PSYC 251 Introduction to Behavioral Research Methods

Spring 2006

8:30 – 9:45 TR

Sturges 104

Professor: Kenneth D. Kallio

Office: Sturges 120

Phone: 245-5205

email: kallio@geneseo.edu

Office Hours: The hour following class or by appointment.

Purpose and Learning Objectives

The primary purpose of this course is to introduce you to the practice of research in the behavioral sciences. This introduction will be designed to help you develop important critical thinking skills that you will need in other psychology courses and later in your career. In addition, the course is designed to serve as a starting point in your mastery of the conventions of writing and communicating within psychology. By the end of the course you should be able to demonstrate skill in the following areas:

1. You should be able to formulate a clearly stated research hypothesis;

2. You should be able to conduct a search of the research literature in order to identify previously reported research relevant to a hypothesis;

3. You should be able to determine an appropriate research design to test a hypothesis;

4. You should be able to identify the control and measurement issues endemic to specific research designs;

5. You should be aware of the ethical considerations surrounding the choice of a research method and the role of external boards in reviewing and approving it.

6. You should be able to write a report of empirical research following the conventions of APA style.

Course Policies

In order to help you meet the learning objectives, you will be asked to complete several different types of assignments and to participate in class activities. Although class attendance will not be recorded, your attendance will greatly increase your understanding of the material. Please contact Dr. Kallio if you must miss a scheduled test. Make-ups will be granted only at the instructor’s discretion.

Required Texts

Goodwin, C.J. (2005). Research in Psychology.(4th ed.). New York: Wiley.

American Psychological Association (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Assignments, Exams and Grades

1. Homework Assignments: About once a week a homework assignment is due in class. Specific assignments and due dates are listed on the course schedule. Every attempt will be made to discuss the homework in class, usually on the date it is due or the following class meeting. To obtain credit for completing homework, a file copy of homework must be placed in Dr. Kallio’s inbox prior to when it is due in class. Credit for completing homework will be granted on an all or none basis (homeworks submitted late will receive half credit). Completion of homework will count 15 % toward the final grade.

2. Paper: One of the most useful skills you will learn in this class is how to write a research paper in psychology. To develop this skill, we will conduct an experiment in class. This study will form the basis of the two papers you must submit. The first paper will consist of the introduction and method sections of an APA style research report. The second paper will be a complete manuscript. Feedback that you receive on the first paper should be used to help you improve the second paper. The first paper is worth 8 % of your final grade. The final draft will count 17 % toward your final grade Electronic submission of the paper is preferred. Hard copy need only be submitted when a student’s electronic submission cannot be read in MSWord..

3. Exams: Three exams consisting of multiple choice and short answer essay questions will be given. Each test will assess your understanding of both text and lecture material. The exams will be based on many of the activities we will do in class. Thus, class attendance and participation will improve your chances for good performance on the tests. Test dates are listed on the course outline. Each test will count 20 % toward your final grade.

4. Research Participation: One way to become more familiar with the research process is to participate as a subject in a research project. To encourage your participation, you can earn extra points on each exam by voluntarily serving as a subject in a research project through the Psychology Department’s web-based sign up system. For each research credit that you accumulate, two points will be added to your raw score on one of the exams. You may apply up to two research credits (four points) to your score on each exam, for a total of six research credits for the semester. To find out more about specific studies you can participate in and to sign up for them, go to http://geneseo.sona-systems.com/. Sometime during the first two weeks of the course, you will receive an email with login information and instructions on how to sign up.

5. Grade Scale: All three exams and both drafts of the paper must be completed to receive a passing grade. Performance on all assignments will be combined according to the weighting system given in the preceding and then compared to the following grade scale:

A = 92.50-100 B = 82.50-87.49 C = 72.50-77.49

A- = 90.0-92.49 B- = 80.00-82.49 C- = 70.00-72.49

B+ = 87.50-89.99 C+ = 77.50-79.99 D = 60.00-69.99

Course Outline (Tentative)

Date	Topic	Reading Assignment	Homework Assignment
January 17	Uncommon Sense
January 19	Overview of the Research Process	Pp 1-16
January 24	Introduction to Research Project	Pp 16-31	Ex 1.1 & 1.4b
January 26	The Role of the IRB	Pp 35-57
January 31	Scholarly Ethics in General	Pp 57-67	Ex 2.2 & 2.4
February 2	Operational Definitions and Variables	Pp 71-93
February 7	Organization of the Research Literature	Pp 93-105	Ex 3.2
February 9	Reliability and Validity	Pp 107-123
February 14	Library Research Milne Library Room 104	Pp 123-142
February 16	Logic of Hypothesis Testing		Ex 4.1 & 4.2
February 21	Exam 1 Chapters 1-4
February 23	Class Experiment in South Hall 328	Pp 145-159	Library Assignment
February 28	Experimental Research & Threats to Validity	Pp 159-173	Ex 5.1 & 5.2
March 2	Assigning Participants	Pp 177-185
March 7	Experimental Bias	Pp 185-209	Ex 6.2, 6.3 & 6.4
March 9	Single Factor Designs	Pp 213-223
March 14	Spring Break – No Class
March 16	Spring Break – No Class
March 21	Multilevel Designs	Pp 224-241	Ex 7.2 & 7.3
March 23	Factorial Designs	Pp 245-262	Paper 1 Due
March 28	Main Effects and Interactions	Pp 262-276	Ex 8.2 & 8.3
March 30	Review for Exam
April 4	Exam 2 Chapters 5-8
April 6	Designing Tables and Figures in South Hall 328	Pp 281-300
April 11	Correlation Research	Pp 300-311	Ex 9.1
April 13	Quasi-Experimental Research	Pp 315-338
Date	Topic	Reading Assignment	Homework Assignment
April 18	Program Evaluation	Pp 338-349	Ex 10.1 & 10.2
April 20	Small N Designs	Pp 353-381	Ex 11.3
April 26	Observational Research	Pp 391-402	Paper 2 Due
April 27	Survey Research	Pp 402-423	Ex 12.2, 12.3 & 12.4
May 9 (Tues,), 8 AM	Final Exam Chapters 9-12