APL Syllabus, Fall 2011 1
Applied Psychology Laboratory
PSYC 4900 – 019, 020, 021: Independent Study
Instructor: Chris S. Dula, Ph.D.
Office: Rogers-Stout Hall, Room #401-A
Office Hours: By appointment. Feel free to stop by anytime during business hours as I’m often in the office.
Phone: (423) 439 – 8307
E-mail: dulac@etsu.edu
For most laboratory business, it would be more appropriate to email an Applied Psychology Laboratory (APL) Coordinator instead of
Dr. Dula, though you may email him if your needs cannot be met by a Coordinator or if you have concerns about a Coordinator or
his/her advice/directions.
Graduate Lab Coordinator: Josh Hatfield, Kevin Hyatt, Michael Miesner, Phil Randall
Undergraduate Lab Coordinators: Ben Gibson, Heather Jackson, Spencer Oatts, Susan Steffey, Yasmin Stoss, Jesse Thomas
Office: Rogers-Stout Hall, Room 208A
Office Hours: Regular lab hours and by appointment. Phone: (423) 439 – 4467
Lab Email: apl.etsu@gmail.com
Coordinator E-mails: Josh: zjph5@goldmail.etsu.edu, Kevin: zkdh40@goldmail.etsu.edu,
Michael:
mmiesner@gmail.com, Phil: randallp@goldmail.etsu.edu, Ben: zbwg5@goldmail.etsu.edu,
Heather: zhmj7@goldmail.etsu.edu,
Spencer: zslo11@goldmail.etsu.edu, Susan: steffeys@goldmail.etsu.edu,
Yasmin: zyas1@goldmail.etsu.edu, Jesse:
thomasjh@goldmail.etsu.edu
***All students should email Jesse Thomas (thomasjh@goldmail.etsu.edu) immediately to be added to the APL Google Groups
listserv.
Lab Hours: Hours are posted on the website and lab door. Lab hours are subject to change. Any permanent changes will be posted.
The lab will be closed for all official university closings.
Course Description: This course is an independent study with a focus on increasing research experience and professionalism through
semi-structured activities in a psychology laboratory setting.
Course Objectives: The objective of this course is for the student to become an active member and collaborator in the undergraduate
research community. The student will learn various aspects of how to design and conduct research projects, manage and analyze data,
and disseminate results; the relationships between research experience and graduate studies; and how to work as a team member in a
professional research setting.
Lab Structure: The Applied Psychology Laboratory (APL) strives to provide undergraduate/graduate students and faculty researchers
with a comfortable, professional atmosphere for the completion of scientific research. Projects are designed to fit into one of the three
major areas of emphasis of the faculty advisor: Aggression and Risky Behaviors, Measure Development and Evaluation, and Teaching,
Education, and Research. Traffic Safety will be emphasized.
Required Textbook: Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition
Meeting Information: Rogers-Stout #328, Wednesdays 3:30 - 5:00 – MEETINGS ARE MANDATORY
Course Requirements:
Projects. Each student will contribute to the ongoing Traffic Safety research projects. Students are also welcome to contribute
to the progress of other APL projects as feasible.
Hours. The total number of hours required by each student is based on the number of credit hours taken:
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1 credits = 40 hours of work during the semester (PSYC 4900-019)
2 credits = 80 hours of work during the semester (PSYC 4900-020)
3 credits = 120 hours of work during the semester (PSYC 4900-021)
APL Syllabus, Fall 2011 2
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IRB Training. You are required to complete the university’s IRB training. This is required before you can work with data in any
way (e.g., collection, analysis). This training must be completed – and verification (printed completion page) turned in to the
lab – by the end of the lab meeting on Wednesday, September 21st.
Vita. You will develop and write a vita as part of your grade for this independent study. A workshop will be given at a later date
to show you how to do this. Returning APL students should update their vita each semester. Your first draft vita is due by the
end of the lab meeting on Wednesday, November 23rd. The final draft will be due on the last lab meeting (Wednesday,
December 7th).
Literature Search and Review. Students in the APL are required to review at least six (6) articles. The first article review is due
at the meeting on September 21st. The next two article reviews are due on September 28th. Students must find the last
three articles by searching literature databases. This latter assignment is due on October 12th. All students should visit the
library to locate sources in the periodicals section.
Data Coding and Entry. All students should assist with the setup of a research project via SONA Systems, the psychology
department’s online participant pool. This usually includes the creation or editing of online studies or proofreading surveys
before activation -NOT taking surveys. Participating in research does NOT count for credit in the independent study.
Presentation. Students in the APL may have the opportunity to co-author a professional presentation. Such opportunities are
based on merit and quality of work contributed to projects. Advanced students may have the opportunity to first author a
presentation. Presentations may be at departmental, local, state, regional, or national conferences. Appropriate handouts
must be prepared for each presentation.
Weekly Meetings. Across the semester, students MUST attend at least 12 of 13 APL weekly meetings (not counting when the
university closes). Thus, ONE weekly meeting may be missed without penalty. Attending full meetings is MANDATORY for
first semester students; no schedule conflicts will be worked out. Returning APL students may be granted exceptions for full
meeting attendance if they have another course which overlaps with the meetings. Each meeting missed without a
documented, verifiable, official/emergency/illness reason for absence will result in a reduction of 10 points from the final grade.
Project Meetings. Over the course of the semester, you must attend the weekly meetings of the projects on which you are a
team member. Though there is no point deduction for missing weekly meetings, missing such meetings without a
documented, verifiable, official/emergency/illness reason is strongly discouraged and will yield poorer performance ratings.
APL Surveys. During each semester, students will complete surveys designed to help us better the focus and organization of
the lab, and to assess how well the lab is achieving its objectives.
Conferences. Attendance at regional and national conferences is encouraged but not required. A maximum of 5 hours per
semester may be logged and counted toward your total number of hours. Hours may only be logged for attendance of poster
and/or oral presentations, including your own, and conference seminars.
Time Logs. All hours must be verified by a project manager, a coordinator, or Dr. Dula. We reserve the right to refuse to verify
hours that are more than two weeks old, or which are not readily confirmed. Hours without verification or older than two weeks
will NOT be accepted.
Hours. Total hourly requirements MUST be fulfilled by the last day of classes (Friday, December 9 th) by the time the APL
closes.
* **Any hour deficiencies will result in a reduction of the final grade based on the chart below. Any hours accumulated
beyond those required are encouraged, but not required, and if accumulated, may be counted toward independent study
credit hour requirements for the next consecutive semester.
APL Syllabus, Fall 2011 3
Grading Scale: Your grade will be based on the number of hours you complete in relation to your hourly goal based on credits enrolled
and your completion of the above named requirements.
Course Requirement
Total Hours Earned
100 Points Possible
100% of hours
90% - 99% of hours
80% - 89% of hours
70% - 79% of hours
Below 70% of hours
IRB Training
Curriculum Vita
Article Review #1, 2, & 3
Article Review #4, 5, & 6
Quiz #1, 2, & 3
Quiz #4 & 5
Required APL-related Meetings (12)
Total Points Possible
Points Earned
Grade Earned
90 – 100
A
86 – 89
B+
83 – 85
B
80 – 82
B-
76 – 79
C+
73 – 75
C
70 – 72
C-
60 – 69
D
0 – 59
F
-5 from final grade
-11 from final grade
-41 from final grade
F for the Course
10 points
10 points
5 points each
10 points each
5 points each
10 points each
-10 for each missed below 12
100
Laboratory Coordinators. The APL is a very active group and needs excellent staff in order to function optimally. As such, we select
Undergraduate Laboratory Coordinators to help run the organization. Coordinators are here to help students succeed in the lab, are to
be respected at all times, and have authority to make mid-level decisions in the APL. There are usually at least two such Coordinators
and we have had as many as five at one time. The APL Coordinator’s position is a complex job, involving such things IRB protocol
submission; maintenance of IRB records; data management and archiving; scheduling lab hours and keeping the lab open during
scheduled hours; delegation and supervision of a wide variety of research work; maintaining student records of work and training
certifications; ordering of supplies and upkeep of equipment; scheduling and setting agenda for weekly meetings; training students on
research protocol; leading project meetings; maintaining the lab web site; supervising creation of presentations; etc.
We are always looking for outstanding APL students we might invite to become an APL Lab Coordinator, as Coordinators regularly
graduate or move on for a variety of reasons. To be considered for such a position, a student would have had to have completed at
least one full semester (but likely more than one) of work in the APL in independent study, and distinguished her/himself as a team
member that: behaves appropriately at all times and is sensitive to the needs of others (interpersonally skilled), is highly motivated
(regularly goes beyond the call of duty), is highly responsible (always does what s/he says s/he will do), and is highly ethical (does not
engage in activities which are ambiguous or wrong with regard to correctness of action; seeks consultation with other more
experienced personnel when in doubt; etc.). This position is unpaid, but offers tremendous opportunity for gaining experience, and
documenting such experience on one’s vita would likely be very impressive to those reviewing it when selecting graduate
students/employees. Dr. Dula is also able to write extensive letters of recommendation for such students, as they generally work more
closely with him in running the organization than the typical associate.