Welcome to Research in PsychologyThis course reviews scientific method in Psychology. It is meant for Psychology majors or students with a clear interest in research. We will discuss how science "works", how scientific reasoning differs from other ways of thinking, and what we can and cannot learn from the different research strategies Psychologists use.
Students will understand the virtues
- and problems - of measurement or correlation studies, "true" experiments, and the "quasi"-experiments
(or field studies) often used in Psychology. Students will also be
introduced to statistical reasoning in science, and to basic statistics.
This course is centered on the class web site. Get comfortable using this and other web sites.
The class is CRN 12126; we meet Monday & Wednesday, 9:00 to 10:00, D2 Lecture Center.
You are expected to attend every lecture: all course materials and the content of your exams will be provided there.
Course content is in PowerPoint lecture slides, and assigned readings / media I provide on the web site. I also recommend you find a used research methods text as a reference for more difficult topics.
On the sidebar of each web page I provide "bonus" readings / media if you want to pursue a topic further. I always welcome suggestions for articles or other media that illustrate course topics!
Your grade is determined by three exams, discussion group attendance, lecture attendance, a term paper, and participation in a research ethics training. Details are given below.
Go to Schedule for key dates & assignments.
I do not allow any electronic devices in lectures, for any reason
- If it has a screen, turn it off and put it in your bag.
- I understand that this can be an inconvenience, but open screens are very distracting for students around you.
- Print the PowerPoint slides for taking notes.
This course does not require a text book. I provide readings each week, and course content is given in the PowerPoint slide sets.
If you want to do well I strongly recommend you find the cheapest used behavioral research methods text you can find to use as a reference for more difficult course topics. Students who do this find it very helpful. Each week I will post the topic you can look up in whatever book you get.
I recommend any edition (they are all the same) of Ray, W.J., Methods: Toward a Science of Behavior and Experience, Belmont, CA., Wadsworth. However, any text covering research methods in Psychology will be fine.
We will use the i>clicker system. Either version of the I>clicker is fine. Clickers are available new or used in the bookstore, or from Amazon. You cannot share clickers - each student must have his/her own. Bring these to every lecture. You are responsible for your lecture credit - if you do not bring your clicker to class I cannot give you credit for attendance.
Register your clicker at: http://www1.iclicker.com/register-an-iclicker and on the course Blackboard site right now. Register with your UIC Net ID (the ID for your UIC e-mail address).
Clicker number rubbed off? If you have registered on the clicker web site by entering your name and UIC ID and have "clicked" in class at least once, go here to find your clicker number. Instructions for your i>clicker are posted here
Lectures, Class Materials & Grading
All your grades will be posted on the course Blackboard site. The grading schedule is:
Exam 1 = 10%
Exam 2 = 10%
Exam 3 = 20%
|CITI research ethics training||
The first two exams cover the first and second thirds of the course. The final exam is cumulative, emphasizing material covered since the second exam. Most exam items are short answer, not multiple choice. There are NO make up exams.
What will be on the exams? Primarily lecture material. During most lectures I announce exam topics, so attend lectures (and ask questions!), then use your annotated Power Point notes to study. Examples of exam items are Here.
Your term paper is a practice research project, due in in class to directly to your TA by Wednesday, November 26 (the 14th week). Papers must be formatted in American Psychological Association style. Many discussion groups will be devoted to the development of this paper. Complete instructions are given in paper assignment. Use these web pages to write your paper, and for links to other paper resources.
Submit your paper in both paper and electronic forms by 11/24. Submit a Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) text file to Safe Assignment (on the course Blackboard site). The electronic form should only contain the body of the text. Do not include references, informed consent documents, your calculations, or any other add-on (see paper assignment).
If you want comments on your paper please note that on the cover page of the hard copy of your paper; only students who request comments will get them. Late papers lose 5 points (out of 30) per day.
To get credit for discussion group you must both attend the group and complete the discussion group assignment. We do not accept discussion group assignments late or by e-mail. If you are not there with your assignment in hand you will not get credit.
Your research paper will be developed in these groups, so attend and pay attention. Discussion group assignments are given in the class schedule, for the week they are due.
You can earn extra credit by submitting really good assignments; you should particularly think about this for your research paper assignments. The comments about plagiarism below apply to your discussion group assignments as well as the research paper.
Day & Time
|32981||Friday, 8:00||311 Behavioral Sciences Building (BSB)||
Lindsay Bynum, firstname.lastname@example.org
|12092||Friday, 9:00||315 BSB||Lindsay Bynum|
|12083||Friday, 10:00||381 BSB||Chyei Vinluan, email@example.com|
|12088||Friday, 11:00||381 BSB||Chyei Vinluan|
|33694||Friday, 12:00||331 BSB||David G. Cosejo, firstname.lastname@example.org|
|32982||Friday, 3:00||315 BSB||David G. Cosejo,|
Lecture attendance will be assessed via your I>clicker. Each lecture I will ask questions or simply ask you to click to show you are there. When I ask substantive questions you must get at least half correct to get credit.
You are responsible for bringing your I>clicker to class, making sure it is set to the correct frequency for this course ('AA'), and registering it. You cannot get credit for a lecture if you forget your I>clicker.
TAs, Office Hours & Communication
My office hours (1058b BSB) are Monday and Wednesday, from 10:00 to 1:30, or by appointment. Please e-mail me with questions, comments, or to make appointments. You are always invited to simply drop by my office: I am always happy to hear from students about course questions or your interests in Psychology or research generally.
E-mail your TA for an appointment, or show up during office hours. TAs are still to be determined; when I know who they are their contact information will be posted here.
The great majority of students are honest; I rarely have to take action on cheating in this class. However, in fairness to other students I will not tolerate cheating. If you cheat on any test or assignment you will receive a '0' on that assignment or test, and may fail the entire class. If I feel it appropriate I will notify the Dean of Students, who will place a notice about the incident in your permanent record. There are no exceptions to this policy.
Cheating includes, but is not limited to, looking on others' tests or letting them look on yours, using paper or electronic "cheat sheets" in an exam, copying or giving others test answers, and plagiarism. Plagiarism includes copying the words of a fellow student or author in your papers. You cannot copy even short phrases from any written work unless you show it as a quote and cite it properly. You cannot hand in work that you have used in another class, or papers you have gotten from the internet or other students.If you have any concerns about this policy or about cheating in the class, please contact me directly to discuss it.
Students with Disabilities:
Please inform me right away if you need accommodations. If you do require accommodations please register with the Office of Disability Services. Contact them at 312/413-2183 (voice) or 312/413-0123 (TTY).
The exam schedule is designed to prevent conflicts. But just in case, here is what happens if you have an exam conflict:
- Any course listed second in the online Schedule of Classes has precedence. Thus, if Psychology is listed second (e.g., it comes after Chemistry, Anthropology, Political Science, etc.), then you need to arrange a make-up with the other instructor, not me.
- A student with an exam conflict is responsible for arranging a makeup exam with his or her instructor.
A student having more than two examinations in a day.
No student will be required to take more than two final examinations in one day. Any student having more than two final examinations scheduled in one day is entitled to rescheduling.
Students must notify the instructor by November 1 in the fall semester and April 1 in the spring semester to be eligible for rescheduling.
To resolve this conflict, the student will be required to take the first two examinations scheduled (according to the posted examinations schedule) in any given day.
Any third, fourth or additional final examinations that are scheduled on the same day must be rescheduled and taken on another day within finals week.