RESEARCH METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY
PSYC.314, section .010
Spring session, 2014
Bryan D. Devan, Ph.D.
CLASS MEETING: CLA Bldg, Rm LA2211, Tues & Thur, 2:00–3:15PM
LAB MEETING: Tues 3:30-5:20PM
OFFICE AND PHONE: LA3146; 410.704.3727
OFFICE HOURS: Mon/Tue: 12 - 1 PM; Wed/Thur, 1- 2 PM ; or by appointment
EMAIL: bdevan@towson.edu
WEBSITES:
Homepage: http://pages.towson.edu/bdevan
Class website: http://pages.towson.edu/bdevan/PSYC-314%20slides.htm
Other resources: http://pages.towson.edu/bdevan/Res%20_Meth.htm
Lab website (LCN): http://pages.towson.edu/bdevan/LCN.htm (Internet Explorer only)
TEXTBOOKS:
Myers, A. and Hansen, C. (2012). Experimental Psychology (7th Ed.). Pacific Grove, CA:
Wadsworth. (You may use the 6th Ed. of this textbook)
PREREQUISITES:
You may remain registered for this course only if you have passed “Introduction to Psychology”
(PSYC 101 or its equivalent), "Behavioral Statistics" (PSYC 212 or its equivalent) and "Writing
for a Liberal Education" (ENGL 102 or its equivalent) with at least a grade of "C" (2.00 GPA) in
each course. If this is not the case, it is your responsibility to drop the course immediately.
Please present a transcript (either official or unofficial) to me by the second course meeting
so that I can verify that you have successfully completed the course prerequisites. An
unofficial transcript may be printed by going to online services on the Towson University
website. http://www.towson.edu/registrar/Records/Transcript_Request.asp
UNIVERSITY CORE – ADVANCED COMPOSITION / ADVANCED WRITING LEARNING GOALS:
Because this course fulfills the General Education I.D / University Core 9 requirement Advanced
Composition / Advanced Writing, the knowledge and skills you will obtain over the course of the
semester will enable you to do the following via writing research papers in psychology:
 recognize and employ models and practices of written communication specific to a
particular discipline or profession (i.e., psychology).
 recognize and employ techniques of formatting and documentation appropriate to a
particular discipline or profession (i.e., APA-style).
 integrate material effectively from outside sources into their own prose.
 analyze and evaluate complex discipline-based claims and current research questions.
 demonstrate clear, effective prose, including through the practice of revision.
 produce professional prose that follows accepted conventions of grammar, punctuation,
and style.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
In order to meet the learning goals described above, specific learning outcomes for PSYC 314
include gaining of knowledge and/or increased competence in:
 thinking empirically using logical thinking in a research context.
 critically examining and evaluating claims and information about behavior.
 appreciation of ethical issues in psychological research.
PSYC314_009
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reading and critically evaluating journal articles in psychology.
using online research databases with a critical eye and distinguishing between “good”
sources and “poor” sources of online information.
abilities to organize, summarize, and interpret data.
using SPSS for data entry and calculation of various descriptive and inferential statistics.
communication of research via writing and presenting psychological research.
using APA-style appropriately.
COURSE FORMAT:
The course will include a combination of lecture material, including multimedia presentations,
and open discussion of topics. The course is not constructed such that the lectures will stand
alone. Therefore, your participation in class discussion is essential. You are expected to do the
assigned readings before our discussion of the material in class (that is, if the material will be
discussed). This course also includes several lab assignments and hands-on research activities
that will require your participation. Consequently, attendance is essential for good performance
in this course.
EXAMINATIONS:
There will be four equally weighted exams in this course covering material from the textbook
and lectures. Exams are given on the dates scheduled. Make-up exams will only be given if an
exam is missed due to a medical emergency or a religious holiday (a doctor’s note with the
physician’s phone number must be presented in case of a medical emergency). No other reasons
will be accepted. If you are going to miss an exam, you must contact me in advance of the exam.
If you do not contact me in advance, you will not be permitted to make up the exam and will
receive a 0 for that exam. All makeup examinations will be short essay in format and must be
completed within three days of the student’s return to class. It is the student's responsibility to
arrange this time with the instructor.
ASSIGNMENTS:
Written assignments: Each student will submit 4 written assignments as follows:
1- Introduction and References (10 minimum) (30 pts.)
2- Methods (20 pts.)
3- Results (20 pts.)
4- Final Report in APA Format (40 pts.)
Lab assignments (10 pts.): During the course of the semester students will be assigned laboratory
activities that are designed to assist with the completion of the above written assignments,
mastery of textbook material and to meet the objectives of the course outlined above (Goals 1-4).
Handouts of the assignments will be given in class or lab meetings and posted on the class
website (see above link).
Participation in research project (10 pts.): Students will complete a virtual navigation task
during lab time in order to generate a sham data set that will be used to calculate descriptive and
inferential statistical results and generate visual representations of the data using common
computer software provided by the university. Prior to this participation, students will conduct a
search of relevant psychological and biomedical research databases accessible through the
library to acquire scholarly journal articles on topics of interest that may serve as the source for
designing a novel experiment or correlational study intended to test hypotheses related to the
Morris water maze methodology, which is the gold-standard for studying cognitive-spatial
learning/memory processes in psychology. Further details and suggested research topics will be
provided in class.
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PSYC314_010
Attendance and Participation in class discussion (10 pts.): A maximum of 10 points may be
earned for attendance of scheduled lectures and labs, during which students will demonstrate
adequate comprehension of the material being discussed through active class and lab
participation. An attendance sheet will be circulated at the end of each scheduled class and
laboratory activity.
GRADING:
Four equally weighted exams (35 pts. each) in multiple-choice format will be given. Taken
together, the four exams will be worth 50% of your grade. The remaining 50% of your grade
will be based on the lab assignments described above. Late written assignments will be penalized
10% of the point value for each day the assignment is late (including Sat and Sun). The final
breakdown of points available on the tests and lab assignments is as follows:
Examinations
Exam #1
Exam #2
Exam #3
Exam #4
Total Exam pts
Course Components
= 35 pts.
= 35 pts.
= 35 pts.
= 35 pts.
_______
= 140
Introduction and References = 30 pts.
Methods section
= 20 pts.
Results section
= 20 pts.
Final paper
= 40 pts.
Abstract (10 pts)
Discussion (20 pts)
Lab assignments
= 10 pts.
Research project (vMWM) = 10 pts.
Attendance/Participation
= 10 pts.
_______
Total assignment pts
= 140
Total points for the course = 280
Letter grades will be determined using the following scale:
94 – 100 % A
(261 – 280 pts.)
90 – 93 %
A(252 – 260 pts.)
88 – 89 %
B+
(246 – 251 pts.)
82 – 87%
B
(230 – 245 pts.)
80 – 81%
B(224 – 229 pts.)
78 – 79%
C+
(218 – 223 pts.)
70 – 77%
C
(196 – 217 pts.)
67 – 69%
D+
(186 - 195 pts.)
60 - 66%
D
(168 - 185 pts.)
Below 60% F
(less than 168 pts.)
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY EXPECTATIONS:
Towson University’s full policy to address the variety of behaviors that represent a breach of
academic integrity can be found in Appendix F of the University Catalog. In addition, if you
type in “Academic Integrity Policy” in the search box in the upper right-hand corner of the
Towson University webpage, you will be taken to a page of links. Click on “Towson University
Policies” and open the “Academic Affairs” link. You will find a link to the full Academic
Integrity Policy at that location. The site can be accessed by clicking the following link:
https://inside.towson.edu/generalcampus/tupolicies/documents/0301.00%20Student%20Academic%20Integrity%20Policy.pdf
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PSYC314_009
PLAGIARISM AND CHEATING:
Plagiarism and cheating will not be tolerated. There are several types of plagiarism. The most
obvious variety occurs when an individual presents someone else’s ideas as his/her own. This
plagiarism can be avoided simply by giving credit to the appropriate source. A second type
occurs when credit has been given but the individual uses the same wording or nearly the same
wording as the source. This also is plagiarism and can be avoided by substantially recasting the
idea in your own words. Looking at someone else’s paper during an exam or giving aid to
someone else during an exam will be interpreted as cheating. The first instance of either
plagiarism or cheating will result in an automatic zero for the examination or assignment in
question. The second instance will result in an automatic failure of the course and possible
suspension from the University.
ATTENDANCE:
Regular attendance is expected and is necessary for good performance. Attendance will be taken
on a regular basis and will be factored in your final grade (see above). You are responsible for
any material or information presented in class, whether you attend or not. I strongly recommend
that you make arrangements with others in the class ahead of time to find out what you will miss
if you cannot attend class.
REPEATING THIS COURSE:
University policy states that a student may not repeat a course more than once without specific
prior permission from the Academic Standards Committee. If you have taken this course twice
before and have not received written permission from the Academic Standards Committee to
take the course a third time, you should not be registered in this course - please consult the
Registrar's office about the procedure for petitioning the Academic Standards Committee.
SPECIAL NEEDS:
For any student who may need an accommodation due to a disability, please make an
appointment to see me during my office hours. A memo from Disability Support Services
authorizing your accommodations will be required.
EMERGENCY STATEMENT:
In the event of a University-wide emergency, course requirements deadlines and grading
schemes are subject to changes that may include alternative delivery methods, alternative
methods of interaction with the instructor, class materials, and/or classmates, a revised
attendance policy, and a revised semester calendar and/or grading scheme. In the case of a
University-wide emergency, please refer to the following about changes in this course:
Course web page (see above)
Instructor’s email (see above)
Emergency telephone number (i.e., my mobile # -- 410/446-1425)
For general information about any emergency situation, please refer to the following:
1) Towson University’s Website: www.towson.edu
2) TU Text Alert System: This is a service designed to alert the Towson
University community via text messages to cell phones when situations arise on
campus that affect the ability of the campus to function normally. Sign up:
http://www.towson.edu/adminfinance/facilities/police/campusemergency/
Please note: I will attempt to communicate with you via your Towson e-mail address, the course
webpage (given above) and/or the course Blackboard site.
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PSYC314_010
POLICY ON LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION:
Letters of recommendation may be required if you plan to apply to graduate or medical school.
As a policy, I do not provide letters for students based on performance in a single class. It is
important to get real research and laboratory experience when applying to programs in order for
your application to be competitive. Consequently, I only write letters for students who have
conducted research in our lab for at least 1 year. This policy ensures that I will be able to
provide truly exceptional students with a substantive recommendation in the highly competitive
fields of behavioral neuroscience and psychopharmacology. Typically, I will present students
with the opportunity to work in our lab after they have demonstrated exceptional performance in
class and as a lab volunteer during a trial period in which the student may demonstrate their
competencies, dependability and dedication to gain valuable research experience.
GENERAL INFORMATION:
Please turn off cell phones and other electronic devices that emit audible sounds during class.
This syllabus is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor.
COURSE OUTLINE (Subject to change as necessary)
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Date
Jan 28, 30
Feb 4, 6
Feb 11, 13
Feb 18, 20
Feb 25
Text Chapter/ Reviews
Ch 1, Ch 16
Ch 2
Ch 3
Ch 5
Documentary
Feb 27
March 4
Review
March 6
March 11
March 13
March 18, 20
March 25
Ch 6
Ch 7
Ch 8, Documentary
Spring Break
Review
Exams/Paper sections
References Due
Exam 1
March 27
Apr 1, 3
Apr 8
Ch 9
Ch 10
Apr 10
Apr 15
Documentary
Review
Early Introduction (Th, optional)
March 16-23
Introduction Due
Exam 2
13
14
Apr 17
Apr 22, 24
Apr 29, May 1
Ch 12
Ch 13
15
16
May 6, 8
May 13
Ch 15
Review
17
Monday, May 19 10:15am - 12:15 pm
Methods Due
Exam 3
Results Due (Th)
Final Exam (not cumulative),
Final Paper Due (ALL SECTIONS,
including Discussion and Abstract)
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PSYC314_009
LABORATORY SCHEDULE (Subject to change as necessary)
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Date
Jan 28
Feb 4
Feb 11
Feb 18
Feb 25
March 4
March 11
March 18
March 25
Apr 1
Apr 8
Apr 15
Apr 22
Apr 29
May 6
16
May 13
Topic
Prerequisite documents due
Methods Overview
Online psychology resources
Conference Session (Introduction)
APA style and RefWorks
Statistics (descriptive)
Graphing
Spring Break
Statistics (inferential)
Statistics (review)
Conference Session (Methods)
Data Collection
Data Collection
Results
Results
Conference Session (Results,
Discussion & Abstract)
Building/Room
LA 2211 Classroom
LA 2211 Classroom
CK 317 Cook Library
LA 2211 Classroom
LA 2211 Classroom
LA 2101 Computer lab
LA 2101 Computer lab
LA 2101 Computer lab
LA 2101 Computer lab
LA 2211 Classroom
LA 1117 Research lab
LA 1117 Research lab
LA 2101 Computer lab
LA 2101 Computer lab
LA 2211 Classroom
Spring 2014
January 27
(Monday)
February 4
(Tuesday)
March 16-23
(Sunday-Sunday)
March 24
(Monday)
May 13
(Tuesday)
May 14
(Wednesday)
May 20
(Tuesday)
May 21
(Wednesday)
Classes and Change of Schedule period begins
Change of Schedule period ends. Last day to drop a course with no
grade posted to academic record. Last day to add a course
Spring Break NO CLASSES
Classes resume. Mid-semester.
Last day of classes
Final examinations begin
Last day of examinations and end of term
COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY – Spring 2014
3:00 p.m.
College of Liberal Arts
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