PSY 310 (M01) - Experimental Methods
New Mexico State University
Fall 2015
Instructor: Joshua Uhalt, Ph.D.
Candidate
Office Hours: By Appointment
Office: Science Hall 275
Email: JUhalt@nmsu.edu
Teaching Assistant: Baoyu Wang, Ph.D.
Candidate
Office Hours: By Appointment
Office: Science Hall 264
Email: Baoyu@nmsu.edu
Class Meeting: Monday and Wednesday 11:30-12:20 PM
Classroom: Business Complex Building 102
Lab Meeting: Friday 8:30-9:20 AM (M1A); 9:30-10:20 AM (M1B); 10:30-11:20 AM (M1C)
Classroom: Science Hall 267
Course Description:
The basic skills of literature search, experimental design, research methodology, and
research reporting are emphasized. (Four Credits)
Prerequisites:
STAT 251G, STAT 271G, or A ST 311
Required Texts:
Christensen, L. B., Johnson, B., & Turner, L. A. (2011). Research methods: Design and
analysis. San Francisco, CA: Pearson.
Supplemental Materials:
American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual of the American
psychological association. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Canvas:
Assignments, grades, announcements and additional course materials will be posted on
Canvas; check this site daily.
Course Overview:
This is an undergraduate psychology course designed to provide students with knowledge of
and hands-on practice with experimental research methods in psychology. On the one hand,
knowledge of experimental methods in psychology will help you understand how psychology
investigates human thought and behavior as a scientific discipline and be able to critically
review psychology research; on the other hand, hands-on practice helps you learn how to
plan, conduct, and analyze your own experimental research, as well as how to communicate
the results of your research to others with firsthand experience. This class is crucial for
students to be specialized as a psychology student and move forward to be a qualified
researcher in psychology.
The class includes two lecture classes on Monday and Wednesday and the lab meeting on
Friday every week. Students will gain knowledge from the lecture that they will put into
practice during the lab meeting. The teaching assistant will help every team with research
design, data collection, data analysis, and project paper writing throughout the semester
during the lab meeting.
Course Requirements:
1. Discussions: During class, we will engage in lecture and discussion of the material to
ensure understanding and clear up any ambiguities in the chapter.
2. Daily Quizzes: In lieu of attendance, there will be daily quizzes on the reading material
for the day. The quiz is to ensure you are reading of the content for that day of class.
Each quiz will consist of five questions and will take place at the start of class at 11:30,
sharp. If you show up late, you will miss out. You are expected to show up to class
ready to take the quiz. The lowest 5 quiz scores will be dropped from the grade
calculation in order to accommodate you when illness or other events prevent you from
attending class on time. A zero grade will be given on any additional missed quizzes.
However, a student can document more than 5 quizzes missed due to university
excused absences. Here are some tips to do well on the quizzes:
 Read: At the very least, read what has been assigned. The quizzes will cover the
chapter content of the day—no more, no less.
 Review Key Terms: Learn the key terms and definitions. This is crucial for the course
(especially later for the exams). I encourage you to make note cards for the quizzes.
If you do this for every quiz, you will have a study tool for both the midterm and the
final.
 Practice Tests: A practice test occurs at the end of every chapter. Review these
questions to see if you can answer them.
 Outline: Create an outline of the reading using the author’s headings. This aids in
comprehension and retention.
3. Papers: You will complete two papers in this course. The purpose of these papers is to
introduce you to the research process.
 The first paper will be a correlation paper (more information on that later in the
course). The TA and I will work closely with you on the first paper. We will show you
the basics of doing research from start to finish.
 The second paper will be more hands-off in nature; however, you will be encouraged
to work in teams of no more than three to four people. You are welcome to work on
your own; however, this is highly discouraged. This second paper will include
designing the study, collection of data and the writing of the final report. You must
conduct an experiment with a manipulation. There will be more information about
this after the first paper.
4. Exams: There will be, at most, two examinations for this course. They will be closed
book, with no notes or collaboration allowed. The exam will be a combination of
multiple-guess and short answer questions.
5. Extra Credit: You will have the opportunity to earn extra credit in this course. In order
to earn the full 5% extra credit, you must complete five (5) credits of research (much
like how you did in PSY 201G). Please sign up for this course in SONA
(https://nmsu.sona-systems.com/default.aspx). For every study you complete, write up
a summary of what you did. That is, include the following details:
 What is the title of the study and how many credits was it worth?
 What did you do exactly? (i.e. How were you greeted?, What did you do?, Did
you sign a consent form? Did you actually read the consent form? Did you know
what was really going on in the experiment? Were your expectations met when
you were debriefed?)
 Please include a copy of the consent form and the debriefing form, if possible.
Please note, that your extra credit is tied to how many research credits you complete.
For example, if you complete 3.5 research credits, you will be awarded 3.5% extra
credit, assuming you also turn in the summary or summaries to accompany your
completed credit. However, you also have the option to complete an alternative
assignment in lieu of completing research credits. Please contact me for details if you
choose this route.
Grades:
Source
Daily Quizzes
Paper One
Paper Two
Midterm
Final
Extra Credit
Total
A+, A
4.0
100%90%
A3.7
89.9%85%
Weights
20%
20%
20%
20%
20%
5%
105%
B+
3.3
84.9%82%
B
3.0
81.9%78%
Tentative Schedule
Date
Topic
Week 1
8/19
Course Orientation
8/21
Introductions
Week 2
8/24
Theories of Knowledge
8/26
Scientific Research
8/28 Writing Research Report
Week 3
8/31
Research Approaches
9/2
Data Collection
9/4
Descriptive Statistics
Week 4
9/7
None
9/9
Survey Day
9/11
Inferential Statistics
Week 5
9/14
Ethics
9/16
Ethics
9/18
Literature Search
Week 6
9/21
Measurement
9/23
Sampling
9/25
Data Analysis (r)
Week 7
9/28
Validity
9/30
Validity
10/2
Work on Discussion
Week 8
10/5
Work on Paper
10/7
Review
10/9
Discuss Paper Two
Week 9
10/12
Midterm
10/14
Research Question
B2.7
77.9%75%
C+
2.3
74.9%72%
C, C2.0
71.9%68%
D+ - D1.0
64.9%54.9%
F
0.0
<54.8%
Readings
What is Due
None
None
Nothing
Nothing
Chapter 1 pp. 1-10
Chapter 1 pp. 10-20
Chapter 16
Quiz 1
Quiz 2
Chapter 2 pp. 26-40
Chapter 2 pp. 40-57
Chapter 14
Quiz 3
Quiz 4
Nothing
None
None
Chapter 15
Labor Day Holiday
Nothing
Nothing
Chapter 4 pp. 89-104
Chapter 4 pp. 104-124
Chapter 3
Quiz 5
Quiz 6
Chapter 5 pp. 132-144
Chapter 5 pp. 144-154
None
Quiz 7
Quiz 8
Nothing
Chapter 6 pp. 159-175
Chapter 6 pp. 175-181
None
Quiz 9
Quiz 10
Nothing
None
None
None
Nothing
Nothing
Paper One Due
None
None
Midterm
Nothing
10/16
Week 10
10/19
10/21
10/23
Week 11
10/26
10/28
10/30
Week 12
11/2
11/4
11/6
Week 13
11/9
11/11
11/13
Week 14
11/16
11/18
11/20
Week 15
11/23 - 1/27
Week 16
11/30
12/2
12/4
Finals Week
12/9
Create Materials
None
Nothing
Control Techniques
Control Techniques
Finalize Materials
Chapter 7 pp. 188-200
Chapter 7 pp. 200-213
None
Quiz 11
Quiz 12
Nothing
Research Design
Research Design
Collect Data
Chapter 8 pp. 218-230
Chapter 8 pp. 230-244
None
Quiz 13
Quiz 14
Nothing
Conducting Experiments
Conducting Experiments
Collect Data
Chapter 9 pp. 250-259
Chapter 9 pp. 259-265
None
Quiz 15
Quiz 16
Nothing
Quasi Designs
Quasi Designs
Literature Search
Chapter 10 pp. 270-280
Chapter 10 pp. 281-286
None
Quiz 17
Quiz 18
Nothing
Single-Case Designs
Single-Case Designs
Work on Discussion
Chapter 11 pp. 291-304
Chapter 11 pp. 304-309
None
Quiz 19
Quiz 20
Nothing
None
None
Thanksgiving Holiday
Survey Research
Survey Research
Wrap-Up Paper
Chapter 12 pp. 314-327
Chapter 12 pp. 327-339
None
Quiz 21
Quiz 22
Nothing
Final
None
Final 10:30–12:30 PM
Important Dates to Remember
August 19th to 28th: Late Registration: A late fee of $25 will be assessed
August 20th: Degree Application Deadline
August 20th: Last day to add a course without instructor’s permission by 5 P.M.
August 28th: Last day to add a course with instructor’s permission
September 4th: Last day to cancel a course (with 100% refund) by 5 P.M.
October 19th: Last day to drop a course with a “W” by 5 P.M.
November 13th: Last day to withdraw from the university
Course and University Policy, Support:
ALL the policy and regulations in Undergraduate Catalog 2015-2016 and Student Code of
Conduct relevant to this class will be applied.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act
Amendments Act (ADAAA) covers issues relating to disability and accommodations. If a
student has questions or needs an accommodation in the classroom (all medical information
is treated confidentially), contact:
Trudy Luken, Director
Student Accessibility Services (SAS) - Corbett Center, Rm. 208
Phone: (575) 646-6840 E-mail: sas@nmsu.edu
Website: http://sas.nmsu.edu/
NMSU policy prohibits discrimination on the basis of age, ancestry, color, disability, gender
identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, retaliation, serious medical
condition, sex, sexual orientation, spousal affiliation and protected veterans status.
Furthermore, Title IX prohibits sex discrimination to include sexual misconduct: sexual
violence (sexual assault, rape), sexual harassment and retaliation.
For more information on discrimination issues, Title IX, Campus SaVE Act, NMSU Policy
Chapter 3.25, NMSU's complaint process, or to file a complaint contact:
Gerard Nevarez, Title IX Coordinator
Agustin Diaz, Title IX Deputy Coordinator
Office of Institutional Equity (OIE) - O'Loughlin House, 1130 University Avenue
Phone: (575) 646-3635 E-mail: equity@nmsu.edu
Website: http://www.nmsu.edu/~eeo/
Other NMSU Resources:
 NMSU Police Department:
(575) 646-3311 www.nmsupolice.com
 NMSU Police Victim Services:
(575) 646-3424
 NMSU Counseling Center:
(575) 646-2731
 NMSU Dean of Students:
(575) 646-1722
 For Any On-campus Emergencies:
911
Withdrawals and Incompletes:
According to NMSU Undergraduate Catalog 2015-2016, “it is the responsibility of the
student to initiate official withdrawal from a course.” Students need to submit the form
before October 19th to drop the course with a “W”.
Incomplete grades (“I”) will NOT be given unless students could not finish the class due to
“circumstances beyond the student's control.” If you feel you may be involved in a situation
that could stop you from finishing the class successfully, please let me know ASAP so you
and I could work something out together. Refer to the Undergraduate Catalog 2015-2016
for additional guidelines.
Academic Misconduct:
All work submitted for this class must be original. Students are expected to follow Student
Code of Conduct of NMSU. According to the Chapter 3, academic misconduct includes, but is
not limited to:
 Cheating or knowingly assisting another student in committing an act of cheating or
other forms of academic dishonesty;
 Plagiarism: using another person's work without acknowledgment, making it appear to
be one's own;
 Unauthorized Possession of materials regarding examination;
 Unauthorized changing of grades; Nondisclosure or misrepresentation in filling out
applications or other University records.
Students found guilty of academic misconduct shall be subject to disciplinary action. All the
policy regarding academic misconduct will be upheld in this class. Details about the
definition and corresponding discipline action please refer to Student Code of Conduct III:
Academic Misconduct.
Plagiarism is using another person's work without acknowledgment, making it appear to be
one's own. Intentional and unintentional instances of plagiarism are considered instances of
academic misconduct and are subject to disciplinary action such as failure on the
assignment, failure of the course or dismissal from the university. The NMSU Library has
more information and help on how to avoid plagiarism at http://lib.nmsu.edu/plagiarism/
Non-Academic Misconduct:
Students should respect each other during the class. Inappropriate behaviors during the
class are subject to disciplinary action according to Student Code of Conduct IV: NonAcademic Misconduct.