PSYC 213: Research Methods in Social Psychology
MW: 11-12:20
Room: Judd 113
Instructor: Sarah Carney
Email: scarney@wesleyan.edu
Phone: 685-4976
Office: Judd 201
Office hours: Wednesdays 10:00-11:00 (or by appointment)
Course Description:
This course is designed to be an introduction to social research methods, and as such, it will aim
to cover—in a broad sense—the various research “tools” available (experimental methods and
qualitative, quasi-experimental methods as well). However research methods are best learned by
actually conducting real research, therefore this course will stress a hands-on, practical approach
throughout the semester, as the class will design and then complete a psychological research
project as a team. My goal or main objective in designing this course is that you will leave this
class with not only some intellectual sense about the various methods used by social scientists,
but also some real experience with working with those methods, making methodological choices,
implementing research plans, and trouble-shooting when things do not go as planned. Students
will develop skills in formulating good research questions, grounding their research in the
literature, translating topics into a variety of methods, sampling, data collection, data analysis,
and writing up their findings.
Because of the practical nature of this course, this class has a limited enrollment.
Required Text:
Cozby, P. (2009). Methods in Behavioral Research. 10th edition. New York, NY: McGraw Hill
Higher Education.
Weis, L. & Fine, M. (2000). Speed Bumps: A Student Friendly Guide to Qualitative Research.
New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Class Handouts: As needed.
Reserve Reading: Noted in syllabus
Course Requirements:
1. This course is a combined lecture/discussion format. Participation in the discussion of
class readings is a critical part of this class. To demonstrate that you have critically read
the assigned material and thought about its implications, you should come to class
prepared to respond with a thought out view point, to ask questions about material that is
unclear, and to make connections between what you have read for class and current
events. Although there will be times when I will want to underscore some of what you
have read—and to make sure that key terms/ideas were understood—class discussions
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will not duplicate the assigned reading. Instead, the readings will serve as a jumping off
point for our class conversations.
2. Productive conversation requires regular attendance. In addition, by virtue of taking this
course you will become a part of a community of researchers with assignments that
demand teamwork; therefore your absence will not only affect your own work, but the
work of others as well. I cannot stress this enough: If you are a person who cannot
attend regularly, this is not the course for you. Absences will affect your participation
grade as well as hinder your ability to complete the assigned tasks.
3. There is no mid-term and there is no “final” exam. You will be evaluated and graded on
five written assignments, in-class quizzes on the readings, as well as class participation.
See the syllabus under “schedule” for assignment due dates.
4. In class quizzes are not eligible to be “made up” at a later date. If you miss a quiz you
will receive a score of 0 on that quiz.
5. This course requires that you complete a research project by the end of the semester
(planned, executed, analyzed and presented); to accomplish this you will be assigned to
work with a small team of student researchers. Research is a cooperative task, and part of
your success in this course relies on your ability to work as a team to get assignments
done on time and in a quality manner. Though you will not turn in group writing
assignments, your participation grade will be partly based on your team’s research
presentation at the end of the semester, as well as on your team’s self evaluation of its
functioning—i.e. group member’s assessments of individual’s contributions and
teamwork. All team members are expected to participate fully in the completion of this
project, which will culminate with a team poster at the end of the semester. Please note:
While I will make time in class for teams to meet and work together to plan their research
you need to be aware that you will undoubtedly need more than just class time to prepare.
You will absolutely need to stay in steady and regular contact with your team members in
order to complete the research requirement successfully.
Grading
Students will be graded using the system described in the Wesleyan University catalog, modified
by pluses and minuses:
A=Excellent
B=Good
C=Fair
D=Marginal But Passing
U/F=Unsatisfactory
Final course grades are based on the weighted averages of all assignments.
If you have questions or concerns about your grades, please see me.
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In summary: In class quizzes=10 points each (30 points)
Assignment # 1: Observation paragraph=10 points
Assignment #2: Research question=5 points
Assignment #3: Survey Questions= 5 points
Assignment #4: Literature review=20 points
Assignment #5: Experiment assignment=10 points
Assignment #6: Speedbump=20 points
Students with Disabilities:
It is the policy of Wesleyan University to provide reasonable accommodations to students
with documented disabilities. Students, however, are responsible for registering with
Disabilities Services, in addition to making requests known to me in a timely manner. If
you require accommodations in this class, please make an appointment with me as soon as
possible [during the nth week of the semester], so that appropriate arrangements can be
made. The procedures for registering with Disabilities Services can be found at
http://www.wesleyan.edu/deans/disability-students.html.
Course Readings/Schedule of Topics
9-3-12
Welcome and introduction to the course
9-5-12
Overview: Empiricism and the Scientific Method
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9-10-12
Overview continued…
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
9-12-12
Cozby, P. (2009). Chapter 1, Scientific Understanding of Behavior, pp
1-15.
Cozby, P. (2009). Chapter 4, Studying Behavior, pp. 65-89.
Zimbardo, P. (2004). Does psychology make a significant difference
in our lives? American Psychologist, 59 (5), 339-351.
Cozby, P. (2009). Chapter 5, Measurement Concepts, pp. 90-105.
Sears, D. O. (1986). College sophomores in the laboratory: influences
of a narrow data base on social psychology’s view of human nature.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 515-530.
Kidder, L. & Fine, M. (1997). Qualitative inquiry in psychology: a
radical tradition. In I. Prilleltensky & D. Fox (eds.) Critical
Psychology: An Introduction. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Publications. (34-50).
Designing and Conducting Ethical Research

Cozby, P. (2009). Chapter 3, Ethical Research, pp. 37-64.
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

9-17-12
Brown, L. (1997). Ethics in psychology: Cui Bono? In D. Fox & I
Prilleltensky (eds.) Critical Psychology: An Introduction. Thousand
Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. (pp. 51-67)
Weseen, S. & Wong, M. (2000). Qualitative research, representations,
and social responsibilities. In L Weis & M. Fine (eds.) Speed Bumps:
A Student Friendly Guide to Qualitative Research. New York, NY:
Teachers College Press. (pp. 32-66)
First In-Class Quiz
Asking the Question—All Class Research Meeting
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9-19-12
Cozby, P. (2009). Chapter 2, Where to Start? Pp. 16-23.
Other readings TBA
In Class Team Planning Day

Readings TBA
Assignment # 1 Due (observation)
9-24-12
Library Research—Diane Klare


Cozby, P. (2009). Chapter 2, Where to Start? Pp. 23-35.
Landrum, E. (2008). Telling an Original Story Through a Research
Paper. Undergraduate Writing in Psychology: Learning to Tell the
Scientific Story. (pp. 105-131) Washington DC, US: American
Psychological Association
Assignment # 2 due (asking question)
9-26-12
Preparing Literature Reviews—Basic Principles

10-1-12
Landrum, E. (2008). Extracting the useful nuggets from a literature
search. Undergraduate Writing in Psychology: Learning to Tell the
Scientific Story. (pp. 37-52) Washington DC, US: American
Psychological Association.
Descriptive Methods: Observation


Cozby, P. (2009). Chapter 6, Observing Behavior, pp. 106-116.
Festinger, L., Riecken, H. & Schachter, S. (1956). When Prophesy
Fails: A Social and Psychological Study of a Modern Group that
Predicted the Destruction of the World. New York, NY: Harper
Torch Books. Pp. 1-150.
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10-3-12
Descriptive Methods: Survey Research
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10-8-12
Cozby, P. (2009). Chapter 7, Asking People About Themselves:
Survey Research. Pp. 121-146.
Burgess, E., Donnelly, D., Dillard, J., & Davis, R. (2001). Surfing for
sex: studying involuntary celibacy using the internet. Sexuality and
Culture: An Interdisciplinary Quarterly, 5 (3), 5-30.
Fine, M., Freudenberg, N., Payne, Y., Perkins, T., Smith, K., &
Wanzer, K. (2003). “Anything can happen with police around”: urban
youth evaluate strategies of surveillance in public places. Journal of
Social Issues. 59 (1), 141-158.
Festinger, L., Riecken, H. & Schachter, S. (1956). When Prophesy
Fails: A Social and Psychological Study of a Modern Group that
Predicted the Destruction of the World. New York, NY: Harper
Torch Books. Pp. 151-233..
Team Meeting and Catch Up Day
Assignment # 3 Due: Survey Questions
Second Quiz—In Class
Research Meeting
10-10-12
Descriptive Methods: Archival Methods


Cozby, P. (2009). Chapter 6, Observing Behavior. Pp. 116-120.
Davalos, D., Davalos, R. & Layton, H. (2007). Content analysis of
magazine headlines: changes over three decades? Feminism &
Psychology, 17, 250-258.
10-15-12
No Class-Fall Break
10-17-12
Archival methods continued…

Stark, S. (1987). Perry Mason meets sonny crockett: the history of
lawyers and the police as television heroes. The University of Miami
Law Review, 42 U. Miami L. Rev. 229.
Assignment # 4—Literature Review Due
10-22-12
Research Meeting Alternate Due Date for Assignment #4—Literature
Review
10-24-12
Research Meeting
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10-29-12
Experimental Methods
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10-31-12
. Experimental Methods continued…
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11-5-12
Cozby, P. (2009). Chapter 8, Experimental Design, pp. 149-164.
Latane, B. & Darley, J. (1968). Group inhibition of bystander
intervention in emergencies. Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology. Vol. 10(3), 215-221.
Kassin, S. & Kiechel, K. (1996). The social psychology of false
confessions: Compliance, internalization, and confabulation.
Psychological Science. Vol. 7(3), 125-128.
Cozby, P. (2009). Chapter 9, Conducting Experiments, pp. 165-185.
Milgram, S. (1963). Behavioral study of obedience. Journal of
Abnormal and Social Psychology. Vol. 67, pp. 371-378.
Loftus, E. & Palmer, J. (1974). Reconstruction of automobile
destruction: An example of the interaction between language and
memory. Journal of Verbal Learning & Verbal Behavior. Vol. 13(5),
585-589.
Third In Class Quiz
Research Meeting

L. Weis & M. Fine (2000). Speed Bumps: A Student Friendly Guide
to Qualitative Research. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
(pp.67-111)
11-7-12
Research Meeting
11-12-12
Results: Data Coding and Entry (Manolis Kaparakis)
11-14-12
Results: Data Entry (Manolis Kaparakis)


Cozby, P. (2009). Chapter 14, Generalizing Results, pp. 268-282.
Cozby, P. (2009). Appendix A, Writing Research Reports, pp. 283336.
11-19-12
No Class
11-21-12
No Class
11-26-12
Correlation Coefficients (Manolis Kaparakis)

Cozby, P. (2009). Chapter 12, Understanding Research Results:
Description and Correlation, pp. 222-243.
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

Richardson, L. (1994). Writing: A method of inquiry. In Denzin,
Norman K (Ed); Lincoln, Yvonna S (Ed) Handbook of qualitative
research. (pp. 516-529). Thousand Oaks, CA, US: Sage Publications,
Inc.
Roof, J. & Wiegman, R. (1995). Chapter 5: The Problem of Speaking
for Others. Who Can Speak? Authority and Critical Identity (pp. 97119). Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press.
Assignment #5 Due: Project as an experiment
11-28-12
Creating a Research Poster

Reading TBA
12-3-12
Research Teams Plan Presentation
12-5-12
Poster Presentations—All Teams
Assignment # 6 Final Paper Due by 5:00
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