Psyc 235: Introduction to
Statistics
Lecture: Tuesday 10:30-11:45
12:00-1:15
Office Hours: Thursday 10:30-1:15
(Room 35)
Instructors: Jason Finley & Melinda Jensen
Jamie Marcus (Sections: AB2, AB3, BB3, BB4)
Email: psyc235spring2008jm@gmail.com
Chun Wang (Sections: AB1, AB4, BB1, BB2)
Email: psyc235spring2008cw@gmail.com
Announcement: Psyc 301

Anyone planning on pursuing research-based
Ph.D. programs in psychology should consider
taking Psyc 301 instead of Psyc 235.



(if you are a Freshman or Sophomore and unsure about
pursuing psychology research, you can always wait and take
Psyc 301 or even 406 as a senior)
Spots still available
Email Prof. Spencer-Smith: jbspence@uiuc.edu
Course Format
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Combination of on-line learning ALEKs course, video,
and traditional lectures/lab
Required 6 hours on ALEKs per week, attending lectures
will count as 1 hour of that time
Lecture: Pysch 31

Lab and office hours available for individual assistance or
independent work on computers
Lab: Pysch 289
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Office hours: Psych 35
Optional special lectures may be scheduled to cover
challenging concepts
Special invited lectures will be mandatory for students
who are struggling or falling behind
Course Resources
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Course website:
www.psych.uiuc.edu/~jrfinley/p235/
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ALEKS:
www.aleks.com
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Video:
www.learner.org/resources/series65.html
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Text book: None required, but there are statistics books
available for reference (see syllabus)
More about ALEKS
(Assessment and LEarning in Knowledge Spaces)


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ALEKS: an adaptive tutoring and knowledge assessment
system.
monitors your progress and your current knowledge of the
material.
teaches you new material that you are ready for
can learn at your own pace
there are set target dates for the material, and we will be
regularly monitoring your progress online.
Go to the ALEKS webpage and follow the instructions on the
syllabus to sign up for the course
 http://www.ALEKS.com/

Assessments and Grading

Two Types of Assessments:
 ALEKS
non-graded progress assessments/quizzes
(including initial assessment)
 3 graded, scheduled, in-class assessments

Final Exam/Extra Credit
 If
you spend at least 84 hours on ALEKS (as required) over
the entire term, can take a final exam.
 Your final grade will be the average of your score on the 3
assessments OR your final exam score (whichever is better)
Grading Scale
Your grade will be
based on the percentage
of the total required
course content you are
able to master by the
end of the term.
A+
98% +
A
92% +
B
84% +
C
75% +
D
65% +
F
Less than 65%
Also Note:

Academic Dishonesty/Cheating Rules Apply

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“A student *suspected* by an instructor or a proctor of cheating in an
examination is considered to have cheated. Students have a
responsibility to avoid any behavior that, however innocent, may look
suspicious to a reasonable observer.”
Accommodations for students with special needs
Schedule conflicts and make-up exams

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Serious emergencies will be accommodated but we will require
documentation and/or letter from the emergency dean
We need to know about conflicts as soon as possible because scheduling
additional assessments on ALEKS takes at least 2 weeks
Questions?
Introduction to
Statistics
Statistics: Why?
Reading psychology research articles
 Doing psychology research
 Reasoning, critical thinking

Statistics: What?

Statistics ≠ Math
 (Don’t

Panic)
Statistics =
 Fundamental
tool for all scientific inquiry
 Way of making sense out of data
Statistics: What?

Definition of Statistics…
C
O
Collecting …
Organizing …
D
I
A
Displaying …
Interpreting …
Analyzing …
Data
What is Data?

“Data” is the plural of “Datum”
 (Latin for
“given”)
It is the generic term for numerical information
that has been obtained on a set of
objects/individuals etc.
 The objects can be anything… people,
animals, etc.

What is Data?

Variable:
 Some
characteristic of the objects/individuals (e.g., height)
 Can take on different values (e.g., 5’1” , 5’6” , 6’2”).

Data:
 the
values of a variable for a certain set of objects/individuals
 (e.g., the height values of all the players on the basketball
team)
Data Examples:

Variable: The time you woke up this morning.
C
O
D
I
Collecting …
Organizing …
Displaying …
Interpreting …
A
Analyzing …
Two branches of statistics:
Descriptive Statistics
Describes a given set of data you have.
Inferential Statistics
Given the data you have about these people,
does this say anything about other people?
Course roughly divided in two by this distinction
To do in the next few days…
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Logon to ALEKs and open an account
Complete initial assessment and begin working
through material
Watch the first video “What is Statistics”
Attend your lab session to receive computer login
passwords