BRESCIA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

Brescia University College

LONDON CANADA

Psychology 280E, section 530

Research Methods in Psychology

Dr. John B. Mitchell

2005-06

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COURSE DESCRIPTION

Using selected examples, this course will introduce students to the variety of ways to conduct research in psychology. Topics to be covered include: the scientific approach; ethical issues in human and animal research; designing, running, analyzing, and writing up a research project; experimental, observational, and correlational research strategies.

Prerequisite: At least 60% in a 020-level Psychology course.

Antirequisites: The former Administrative Studies 285, Psychology 282E, 284F/G.

COURSE INFORMATION

Instructor: Dr. John B. Mitchell

Office: BR 122

E-mail: jbmitche@uwo.ca

Telephone: Ext. 28116.

Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday 11:00-12:30, and by appointment (office hours may change for second term)

Time and Location of Lectures: Tuesday, 1:30 – 2:30 pm, BR 135

Time and Location of Labs: Thursday, 12:30 – 2:30 pm, BR 135

Course Website: http://instruct.uwo.ca/psychology/280e-530/

The course website has pages with links, presentation dates, access to your marks, a copy of the course outline and other course information. Note that the URL does not begin with “www”.

TEXTBOOKS

Class Textbook (Required)

McBurney, D. H. and White, T. L. (2004). Research Methods, 6^th edition. Toronto, ON: Thomson Wadsworth.

Optional and Recommended Textbooks

Note: it is strongly recommended that students purchase at least one of the following textbooks:

Scott, J. M., Koch, R., Scott, G. M., and Garrison, S. M. (2002). The Psychology Student Writer’s Manual, 2^nd edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Szuchman, L. T. and Thomlison, B. (2004). Writing With Style: APA Style For Social Work, 2^nd edition. Toronto, ON: Thomson/ Brooks-Cole.

COURSE FORMAT

The course consists of a combination of class meetings and interactive labs. Note that the distinction between lab and class is not absolute and it is expected that information introduced to a student in one setting will carry over to the other setting.

CLASSES

Our class meetings will be a mixture of formal lecture and discussion. Topics will follow the class and text schedule given below, although lectures and discussions are expected to introduce material that is not in the textbook. You are responsible for all of the material from our class meetings and the material in the textbook. It is important, therefore, that you attend class.

LABS

The lab is a large and important component of this course. Designing, conducting, analyzing and presenting a research project is invaluable in learning about research. Lab projects will be conducted by groups of students. Students are responsible for forming their own groups. If there are issues or questions about group formation, please see me as soon as possible.

Students will generate their own research topic and, once approved, will conduct their research project. In-class oral presentations will accompany each stage of the research project (see below). Please note that there are some topics that cannot be approved for student research projects. Students will not be allowed to investigate sensitive matters which are typically dealt with by professionals only, such as psychopathology, depression, suicide, criminality, or topics deemed to unduly focus on areas of personal sensitivity. Possible topics include personality traits, attitudes, values, mood, memory, educational psychology, problem solving, humour, and legal behaviours, and the interrelationships between these variables. It is expected that students will conduct their research at Brescia and will request participation from Brescia students on Brescia property. Students are not allowed to solicit research participation off of Brescia University College property.

Before any research can be conducted, the research group must receive research ethics approval for their project. Any individual conducting research without ethics approval will receive an immediate failing grade in the course (course grade of F, 40%). Research with human subjects is governed by university regulations and by provincial and federal laws that ensure the welfare of the subjects and the integrity of scientific research. Conducting research without the appropriate ethics review and approval is a serious offence. Each student project is reviewed for ethics approval.

It is expected that students will behave in an ethical and respectful manner. Subjects or participants cannot be coerced into participating in a study, nor harassed if they choose to not participate. It is important that students abide by the statement in the consent form which clearly states that individuals may withdraw from the study at any time.

It is expected that when dealing with the data that they collected students will respect confidentiality and privacy. Laws and regulations governing scientific research require that research materials be kept after the conclusion of the study and presentation of the research data. Thus, questionnaires and other data records, and all signed consent forms must be submitted to the instructor at the completion of the course for proper storage and eventual destruction. Failure to submit questionnaires and other research materials, and signed consent forms will result in a failing grade (grade of F, 40%) for the course.

EVALUATION

The course consists of two components: class material and the lab. Each is worth 50% of the course grade. Below is a detailed breakdown of the grading scheme. In summary, 50% of the course grade comes from the exams, 20% from oral presentations in the lab, 25% from written lab reports, and 5% for participation. Students must pass both the course component and the lab component to pass the course.

Lecture Material Evaluation

There will be three non-cumulative tests. Tests are based on lecture material and the class textbook (McBurney and White, 2004). Tests are equally weighted, so each contributes 16.67% of the total course grade (3 exams x 16.67% = 50%).

Test	Date	Chapters
Test 1	Nov. 10	1, 2, 3, 5, 6
Test 2	Feb. 2	7, 8, 9, 10
Test 3	Final exam period (Apr. 13 – 30 )	11, 12, 13, 14

Test 1 and Test 2 will take place during lab meetings. The reason for conducting the tests during a lab meeting is that the lab meetings are scheduled for two hours while the lecture meetings are scheduled for only one hour. Tests may include questions in several formats, including multiple choice, definition, and short answer. All formats may not appear on each test, depending on the topics under consideration. Information about each test’s format will be available prior to that exam. Each test will be scheduled for two hours. All tests are closed book; no calculators, dictionaries or electronic translation dictionaries are allowed. Printed translation dictionaries are allowed, if warranted (e.g., as supported by TOEFL scores), but must be examined and approved by the professor or exam proctor before the start of the test. Tests will not be returned to students but may be reviewed in the instructor’s office.

Without exception, students are required to take all three tests in the course. Grades will not be adjusted on the basis of need, and there are no extra mark assignments (no “bonus marks”) or exam re-writes.

Lab Evaluation

Performance in the lab component of the course will be assessed based on oral presentations to the class, written lab reports, and a participation mark. The lab component consists of 50% of the overall course grade. Please carefully note the following schedule for presentations and due dates for written lab reports. Failure to give a presentation will result in a grade of zero for that presentation. Late lab reports will be penalized one (1) mark out of 5 for each day late; final lab reports will be penalized one (1) mark out of 10 for each day late. The only exceptions will be in cases of in which there are valid (i.e., documented) medical or compassionate grounds for an extension.

Oral Presentations

Lab Section	Dates¹	% of Course Grade
Research Proposal	Oct. 20, 27	5%
Methods	Nov. 17, 24	5%
Results	Feb. 9, 16	5%
Discussion and Conclusions	Mar. 16, 23, 30²	5%

¹Specific dates will be assigned once lab groups are formed.

²We will use the first part of the lab on March 30^th for presentations only if necessary.

Each presentation accounts for 5% of the total course grade (4 presentations x 5% = 20%). Lab presentations will be conducted in groups and should be approximately 20 minutes in length. If a student is not present for their group’s presentation, a grade of zero will be assigned to that student. The group of presenters who are present will receive a common grade. Questions and discussion will follow each presentation.

Written Lab Reports

Lab Section	Date	% of Course Grade
Introduction	Nov. 6	5%
Methods	Dec. 6	5%
Results	Feb. 23	5%
Complete Lab Report	Apr. 6	10%

The Introduction, Results and complete reports are due at the start of the lab (12:30), and is submitted by the group. The Methods section is due by 4:00 pm on Dec. 6. Lab reports that are submitted after the lab has started will be considered late and the late penalty will be applied. Labs may be submitted to the instructor before the lab class. All reports should have a title page, and you should ensure that all names and student numbers are on the title page. As in the oral presentations, students in the group receive a common grade for the written lab report.

Students are strongly encouraged to read the section about plagiarism in the Scholastic Offenses section of the Academic Calendar. Any student group committing plagiarism will receive a minimum penalty of zero for that lab assignment.

Participation

Lab participation contributes 5% to your course grade. The participation mark is not an “attendance” mark, but depends on students’ active participation in the lab sessions. Note, however, that attendance at oral presentations by other groups is mandatory; one mark will be deducted from your participation grade for each lab that is missed when oral presentations are scheduled. That is, if you miss an oral presentation by your own group, you will receive a mark of zero for that presentation; if you miss a lab session during which other student groups are presenting, one mark will be deducted your participation mark

CLASS SCHEDULE

Date Topic Readings

First Term

Sept. 13 Psychology and Science 1

20, 27 Developing a Research Question 2

Oct. 4, 11 Ethics in Research 3

18, 25 Variables 5

Nov. 1, 8 Presentation of Data 6

15, 22 Validity 7

29 Control 8

Dec. 6 Control 8

Second Term

Jan. 10, 17 Nonexperimental Research I 9

24, 31 Nonexperimental Research II 10

Feb. 7, 14 Experiments: Single-Factor Designs 11

21 Experiments: Factorial Designs 12

28 Conference Week

Mar. 7 Experiments: Factorial Designs 12

14, 21 Single Participant Experiments 13

28 Quasi Experiments 14

Apr. 4 Quasi Experiments 14

11 Last Class

LAB SCHEDULE

Date Topic

First Term

Sept. 8 Opening Lab, Organization, Guidelines

15, Research Ideas, Questions, and Proposals; Group Formation

22 Library; Research Questions and Research Proposals

29 Library; Research Questions and Research Proposals

Oct. 6 Reading and Writing Research Reports; Chapter 4 text

13 The Ethics Approval Process

20, 27 Research Proposal Presentations

Nov. 3, Refining the Research Proposal; Methodological Issues

10 TEST 1 (chapters 1 – 3, 5, 6)

17, 24 Presentation of Methods

Dec. 1 Refining the Methodology, Practical Issues; Ethics packages due.

LAB SCHEDULE

Second Term

Feb. 2 TEST 2 (chapters 7 – 10)

9 Data Collection, Consultation, Analysis Questions

16 Issues Related to the Presentation of Results

Feb. 23 Presentation of Results

Mar. 2 Conference Week

9 Presentation of Results

16 Interpretation of Results, Generalizability, Drawing Conclusions

23, 30 Presentation of Discussion and Conclusions

Apr. 6 Last Meeting, Full Lab Report Due

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POLICY REGARDING ILLNESS*

Students are entitled to a rescheduling of tests or exams or an extension of deadlines for legitimate medical or compassionate reasons. However, it is the student's responsibility to inform the instructor prior to the exam date or deadline and to provide acceptable documentation to support a medical or compassionate claim. If an exam or deadline is missed and no acceptable documentation is provided, a mark of 0 (zero) will be given for that exam or course requirement. A note saying simply that a student was seen by a physician is not considered to be acceptable documentation by the University. Medical documentation must include sufficient information to demonstrate that it was impossible for the student to write the examination or comply with the deadline. The medical documentation must be on appropriate letterhead, or be documentation forwarded to the instructor by Student Health Services or an Academic Advisor. A note written on a prescription pad is not a valid medical certificate and is not considered to be acceptable medical documentation by the University. Please consult an Academic Advisor or the professor if you have questions.

Personal commitments (e.g., work-related trips, vacation flight bookings) which conflict with scheduled exams or course requirements are not grounds for writing a make-up exam or being given an extension for an assignment.

Note: In the case of a final examination in a course, you must arrange for a Special Examination (grade of SPC) or Incomplete (grade of INC) through the Office of the Dean. Course instructors cannot submit grades of SPC or INC unless prior approval from the Dean is on file with the Registrar. Acceptable documentation will be required by the Dean’s Office.

If you feel that you have a medical or personal problem that is interfering with your work, you should contact your instructor and your Academic Advisor or Counsellor as soon as possible. Problems may then be documented and possible arrangements to assist you can be discussed at the time of occurrence rather than on a retroactive basis. In general, retroactive requests for grade revisions on medical or compassionate grounds are not considered.

POLICY ON CHEATING & ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT*

Students are responsible for understanding the nature of and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other academic offences. Students are urged to read the section on Scholastic Offences in the Academic Calendar. Note that such offences include plagiarism, cheating on an examination, submitting false or fraudulent assignments or credentials, impersonating a candidate, or submitting for credit in any course without the knowledge and approval of the instructor to whom it is submitted, any academic work for which credit has previously been obtained or is being sought in another course in the University or elsewhere.

“Plagiarism: Students must write their essays and assignments in their own words. Whenever students take an idea, or a passage from another author, they must acknowledge their debt both by using quotation marks where appropriate and by proper referencing such as footnotes or citations. Plagiarism is a major academic offence (see Scholastic Offence Policy in the Western Academic Calendar)” (from the Academic Handbook of Senate Regulation).

“All required papers may be submitted for textual similarity review to the commercial plagiarism detection software under license to the University for the detection of plagiarism. All papers submitted will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between The University of Western Ontario and Turnitin.com (http://www.turnitin.com)” (from the Academic Handbook of Senate Regulation).

If you are in doubt about whether what you are doing is inappropriate or not, consult your instructor, the McCann Student Services Centre, or the Student Development Centre. A claim that "you didn't know it was wrong" is not accepted as an excuse.

The penalties for a student guilty of a scholastic offence (including plagiarism) include refusal of a passing grade in the assignment, refusal of a passing grade in the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.

PROCEDURES FOR APPEALING ACADEMIC EVALUATIONS*

In the first instance, all appeals of a grade must be made to the course instructor (informal consultation). If the student is not satisfied with the decision of the course instructor, a written appeal must be sent to the Department Chair. If the response of the department is considered unsatisfactory to the student, he/she may then appeal to the Dean of the Faculty in which the course was taken. Only after receiving a final decision from the Dean, may a student appeal to the Senate Review Board Academic. A Guide to Appeals is available from the Ombudsperson's Office.

REGULATIONS REGARDING PREREQUISITES AND ANTIREQUISITES*

Unless you have either the prerequisite(s) for a course or written special permission from your Dean to enroll in it, the Registrar’s Office will remove you from the course and it will be deleted from your record. You will also be deleted from a class list if you have previously taken an antirequisite, unless this has the approval of the Dean’s Office. These decisions may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites (Academic Calendar; Academic Handbook of Senate Regulations).

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*Portions of these sections were taken from the Academic Calendar and the Academic Handbook of Senate Regulations (S.1658, S.2258, S.91-229, S.95-154, S.01-115, S.05-08).