steps necessary to complete these two papers are designed to prepare you for Psychology 300B. 

RESEARCH PROJECT:  In preparation for Psychology 300B, students will write an APA "guided" paper. A guided paper is one where the instructor provides structure and guidelines for writing it. However, students will be expected to independently write each paper and to follow APA guidelines. Instructions for this paper will be given in class and in a separate handout. Sample papers can be seen at:

EVALUATION Criteria for course papers:

  1. Defining an appropriate, limited topic.
  2. Selection, description, and review of appropriate literature.
  3. Reasonable application of psychological principles and research methodology of an emperical paper.
  4. Thoughtful discussion of implications and limittions of the research.
  5. Writing, including proper use of APA style and APA paper subsections, grammar, syntax, style, etc.
  6.  Your paper should contain the following information with each sub-section
    7.    Click here---> TEMPLATE.html
GENERAL INFORMATION
  1. Any evidence in your work showing that you have plagiarized or cheated (i.e., a violation of academic integrity) will result in an "F," a letter to the dean, and possible dismissal  from the university (see p. 81 of the 2009-2012 catalog). 
  2. Make-up exams given only in the event of medical emergencies.
  3. Late papers or assignments will NOT be accepted.
OUTOCOMES ASSESSMENT
Higher education "shareholders" increasingly demand high leverage for every dollar spent in our universities. As such, teaching and learning accountability is demanded in demonstrable terms for both professors and students. The psychology department had a portfolio process (fall 1998 to spring 2002) to demonstrate that teaching and learning goals and objectives were being met. Since spring 2002, the Psychology Department has revised the outcomes assessment process to yield higher reliability, validity, and ease of application. Effective winter 2005, all students taking psychology courses can be expected to be part of the outcomes assessment process, either through direct or embedded means. By direct, we mean that specific assessment tests will be given to students, which may or may not contribute to the students' grades. By embedded, we mean that tests students take as part of their psychology curriculum will be used for assessment purposes, imposing no additional demands on students. Assessment criteria can be found in the new mission statement for the Psychology major:                                                  http://www.csub.edu/psychology/mission.html
All Psychology students should know the goals and objectives listed in this mission statement. Familiarity with these goals and objectives can assist students in their personal, academic, and professional plans. Students will be informed of their roles and participation needs as this process gets underway.
           This class meets the following goals and objectives of Psychology:
Goal 2 Objectives d / Goal 3 objectives a-g / Goal 4 objective b, c, d / Goal 5 objectives a, b, c, d
Goal 2: Explaining Psychological Knowledge
d.     Evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of evidence and arguments supporting specific psychological theories or models.
Goal 3: Discovering Psychological Knowledge
a.    Formulates testable research hypotheses.
b.    Designs appropriate empirical tests of research hypotheses that take into account the strengths and limitations of different research designs.
c.    Identifies threats to internal and external validity, and proposes improvements to reduce these threats in studies from the literature.
d.    Selects and appropriately applies inferential statistics to distinguish between outcomes that do and do not support hypotheses.
e.    Conducts appropriate library and electronic searches in order to identify and acquire information that is relevant to a target topic.
f.    Reads and understands psychological research articles at the level of an educated consumer.
g.    Communicates scientific findings clearly and accurately in appropriate written formats.
Goal 4: Applying Psychological Knowledge
b.    Explains how psychological science can be used to understand social issues, inform public policy, and improve individuals’ lives.
c.    Demonstrates the application of psychological knowledge outside of the classroom to affect behavior in a desired direction.
d.    Communicates psychological theories, data, or methods clearly to non-psychologists.
Goal 5: Ethics and Values in Psychology
a.    Explains the benefits and acknowledges the limitations of a scientific perspective on human behavior.
b.    Describes and explains ethical codes and standards that guide the work of students and professionals in psychology.
c.    Demonstrates understanding and acceptance of research ethics through relevant behaviors.
d.    Demonstrates understanding and acceptance of practice ethics through relevant behaviors.

WRITING ASSISTANCE & RE-WRITES
The purpose of the following is not to discourage outside assistance, but to enable me to more accurately assess student writing. Outside writing assistance must be limited to identifying and drawing your attention to writing problems. You must do the actual corrections and revisions yourself. If you do obtain outside assistance for your writing, then you need to: (a) tell me and identify the source of help, (b) make sure that your tutor understands and agrees to the stated policy, and (c) hand in, along with your term paper, all of the written work that you showed to your writing tutor and any written feedback that he/she provided. Also, in papers I ask you to re-write, make sure to attached the original graded paper.
The university hosts a Writing Center, where you can go for assistance to help you improve your writing--THEY WILL NOT WRITE YOUR PAPERS. They are located in (Adminstration East) AE 101 (tel. 654-2086). Their page is located at: http://www.dolphin-diver.com/TheWritingCenter.htm

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT:

Students who are entitled to accommodations under the ADA can contact me at their earliest convenience to make appropriate arrangements. I adhere to all rules and regulations set forth by CSUB’s Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) office http://www.csub.edu/UnivServices/SSD/. (Tel. 654-3360)  

NOTE: The above schedule and procedures in this course are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances.