Psych 315: Understanding Statistics in Psychology, Summer 2003
(Prerequisites: Psych 209 and Math 111 or Math 120)
Laura M. Little, Ph.D. (llittle@u.washington.edu)
TA: Amy Guthormsen (aguthorm@u)
Undergraduate TA: Yuan-Shan (kira363@u)
Text: King & Minium (2003). Statistical Reasoning for Psychology and
Education
Website for course materials: http://faculty.washington.edu/llittle
Supplementary materials: Handouts and supplementary materials will
often be distributed during class. You are responsible for obtaining
copies of these materials if you miss class the day they are distributed.
Course objectives: Your goals in taking this course should be: (1) to
learn the basic ways to summarize and describe data in psychological
research; (2) to understand the common statistical analyses in the
psychological literature; (3) to learn the basic principles of interpreting
statistical analyses in psychological research; (4) to enrich your
understanding of psychology through an appreciation of the tools
researchers use to analyze data; and (5) to gain exposure to computer
software used in data analysis (MS Excel, SPSS). This course will prepare
you for any of the laboratory courses required of psychology majors.
Grading
Exams: There will be four quizzes and two exams. Each quiz will count as
1/8 of your final grade, and each exam will count as ¼ of your final
grade. The last exam will be given on the last day of the quarter. Exams
and quizzes will be scored on a percent scale. I will replace your lowest
quiz score with your assignment grade (see below).
Assignments: There will be near-weekly assignments, which cumulatively
will count toward 1/8 of your grade. Many of these assignments will be
done using the computer software you will be learning in Psych 315.
Assignments will be scored on a point scale. Your assignment average
will be computed by dividing your total points earned on assignments by
the total number of points possible and then multiplying this by 100. You
may work with other students on these assignments, but you must turn
in your own work. We will only accept work that is individually produced
(i.e., do not simply hand-copy or photocopy another person’s work or
turn in a jointly produced assignment). Assignments are due at the
beginning of class on the due date. They will NOT be accepted late
without penalty unless cleared before it is due. The penalty is 25% each
day late, including weekend days. There are no exceptions to this policy.
Remember, there are many of you and few of us. Please do not ask us to
make different rules to accommodate your particular circumstances.
Course grades will be determined by computing your course percentage
(CP = average of all course components, in percentage). The formula (CP
– 55)/10 yields your course GPA grade. For example, suppose a student
scores 78%, 87%, 85%, and 71% on the four quizzes, an 83% and 88% on
the two exams, and earns 93% of the points on the assignments. The
student’s course percentage would be calculated as: CP = 1/8(78 + 87 +
85 + 93) + ¼(83 + 88) = 85.625 (notice how that quiz grade of 71 was
replace by the assignment grade of 93) and her course GPA grade would
be (85.625 – 55)/10 = 3.0625 which would be rounded up to a 3.1.
Course policies
1. Attendance at all lectures is expected. You will be held responsible for
all announcements made during class meetings regarding exam
scheduling and assignment due dates. I will post announcements to the
course website, but, in general, you’ll get the information soonest if you
are in class.
2. All class handouts will be kept in the SAMLab. If you must miss class,
you may pick up copies of handouts at the SAMLab during TA office
hours.
3. If you miss a quiz or an exam, you will be given a grade of 0 for that
exam. No makeup exams will be given unless (1) notice is given to the
instructor, in person, by 5 p.m. the day before the exam, or (2)
extenuating circumstances prevail for which documentation is available,
in the form of an airline ticket receipt, funeral notice, etc. (in the case of
family emergencies) or a doctor’s case note (not an appointment card) for
SERIOUS illness/injury. This documentation MUST be presented to the
instructor, not merely offered. All makeup exams must be taken within
one week of the missed exam. There are no exceptions to this policy.
Important University Policies
Academic dishonesty: The University of Washington has a set of
guidelines on how to respond to suspected cases of academic dishonesty,
or "cheating." These cases include plagiarism in written assignments
(copying directly from the text or another student’s work) and referring
to contraband or getting help from someone else in testing situations.
You should familiarize yourself with these guidelines. As a student at the
University of Washington you are held to "high standards of academic and
professional honesty and integrity" by the Student Conduct Code. The
Student Conduct Code can be read on the University’s homepage at
www.washington.edu/ students/handbook/conduct.html. If academic
dishonesty occurs, you will receive a grade of zero on that assignment or
exam. I will refer the matter to the Dean of Arts and Sciences. I respect
each of you, and I expect each of you to honor that respect.
Assignment policies
To ensure grading efficiency, we ask that you use the following
guidelines when preparing your assignments.
1. Assignments must be stapled (NOT paper-clipped or folded on the
corner). Buy a mini-stapler or use the one in Guthrie Hall.
2. Submit answers in the order in which they are assigned/listed.
3. Work in pencil.
4. Circle answers.
5. Put your student number on your assignment.
If one or more of the above guidelines are not followed, we will take off
one point for each type of violation. Thus, it is possible that you can lose
up to 5 points per assignment for not following the guidelines.
To ensure that you receive credit for your work, please neatly show all of
your work (i.e. formulas and all calculated values).
Seven things you should know about Psych 315:
1. We want you to succeed in this class, and we believe that each of you
can succeed.
2. Your chances of succeeding in this class are improved by: (1) reading
the textbook before class, and again after the lecture; (2) working out
each problem at the end of the chapter, even if it is not assigned; (3)
coming to every lecture; (4) learning to tolerate frustration; (5) forming a
study group; (6) asking questions in class when you do not understand
something; and (7) coming to office hours when you need help.
3. Please use your study group or the newsgroup to check your
assignment answers. We will NOT check your answers during office hours
or class, although we are happy to discuss problem solving procedures
with you during office hours.
4. Please do not send broad content questions (such as, "Can you explain
‘variance’ to me?") to Psych 315 staff by email. It is very difficult to
explain statistical concepts using email, particularly because it does not
support the use of equations and mathematical symbols. These problems
are best addressed during office hours.
5. If you must miss a class, please do NOT ask us, "Did I miss anything
important in class?" The answer is, "YES. You should get someone’s
lecture notes and go over them. Then come to us during office hours if
you have any questions."
6. Take care in the presentation of your work. If you must re-copy your
work for it to be easily read, then you should do so. It is well worth your
time.
7. Please try to avoid bringing up individual matters immediately before
class starts. Wait until after class to see me, and I will be glad to talk to
you then.