PSY 301: Introduction to Research Methods in Psychology (4 units)
San Diego State University
Fall 2014
INSTRUCTOR: Dale N. Glaser, Ph.D.
EMAIL: glaserconsult@sbcglobal.net (best way to reach me) or dglaser@mail.sdsu.edu (not
accessed as frequently)
OFFICE HOURS: by appointment
PHONE: (619) 220-0602
LECTURE: Monday/Wednesday 5:00 pm-6:15 pm (PSFA-350); schedule #: 22755, 22756,
22757, & 22758
LECTURE TA: Student TA (email)
COURSE WEBSITE: http://blackboard.sdsu.edu/
LAB (Sections 13 & 14): Thursday 3:00-4:50 pm (GMCS-428)
TA: Carolynn Howard (email)
WEBSITE: www.sci.sdsu.edu/classes/psy301/glaser_Howard
LAB (Sections 15 & 16): Thursday 5:00 pm-6:50 pm (GMCS-428)
TA: Jacqueline Schnapp (email)
WEBSITE: www.sci.sdsu.edu/classes/psy301/Glaser_Schnapp
COURSE OVERVIEW: In this course you will be learning about and implementing various
methodologies used in psychology. Lectures will cover various experimental techniques,
methodological concepts, and statistical procedures. Labs will be heavily interactive, and will
including designing and conducting your own research and reporting this in APA-style reports.
A cursory read of a daily newspaper or weekly news magazine will find some type of reporting of
research. For instance, in 7/17/14 LA times an article titled: Big jump in number of millennials living
with parents reported indicated that “A record 57 million Americans, or 18.1% of the population, lived in
multigenerational arrangements in 2012, according to the Pew Research Center. That's more than double
the 28 million people who lived in such households in 1980”. In a 7/13/14 LA Times article on obestity it
was found that “Those with a body mass index, or BMI, above 40 are robbed of at least 6 1/2 years, on
average, of expected life span”. Or in 7/22/14 edition of LA Times: “Pay raises for recent college grads
far below average” detailing that salaries for recent college graduates have risen at less than half the pace
for all U.S. workers since the recession, an analysis by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
found…..[it was] found that median earnings for recent college graduates rose only 6% between 2006 and
2013, compared with 15% for the workforce at large.”
And some trends per Time Magazine (6/30/14) titled: The Changing Lives of Teens
Kids have cut some risky behaviors—and picked up others
• Cigarette smoking dropped to 15.7%, the lowest in 22 years and below the 2020 goal of having
no more than 16% of teens smoking
PSY 301, Fall 2014, Glaser
•
•
•
•
•
Daily leisure use of computers, tablets, and smartphones for more than 3 hours doubled since
2003
Since 1991, TV watching dropped. Just 32% of teens viewed more than three hours of television
a day.
Distracted driving is up, with 41% of teens admitting to texting or emailing while behind the
wheel
A quarter of students were part of a physical fight in the past year. In 1991, it was twice that.
Obesity remains high, with 14% of teens obese, and 17% overweight, although rates have been
leveling off since 2011
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Psy 301 Goals: By the end of this class you will know how to:
1. Use scientific method to answer questions about human behavior, specifically
 Measurement issues, learning
to differentiate between constructs and observable behaviors
to develop operational definitions and observational strategies, and
to write good survey questions
 Design issues, learning
to state hypotheses that can be tested
to design or plan modest studies using correlational, experimental and
quasi-experimental (real world) designs
to develop good strategies for sampling and assignment to treatments
2.
Make sense of data that you have collected or read in the news.
 Interpretation of results, learning
- to interpret statistical results including significance, effect size, margin of
error and confidence intervals
 Evaluation of designs, learning
to state the type of conclusion, causal or otherwise
3.
Write scientific reports.
 Accuracy, learning
- to follow directions to the letter,
- to describe procedures and results in perfectly accurate detail, and
- to submit reports that have been checked for spelling and sense
 APA style, learning to follow specific rules for scientific writing
 Effectiveness, learning to make clear and persuasive statements
PSY 301, Fall 2014, Glaser
ADDITIONAL DEPARTMENT LEVEL LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
In addition to those outlined above, other learning objectives identified as important across the
Psychology Curriculum that overlap with this course are:
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Characterize the nature of psychology as a scientific discipline and identify its primary objectives: to
describe, understand, predict, and control behavior and mental processes. (SLO 1.7)
Formulate scientific questions using operational definitions. (SLO 3.1)
Generate appropriate methodological techniques for testing specific hypotheses. (SLO 3.2)
Design a simple experiment involving manipulation of variables. (SLO 3.3)
Identify factors required to make causal inferences about relationships between variables. (SLO 3.4)
Design a simple self-report measure. (SLO 3.5)
Define, explain, and identify appropriate use of reliability and validity. (SLO 3.6)
Demonstrate understanding of measurement error (both systematic and unsystematic) (SLO 3.7)
Explain correctly such terms as mean, median, standard deviation, and statistical significance. (SLO 3.8)
Understand interpret appropriately t, F, r, and r squared. (SLO 3.9)
Describe descriptive and experimental research methods. (SLO 4.1)
Explain the similarities and differences among the research methods used by psychologists. (SLO 4.2)
Evaluate the appropriateness of conclusions derived from psychological research and the parameters of
particular research methods. (SLO 4.3)
Recognize the necessity of and identify specific ethical behavior in all aspects of the science and practice of
psychology. (SLO 5.1)
Be familiar with the rights of human research participants and therapy clients. (SLO 5.2)
Describe the concept of informed consent to research and treatment. (SLO 5.4)
Explain the advantages and disadvantages to research that involves deception. (SLO 5.5)
Identify the role that an institutional review board plays in psychological research (SLO 5.6)
Understand that research findings may not generalize to all people. (SLO 6.7)
Demonstrate understanding of the internal and external validity of the information obtained. (SLO 7.1)
Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a study. (SLO 7.3)
Frame questions or generate hypotheses about human behavior based on experiences and/or exposure to
information from scientific literature, the general media, and specialized sources. 9SLO 7.4)
Generate new research questions based on understanding of current research. (SLO 8.1)
Write a paper summarizing scientific literature on a psychological topic. (SLO 8.2)
Plan and execute a project that involves data collection. (SLO 8.3)
Prepare a written report based on data they have collected. (SLO 8.4)
Engage in creative thinking by evaluating new ideas with an open but critical mind. (SLO 9.1)
Demonstrate effective writing skills and use of APA-style in various formats (e.g., essays, technical
papers). (SLO 9.4)
Demonstrate the ability to collaborate effectively. (SLO 9.6)
REQUIRED MATERIALS:
 NOTE: The text, writing guide, and lab manual have been bundled for you in the
bookstore. ISBN: 9781305315242
(A copy of the text has been put on course reserve at the library, call #BF76.5 P34 2013)
(A copy of the writing guide has been put on course reserve at the library, call #
BF76.8.S98 RBR 2014)
o If you want to purchase these separately, you would need all three parts:
 TEXT: Conducting research in psychology: Measuring the weight of
smoke, 4th ed. Brett Pelham & Hart Blanton. Thomson-Wadsworth
Publishing. ISBN: 0534532942
 WRITING GUIDE: Writing With Style, 6th ed. Lenore T. Szuchman.
Wadsworth Cengage Learning. ISBN: 12850077067
PSY 301, Fall 2014, Glaser


LAB MANUAL: The lab manual has been printed in the textbook bundle
(available in the bookstore). It will also be available on Blackboard as a
PDF file.
Flash drive
CLASSROOM POLICIES:
 Attendance: We will be doing activities almost every class session and they will be worth
points, so attendance is crucial.
 Respect: While in class (and lab), please show respect not only to the instructor but also
to the other students—no cell phones, pagers, or two-way walkie-talkies. No phone calls,
texting, instant messaging, or ipods. If you are on your computer in class, please no
surfing or chatting as this is distracting to other students around you. Also, please be
sensitive to the opinions of others by refraining from side conversations, interruptions,
sleeping, etc. You will be asked to leave this classroom if you fail to show such respect.
 Exams: No late exams will be given without documentation (e.g., doctor’s note). If
you know that you will miss an exam, please make arrangements with the instructor at
least 1 week prior to the exam. If you miss an exam without making prior arrangements,
you will need appropriate documentation to take the exam. Make-up exams will be
scheduled on a case-by-case basis.
 Assignments: All late assignments will have a maximum point value of half credit
(without documentation), whether they are one hour late or one week late. All late
assignments must be turned in by the last day of class to receive any points.
 Grade challenges: Upon receiving graded assignments, you have 1 week to check your
grade with the instructor. This includes the grade for the final exam and your final grade
for the class. After one week, grade challenges will not be reviewed.
 Students with disabilities: ADA/Accommodations: San Diego State University seeks to
provide equal access to its programs, services and activities for people with disabilities.
If you will need accommodations in the class, reasonable prior notice needs to be given to
the Student Disability Services (SDS), (619) 594-6473 or online at
http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/sds. SDS will work with you and the instructor to make
arrangements for accommodations. All written information in this course can be made
available in alternative format with prior notification to the SDS.
 Academic dishonesty: The Student Code of Conduct is online at
http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/srr/conduct1.html. The academic dishonesty code specifies
actions for behaviors such as cheating on tests, plagiarism, and/or inappropriately
collaborating with others. I will enforce the code in the course; cheating or other
violations will result in appropriate penalties, including a failing grade on the assignment
or in the course, and the reporting of that incident to the Office of Student Rights and
Responsibilities. Students have the right to appeal such action in accord with the due
process.
 Important dates: Last day to add, drop, or withdraw without penalty: September 8
LABORATORY:
 You will be doing things a little differently than you did in Psy 280. A lab report is
due at the end of each lab, and we have to insist that you do these reports in the
lab.
PSY 301, Fall 2014, Glaser


Pre-Lab Assignments: For each lab, you have a pre-lab assignment to
complete before lab. The TAs will be checking these assignments at the
beginning of lab. To receive full points on the lab you must have done the
assignment before lab. You cannot make up pre-labs points and you must be
in lab to earn pre-lab points.
Lab Rules:
 You must attend YOUR lab section, i.e. section in which you are officially
enrolled.
 Never insert your flash drive before you have submitted your assignment in
the dropbox. We will remind you about these rules, but be forewarned: if you
insert a flash drive before mailing in your assignment, you will receive a zero
for that lab.
 Submit your lab report before you leave lab, and if necessary send in the rest
later.
 If you miss lab or leave without doing the lab during the lab period, the lab
report is still due but is worth only half the points.
PSY 301, Fall 2014, Glaser
GRADES: A number of different activities will be graded in this class, including exams, lab
work (cell phone paper and survey project), and in-class activities. These are detailed below.
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Exams. There will be two multi-format midterms (multiple choice, short-answer and
essay) each worth 100 points. There will also be a cumulative final worth 150 pts. Like
the midterms, the final will also be multi-format. All exams will include material from
the book, the lab manual, and the writing guide, as well as from lecture and in-class
activities.
Cell Phone Paper. The first six labs will include activities from the Writing With Style
book as well as prelab writing assignments and written lab reports. These will each be
worth 15 points (3 points of which are for the Writing With Style activities). These are
available in lab manual section of your textbook.
Survey Project. The last eight labs will include prelab writing assignments and written
lab reports. Labs 7-9 will vary in points while Labs 10-14 (APA-style written sections)
will each be worth 12 points. These are available in lab manual section of your textbook.
In-class Activities. Research Methods is a “learning by doing” class and as such, we will
be doing activities in most class meetings. These are meant to reinforce concepts and help
prepare you for the exams. These activities will range in point value but will be worth a
total of 75 points towards your total grade. There will be no make-up points for in-class
activities—you must be present in class to earn these points (there will be no exceptions).
Grading will be commensurate with school policy and is defined below (though contingent on the
obtained distribution of scores, there may be some modification to the grading structure).
Points
200
150
90
103
75
618
Grade Composition
Midterms (2 @ 100)
Final
Cell Phone Paper (6 @ 15)
Survey Project (43 + 5 @ 12)
In-class activities
Total Points
90% - 100% = A
87% – 89% = A84% - 86% = B+
79 - 83% = B
76% - 78% = B73% - 75% = C+
69% -72% = C
66% - 68% = C61% - 65% = D+
58% - 60% = D
55% - 57% = D0% -54 = F
PSY 301, Fall 2014, Glaser
SCHEDULE:
*Reading Assignment: CRP=Conducting Research in Psychology, WWS=Writing with Style
Date
Week 1
- Monday 08/25
-Introduction to the course
-Thursday 08/26
-No lab (we will start next week)
-Wednesday 08/27
-Scientific writing, Prep for Lab 1
Week 2
- Monday 09/01
LABOR DAY – NO LECTURE
- Thursday 09/02
Lab 1
Topic
-Writing in Psychology
Reading Assignment
-Syllabus
-Schwebel et al., 2012
article
-Ch 11 (CRP)
-Ch 10 (WWS)
-Ch 2 (WWS)
- Wednesday 09/03 -How do we know?
-Ch 1 (CRP)
Week 3
- Monday 09/08
-How do we find out? Prep for Lab 2
-Ch 2 (CRP)
-Introduction-Cell Phone Paper
-Schwebel et al., 2012
article
-Ch 1 (pp.6-10, WWS)
& Ch 3 (WWS)
- Thursday 09/09
Lab 2
- Wednesday 09/10 -Statistics review
-Ch 10 (CRP)
Week 4
- Monday 09/15
-Statistics review, Prep for Lab 3
-Ch 10 (CRP)
-Method-Cell Phone Paper
-Ch 4 (WWS)
- Thursday 09/16
Lab 3
- Wednesday 09/17 -Validity, reliability, and measurement
PSY 301, Fall 2014, Glaser
-Ch 3 (CRP)
Week 5
- Monday 09/22
- Thursday 09/23
Lab 4
-Validity, reliability, and measurement, Prep for
Lab 4 & Lab 5
-Ch 3 (CRP)
-Results-Cell Phone Paper
-Ch 5 (WWS)
- Wednesday 09/24 -Review for Midterm 1
Week 6
- Monday 09/29
- Thursday 09/30
Lab 5
-Study Guide
-Midterm 1 (CRP: Ch 1-3, 10, 11; WWS: Ch 15 WWS)
Bring Scantron # 882-E (green)
-Ch 6 (WWS)
-Discussion-Cell Phone Paper
- Wednesday 10/01
-Ch 4 (CRP)
-Psychological measurement
Week 7
- Monday 10/06
-Psychological measurement, Prep for Lab 6
-Ch 4 (CRP)
- Thursday 10/07
Lab 6
-Abstract, References, & Putting it all togetherCell Phone Paper
-Ch 7 & 8 & 9 (WWS)
- Wednesday 10/08 -Overview of Survey Research project, Small
group work (!)
Week 8
- Monday 10/13
-Prep for measurement panel, Prep for Lab 7
- Thursday 10/14
Lab 7
-Writing Survey Questions and Qualtrics-Survey
Project
-One article from
Measurement Panel
- Wednesday 10/15 -Measurement Panel
Week 9
- Monday 10/20
- Thursday 10/21
Lab 8
-Common threats to validity Prep for Lab 8
-Ch 5 (CRP)
-Literature review-Survey Project
- Wednesday 10/22 -Common threats to validity
PSY 301, Fall 2014, Glaser
-Ch 5 (CRP)
Week 10
- Monday 10/27
- Thursday 10/28
Lab 9
-Nonexperimental research designs, Prep for Lab
9
-Ch 6 (CRP)
-Hypotheses and Data Collection-Survey Project
- Wednesday 10/29 - Nonexperimental research designs
-Ch 6 (CRP)
Week 11
- Monday 11/03
-Review for Midterm 2, Prep for Lab 10
-Study Guide
-Introduction-Survey Project
-Bring Survey Project
articles with you to lab
- Thursday 11/04
Lab 10
- Wednesday 11/05 -Midterm 2 (CRP: Ch 4-6, WWS: Ch 6-9,
Measurement Panel article, Lab Manual)
Bring Scantron # 882-E (green)
Week 12
- Monday 11/10
-Experimental research designs
- Thursday 11/11
-Ch 7 (CRP)
VETERAN’S DAY – NO LAB
- Wednesday 11/12 -Experimental research designs
-Ch 7 (CRP)
Week 13
- Monday 11/17
-Ch 9 (CRP)
- Thursday 11/18
Lab 11
-Choosing the right research design, Prep for Lab
11
-Method-Survey Project
- Wednesday 11/19 -Choosing the right research design
-Ch 9 (CRP)
Week 14
- Monday 11/24
-Ch 9 (CRP)
-Choosing the right research design, Prep for Lab
12
- Thursday 11/25
Lab 12
-Results-Survey Project
- Wednesday
11/26
THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY–NO
LECTURE
PSY 301, Fall 2014, Glaser
Week 15
- Monday 12/01
- Thursday 12/02
Lab 13
-Quasi-experimental research designs, Prep for
Lab 13
-Ch 8 (CRP)
-Discussion-Survey Project
- Wednesday 12/03 - Quasi-experimental research designs
-Ch 8 (CRP)
Week 16
- Monday 12/08
-Ch 12 (CRP)
- Thursday 12/09
Lab 14
-Putting it all together: Maximizing validity, Prep
for Lab 14
-Abstract, References, & Putting it all togetherSurvey Project
- Wednesday 12/10 -Review for final exam
Week 17
- Friday 12/12
3:30 pm-5:30 pm
-Final Exam: Bring Scantron # 882-E (green)
PSY 301, Fall 2014, Glaser
-Study Guide