Syllabus – Summer 2009
Portland State University
Research Methods
CRN: 81470
Tu/Th 9:15 – 11:35
Instructor: Debi Brannan, M.S.
Office Hours: Due to construction in Cramer Hall, I will make special accommodations for
office hours. Please email me and I will make office hours by appointment.
Email:
brannan@pdx.edu or email on Blackboard
Course Description: Study of methods for evaluating the quality of psychological
measurements, including various concepts of reliability and validity, and item analysis
techniques; common sources of invalidity in the interpretation of psychological data;
strategies of selecting and analyzing observations which minimize these sources of
invalidity. Prerequisites: Stat 243 and 244. In class, I will address some of the topics in the
book and offer new material; consequently, attendance is mandatory.
Required Reading Materials:
1) Methods in Psychological Research – Authors: Evans and Rooney; Sage Publishing.
The text is available at the Portland State Bookstore, 1715 SW 5 th Ave.
(503.266.2631).
2) Sears, D.O. (1986). College sophomores in the laboratory: Influences of a narrow
data base on social psychology’s view of human nature. Journal of Personality and
Social Psychology, 51(3), 515-530.
3) American Evaluation Association Guiding Principles for Evaluators (July, 2004).
http://www.eval.org/Publications/GuidingPrinciples.asp
Course Goals: By the end of the course, I expect each student to gain the following:
(1) A clear understanding of ethical guidelines when conducting research.
(2) Skills to generate conceptual, research, and statistical hypotheses
(3) An understanding of the differences between random sampling and random
assignment
(4) A substantive understanding of qualitative and quantitative research methods
(5) Ability to describe the fundamental differences between experimental and
nonexperimental designs
(6) Recognize the difference between scientific and literary writing
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Course Guidelines: There are a number of requirements for this class. If you find any of
them infeasible, please see me or consider taking this class at another time.
(1) It is critical that you attend each class. I cannot stress this point enough. Exams will
cover both material presented in the text, as well as information presented in
lecture; thus, missing class will have a direct effect on your grade.
(2) Do not be late. It is very disruptive for students to come in late (and leave early). Be
considerate and come to class on time.
(3) It is also critical that you have read the assigned chapters before class. Being
prepared will allow you to ask questions that you might have regarding the
materials and it will allow us to have more in-depth conversations.
(4) Check Blackboard at least twice a week. I use Blackboard as a way of giving you
information outside of the classroom. In addition, you will find a copy of the syllabus
there, as well as assignments, and postings from other students.
(5) In the classroom, I encourage comments and questions; however I insist that each
class member be treated with respect. If any class member feels he or she has not
been treated with respect, please see me immediately.
Grading: There will be 3quizzes, 1 final exam, 4 papers and a research proposal. Three of
your assignments are part of your research proposal.
Quizzes
Final exam
Paper
Assignments
30%
30%
20%
20%
The following scale will be used for all projects, exams, and your final grade:
A
AB+
B
BC+
93-100
90-92
87-89
83-86
80-82
77-79
C
CD+
D
DF
73-76
70-72
67-69
63-66
60-62
0-59
Pass-fail Option: Students taking this course with the pass-fail option must maintain a Caverage (70%) to receive a passing grade.
Grade disputes: All grade disputes must be submitted in writing (typed) and will be
accepted up to one week following the return of the quiz, assignment or examination. The
written grading dispute should clearly articulate your justification, or principled argument,
for the grade adjustment. Points may be added, subtracted, or remain unchanged.
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Make-up exams: NO make-up exams will be permitted for the midterms. If you have a
problem with taking one of the midterm exams, I will use the other midterm as the higher
of the two scores. The testing center does not have the resources and availability to offer
“make-up” exams, so I am accommodating this problem by offering the exams online via
Blackboard. My standard rule is that no final can be made up unless you have a
documented situation. Illness is not considered as a valid excuse. If I do allow a final to be
made up then you will have to see if the testing center will proctor your exam – they
require the student, not the instructor, to make the appointment.
Quiz/Exam Format: Quizzes and final exam will be multiple choice and short answer. The
multiple choice midterm exams will be on Blackboard. You will have 1 hour to take the
midterm exams on the days designated on the syllabus. You will be allowed to take the exam
up to 5:00 p.m. on the day the exam is due. If you do not complete the exam on the required
day, you will not have an opportunity to make it up. **Just a reminder – once you start the
exam you will only have one hour to complete the exam. You cannot stop and start the exam
– once you start you must finish it within the allotted timeframe** The final exam will be
cumulative; in addition, all materials presented in this class may be on any of the exams.
Assignments: You will be required to complete 4 assignments. The assignments will be
due at the beginning of the class on the dates identified in the class schedule. All
assignments much be typed, double-spaced, and you must use 12-point font. These
assignments are a large part of your grade, so don’t be late! In addition, you will be marked
down for spelling and grammatical errors. If you need writing assistance, please contact the
writing center: http://www.writingcenter.pdx.edu.
Paper: Each student will be required to submit a research proposal. More specifically,
students will develop research questions and design an empirical research study. Final
papers must be double-spaced, 12 font, and APA format. Keep in mind, these are academic
papers, not opinion papers. Use your best formal writing skills in this paper.
Attendance Policy: Attendance in this class is critical to achieving a firm understanding of
psychological research methods. I will not take attendance but attendance is required. If
you must miss a class, go to Blackboard as soon as possible and request notes from fellow
classmates. There will be a lot of information presented during class; thus, I highly suggest
that you attend each and every class.
Late Policy: All assignments will be due at the beginning of class (9:15 a.m.) on the
identified due date. If an assignment arrives any time after that or if the assignment is
placed in my mailbox, your grade on the assignment will be zero. If you feel an illness
coming on, I suggest you look at when the assignment is due and turn it in ahead of time.
Keep in mind, absolutely NO assignments will be accepted late or via email. If I accept one
paper late, then I have to accept everyone’s late and that is not fair.
Disabilities and Special Needs: If you have a disability and/or require any special
assistance, please make arrangements to meet with me the first week of the quarter.
Please do not wait until a problem arises to speak to me. All such conversations will
remain confidential and consistent with Disability Resource Center (DRC) policy. It is very
important that you consult with the DRC (Smith Center, 725-4150), so please meet with
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DRC immediately so that we can make adjustments to best fit your needs. Please also note
that the Center for Student Health & Counseling provides a wealth of resources to students
http://www.shac.pdx.edu/
Student Conduct: All aspects of this course are bound by the University’s Code of Student
Conduct. I will rigorously enforce this policy and expect honest, respectful and attentive
behavior from every class member. Cheating or plagiarism on written assignments and/or
tests will lead to immediate and serious academic consequences. (The Conduct Code can be
viewed online at the following address: http://www.pdx.edu/dos/conduct.html).
Appointments: My office hours are Thursdays from noon until 1. If my designated office
hours do not work, feel free to email me at brannan@pdx.edu or on Blackboard and I will
try to accommodate your schedule. In addition, anyone who receives a C or lower on their
mid-terms should make an appointment to see me. My goal is to see that you succeed in
this class, so if you feel that you are not performing at a level that you would like and/or
you are not understanding the material, let’s meet so that we can we figure out a way to
help you be successful.
Blackboard: Blackboard is an essential part of this class. The syllabus is posted on
Blackboard, as well as your assignments, and other resources. Blackboard is a great way to
post questions to fellow students, obtain notes, or to discuss a class topic. I use Blackboard
as a method of communicating to you about various issues, so please check it often.
http://psuonline.pdx.edu
Free miscellaneous advice:
If you’re a Psychology major, the Department expects you to attend a group advising
session and get a signed advising plan from that session. Then, bring it with you when you
see a faculty adviser. See an adviser at least once yearly! Select one by compatible time
schedules or interests (for a list of faculty interests see www.psy.pdx.edu ). When you’re
ready to see an advisor, most of the full-time Psychology faculty has sign-up sheets on our
office doors you can use for making appointments.
If you’re thinking of applying to graduate school in Psychology, a faculty member has
compiled several tips and suggestions for you at
http://web.pdx.edu/~obrienk/gradschool%20advice.pdf . (**Thank you Dr. O’Brien for the
wealth of information)
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Class Schedule
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
Dates
Topics
Text Chapters/
Assignments
Chapter 1
6/23
Introduction
Intro to Research Methods
6/25
Understanding the Research Literature
Submit final topic choice on Blackboard for
final approval
Chapter 2
6/30
Library Training Day
Ethics in Research
Read Ethics Handout BEFORE Class
Chapter 3
7/2
Assignment 1 Due
Quiz 1 opens at 6:oo a.m. (Covers chapters
1, 2, & 3)
Ethics in Research
Chapter 3
7/7
Hypothesis Testing, Power and Control
Quiz 1 closes at 6:oo p.m.
Chapter 4
7/9
Measuring Variables
Chapter 5
7/14
Selecting Research Participants
Sears Article
Assignment 2 Due
Chapter 6
7/16
Experimental Design: Independent Groups
Design
Quiz 2 opens at 6:oo a.m. (Covers chapters
4, 5, 6, & 7)
Chapter 7
7/21
Experimental Design: Dependent Groups
Design
Quiz 2 closes at 6:oo p.m.
Chapter 8
7/23
Finding Relationships Among Variables:
Nonexperimental Research
Assignment 3 Due
Chapter 10
7/28
Data Collection Methods
Conducting Research in the Community
Chapter 11
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8
6
7/30
Program Evaluation, Archival Research, and
Meta-Analytic Designs
American Evaluation Association Guiding
Principles for Evaluators
Assignment 4 Due
Quiz 3 opens at 6:oo a.m. (Covers chapters
8, 10, 11, & 12)
Chapter 12
8/4
Communicating in Psychology
Quiz 3 closes at 6:oo p.m.
Chapter 13
8/6
Review and Grad School Lecture
8/11
Final Papers Due
Final Opens today at 6:00 a.m. and closes on
Friday, August, 14th at 6: p.m.
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General Criteria for Final Research Paper
*See handout for detailed criteria*
Introduction
 Did you present a brief but thorough presentation of the research topic?
 Did you provide a thorough, but not exhaustive review of existing research and theory
pertinent to the social problem and focus of your paper?
 Is your review of the literature organized?
 Is your introduction typed and double-spaced page?
 Is your argument logical (i.e., supported from the research covered ) for the proposed
hypothesis
(10 points)
Methods
 Did you make the case for your research questions? Do they naturally flow from the review
of previous studies and theory?
 Were your methods congruent with your hypothesis?
 Did you address recruitment?
 Did you give a complete description of the procedure?
 How did you obtain data? Survey methods, etc.
(20 points)
Discussion
 Identify the strengths of the study
 Identify limitations
 Potential for future research
(10 points)