Strapp Psy 467 Syllabus F 2015 page 1
Psychology 467Q Quantitative Methods Fall 2015
Dr. Chehalis Strapp, Todd 309
(503) 838-8316
strappc@wou.edu
http://moodle.wou.edu/
Office Hours: Mondays 2:30-4:30 pm
Tuesdays 2-3 pm, Wednesdays 2-3 pm
Thursdays 12-2 pm or by appointment
Prerequisites: Psy 201, 202, 301, Math 105 or Math 111 or equivalents. Students without these prereqs will be asked to drop the course.
Course Description: This course covers fundamental concepts used by psychologists to describe,
summarize and make inferences about scientific data. In addition, students learn and apply the
scientific method to an individual research project that is completed in Psy 468W winter term.
Course Objectives for Psychology 467 & 468:
Students will understand and apply research methods in psychology including design, data analysis
and interpretation. Additionally students will demonstrate information competence by their ability to
access, evaluate and summarize in writing and oral communication psychological literature following
APA guidelines. Accomplishing these objectives involves:
 understanding how research methods address different types of hypotheses
 differentiating designs that permit causal inferences from those that do not
 evaluating conclusions derived from psychological research based on statistics
 formulating testable hypotheses
 locating and using relevant databases to plan, conduct and interpret studies
 designing an appropriate study to address a research question
 collecting, analyzing, interpreting, and reporting data using appropriate statistical techniques
and APA style
 following the APA code of ethics in treatment of participants and data reporting
 demonstrating effective writing skills
 demonstrating effective oral communication skills
Any student who feels s/he may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should
contact me privately during office hours to discuss your specific needs. Please contact the Office of
Disability Services (ODS) at 503-838-8250 in APSC 405 to coordinate accommodations. Use of ODS
services, including testing accommodations, requires prior authorization by ODS and compliance with
approved procedures.
Students needing medical or mental health care can access the Student Health and Counseling
Center by calling 503-838-8313, emailing at health@wou.edu, or by walking in to schedule an
appointment.
Veterans and active duty military personnel with special circumstances are welcome and encouraged
to communicate these, in advance if possible, to me.
Mandatory Reporting: As an employee at Western Oregon University, I am required by federal law to
report any incident of sexual misconduct. If you wish to talk with me about something that has
occurred to you or another student, I must inform university personnel. Reporting this information
helps the university to safeguard students and get students the help and support needed. You have
the right to maintain your privacy. I will only report what you confide in me. Keep in mind that if you
Strapp Psy 467 Syllabus F 2015 page 2
see a counselor at the Student Health and Counseling Center about sexual misconduct, in most
cases, what you tell a counselor is confidential. If you would like additional information about sexual
misconduct response at WOU, please visit the website at www.wou.edu/student/assault_care.php
Service Animals: Students who require the use of a Service Animal in non-public areas of the campus
(including classrooms, offices, etc), must request an accommodation through the Office of Disability
Services. Please contact ODS 503-838-8250 for more information.
We cover extensive material in the class and the material is cumulative. Please feel free to come
see me during office hours, call me or send me an email throughout the term if you have questions or
concerns. I am excited to see you succeed in this class!
Required Materials for every class meeting:
Gravetter, F. J., & Wallnau, L. B. (2014). Essentials of statistics for the behavioral
sciences (8th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.
ISBN – 13:978-1-133-95657-0
A scientific calculator
Term Work Plan
Exams 2 @ 100 pts
5 out of 6 quizzes @ 20 pts
Writing assignments
SPSS assignments 3 @ 25 pts
Class participation
A
AB+
B
BC+
=
=
=
=
=
=
200 points
100 points
100 points
75 points
25 points
500 points possible
NO CURVE CALCULATED: FINAL GRADES ARE AS FOLLOWS
473-500 points
C
=
345-364 points
445-472 points
C=
325-344 points*
425-444 points
D+
=
305-324 points
405-424 points
D
=
285-304 points
385-404 points
D=
265-284 points
365-384 points
F
=
under 265 points
*Students planning to take Psy 468W must earn a grade of C- or better in Psy 467.
Exams: Two 100-point exams will be given on the dates listed in the class schedule. Exams will be a
combination of multiple choice and problem solving. If for any reason you miss an exam see makeup
policy listed below.
Quizzes: Six 20-point “pop” quizzes will appear in class throughout the term; approximately three will
be taken before each exam. Your best 5 quizzes will be counted towards your grade. Your lowest
quiz score is dropped. If you miss a quiz FOR ANY REASON that is your dropped quiz. If you miss
more than one quiz you are strongly encouraged to consider the extra credit option.
Writing Assignments: This term we will begin preliminary work on an individual research project that
you will complete in Psy 468W. In Psy 467 you will develop a literature review and submit a first draft
of the project, including title page, introduction, method, and references sections. Writing assignments
Strapp Psy 467 Syllabus F 2015 page 3
are detailed in an additional handout. All writing assignments must be uploaded to the appropriate
submission folder in moodle.
SPSS Assignments: You will complete 3 SPSS assignments. These assignments involve entering
data into a computer program, analyzing the data using SPSS, printing out your results, and
answering a set of questions that accompany the data. Due dates for the assignments are listed in
the class schedule on the last page of the syllabus. Specific details of the SPSS assignments
provided in another handout. All SPSS assignments, data, and printouts must be uploaded to the
appropriate submission folder in moodle.
Class participation: Class participation is a very important factor and will be strongly considered in
determination of final grades. Class participation points will come from:
1) Being prepared for class involvement: I assume that you will come to ready engage with the
material, ask and answer question. You are expected to come to class with your book, and
your calculator. It is expected that you have completed the assigned readings, watched the
assigned video lectures, and you are ready to discuss homework problems.
2) Homework: Homework problems will be assigned in daily. Answers to these problems will
be discussed at the beginning of the next class meeting (Tuesdays). Homework problems are
not graded. I will do quick homework checks at the beginning of class on a random basis,
and include that information as part of your class participation points. If you are late to class,
absent, or do not have your homework with you, you will miss out on these class participation
points for that day. Working on homework problems is critical to understanding the material
and preparing for pop quizzes and exams.
3) Online practice quizzes: To practice material presented in online video lectures, you will
have the opportunity to complete 18 practice quizzes, 10 appear before the first exam; and 8
appear before the second exam. You can take these quizzes as many times as you like to
practice the content, however, quizzes will close at 11:59 pm on the date of each
corresponding exam (so first 10 quizzes close at 11:59 on Exam 1 date, etc). Your highest
score for each online practice quiz will be counted towards your class participation points.
Extra Credit: You may earn up to 15 points extra credit by either
a) participating in research projects conducted in the behavioral sciences division or
or
b) interviewing and writing up a summary about a person who is in a career that you are interested in
pursuing. The focus of the interview and write up will be to determine how statistics are used within
that specific career.
Extra credit is due on December 10th. Extra credit requirements listed in a separate handout.
Course Policies and Recommendations for Psychology 467
Office hours: Feel free to stop by my office, call me or email me during any of my office hours. If you
are unable to meet during my office hours, please see me to schedule a different meeting time. You
can send me questions via voicemail or email at any time. Typically, I do not check my voicemail or
email from off campus in the evenings or over the weekend, however, I will respond to your message
as soon as I return to campus.
Strapp Psy 467 Syllabus F 2015 page 4
Online Component: This course uses WOU online (also called Moodle). Your login and password will
be the same as your WOU network username and password. Please follow these steps to access the
online course components:
1. Go to http://moodle.wou.edu/
2. In the upper right hand corner, enter your WOU username and password
3. You now have access to WOU online (moodle). Click on the link for Psy 467
Approximately half of our course content will be provided through videos and practice quizzes posted
in moodle. It is expected that you will watch/listen to the online videos with full attention (and not while
engaged in another task). To be most successful, plan to practice the problems at home as they are
provided in the online videos.
Getting help accessing online course content: If you are having difficulty accessing online content for
this course, please contact the moodle email helpline moodle@wou.edu. Please alert me to the problem
as well by including my address strappc@wou.edu as a cc in the message. This allows me to alert
the class to a problem that may impact other students.
Communication: Important announcements, schedule updates, and other important information will
be provided in class, via email, or through moodle. You are responsible for this information. You are
expected to have an active WOU account and to check this account regularly. All email
communication will be sent to your WOU account.
Handouts: Handouts are distributed regularly in class. Handouts will be posted on moodle following
class.
Late assignments: All class assignments are due on the dates listed in the class schedule by 11:59
pm. All writing and SPSS assignments must be uploaded directly to moodle. Assignments received
any time after the due date at 11:59 pm, are considered late and subject to the following conditions:
ten percent of the maximum points will be subtracted for each day that the assignment is late. For
example, if an SPSS assignment worth 25 points is due on a Tuesday and you turn it in on Thursday,
it is 2 days late and you’ve lost 5 points (10% of 25 is 2.5 points per day) from the total possible that
you earned (so at the most you can score a 20 out of 25 on this assignment). I am happy to give you
informal feedback on assignments turned in 10 or more days late, however, such assignments are
not eligible to receive any points.
Absences: Western Oregon University does not have formal all-campus rule regarding absences
from class, but more than three absences during a quarter are cause for concern. Absences will
seriously affect your performance in the class.
Peer support: It is important that students have peer support to ask questions, get class notes, etc. If
you miss class, it is imperative that you follow up with a peer to find out about content missed and get
any missed notes. I encourage you to introduce yourself and trade contact information with at least 3
peers in this class.
Name
Phone #
Email:
Name
Phone #
Email:
Name
Phone #
Email:
Dropping the class: The last day for dropping this class without being responsible for a
grade is Friday October 23. The last day for dropping the course with a W grade is
Friday November 13. Be sure that you follow the official drop process through the
Strapp Psy 467 Syllabus F 2015 page 5
registrar’s office. If you stop coming to class without officially “dropping” the class
you will probably receive an F grade.
Incompletes: To be eligible for an incomplete in this class you must be passing the class but lack one
essential requirement, such as missing one exam or draft of the paper. In addition, I must find your
reason for requesting an incomplete acceptable (An illness would be acceptable, whereas a trip
scheduled during finals week would probably not be acceptable). See me for details regarding
incompletes.
Missed Exams and Makeup Options: If for any reason you miss exam #1 you can take a makeup
exam on Monday December 7 at Todd 309 (or through ODS if eligible for alternative testing). Early
exams will not be given. Please see me asap to schedule the specific time for taking makeup exam
#1. If for some reason you miss the makeup exam on December 7, contact me immediately to
discuss whether or not you are eligible to receive an incomplete (I) grade in the course. In the event
that a student has 3 final exams scheduled on the same day, the student can take the exam on
another date agreed upon in advance by the professor and student. If this situation applies to you,
please see me as soon as possible. If you miss exam #2 for any reason, contact me immediately to
discuss whether or not you are eligible to receive an incomplete (I) grade in the course.
Academic Honesty: I expect academic honesty within this class and suspected dishonesty will be
taken very seriously. According to the WOU Code of Student Responsibility Section 574-31-030(1)
the following pertains to academic dishonesty:
Fabrication: unauthorized falsification and or invention of any information or citation in an academic
exercise (i.e., making up data for your project, falsifying references)
Plagiarism: representation without giving credit the words, data, or ideas of another person as one’s
work in any academic exercise. This includes submitting, in whole or in part, prewritten term papers of
another or the research of another, including but not limited to the product of commercial vendors
who sell or distribute such materials and the appropriation and/or use of electronic data of another
person or persons as one’s own, or using such data without giving proper credit for it (i.e., turning in
someone else’s SPSS answers as your own work, cutting and pasting from an electronic source
without using quotation marks, using someone else’s material in your paper without referencing
correctly).
Cheating: intentional use, or attempted use of deception, fraud, and/or misrepresentation of one's
academic work (i.e., looking at another student’s answers on a quiz or test).
Facilitating dishonesty: helping or attempting to help another person commit an act of academic
dishonesty (i.e., sharing quiz or test answers with another student).
Any use or attempted use of electronic devices in gaining an illegal advantage in academic work in
which the use of these devices is prohibited. Such devices include but are not limited to cell phones,
smart phones, Personal Digital Assistants, electronic tablets, laptops, programmable calculators, USB
flash drives or other removable memory devices, etc (i.e., looking up an answer on your cell phone
during a test).
Engaging in any of the above behaviors will result in a 0 on the assignment in question, and the name
of the student(s) will be turned over to the Coordinator of Campus Judicial Affairs.
Strapp Psy 467 Syllabus F 2015 page 6
Recording Policy: If you would like to make audio recordings of in class lectures this term please see
me to sign an audio recording agreement. Videotaping and photography are prohibited.
Respect Policy: To ensure that everyone has a positive learning experience, there will be an
atmosphere of respect and cooperation in this class. Respect in this class involves: a) Presence
during the entire class period. Please arrive on time and plan to stay for the entire class period. I will
start and finish class on time. b) Attention to the course material, the instructor and the contributions
of your colleagues. Please do not use phones, text message, visit with others, read or study other
materials. c) Be prepared to participate in class. Please come to class with your book, calculator,
homework problems attempted, and be ready to answer questions. d) Listen to and respect the
comments of others. Please allow everyone the opportunity to participate.
Class Cancelation: In the event that I must cancel class, I will do my best to notify you via email and
moodle prior to our class start time. Additionally, notification of the class cancelation will be posted at
our class door. If class is canceled, please check your email or moodle to see how to proceed with
coursework.
Campus Closure: If the entire WOU campus is closed for any reason (i.e., weather), please check
your email or moodle to see how to proceed with coursework.
Strapp Psy 467 Syllabus F 2015 page 7
Strapp Psy 467 Syllabus F 2015 page 8
Psy 467 Class Schedule Fall 2015*
Week Class
Topics
Textbook Readings
Online Videos
Practice Quizzes
#
Meets
Reviewed
& HW Due for next class
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1
Sept 29
Intro to Psy 467
Read Appendix A
Being successful with Stats!
Math Review
Do skills preview exam p. 550
Check answers, review any
What are Statistics?
1. Descript & lnfer Stats
areas of concern.
Read over Big Paper Packet
Types of Data
2. Data Types
Read Chapter 1
Do pp. 33-35 # 1, 4, 8-10,
Levels of Measurement
3. Levels of Measurement
15, 18, 21
Research Review
4. Research Review
Statistical Notation
5. Stats Notation
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2
Oct 6
Paper overview
Read Chapter 2
Being successful with Research!
Intro to Frequency
Do pp. 56-58 # 3, 5-6, 8-10
Distributions &
13-14
Grouped Frequency
6. Group Freq Distrib
Central Tendency
Start SPSS #1
Distributions
Write up Topic Idea
Frequency Distributions 7. Freq Distrib. Qual
Qualitative Data
Oct 8 Topic Idea due to moodle by 11:59 pm
How to Access SPSS
Printing out SPSS
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3
Oct 13
Central Tendency
Read Chapter 3
Shapes of Distributions
8. Shapes of Distributions
Topic Idea feedback
Do pp. 85-87#1-2, 4, 8-10,
Next steps for paper
15, 22, 24
Intro to Variability
9. Range & IQR
Read Chapter 4
Do pp. 115-117 # 1-6,
Variability 2 SD
10. SD & Qualitative Data
11, 22
Research Guide
& PsycInfo Tutorial
Strapp Psy 467 Syllabus F 2015 page 9
Week Class
Topics
Textbook Readings
Online Videos
Practice Quizzes
#
Meets
Reviewed
& HW Due for next class
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4
Oct 20
Variability
Review Appendix A
MyEbsco Host Tutorial
Chapters 1-4
Searching by Author Tutorial
Finish SPSS #1
Oct 22 SPSS #1 due to moodle
Review for Exam #1
Review Prior Videos
Review quizzes
By 11:59 pm
Work on 3 article review
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5.
Oct 27
Exam #1 in class
Finish 3 article review
Practice quizzes 1-10
Read Chapter 5 do pp.
close 10/27 by 11:59 pm
146-147-#1-4, 10, 12, 21-22
APA Paper Review
11. APA writing style
Oct 29 3 Article Review due to moodle by 11:59 pm
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6.
Nov 3
Return & Review Ex 1
Read Chapter 6
Intro to Probability
12. Probability
Next steps for paper
Do pp. 173-174
Z Scores
#1-3, 6-8, 16, 19-20
Zscores, Normal Curve 1 13. Normal Curve
Finish SPSS #2
Zscores, Normal Curve 2 Problems
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7.
Nov 10
Normal Curves &
Read Chapter 7
Sampling Distributions
14. Sampling & SE
Sampling Error
Do pp. 201-202 #2, 4, 6,
& Standard Error 1
13-14, 19, 21
Sampling Distributions
& Standard Error 2
Nov 12 SPSS #2 due to moodle by 11:59 pm
Hypotheses & Errors 1
Hypotheses & Errors 2
15. Hypotheses & Errors
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8
Nov 17
Hypothesis testing
Read Chapter 8
7 Steps in Hypothesis
with Z test
Do pp. 241-244 # 1-5, 8, 10,
Testing
12, 14
Finish up Draft #1
Z test Practice Problem
16. Z test
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
9
Nov 24 DRAFT #1 due to moodle by 11:59 pm
Intro to Correlations
Read Chapter 14 (450-468,
Pearson’s r Practice
17. Pearson’ r
Pearson’s correlation
472-477). Do pp. 503-505
# 1, 4, 9, 11, 14
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Strapp Psy 467 Syllabus F 2015 page 10
Week Class
Topics
Textbook Readings
Online Videos
Practice Quizzes
#
Meets
Reviewed
& HW Due for next class
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
10
Dec 1
Class feedback for Draft 1 Review Chapters 5-8, 14
Spearman’s Practice
18. Spearman
Spearman’s Correlation
Finish SPSS #3
Review Prior Videos
Review Quizzes
Dec 3 SPSS #3 due to moodle by 11:59 pm
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
* I reserve the right to make changes to this schedule based on progress of the class. Updates to the schedule will be announced in
class, distributed via email, or posted to moodle. It is your responsibility to be aware of changes through regular attendance in class,
attention to class postings via email and review of the moodle site.
Finals Week
Mon December 7, Makeup Exam #1 for students who did not take Exam #1 on Oct 27. Students will complete Exam #1 at my
office Todd 309 unless otherwise arranged through ODS.
Thurs December 10, 10-11:50 am Exam 2, in our typical classroom
Extra Credit DUE:
Option A Red slip research participation due by 5:00 pm to Todd 309 or Todd 325 (red slips must be turned in)
Option B Typed up interview due to moodle by 5:00 pm
Practice Quizzes 11-18 close by 11:59pm on Thursday Dec 10th.
I hope that you enjoy this class as much as I enjoy teaching it! I know that you will succeed if you: a) come to class; b) keep up with the
homework and other assignments; c) ask questions or come see me when you have concerns about the material. Many students finish
the Psychology 467-468 sequence surprised about how much they actually like statistics and quite proud of what they have
accomplished. I love being part of that. I look forward to an amazing 467-468 sequence!