WESTERN UNIVERSITY
LONDON
CANADA
Department of Psychology
2014-2015
PSYCHOLOGY 3800F - Section 001
PSYCHOLOGICAL STATISTICS USING COMPUTERS
1.0
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION
This course covers most statistical procedures used in psychological research, and the use and
interpretation of SPSS for Windows. Topics covered include the t-test, various forms of analysis
of variance, chi-square, bivariate and multiple regression and correlation, factor analysis, and
Monte Carlo methods. 2 lecture hours, 2 lab hours, 0.5 course.
Antirequisite: Psychology 3830F/G.
Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one can be taken for
credit. So if you take a course that is an antirequisite to a course previously taken, you will
lose credit for the earlier course, regardless of the grade achieved in the most recent course.
Prerequisites: Psychology 2810 plus registration in third or fourth year of
Honors Specialization in Psychology or Honors Specialization in
Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. Note: Psychology Majors and
Special Students with 70% in Psychology 2820E or 2810 may also enrol.
Unless you have either the requisites for this course or written special permission from
your Dean to enroll in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from
your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your
fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the prerequisites.
2.0
COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor:
Lectures:
Office Hours:
S. Paunonen (paunonen@uwo.ca; 519-661-2060)
Mondays, 2:30-4:30, Room 2036 SSC
Mondays, 4:30-5:30, Room 6304 SSC
Lab Section 002:
Wednesdays, 2:30-4:30, SSC 3133
Teaching Assistant: Jordynne Ropat (jropat@uwo.ca)
Office Hours:
tba, xx:xx-xx:xx, Room xxxx SSC
Lab Section 003:
Tuesdays, 2:30-4:30, SSC 3133
Teaching Assistant: Erica Giammarco (egiammar@uwo.ca)
Office Hours:
tba, xx:xx-xx:xx, Room xxxx SSC
Lab Section 004:
Tuesdays, 9:30-11:30, SSC 3133
Teaching Assistant: Eren Gultepe (egultepe@uwo.ca)
Office Hours:
tba, xx:xx-xx:xx, Room xxxx SSC
If you or someone you know is experiencing distress, there are several resources here at Western
to assist you. Please visit: http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for more information on
these resources and on mental health.
Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require
any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you. You may also wish to
contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at 519-661-2111 (ext. 82147) for any
specific questions regarding an accommodation.
Psych/3800
3.0
TEXTBOOK AND MATERIALS
The required readings for this course are:
Gardner, R. C. & Tremblay, P. F. (2007). Essentials of data analysis. UWO Bookstore.
Paunonen, S. V. (2012). Psychology 3840 lecture notes. UWO Bookstore.
You will also need a computer account, which gives you access to the UWO network.
4.0
COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course introduces students to the use of computers in psychology. Emphasis will be placed
on the use of SPSS for Windows on microcomputers connected to the UWO network, but other
applications of computers may be surveyed briefly.
The major portion of the lectures will be concerned with the rationale, interpretation, and
application of various statistical procedures. Lectures will focus on selected univariate and
multivariate analytic methods, and students will be shown how to make use of SPSS for
Windows to perform those procedures to answer empirical questions.
The laboratories will provide students with the opportunity to use SPSS for Windows and other
computer packages that will be required for completing the laboratory assignments. The
laboratories will be conducted in the Department of Psychology Computer Laboratory (Rm 3133
SSC), where students will be able to work on their assignments with consultation with the course
Teaching Assistant. Students are allowed to use the Laboratory at other times, when available,
and also have access to the SSNDS Computer Instructional Laboratory (Rm 1020 SSC) to do
their SPSS assignments for this course.
5.0
EVALUATION
Laboratory Assignments: 50%. There will be 10 laboratory assignments, each requiring a
written report. These will be graded by the Teaching Assistant. All assignments must be handed
in at the beginning of the laboratory session following the session in which it was assigned. Late
assignments will not be accepted and will be given a grade of 0. The last assignment is due one
week after the last laboratory session. Students are responsible for their own
assignments--copying assignments constitutes plagiarism. The Laboratory Assignment grade is
the mean grade obtained in the 10 assignments. These 10 assignments together constitute the
written component of 2,500 words required for a half-year essay course.
Final Examination: 50%. The final examination will be based on all material presented in
lectures, laboratories, and the assigned text chapters. All assigned text material, regardless of
whether or not it was discussed in class, is eligible exam material. The final will be set by the
Registrar’s office during the official examination period and will be 3 hours long. The exam
format will include some mix of multiple choice items, short answers, and written interpretations
of selected SPSS statistical results.
Although the Psychology Department does not require instructors to adjust their course grades to
conform to specific targets, the expectation is that course marks will be distributed around the
following averages:
70% 1000-level and 2000-level courses
72% 2100-level to 2990-level courses
75% 3000-level courses
80% 4000-level courses
Psych/3800
5.0
EVALUATION (continued)
The Psychology Department follows these University of Western Ontario grading guidelines (see
http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf):
A+
A
B
C
D
F
6.0
90-100
80-89
70-79
60-69
50-59
below 50
One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level
Superior work that is clearly above average
Good work, meeting all requirements, and eminently satisfactory
Competent work, meeting requirements
Fair work, minimally acceptable
Fail
EXAM SCHEDULE
All assignments must be handed in at the beginning of the laboratory session following the
session in which it was assigned. Late assignments will not be accepted and will be given a
grade of 0. The final exam will be scheduled by the Registrar’s Office for sometime during the
final examination period. The only electronic aid allowed during the exam is a basic standalone
calculator.
7.0
LECTURE TOPICS AND SCHEDULE
The schedule for the lecture topics and readings are given on a separate page. Also included is a
page that lists the textbook sections that you are not required to read.
8.0
STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES
Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism
and other scholastic offenses. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offenses
because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic
offense are described at the following link:
http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/appealsundergrad.pdf
As of Sept. 1, 2009, the Department of Psychology will take the following steps to detect
scholastic offenses. (a) All multiple-choice tests and exams will be checked for similarities in
the pattern of responses using reliable software, and records will be made of student seating
locations in all tests and exams. (b) All written assignments will be submitted to TurnItIn, a
service designed to detect and deter plagiarism by comparing written material to over 5 billion
pages of content located on the Internet or in TurnItIn’s databases. (c) All papers submitted for
such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of
detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is
subject to the licensing agreement, currently between The University of Western Ontario and
Turnitin.com (http://www.turnitin.com).
Possible penalties for a scholastic offense include failure of the assignment, failure of the course,
suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.
Psych/3800
9.0
OTHER INFORMATION
MAKE-UP EXAMS:
1.
Only under special circumstances will a student be allowed to write a make-up
test or exam or be given an extension on an assignment. These include medical or
compassionate reasons substantiated by the proper documentation (see below) approved
by your faculty’s Academic Counselling Office.
2.
If the missed exam is the final examination (set by the Registrar’s Office) the student
must contact the Academic Counselling Office to request a permission form for writing a
Special Final Examination. That form must be signed by the instructor, the department
chairperson, and the Dean.
3.
A student missing an exam or assignment must notify the instructor on the day of the
exam or deadline, or on the following day at the latest.
4.
The student should try to notify the instructor in person or by telephone, rather than by
email. If leaving a phone mail message, be sure to leave your telephone number.
5.
A student who misses an exam or deadline for other than medical or compassion reasons,
or who is unable to substantiate a claim, or who fails to notify the instructor by the day
following the exam or deadline will be assigned a grade of zero for that evaluation.
6.
Make-up exams or extensions to deadlines will not be scheduled to accommodate
students’ travel or work plans.
MEDICAL NOTES:
In May, 2008, The University of Western Ontario’s Senate approved a new medical
note policy, which affects all students. The following is an outline of that policy. For
more detailed information and forms, please visit:
https://studentservices.uwo.ca/secure/index.cfm
For further policy information please visit:
http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/handbook/appeals/accommodation_medical.pdf
Notes from Family Physicians and Walk-In Clinics
A Western Student Medical Certificate (SMC) is required where a student is seeking
academic accommodation. This documentation should be obtained at the time of the
initial consultation with the physician or walk-in clinic. An SMC can be downloaded
under the Medical Documentation heading of the following website:
https://studentservices.uwo.ca/secure/index.cfm.
The completed SMC should be returned to the student’s home Faculty Academic
Counselling Service.
Notes from Student Health Services
Students must request an SMC be filled out by the attending physician. There is a charge
for this service. The completed SMC should be returned to the student’s home Faculty
Academic Counselling Service.
Psych/3800
9.0
OTHER INFORMATION (continued)
Notes from Hospital Urgent Care Centres or Emergency Departments
Students should request that an SMC be filled out. Students may bring this form with
them, or request alternative Emergency Department documentation. Documentation
should be secured at the time of the initial visit to the Emergency Department. Where
it is not possible for a student to have an SMC completed by the attending physician,
the student must request documentation sufficient to demonstrate that his/her ability to
meet his/her academic responsibilities was seriously affected. An SMC can be
downloaded under the Medical Documentation heading of the following website:
https://studentservices.uwo.ca/secure/index.cfm.
ELECTRONIC AIDS:
The only electronic aids allowed during the exams are basic basic standalone calculators.
Computers, cell phones, PDAs, MP3 players or other digital devices will not be
permitted.
ONLINE INFORMATION:
The Office of the Registrar web site is:
http://registrar.uwo.ca
The Student Development Services web site is:
http://www.sdc.uwo.ca
The Psychology Undergraduate website is:
http://psychology.uwo.ca/undergradresponsibilities.htm
See the above websites regarding the following topics:
POLICY ON CHEATING AND ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT
PROCEDURES FOR APPEALING ACADEMIC EVALUATIONS
POLICY ON ATTENDANCE
POLICY ON MAKEUP EXAMS AND EXTENSIONS OF DEADLINES
POLICY FOR ASSIGNMENTS
SHORT ABSENCES
EXTENDED ABSENCES
DOCUMENTATION
ACADEMIC CONCERNS
CALENDAR REFERENCES
Psych/3800
LECTURE TOPICS AND SCHEDULE
Week
Date
Topics, Readings, and Assignments
1.
Sep. 8
Introduction (Chapter 1)
No lab, no assignment
2.
Sep. 15
The t-test (Chapter 2)
SPSS T-TEST assignment
3.
Sep. 22
Monte Carlo methods; power; Type I error (Chapter 3)
MONTE assignment
4.
Sep. 29
Single factor analysis of variance designs (Chapter 4)
SPSS ONEWAY assignment
5.
Oct. 6
CRF designs; post hoc tests (Chapter 5; POSTHOC Appendix)
SPSS GLM/univariate assignment with POSTHOC
Oct. 13
*** Thanksgiving - no class ***
*** Thanksgiving - no lab ***
6.
Oct. 20
Single factor repeated measures (Chapter 6)
SPSS GLM/repeated assignment
7.
Oct. 27
Split plot analysis of variance (Chapter 7)
SPSS GLM/repeated assignment with POSTHOC
8.
Nov. 3
Chi-Square analysis (Chapter 8)
SPSS CROSSTABS assignment
9.
Nov. 10
Bivariate correlation and regression (Chapter 9)
SPSS CORRELATION assignment
10.
Nov. 17
Multiple correlation and regression (Chapter 10)
SPSS REGRESSION assignment
11.
Nov. 24
Factor analysis (Chapter 11)
SPSS FACTOR assignment
12.
Dec. 1
Review
Final lab due
Psych/3800
TEXT EXCLUSIONS
The following are sections of the text for which you are not responsible. Although some of the
material might be mentioned in class, it will not form part of any exam or lab assignment.
Chapter
Pages
Section
2
49-50
Other Forms of the t-Test
4
86
Analysis of Variance and Unequal Sample Sizes
5
111-112
Expected Mean Squares
112-114
Unequal Sample Sizes
121-122
The Multivariate Approach
132-133
Statistics Appropriate for the Multivariate Approach
135-136
Randomized Block Designs
143
Assumptions from the Multivariate Perspective
153-155
The Multivariate Approach
10
240-246
Interactions Between Continuous Variables
11
252-253
Principal Components Versus Principal Axis Factors
265-266
Reproduced Correlation and Residual Matrix
6
7
12
(all)
13
(all)
In addition, you do not need to know any of the chapter sections called The Syntax File, and you
will not be required to memorize any formulas.