Psyc-008: Methods of Psychology
Spring, 2002
Tuesdays & Thursdays 4:30-5:45 pm; Amador 250

Professor: Dr. Wickelgren
E-mail: wickelgren@csus.edu
Office: AMD 363D
Phone: 278-6871
Office hours: Tuesdays & Wedensdays 10:00-11:30 am

TA: Carol Turner
E-mail: carolsuehowdoyoudo@juno.com
Office: AMD 304
Office Hours: Monday 2:00-3:00 pm

n Course Description

The primary goal of this course is to help you learn to think critically about issues in psychology, science, and life in general. You should come out of this course with an understanding of the methods of experimentation in psychology, how to use these methods to experimentally test your ideas, how to communicate your findings to others through scientifically written papers, and how to critically evaluate studies conducted by others.

n Class Web Page

• The location of the class web page is: http://www.csus.edu/indiv/w/wickelgren/psyc008/psyc008.html
• The class web page contains:
  
  • this syllabus
    
  • lecture notes (you need to print these out before coming to each class)
    
  • Homework assignments
    
  • exam review sheets
    
  • class announcements
    

n Required Texts

Bordens, K. S. & Abbott, B. B. (2001). Research Design and Methods: A Process Approach. Fifth Edition. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing Company.

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2001). Fifth Ed.

n Grading

The following breakdown will be used to determine your final grade:

Experiment 1 paper....................... 150 points .......................15%
Experiment 2 paper....................... 150 points .......................15%
Final Exam................................... 150 points .......................15%
Exam 1 ..........................................100 points .......................10%
Exam 2 ..........................................100 points .......................10%
Exam 3 ..........................................100 points .......................10%
Poster .............................................50 points ....................... .5%
Homeworks/In Class Assignment... 200 points .......................20%
Total ...........................................1000 points....................... 100%

 

nTo determine your final letter grade I will use the following percentage breakdown:

n Class Policies

Lectures - Copies of the lecture notes will be available to you prior to each class. Note that these are not the complete lectures in their entirety; you will need to write in the information during class. Also, I say many things that are not necessarily written on those sheets, so relying on someone else's notes without coming to class may put you at a disadvantage.

Papers - Two papers will be written, based on the two experiments conducted in class. Papers must be typed and written in APA style. I encourage you to hand in a rough draft of your paper before the final paper is due, and I will look at as many drafts as you wish to turn in. However, in order for me to have time to read it, and for you to have time to make any necessary changes, you must hand the rough draft in at least two class periods prior to the due date. See class schedule below for specific dates. I am also happy to look at sections of the paper if the entire paper is not yet completed. My readings of the rough drafts will focus on content and organization. I will not correct spelling or grammatical errors. There is a writing center on campus that can assist you with your writing if you want extra help. Late papers will only be accepted with documentation of an emergency that prevented handing in the paper on time. Even with the documentation, one letter grade will be taken off for each day (including weekends) the paper is late.

Paper 1: The first paper is based on the in-class experiment which we conduct the second week of class. You will participate as subjects, code and analyze the data, interpret the results, and write a complete scientific paper.

Paper 2: The second paper is based on an experimental design that you will develop based on an empirical question you form. You will find previous literature related to the question, develop a design to answer the question, and write a complete scientific paper (APA style) as if you had conducted the research yourself. NOTE: no data will actually be collected. You will write this paper as if you had conducted the experiment, and will make up fake data to write about.

Poster - At conferences, poster sessions are an important way for researchers to communicate their findings to their colleagues. A poster is an abbreviated visual description of the basic elements of the experiment: problem, design, results, and discussion. So that you can have the opportunity to learn about the experiments your colleagues in the class designed and so that they may learn about your design, one class towards the end of the semester will be a poster session. Each student will create a poster based on the experiment they wrote about in paper 2, and will "present" it during class.

Exams - There will be three regular exams across the course of the semester and one cumulative final exam. The exams will cover material entirely from class lectures. The first three exams will cover the material from the preceding section of class (e.g. the second exam will only cover material since the first exam). The final exam will be a cumulative comprehensive final covering the entire semester. Exams will be a combination of true/false, multiple choice, and short answer/essay. Exams are to be taken on the date scheduled, but if an unavoidable conflict arises, then come talk to me at least one week prior to the exam. If you miss an exam due to an emergency or illness, and thus cannot talk to me in advance, a make-up exam will be administered at the end of the semester immediately following the final exam. This will only be permitted with documentation of the emergency or illness.

Homework and In Class Assignments- Almost each week (see course outline) there will be some type of assignment due (either a homework or in-class assignment). These are designed to help you think more in depth about the material discussed in class, and to help you to keep up with the class material. They will also prepare you for the exams and final exam. Assignments are to be turned in at the beginning of class on the due date, and no late homeworks will be accepted. The structure of the homeworks will vary depending on the topic being covered that week. All homeworks must be typed. Untyped homeworks will automatically have 3 points deducted. The only exceptionto the typed rule is if a graph or drawing is required.

Participation in Research- Part of the requirements for this course is for each student to participate in three hours of research. If you do not participate in 3 hours of research, you will receive an incomplete in the course until the participation is completed. If you do not wish to participate in research, then you have the option of writing a term paper instead. Details about both these options are provided in class on an attached sheet.

Extra Credit - There will be no extra credit points available in this course.

Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct - Cheating or plagiarism will not be tolerated in this course. Plagiarism involves using another person's written text or ideas without crediting or citing the source properly. Presenting another person's work as your own without citation or reference is considered plagiarism. The most common occurrence of this is using the ideas from the introduction of a published journal article as the structure for the student's own introduction. Avoid doing this, since it is technically plagiarism. Copying from another student's written work or allowing another student to copy your own work is also considered plagiarism. Plagiarism is cheating and will be punishable in accordance with the CSUS disciplinary policy. Additionally, cheating upon tests or quizzes will be fully punished according to the CSUS Code of Student Ethics.

Incompletes - Incompletes will only be given if you meet the requirements of the policy as stated by the university. An incomplete cannot be given to a student who is receiving an F in the course.

n Personal Note

Throughout the course, I would appreciate your comments and suggestions about the structure and content of this course. You may not necessarily see all of your suggestions implemented because of various constraints placed upon me, but I will take note of your suggestions and attempt to develop them to the degree that I feel they are plausible and beneficial.

n Disclaimer

Information in this syllabus is subject to change at any time. Any changes will be announced in class and posted on the announcements portion of the class web page. Although such arrangements will be made in advance, it is your responsibility, not the professor's, to attend to these announcements. If you do not attend class and/or don't log onto the web page frequently, you assume the responsibility for missing changes in due dates.

 

 

n Course Outline

• In the following schedule, the second column lists what we will do in class that day, the third column lists the assigned reading to be completed for that class, and the fourth column describes any extra information regarding that day.