Introduction to Research Methods in Psychology – Psychology 301
Spring 2014 Thursdays 4:10 – 6:50 pm plus Project 2hours (lab)
Arturo Santos
352-0180 messages
Office Hours: Thursdays 7:00 pm and by appointment
asantos@mail.sdsu.edu
Required Text: Leary, M.R. (2008) Introduction to Behavioral Research Methods, 6/e. Digital or print
version. Available through Aztec Shops and Online Vendors
ISBN 10: 0205203981
Other readings may be required to clarify concepts.
Online Study Guide: http://wps.ablongman.com/ab_leary_resmethod_4/ (4th edition)
Optional Texts: American Psychological Association (current) Publication Manual for the American
Psychological Association. Author.
Other requirements: Recordable media for computer use (flashdrives) and blank white computer
paper. Access to the internet with email account.
A note of SPSS: Students will be using SPSS. Students do not need to purchase the software. It is
available at SDSU computer labs. An alternative free version of a program similar to SPSS is available at:
http://www.gnu.org/software/pspp/. It is not as complete as SPSS and the instructor makes no claims as to
its usefulness.
Prerequisites: Students should have successfully completed introductory courses in psychology and
statistics with lab plus other SDSU requirements. Students should also be able to fully use computers and
common software applications.
Course Objective: To provide an introduction and overview of the various research methods used by
psychologists and other behavioral scientists to gain “knowledge” and to answer questions concerning
human behavior. The course will cover case studies, observations, surveys, experimental and quasiexperimental designs plus field study procedures along with statistical procedures commonly used with
those research designs. The class projects will cover these methods plus analysis and interpreting results,
report writing, and critically evaluating research findings.
Course Goals: At the end of the course, students should be able to describe behavior using various
statistical measurements and analysis through an understanding of various research strategies including
hypothesis testing and the use of the scientific method in behavioral research. Students should also be able
to present research findings in a format approved by the American Psychological Association.
General Goals: To further develop students’ analytical and critical thinking skills and to familiarize
students with peer reviewed journal articles and reports thus encouraging and improving reading and
writing skills. To have students understand the use of the scientific method as the vehicle to develop
insight on human behavior and to prepare students for more rigorous forms of research and investigation
in future courses.
Class Format: Class lecture will review the various topics in the text. Classroom (lab) activities will be
designed to demonstrate the various research methods and the associated statistical analysis using SPSS
to enhance the understanding of the text and lecture topics. Readings are to be completed prior to
each class meeting. On average, one chapter is covered each week. Quizzes are based on the text and
lecture. Attendance and participation is required but a student should not expect to pass the
course solely on perfect attendance. Weekly homework assignments will be required and it will serve
as part of the participation/attendance grade. Class discussion is an integral part of the course as it will
serve as a basis for quizzes and assignment topics.
Grades: 70 percent of your grade will be based on quizzes plus the final. The final is worth 25 points
while the three quizzes of 15 points each will add and additional 45 points. The questions will be derived
primarily from the text, but a few questions may come from lecture and class activities including SPSS
activities. Twenty percent of your grade will be based on the term project which is a written research
project. The research project is a semester long project. The project requires that the students take
actively responsibility for its completion and the quality of the written report. The remaining 10 percent
of your grade will be determined by your apparent effort as reflected in your homework/attendance and
the level and quality of your participation in class. Class attendance will not guarantee a passing grade.
Activities: Your attendance is very important. Individuals who miss class generally perform poorly in
exams and other activities especially SPSS activities. If you cannot attend a class please notify me in
advance so arrangements, when possible, can be made. Repeated absences will lower your course grade.
It is the responsibility of the student to officially drop the course if it cannot be completed. Failure to drop
the course according to SDSU regulations will result in a grade equivalent of F. Please keep current with
suggested timelines. The instructor is not responsible for the consequence of a student choosing not to
keep current with class assignments. All written assignments must be typed and checked for spelling and
grammar errors before submission. Students must remain current with term paper assignments.
Schedule
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Topic
1/23
1/30
2/6
2/13
2/20
2/27
3/6
3/13
3/20
3/27
4/3
4/10
4/17
4/24
5/1
5/8
5/15
Be Prepared By Completing
Introduction
Acquire Text
Research in the Behavioral Sciences
Chapter 1
Behavioral Variability
Chapter 2
Measuring Behavior
Chapter 3
Psychological Measurement
quiz/chapter 4
Research Participants
Chapter 5
Descriptive Research
Chapter 6
Correlational Research
quiz/Chapter 7
Scientific Writing/Term Paper Lab
Chapter 16
Ethical Issues/Non Parametric Analysis Chapter 15
Spring Break
Statistical Analysis Review and Term Paper
quiz
Experiments 1
Chapter 9 and 10
Experiments 2
Chapter 11 and 12
Other Designs & Review
Chapter 13 and 14
Term Paper Lab & Review
Final Exam
Term Paper Due
Homework assignments will be posted on the Friday after class on Blackboard and are due the beginning
of the next Thursday class. Home work should be typed and grammatically correct using complete
sentence to answer questions. The weekly homework question will cover material presented in lecture or
from the following week’s chapter readings.
Please note the schedule may change to fit student needs or to cover certain areas in more detail. You will be informed of
changes as they occur. Please keep it mind that if changes do occur it is the responsibility of the student to verify due dates and
assignment as needed. The instructor reserves the right to adjust the course design.
Term Paper Suggested Timelines
2nd week
Decide General Area of Interest
3rd
Find Topic Within General Area of Interest
4th
Develop Topic with Supporting Evidence
5th
Develop Research Hypothesis
6th
Have Hypothesis Approved
7th
Develop Questions for Survey
8th
Set Up Fields in SPSS
10th
Distribute Survey
11th
Input Data In SPSS
12th
Analyze Data in SPSS and Find Supporting Research
13th
Write Paper
14th
Finalize Paper
15th
Proofread Paper
16
Turn in Paper
GRADES
100-91 A
90-81 B
80-71 C
70-64 D
Breakdown
3 quizzes 15 pts each
term paper 20 pts.
Final 25 pts
Participation 10 pts.
Pts.
45
70
95
100
SDSU uses + or – in its grades. Please view this courses online document on actual
grading ranges within Blackboard. The grading rubric for the term paper is also available
in Blackboard.
Statement of Academic Conduct: SDSU and this instructor expect that students will conduct themselves in a manner that reflects
the highest level of honesty and integrity. Students falsely representing their academic performance by cheating, plagiarizing,
unauthorized collaborating on coursework, stealing course materials, falsifying data, or intentionally helping another individual in any of
the above will be subject to disciplinary procedures according to SDSU policies and procedures. All students are also expected to be
civil, courteous, and respectful of members of the university community. For more information please refer to SDSU’s Statement of
Student Rights and Responsibilities. The use of communication devices during class including smart phones or the use of university’s
computer resources which does not support the learning objectives is strongly discouraged.
If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this class, it is
your responsibility to contact Barbara Romero at Student Affairs at (760) 768-5509. To avoid any
delay in the receipt of your accommodations, you should contact Student Affairs as soon as
possible. Please note that accommodations are not retroactive, and that I cannot provide
accommodations based upon disability until I have received an accommodation letter from Student
Services. Your cooperation is appreciated."
Hints to Help You Do Well in this Class and Earn A Good Grade by Leary and Me.
(1) Attend all of the lectures and labs. Not coming to class or skipping a lecture or lab is the going to limit your
understanding of the material and usually negatively affects your grade. In a course such as this, simply obtaining
other students' notes will often not be sufficient because the extended descriptions and examples that we use in class to
explain difficult concepts often do not make their way into students' class notes. As a result, much of the content will
be difficult to understand from borrowed notes. Furthermore, parts of this course are cumulative so that, if you miss
one lecture or lab, you may be lost for several days, weeks, or years.
(2) Keep up with the assigned reading. It is usually beneficial for you to read a particular chapter before coming to
class on a particular day and it is important that you do not fall behind in the reading. Before starting each chapter,
review the chapter headings to get a sense of its content and organization. Then, read carefully, highlighting and/or
outlining the chapter as you go.
(3) Do take advantage of the lab portion of the course. Statistical methods and applications you will learn are going to
be asked in the exams and will be also used in your term project. Make sure you save you data frequently.
(4) Start preparing for each exam several days in advance. Review your notes, PowerPoint slides, and highlighted
chapter headings carefully over a period of days. Practice tests are available online, check Blackboard for link.
(5) Start working on your term project as soon after I describe the assignment as possible. To do well on a project such
as this, you need to allow ample time to do research, come up with a viable research idea, design the study, collect
data, analyze the data, and write the project in APA format.
(6) Contact me if you are having problems.
(7) Try to have fun. It is a good class.