Research Method in Psychology
Fall 2018
Class Time:
Office: 356/352
Phone: 753-3245 ext. 2136
Office
Hours: Posted on
office door, drop in or by appointment
Email: marchante@viu.ca
Website: http://web.viu/marchante
Text:: Research Methods in Psychology - 2nd Canadian Edition
Objectives: Psychology 204 is an introduction to the scientific method and how it is used to investigate behavior (defining characteristic of Psychology). By the end of the class you should have a basic understanding of the scientific methods, learned a variety of research methods specific to psychology, find and critically evaluate all types of information, understand how to conduct research in an ethical, responsible and professional manner and have a basic understand of statistics and it's application to research. Personally, I believe this is one of the best courses in psychology and it answers a fundamental question about your future....that is ...do you like research? If you put effort into this course, you will enjoy it and more importantly, it will answer this question.
Course Work: This course is also one of the most labor intensive courses in psychology you will undertake at the undergraduate level. The course work includes text readings, lectures, library research and a number of assignments.
Due to the logistics of the course the research project can be designed and carried out in teams, however much of it has to be written-up on an individual basis. Although working in teams can be very challenging, it can also be a very positive and valuable experience. The challenges are working out scheduling, participation, and the division of labor. If you are someone who can not commit to a group, do not have a flexible schedule, or you don't play well with others, you should conduct your own research project. If there are problems within your group, please see me right away! If they can not be resolved after a brief group meeting, I will break up the group. Class time for team meetings will be limited so be prepared to meet outside of class. There is a course website where you can find various material to help you along the way. The address is http://web.mala.bc.ca/marchante. At the top of this webpage, you will find a web link called "Course Connection". When you enter the course connection area you will be prompted for your discovery ID and password.
Course Time Line (Tentative)
Week 1. Introduction/Outline/pros and cons group work
Chapter 1 - The Science of Psychology
Week 2. Chapter 2 - Getting Started in Research
Selecting a Problem and Reviewing the Research & an Introduction to Bibliographic Managers
You should have found a research stream and a group by this time!
Week 3. Chapter 3 - Research Ethics
Formulating a hypothesis from a research stream
Week 4. Chapter 4 - Theory in Psychology
Assignment #1 due - Intro (by January 30th)
Week 5. Chapter 5 - Psychological Measurement
Structuring your Ethics Proposal - It like an introduction based on your flow chart
Week 6. Chapter 6 - Experimental Research
Editing your proposal
Week 7. Chapter 7 - Nonexperimental Research
Assignment #2 - Completed TCPS2
Assignment #3 – Proposal Due ()
Week 8. Chapter 8 - Complex Research Designs
Week 9. Chapter 9 - Survey Research
Week 10. Chapter 10 - Single Subject Designs
Week 11. Chapter 11 - Presenting Your Research
Chapter 12 - Descriptive Statistics
Quiz#2
Assignment #4 - (TBA)
Assignment 1. Introductory Arguement
Research is never done in a vacuum...is always builds based on past research. Your job for this assignment is to construct an introductory argument that details ....
1) the history behind your research question
2) the problem and
3) how your experiment will solve the problem.
It is very similar to a proposal defense and should be in the area of 5 pages long and extensively referenced.
Assignment 2. The purpose of this assignment is to familiarize you with the ethical principles associated with conducting research in Canada. You will be required to complete the on-line tutorial workshop of the TCPS2 (called TCPS2 CORE): The Tri-Council Policy Statement on the Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Human Subjects. The tutorial will familiarize you with the contents of this policy on ethical conduct. It will take approximately 3-4 hours. You do not have to complete it all in one sitting. You can work on it, save it and then go back to it. At the end of the tutorial you will be given a certificate of completion. Please print this certificate and hand it in. Completion of this tutorial will be worth 5% of your grade and has to be done before starting your data collection.
Assignment
3. The Research Proposal
Here is where you summarize the material from assignment 1 in a proposal format. It should include a detailed description of the history of the area, what the problem needing to be solved and the best method to solve it. In addition to the introduction (above) there will need to be a methods section detailing the exact steps that are going to be followed to answer the question(s). All material, including all text, questionnaires or multi-media being used has to be included in the appendix (see example in APA 6 manual). This assignment should be completed by the entire group and only one proposal is required per group.
Assignment
4:
The Final Project
The final paper has to be in APA-6 format. APA guides are available on the internet, your text and in the library. This assignment should be completed by yourself and should include revisions of the intro and methods (based on my feedback) and new material including a results and discussion section.
Assignement 5: Preseentation
The last assignment is a 5 minute presentation on your project (done as a group).
:
Exams: There are three exams in this class (two midterms and one comprehensive final). Each exam is worth 20% of your grade, however only your two highest marks will count towards your final grade. If you are happy with your two midterm marks you do not have to write the comprehensive final.
Evaluation
Intro 10%
Research Proposal 15%
Final Write-up 25%
Presentation 5%
Exams 40% (20% each, best two out of three)
Late Policy, Missed Exams, and Incomplete Assignments: There will be a 10% of the total mark per day penalty for late assignments (this includes group work) until the assignment is worth nothing (you'll may still have to complete the assignment to move onto the next assignment). If you miss one exam, you will have to write the comprehensive final during the scheduled during exam period. The final exam is optional and does not have to be written by those of you who write both midterms and are happy with their mark. There will be no rescheduling of exams so please don't ask (that why you have one throw away exam).