Introduction to Research Methods

(Fall II 2015)

Course:

PSYC/SOCI 2825: Introduction to Research Methods

Professor:

Dr. Linda M. Woolf

Office Hours:

Text:

Cozby, P. C, & Baters, S. C. (2015). Methods in Behavioral Research (12th ed.). New York: McGraw Hill. ISBN-13: 978 0077861896

Course Description

Research is at the heart of the behavioral and social sciences. This course will cover the basics of quantitative and qualitative research design. In addition, students will be provided with the means to critically analyze and assess the ethics of research findings. Lastly, students will be given the opportunity to create a research proposal. Prerequisites: PSYC/SOCI 1100 or permission of the instructor.

Course Learning Outcomes:

  1. You will be able to describe basic research techniques from naturalistic observation and correlation to experimental research techniques.

  2. You will be able to compare and contrast the strengths and weaknesses inherent in each type of research design.

  3. You will be able to discuss the various pitfalls that often befalls researchers including the ability to assess the reliability and validity (internal, external, construct, statistical conclusion) of various research methodologies.

  4. You will be able to discuss and illustrate ethical concerns in research.

  5. You will demonstrate critical thinking skills which will better enable them to become good consumers of social science research.

  6. You will develop a research proposal.

Incoming Competencies/Prerequisites:

Prerequisite: All students should have completed PSYC or SOCI 1100.

Class Meetings:

The class will meet on Tuesdays from 5:30 - 9:30. Attendance is strongly recommended as this material is challenging and conceptually complex. Classroom attendance will greatly enhance your understanding of the information.

Course Requirements:

Three exams, validity assignment, pseudoscience analysis, research proposal presentation, and final poster presentation.

All grades will be assigned on a scale of 0 - 100 with:

90 - 100A, A-Superior work
80 - 89B+, B, B-Good work
70 - 79C+, C, C- Satisfactory work
60 - 69D+, D Passing, but less than Satisfactory (not passing if required for the major or general education)
Less than 60F Unsatisfactory

Percent of Grade:

Exams60%
Validity Assignment10%
Pseudoscience Analysis 10%
Research Proposal Presentation5%
Final Poster Presentation15%

Examinations: Three exams will be given and the examination format will include multiple choice, short answer, and essay. The exams will cover material presented in lecture, readings, and discussion. POLICY STATEMENTS: All exams must be taken on the date scheduled. Tentative exam dates are listed on this syllabus. Should any changes in these exam dates become necessary, I will inform the class in advance. Make-up exams will only be administered in emergency cases (e.g., medical). The instructor must be notified in advance of the situations that exist. No make up exam will be given if the student does not notify and discuss the situation with the instructor before the exam. If an exam is missed and no make-up is taken, a zero will be given for the grade. It is in your best interest to take the exams as scheduled. Extra credit work will NOT be made available to make-up for a poor test grade.

Validity Assignment: Students will be required to critique and evaluate a research article for threats to validity: internal, external, construct, and statistical conclusion. A handout with specific instructions as well as articles available for review will be provided during the second week of class. Four articles will be available for review. Students can complete one or all four. Only the highest grade will be recorded. Four due dates are provided for these assignments. NOTE: It is not in your best interest to wait and only complete an last article for the last assignment date. There will be no opportunity made available to make-up any of the previous opportunities if you are unhappy with the final assignment grade. Additionally, you can only submit one article/validity assignment per due date.

Pseudoscience Analysis: Students will be placed in groups of three to examine a phenomenon in which there is little scientific support. Examples include ESP, Psychic Readings, Alien Abductions, EMDR, Rorschach Inkblot tests, Mozart Effect, Intelligent Design, Faith Healings, Aroma Therapy, Subliminal Tapes, Acupuncture, etc. You will have 15 minutes, using PowerPoint, to: 1) Introduce the concept, 2) Provide evidence supporting the concept (if any), 3) Provide scientific evidence which does not support the concept, 4) a discussion wrapping it up. You are expected to cite references and provide support for your assertions. An additional handout will be provided.

Research Proposal Presentation: Each team (3 students) will present their research proposal for input from the class. This should be a complete proposal which can be modified prior to the final poster presentation. Additional information will be provided.

Final Poster Presentation: The final poster presentation gives you an opportunity to develop an original, ethical, research proposal that can be implemented for use as an independent study or in the Senior Thesis course. You will be working in a group with other students to develop the proposal. The proposal must include a review the literature (minimum of 10 peer reviewed, primary source references), a hypothesis, the design, and a discussion of the possible results. A handout describing the project in more detail will be provided. The process of topic approval will be discussed the first week of the semester. Additionally, each group will submit a final copy of the proposal including all relevant references, appendices, etc. to me in Word format to woolflm@webster.edu. Hard copies of the paper will not be accepted. Students will be provided the opportunity to evaluate and grade their own as well as their colleagues participation/work.

Policy Statements:

Due to the conversational nature of the class, it is imperative that you complete the readings before coming to class. Preparation of this sort will: a) facilitate recall and understanding by enabling the development of a schema for the material, b) enable you to contribute to class discussions in a thoughtful manner, and c) prepare you to learn!

Use of Electronic Devices in the Classroom: Please respect others in the class by turning off all cell phones and pagers before entering the room. Text messaging during class is not acceptable. Laptops may be used in class but are only to be utilized for class related activities (e.g., taking notes). If it becomes apparent you are using the computer for non-class activities (e.g., checking your email, playing games) then you may be asked to turn off your computer and refrain from bringing it into class in the future. Laptop use is restricted to the back or sides of the classroom so that other students are not distracted during lecture.

Plagiarism (attempting to pass off the work of another as one's own) is not acceptable. Plagiarism includes copying all or part of another's writings (even a single sentence), inappropriate paraphrasing, using another student's paper as your own, submitting a paper for more than one class. All papers will be submitted to the university's plagiarism database for review. Plagiarism, either intentional or unintentional, will result in a grade of 0 for that assignment but also may be turned over to the appropriate university source for disciplinary action and a grade of F for the course. In addition, cheating on exams will also result in the same fate.

Here are some Web sites that will help you avoid the problem of plagiarism particularly plagiarism resulting from paraphrasing too closely to the original source. -

Students with disabilities who believe that they may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact me or the Director of the Academic Resource Center, as soon as possible to ensure that such accommodations can be implemented in a timely fashion.

Late withdraws from this class will not be approved by the instructor except in cases of emergency discussed with the instructor. No late withdraws will be approved on the basis of poor class performance.

This syllabus is subject to change at the instructor's discretion. All changes concerning course requirements will be provided in writing. Changes concerning exam dates may be made at the instructor's discretion and communicated verbally to the class.

It is understood that remaining in this course (not dropping or withdrawing from this course) constitutes an agreement to abide by the terms outlined in this syllabus and an acceptance of the requirements outlined in this document. No grade of Incomplete will be issued for this course.


COURSE OUTLINE


Week


Topic


Reading

October 27 Introduction to class
Scientific Understanding of Behavior
Pseudoscience
Ethics
Where to Start
Chapters 1-3

November3Meet in Library Classroom

Fundamentals of Library Research
Fundamental Research Issues
Measurement Concepts
Validity

Plagiarism Tutorial Certificate Due

Research Proposal Topic Emails to Me: November 8

 Chapter 2 revisited
Chapters 4-5
Validity handout on Canvas
November 10Experimental Design
Conducting Experiments

Exam I (Material from Weeks 1-2)

Validity Assignment 1: Due November 14

 Chapters 8-9
November17 Survey Research

Pseudoscience Presentations

Validity Assignment 2: Due November 21

 Chapter 7
November24 Observing Behavior
Generalizing Results

 Chapter 6
Chapter 14
December1 Complex Experimental Designs
Quasi--Experimental and Single Case Design

Exam II (Material from Weeks 2-5)

Validity Assignment 3: Due December 5

Chapters 10-11
December 9 8Understanding Research Results

Research Proposal Presentation

Validity Assignment 4: Due December 12

 Chapters 13-14
December 1615FINAL EXAM (Material from Weeks 6-7) & Poster Presentations




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