Faculty of Social Sciences
Research Methods in Social Science II
36-020-81/81
Lecturer: Dr. Noam Fischman
Course Type: Required Intro, B.A. Year: First
Credit hours: 1.5 annual credit (one semester, 3 hours) – Fall 2015
Office Hours: After Class and by appointment
Office: ---Office phone: ----Email: noamfischman@gmail.com
A. General and Specific Goals of the Course and its Rationale
This course describes the methods used in social science research. You will be guided through
theory development, hypothesis testing, study design, data analysis, interpretation and
dissemination of results. You will be required to conduct literature reviews, to think critically and
practically about social science research, to write research papers, and to propose and conduct an
original study.
Objectives for the course:
o To offer the basics on how to conduct social science research
o To provide guidance on how to properly interpret the results from research in all areas of science
and social science (In a word: cautiously!).
o To promote class discussion and debate: Your questions and comments are ALWAYS
appreciated.
B. Course Components
Required Text: Beins, B.C. (2013). Research Methods: A Tool for Life (3rd Ed.). Pearson. ISBN:
978-0205899531.
Reserved under BEI r3 (2006000)
Supplemental Readings will be assigned throughout the semester and will serve as the basis for
your final exam. They will consist almost entirely of journal articles. It will be your task to think
critically about the study designs and results as described in the articles.
Recommended:
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS): www.scienceonline.org
Association for Psychological Science (APS): www.psychologicalscience.org
Sample Journals: Psychological Science, Current Directions in Psychological Science,
Psychological Science in the Public Interest
1
Quizzes: There will be a total of 7 quizzes (covering chapters 8-14 in the text book). The lowest
quiz grade (including 0's for absences) will be dropped. The remaining 6 quizzes will count towards
your final grade.
Semester II Final Exam: The Final exam will include mostly multiple choice questions that relate
to the supplemental reading assignments, in class assignments, and to the issues discussed in class.
Assignments: From time to time you will be given an assignment to complete for the next class.
You will sometimes be asked to present your work from these assignments during the lab. You
are encouraged to submit and/or present the assignment as a group (3-4 people per group).
Make sure you complete the assignments on time and effectively.
Research Paper: This semester you are required to conduct an experiment, field study and/or
survey, preferably as proposed in your Research Proposal from the previous semester. Specifically
you are required to:
 Conduct an experiment, field study or survey with at least 30 participants
 Conduct statistical analysis of the results
 Create a powerpoint presentation that summarizes your findings and interpretations
 Write a detailed research paper summarizing, the rationale for the study and your results.
A website hosted by Muhlenberg College is a great resource of free survey instruments. Hundreds
of surveys can be downloaded directly from the site for free. Skimming through the alphabetized
list of measures on this website is a great way to generate ideas for your study.
http://www.muhlenberg.edu/depts/psychology/measures.html
C. Final Grade Calculation
Course Components:
Top 6 Quizzes (20%) + Semester II Final (30%) +Lab (Tirgul) Assignments (20%) + Final Research
Paper (30%) = 100%.
Tips For Success: Familiarity with the textbook is necessary for success on the quizzes. Familiarity
with both the textbook and supplemental readings is necessary for success on the final exam.
Careful research, thoughtful analysis and creative insights will be necessary for success on the oral
presentation and research proposal. Success on the lab assignments will require an attention to
detail and that you ask questions when you are unsure how to proceed.
D. Course Schedule & Bibliography
#
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2
3
4
5
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Lecture Schedule:
#=Session Number/ SR#=Supplementary Reading Assignment Number
Date Lecture Topic
Lab Assignments
SR# Quiz
2/29
Ch. 7
#1Welcome Back: Begin Assignment #1
available
#3
online
3/7
#4Complex Experimental Designs
ch. 8
#5
3/14 Repeated Measures Designs and QuasiAssignment #1:
#6
ch. 9
Experiments
Statistics with SPSS
3/21 Observational Approaches
#7
ch12
3/28
Assignment #2:
Longitudinal and Single Case Studies
Presentations for
ch.13
prospective olim
4/3
Cultural and Individual Differences
#8
ch. 14
2
7
8
9
4/10 Ethics
4/17-4/29
Passover (Spring) Break
5/2
Program Evaluation
5/9
10 5/16
11 5/23
12 5/30
13 6/6
6/13
14 6/20
ch. 2
Assignment #3:
TBA
Early Childhood Interventions: Are they
effective?
Program Evaluation
Early Childhood Interventions: Are they
effective?
Policy Research
#10#11
In class
Presentations
Contemporary ethical and methodological
issues + Review for final
Shavuot
Review for Final
#9
#12#13
#14#15
#17#18
In class
Presentations
Final Exam TBA
Supplemental Reading List
Politics, Policy & (Social) Science
Welcome Back
1) http://www.ted.com/talks/alex_tabarrok_foresees_economic_growth.html
2) http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_ariely_on_our_buggy_moral_code.html
Can this work?
3) https://www.freakonomicsexperiments.com/
4) http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/ab5a6c96-6ffd-11e2-8785-00144feab49a.html#axzz2KPLsR9wA
Experiments
5) Brescoll & LaFrance (2004). The correlates and consequences of newspaper reports of research
on sex differences. Psychological Science,15(8), 515-520.
Ejournal (1188717)
6) Simcock, G. & Hayne, H. (2002). Breaking the barrier: Children fail to translate their preverbal
memories into language. Psychological Science, 13, 225-231.
Ejournal (1188717)
7) Vakil, E., Grunhaus, L., Nagar, I., Ben-Chaim, E., Dolber, O.T., Dannon, P.N., & Schreiber, S.
(2000). The effect of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) on implicit memory: skill learing and
perceptual priming in patients with major depression. Neurpsychologia, 38, 1405-1414.
Journal + Ejournal (128277)
8) Hehman et al (2012). Group status drives majority and minority integration preferences.
Psychological Science, 23(1), 46-52.
Ejournal (1188717)
9) The Effects of School Vouchers on College Enrollment: Experimental Evidence. from New York
City (2012). --- Executive Summary only
http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2012/08/23-school-vouchers-harvard-chingos
Early Developmental Interventions
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10) Heckman (2006). Skill Formation and the Economics of Investing in Disadvantaged Children.
Science, 312,1900-1902.
Ejournal (135020)
11) Protzko, Aronson, & Blair (2013). How to make a young child smarter: Evidence from the Data
of Raising Intelligence. Perspectives on Psychological Science,8(1), 25-40.
Ejournal (1215196)
Other studies with possible implications for policy
12) Kassin et al. (2011(.Confessions that corrupt: Evidence from the DNA Exoneration Case Fies.
Psychological Science, 23(1), 41-45.
Ejournal (1188717)
13) Oishi, Schimmack & Diener (2012). Progressive taxation and the subjective well being of
nations. Psychological Science, 23(1), 86-92.
Ejournal (1188717)
Contemporary ethical and methodological issues
14) News Focus: Shaking Up Science. Science, 339, 386-389.
Ejournal (135020)
15) King. (2011). Ensuring the data-rich future of the social sciences. Science, 331, 719-721.
Ejournal (135020)
16) Butz. (2006). Some frontiers in social science. Science, 312, 1898-1890.
Ejournal (135020)
17) TBA
18) TBA
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