SYLLABUS, FALL 2012
Shepherd University, Shepherdstown WV
PSYC 251, section 02: Research Methods in Psychology (3 credit hours)
Class Information: M 3:00 – 5:40 pm; White Hall 306
Instructor:
Marcia J. McKinley, J.D., Ph.D.
E-mail:
MMCKINLE@shepherd.edu or mjmckinleyphd@gmail.com
(to best ensure that your message is received, please copy both
addresses)
Office Hours:
by appointments Monday before class
Catalog Description
Psychology 251 is a 3-credit course that provides “an overview of research design in
psychology. Topics covered include research ethics, reliability, and validity of
psychological measures, observational and survey methods, quasi-experimental
designs, and experimental design and control.” Prerequisite: PSYC 250.
Course Goals
This course is designed to give you an overview of the methods used to study the field
of psychology. The course is based on the assigned readings, in-class discussion,
movies (which may sometimes be required out of class), and lectures. In addition to the
chapters listed for each class, supplemental readings will be assigned during the course
of the semester. You must stay current with the readings so that you can ask relevant
questions during class, contribute to meaningful discussions, and understand the
lectures. I reserve the right to make changes in the course and in this syllabus as I deem
appropriate to ensure fairness to students and the University.
This course meets the following goals from the American Association of Universities
and Colleges (AAC&U) Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP) initiative:
1.
2.
Knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world
Intellectual and practical skills throughout the curriculum
LEAP Goal
Knowledge of
human cultures
and the physical
and natural
worlds
Corresponding
APA Goals
Knowledge base of
psychology;
research methods
Corresponding
Learning Outcomes
Students will acquire
knowledge of
psychology and will
engage in contemporary
and enduring questions.
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Methods
of Assessment
Quizzes;
homework; lab
reports
LEAP Goal
Intellectual and
practical skills
throughout the
curriculum
Corresponding
APA Goals
Critical thinking
skills
Corresponding
Learning Outcomes
Students will engage in
inquiry and analysis;
demonstrate abilities in
critical and creative
thinking; effectively
communicate, in both
oral and written English
; acquire information
literacy; and integrate
the foundations and the
skills for lifelong
learning and wellness.
Methods
of Assessment
Quizzes;
homework; lab
reports
Required Reading
The following texts are required for this course.

American Psychological Association (APA). (2003). Publication Manual of the APA
(5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author. [ISBN 978-1433805615]

Cozby, P. C. (2004). Methods in behavioral research (8th ed). New York: McGrawHill. [ISBN 978-0078035159]

McKirnan, D. (2011). Reading journal articles.
http://www.uic.edu/classes/psych/psych242/Article.html

Pyrczak, F., & Bruce, R. R. (2011). Writing empirical research reports. Los Angeles:
Pyrczak. [ISBN 1-884585-97-3]
Additional readings will be provided for you in class. In case an emergency prevents
you from being in class, please make arrangements with a classmate to collect a copy of
the readings for you.
Write the names, phone numbers, and email addresses of at least 2 classmates who
could collect handouts and provide notes for you here:
Contact #1 ___________________________________________________________________
Contact #2 ___________________________________________________________________
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Tentative, Working Schedule
Date
Topic
Assignment*
Week
1
M 8/27
2
M 9/3
3
M 9/10
4
M 9/17
5
M 9/24
6
M 10/1
7
M 10/8
Research Ideas;
Conducting a Literature Review
Class cancelled while I attend a
conference
Operational Definitions;
Measurement Concepts
Observational Methods
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9
M 10/15
M 10/22
M 10/29
Mid-Term Exam
Fall Break: Enjoy!
Survey Research
10
M 11/5
Experimental Design
11
M 11/12
Conducting Experiments
M 11/19
Thanksgiving Recess: Give
thanks!
Complex Experimental Designs
13
M 11/26
14
M 12/3
15
M 12/10
Introduction to the Course;
Scientific Understanding of
Human Behavior
Overview of Research Process;
Variables
Ethics of Research
Single-Case, Developmental and
Other Designs; Generalizing
Results
Final Exam
Cozby, chapter 1
Cozby, chapter 4; quiz #1;
homework #1
Cozby, chapter 2; quiz #2;
homework #2
Cozby, chapter 3; quiz #3;
homework #3
N/A
Cozby, chapter 5; quiz #4;
lab report #1
Cozby, chapter 6; quiz #5;
homework #4
Cozby, chapter 7; quiz #6;
homework #5
Cozby, chapter 8; quiz #7;
homework #6
Cozby, chapter 9; quiz #8;
lab report #2
Cozby, chapter 10; quiz #9;
homework #7
Cozby, chapter 11 and 14;
quiz #10; lab report #3
*Although due dates for reading portions of Writing Empirical Research Reports are not
listed, we will be regularly using this book during class and you are expected to use it
in preparing your lab reports. Occasionally, selected chapters may be included in
quizzes and/or exams; I will announce plans to include this material during class.
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Student Evaluation
Your final course grade will be determined by the following assessments:
Weekly quizzes (10 given, drop 2 lowest) 8 at 25 points each =
Weekly homework (7 given, drop 2 lowest) 5 at 20 points each =
Mid-term
Final exam
Lab report #1
Lab report #2
Lab report #3
200 points total
100 points total
100 points
100 points
125 points
175 points
200 points
Final course grades will be assigned based on the points accumulated, as follows:
900 or higher
at least an A
800 to 899
at least a B
700 to 799
at least a C
600 to 699
at least a D
under 600
F
Class attendance. I will take attendance at the beginning and end of each class period.
You will be counted as present only if you are present during each roll call. In addition,
use of an electronic device during class will result in you being marked absent. Please
note that you MUST attend your classes regularly and engage in the requirements for
each class; otherwise, your financial aid may be revoked either partially or in full. This
would result in an amount due by you to the University immediately. Please refer to
shepherd.edu/faoweb for more details.
Weekly quizzes. Each week, you will take a 25-question multiple-choice quiz using an
IF-AT format. (This format will be explained during the first class.) Quiz questions will
be derived from the assigned readings and the lecture/activities of the previous class.
(For example, on the first day of class, I will discuss the scientific way of knowing. Over
the course of the following week, you should read and study Chapter 1 of your text,
which addresses that same material. On the second day of class, you will have a
reading quiz on Chapter 1 of the textbook and the first day of lecture.) Please note that
you are responsible for all of the reading in the textbook, whether or not I discussed that
material in class.
Because I drop the lowest two of your quiz grades, I do not give re-takes on quizzes.
Therefore, you will want to be sure that you are in class to take all of the quizzes. If you
do miss a quiz, it will be one of your two dropped quiz grades.
Lab reports. For each of the lab reports, you will write a paper on the results of a class
study related to happiness and gratitude. Research participation is always optional.
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Whether you personally participate in the study or not, you will be able to access the
data, and you will write up APA-style research reports on these studies. More details
about what is required in each report will be provided in class. You will be required to
turn all reports in via Turnitin.com; papers that are not submitted to Turnitin.com will
not be accepted.
Homework Assignments. Homework assignments will be announced in class.
Exams. Two exams will be given during the semester: the mid-term exam and the final
exam. The mid-term tests will consist of two parts: an objective (multiple-choice) part
and an essay part. The final exam may consist solely of objective questions; the format
of the final will be announced in class.
Please note the following about tests in this course:




All tests must be taken on time, in the assigned time period! I give retests only in
extreme circumstances; please notify me as soon as possible (and definitely before
the exam) of any such circumstances. If an emergency occurs, I will require
written documentation of the emergency before giving a retest. In addition, it is
likely that the format of the retest will be substantially different than that of the
original test.
Exams will cover all reading material, any movies or activities conducted during class,
all lecture material, and occasionally some additional assignments! Some of the
material will also be discussed in class; however, you are responsible for all
material in the book and all material in lecture whether or not there is an overlap.
The final exam is cumulative. That is, the final will include all information
presented in all formats during the semester.
Approximately one-half of the points on the exams will come from lectures; the other half
will come from the textbook and other readings. Thus, you need to both do the
assigned readings and come to class (during which you stay awake, listen
actively, and take notes).
Extra credit. You may earn extra credit by participating in various research projects.
These opportunities will be announced in class. This is not only a good way to earn
extra credit, but also a way to learn more about psychological research! Please do not
solicit additional opportunities, besides those announced in class, from me.
E-mail account. E-mail will be my primary mode of communicating with this class
outside of our meetings. Please check your e-mail frequently for any updates about
class! You are responsible for any e-mail notifications that I send to the class as a group.
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In general, I will respond to student e-mails within 24 hours, with weekends counting
as one 24-hour period. If you don’t receive a response after 24 hours, please re-send
your message.
Academic Integrity
Each student in this course is expected to abide by the Shepherd University Academic
Integrity Procedures found in the Shepherd University Student Handbook. Any work
submitted by a student in this course for academic credit will be the student's own
work.
You are encouraged to study together and to discuss information and concepts covered
in lecture and the sections with other students. You can give "consulting" help to or
receive "consulting" help from such students. However, this permissible cooperation
should never involve one student having possession of a copy of all or part of work
done by someone else, in the form of an e-mail, an e-mail attachment file, a diskette, or a
hard copy (exception: group project).
Should copying occur, both the student who copied work from another student and the
student who gave material to be copied will both automatically receive a zero for the
assignment. Penalty for violation of this can also be extended to include failure of the
course and University disciplinary action.
During examinations, you must do your own work. Talking or discussion is not
permitted during the examinations, nor may you compare papers, copy from others, or
collaborate in any way. Any collaborative behavior during the examinations will result
in failure of the exam, and may lead to failure of the course and University disciplinary
action.
All papers should reflect your own words and thoughts, unless you indicate otherwise.
Academic honesty requires that you give credit for ideas or statements that are not
your own. Thus, if you are summarizing someone’s ideas in your own words, you
must cite the source of the ideas. It should be clear in every statement or sentence
whether you are expressing your own thoughts, or reporting those of someone else. If
you find a quote that you think will add substantially to a paper, you must use
quotation marks around the quote, and give the precise source of that quote, including
the author, source, and page no.
Plagiarism is taking credit for the ideas or statements of someone else, presenting it as
your own work. It is becoming more common these days, as people cut and paste
material from the Internet, and falsely submit it as their own writing. However, there
are ways to detect this dishonesty. Plagiarism is a serious act, and it will be reported to
the Dean of the College. Suspension or dismissal from the college are possible
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consequences. If you have any questions at all about what is OK and what is not, please
ask me. For more information about college policies related to academic honesty,
please see the Shepherd University Student Handbook.
Miscellaneous Points
Teaching Philosophy. Education is a partnership. I love the field of psychology, and I
believe that there is much that you can learn in this class that can benefit you in college,
in future relationships, in a future job. Because I am more experienced and
knowledgeable on the topic of psychology, my job is to guide you through this material,
which can sometimes be complex.
You have two roles in our partnership. First, you will need to do something with the
material that I present and that you gain from the textbook. Many students have never
learned how to study well. If you have any questions about to study or how you can
use this information, please read my handout “Studying Hints” and/or come to see me
during office hours! Your second job is to keep me informed about any concerns or
problems that you have in the class. I am the expert on psychology, but you are the
expert on you. If the material does not make sense to you or if you are experiencing any
problems (either class-related or non-class-related) that might be affecting your ability
to learn in this class, please come to see me during my office hours, call me on the
phone, or email me. The more I know about your experiences in the class, the better I
will be able to help guide you through the course!
Class attendance/participation/attitude. This is not a correspondence course. You are
expected to attend and participate in all classes and you are responsible for all material
covered in class, even if you are not present. There are no excused absences from this
class other than those excused by the school (e.g., athletic games, etc). There will be
some formal lectures; however, cognitive research has shown that the most effective
ways of learning are active. Therefore, class will frequently consist of class discussions,
small group discussions, guest lectures, videos, and various activities.
Although it is important that you are in class whenever possible, recent events (e.g., the
spread of H1N1) have shown the dangers of going out in public while contagious. If
you are contagious, please do not come to class and spread your germs around.
Instead, do the following:


Email me as soon as you know that you must miss class, explaining the reason.
Obtain a copy of the class notes from a classmate. Be sure to review these
carefully; if you have any questions, visit me during office hours.
Hopefully, nobody will get sick, and we will all be in class everyday. During class time,
do not use cell phones, beepers, PDAs, walkie talkies, ham radios, laptops, iPods, or any
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other electronic device for any purpose. The use of such devices during class is
disruptive to me and to your classmates. Please turn all such equipment OFF before
you enter the classroom. If you use an electronic device during class, you will be
counted as absent. If your cell phone rings, beeper beeps, or any other communication
is electronically received (or sent) during an exam (or other class assessment), you will
automatically fail the assignment.
Weather Policy. I do not drive in snow or ice if I have any concerns that it is safe to do
so. I do not expect anyone who lives off-campus to do that, either. In the unlikely
event that I must cancel class due to bad weather, I will email you with an alternative
plan (e.g., a course assignment that addresses the weekly topic or a movie to watch).
Disability Support Services. Disability Support Services at Shepherd University
believes that every student should succeed, and works closely with students to meet
their needs. Students requesting any disability related accommodation should contact
the Disability Coordinator at 304-876-5453. This includes students with learning
disabilities needing classroom accommodations, students requesting specific housing
accommodations for health-related reasons, and all other disability accommodations.
Accommodations need to be documented and provided to instructors. Please see
http://www.shepherd.edu/mcssweb/dss/default.html for more information.
Free Tutoring. Free tutoring is available for any course. See the Academic Support
Center in 103 Library: www.shepherd.edu/ascweb; 876-5221; 8:00 am–4:30 pm.
Rave Alerts. Please sign up for “RAVE alerts”
(http://www.shepherd.edu/university/rave/) in order to be informed of campus
closures. Also, students are encouraged to check the Shepherd website for additional
information (http://www.shepherd.edu/).
Changes. I reserve the right to make changes to the course or this syllabus to maintain
fairness to you and the University. Any such changes will be announced in class.
Students are responsible for these announcements.
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