PSYC 161 (Q)
Research Methods and Statistics I
ABBREVIATED SYLABUS
Course Description
This is the first course in a two-course sequence designed to examine the statistical
concepts and research strategies used by psychologists. Students learn how to (a) analyze
and interpret psychological data, (b) design and conduct psychological studies, (c) evaluate
the validity of claims made by researchers, and (d) communicate research procedures and
findings. This course emphasizes topics including ways of knowing, research ethics,
observational and survey methods, descriptive statistics, graphing, and the concepts of
reliability and validity. Students are introduced to the data analysis software SPSS and to
writing with APA style.
Course Goals
At the end of this course you should:
 have acquired conceptual and computational understanding of descriptive statistics
including measures of central tendency, correlations, regression, chi square, and be
comfortable with the “language” of statistics
 be able to select, compute and interpret many basic statistical procedures
 be able to design sound, ethical research using naturalistic observations and surveys
to answer questions about human behavior
 independently set-up an SPSS data file, input raw data, run appropriate analyses and
interpret SPSS output
 be able to communicate, written and orally, the methods, results and implications of
research in psychology
 be familiar with how to locate, extract and interpret key information from research
reports
Required Texts
Schwartz, B. M., Landrum, R. E., & Gurung, R. A. R. (2012). An Easy Guide to APA Style.
Los Angeles: Sage Publications. ISBN 978-1-4129-9124-7
* Note: This text is also required for PSYC 162 and several other psychology courses
In addition to the APA Style Guide, students will also be required to purchase either:
a) Combined Stats/Research Methods text (such as Jackson, SL. (2011). Research
Methods and Statistics: A Critical Thinking Approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.)
or
b) A Stats text AND a Research Methods text
In either case, the texts purchased for this course will be identical to those used for the
second course in the sequence (PSYC 162).
Proposed Schedule (tentative and likely to change):
week topic
possible activities
Variables (IVs, levels,
DVs)
- Read research and identify variables; given
variables
- generate plausible examples varying which is the IV and
which a the DV
- introduce concepts of reliability and validity
- ways of knowing
2
Scales of
measurement
- Using research from above, practice identifying the scale of
measurement of the DV
- practice creating methods of measurement for variables that
reflect the different scales (nom, ord, int/ratio)
- reliability and validity
3
Ethics (Human,
Special Pops.,
Animals; Consent;
IRB, IACUC)
- watch Tuskegee video & read alternative view
- discuss ethics of classic research (e.g., Tearoom
trade)
- critique research ideas from week 1 – do they violate ethical
principles? If so, propose fixes
4
Descriptive stats:
measures of central
tendency
- introduce SPSS for calculations
- introduce how to write this info in APA style
- more reliability and validity
5
Descriptive stats
con't.
- continued SPSS introduction
- introduce how to write this info in APA style
6
Graphing
- interpret published graphs
- create hand-drawn graphs
- learn what to look for to avoid being misled (or
misleading)
7
Naturalistic
Observation
(Description and/or
Correlation)
- introduce a class activity involving data collection
- students will calculate appropriate measures of ctrl
tendency and variability and graph the data
1
break
8
Naturalistic
Observation con’t.
- data collection
- introduce components of APA style paper
- remind students about reliability and validity w/
each new technique
9
Naturalistic
Observation con’t.
- data analysis
- write method and results in APA format
10
Correlations
- introduce scatterplots
- introduce SPSS for calculations
- learn how to write results in APA format
11
Linear regression
- introduce SPSS for calculations
12
Survey Research
(Correlation and/or
Description)
- introduce a class activity involving data collection
- students will calculate appropriate measures of ctrl
tendency and variability and graph the data
13
Survey research con’t. - data collection
14
Chi square
- introduce SPSS for data analysis
15
Survey research con’t.
- data analysis
- write method and results in APA format
Some Likely Course Requirements
(based on assignments/assessments currently required in PSYC 150 and PSYC 200)

Quizzes and/or exams

Assignments designed to provide students with the opportunity to practice statistical
techniques

Class, small group and/or individual projects in which students design a research
study, carry out and analyze the data collected

Opportunities to write and revise written work