Psy 430 EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
Instructor:
Dr. Gary Nickell, Psychology Department
Office:
360J Bridges Hall
Office phone:
Voice (218) 477-4080 or 477-2802 (Psych Department)
TDD (218) 477-3697 (MSUM Information Desk)
Office hours:
8-10 AM MWF, 8-9 AM TH, 10:30 -11:30 AM TH
E-mail:
nickellg@mnstate.edu
Home page:
http://web.mnstate.edu/nickell/
Class web page:
http://web.mnstate.edu/nickell/classes/psy430/psy430.htm
Spring 2008
Class time and days: 9:00 – 10:15 AM TH in BR 362
Texts: Kantowitz, B. H., Roediger, H. L., & Elmes, D. G. (2005) Experimental psychology (8th ed.),
Pyrczak, F., & Bruce, R.R. (2007). Writing empirical research reports (6th ed.)
Special accommodations: “Students with disabilities who believe they may need an accommodation
in this class are encouraged to contact Greg Toutges, Coordinator of Disability Services at 477-5859
(Voice) or 1-800-627-3529 (MRS/TTY), CMU 114 as soon as possible to ensure that accommodations
are implemented in a timely fashion.”
Bulletin course description and prerequisites: Course emphasizing the critical discussion of research
topics and journal articles of interest to majors, as well as the execution of an independent research
project. Prerequisite: PSY 330
Course objectives: Psy 430 is a continuation of Psy 330. The major objectives of this course are to:
(1) enable students to complete an independent research project,
(2) have students critically read and evaluate psychological literature and research,
(3) enable students to write a coherent, organized research report,
(4) enable students to prepare an application for the Institutional Review Board (IRB),
(5) enable students to use electronic databases and other resources to find research literature,
(6) enable students to make effective oral presentations,
(7) enable students to understand major topic areas within experimental psychology and
(8) enable students to demonstrate knowledge of APA writing style guidelines.
Student learning outcomes: As a result of this course, you will be able to:
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demonstrate familiarity with the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings,
and historical trends in psychology.
understand and apply basic research methods in psychology, including research design, data
analysis, and interpretation.
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respect and use critical and creative thinking, skeptical inquiry, and, when possible, the
scientific approach to solve problems related to behavior and mental processes.
weigh evidence, tolerate ambiguity, act ethically, and reflect other values that are the
underpinnings of psychology as a discipline.
demonstrate information competence and the ability to use computers and other technology
for many purposes.
demonstrate effective writing skills in various formats and for various purposes.
demonstrate effective oral communication skills in various formats and for various purposes.
recognize, understand, and respect the complexity of sociocultural and international diversity.
Evaluation standards/grading:
There are no formal exams in this course. However, there will be two quizzes (20 pts. each) scheduled
during the semester (40 points total).
There will be weekly writing assignments (points to be determined), some of which will be completed
in class, others which will be done out of class and due the following class meeting (article critiques).
Several of these assignments in class will involve informal writing assignments All assignments due in
a following class meeting must be typed and double-spaced.
There are two assigned oral powerpoint presentations: Cross-cultural article presentation (25 pts.),
and final project presentation (50 pts). The cross-cultural article presentation should be
approximately 5-8 minutes. The final project presentation should be 12-15 minutes with questions to
follow.
The research paper components of the course will be worth a total of 150 points. The rewrites of the
abstract and method are worth 25 points. The first draft of the results and discussion is worth 20
points, and the final draft of the project (Title, abstract, literature review, method, results,
discussion, reference, tables and/or figures) is worth 50 points. The NIH Ethics training certification
and IRB protocol are worth 30 points. There is an additional 25 points for ethical behavior and
professionalism.
The quality of student writing will affect your course grade. Some of the criteria I will use for
evaluating the quality of your papers and assignments include:
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Focus — The paper addresses the assignment or answers the question. There is a thesis, main
idea, or hypothesis that holds the paper together.
Organization — The paper is cohesively organized, making effective use of paragraphs and
transitions, or other appropriate genre conventions.
Development — The paper provides sufficient evidence to support the over-all thesis, or
answer the question. Topic sentences for each paragraph are adequately supported.
Clarity — Sentences are clear and effectively punctuated (appropriate diction, no run-ons,
fragments, misspellings, or grammar errors).
Voice — The tone is professional and informative (not stuffy, preachy, whiny, or filled with
slang).
APA style – Appropriate use of APA style formatting.
Class Participation: There are 30 formal points allocated for attendance (15) and class participation
(15). Based on the MSUM student absence policy you may have 2 unexcused absences and still
receive all 15 points. Appropriate classroom etiquette is expected including being on time for class
and not leaving early. It is your responsibility to notify me of any condition that may interfere with
regular class attendance. Attendance points are based on the system below.
0-2
absences - 15 points
3
4
absences - 13 points
5
6
absences - 10 points
7
8 or more absences will get 0 points
absences - 14 points
absences - 11 points
absences - 9 points
Extra credit for participating in research is NOT available for this class. There will be several Extra
Credit Quizzes (ECQ’s) throughout the semester. The ECQ’s will be 1 or 2 multiple choice questions
handed out at the beginning of a class period. The ECQ questions will be based on previous in-class
lecture material. Extra credit will be available for other activities. There is a maximum of 20 points
extra credit.
The Final letter grade system is listed below:
A = 89.5%. B = 79.5%
C = 69.5% D = 59.5%
F = Less than 59.5%
Experimental Psychology Project:
Students are required to complete an experiment in a content area of their interest preferably a study
that does not constitute a direct replication. Conceptual replications are acceptable. Students will
need approval by their instructor for all aspects of this project. The MSUM IRB policy is that faculty
are considered the “principle investigator” for all student research projects.
On April 29th or before, your final paper is due. The final paper (12+ pages not counting the title
page or references) should include a title page, abstract, literature review, method, results, discussion
(with a minimum of 12 references, but no more than 2 book references). The paper should follow
APA format (according to the 5th edition of the APA Manual). A copy of your paper and SPSS data
set should be sent to me as attachments. Include a photocopy of the first page of each article used.
For each day the paper is late the grade will be dropped by two points (maximum of 10 pts). A
sample paper is available on the class web page.
A number of writing and research web resources appropriate for this class are available on the web
at: http://web.mnstate.edu/nickell/writing_resources.htm
Academic honesty: The MSUM Student Handbook (http://web.mnstate.edu/sthandbook) discusses
student conduct code issues including academic integrity such as cheating or plagiarism. If you have
any questions regarding this conduct code or your rights, please review the handbook. With regard
to plagiarism, the policy states: “The term “plagiarism” includes, but is not limited to: (a) the use, by
paraphrase or direct quotation, of the published or unpublished work of another person without full
and clear acknowledgment, (b) the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or
agency engaged in the selling of term papers or other academic materials.” In this course, all
required writing assignments may be subject to submission for textual similarity review the
instructor, who may then use the tool to check for originality of students' work. If I have convincing
evidence of academic dishonesty, the student may receive an F for the course regardless of their
performance in other assignments.
Course Schedule
Date
Tentative Topic(s)
Readings & Assignments
H 1/10 Introduction to Psy 430
T 1/15 Discussion of student projects
H 1/17 Discussion of student projects
Bring a draft and questions about your method
Pyrczak Chapter 1
Bring a draft and questions about your method
Pyrczak Chapter 2
T 1/22 NIH IRB training (In Lab)
H 1/24 IRB forms, Abstract
IRB on-line course (15 points due: 1/31 )
Pyrczak Chapter 13
T 1/29 Methods
H 1/31 Social psychology
Pyrczak Ch. 9 and 10 (Rewrite of abstract due - 5 pts.)
Kantowitz Ch. 13
T 2/5 Social psychology
H 2/8 Perception
Critique of Garcia reading due (10 pts.)
Kantowitz Ch. 7 (Rewrite of method due (20 pts.)
T 2/12 Perception
H 2/14 Cross cultural research
Critique of Simons reading due (10 pts.)
IRB Protocols due on or before (15 pts.)
T 2/19 Bias in Research
H 2/21 Attention and Reaction time
Quiz 1 (20 pts.) at beginning
Kantowitz Ch. 8
T 2/26 Cross Culture article presentations (25 pts.)
H 2/28 Cross Culture article presentations (25 pts.)
Spring Break
T 3/11 Cross Culture presentations,
Conditioning and Learning
H 3/13 Data analysis and Interpretation
Kantowitz Ch. 9
(In Stat lab)
T 3/18 Writing up the results
H 3/20 Remembering & forgetting
Pyrczak Chapter 11
Kantowitz Ch. 10
T 3/25 Memory lab
H 3/27 Writing up the discussion
Critique of reading due
Pyrczak Chapter 12 (Quiz 2 (20 pts) at beginning)
T 4/1 Constucting tables and figures
H 4/3 IRB completion forms
Kantowitz Ch. 5
Draft of Results and Discussion due (20 pts.)
T 4/8 Designing posters- in lab
H 4/10 No class – work on paper
T 4/15 Student read other student’s rough drafts
H 4/17 Oral presentations (3-4)
T 4/22 Oral presentations (3-4)
H 4/24 Oral presentations (3-4)
IRB completion forms due
T 4/29 Oral presentations (3-4)
Final paper due (50 points)
Final Class Period
Wedesnday May 7th at 9am – Oral presentations (3)
Note: I reserve the right to change the quiz and assignment dates, assignments and points for
assignments, and deadlines at my discretion if needed.