Introduction to Research Methods–PSYCH 018–Evergreen Valley College

General Information

3 Units | CR | Prerequisite: PSYCH 001 or PSYCH 010, MATH 063

Course Description

This course is an introduction to the experimental and correlational methods used in psychological research. Students will learn to research the literature, perform laboratory experiments, conduct statistical analysis, and write reports of the research findings.

Course Content

1. Introduction to Scientific Terms and Concepts
2. Research Techniques
   1. Observation
   2. Correlation
   3. Case Study
   4. Survey
   5. Experimentation
3. Ethics
4. Statistical Procedures
5. Reading Research Journal Articles
   1. Paraphrasing
   2. Finding and Linking Journal Articles to a Specific Hypothesis or Theory
6. Hypotheses and Theories
   1. Formulation
   2. Testing
7. Writing Research Proposals and Papers
   1. APA Guidelines
8. Oral Presentations and Defense of Original Research

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course,the student will be able to:

• Design original research projects
• Critique published research articles.
• Locate, analyze and use journal articles to substantiate an original theory.
• Develop and conduct a survey and an observation of human behavior to test an original theory.
• Organize experimental and correlational data.
• Apply correct descriptive and inferential methods.
• Communicate results and analysis of original research in written and oral form.
• Defend, through an oral presentation, an original theory and experimental design.

Process

This class consists of lecture and lab. The instructor will be present to assist you during the lab. In order to complete assignments, you will also need to work on them outside the scheduled laboratory periods.

Required Texts

Coolican, H. (2006). Introduction to Research Methods in Psychology (3rd ed.). London: Hodder Arnold
ISBN 13: 978-0-340-90757-3

American Psychological Association. (2009). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, D.C.
ISBN 13: 978-1433805615

Assignments and Quizzes

You will be given several assignments related to material discussed in class, and may have short quizzes throughout the semester.

Observational Study and Survey

Each student will design and perform a observational study and a survey (these are two different assignments) on topics related to psychology. The project should use methods and techniques discussed in the course. The study and survey will each result in a research paper and an oral presentation. Students will develop their research study across the semester and have several opportunities to receive feedback from members of the class. On dates given at the class web site, students will have the opportunity to review one another’s progress (Peer Review). During each peer review, students must bring in a portion of their research paper, and they will receive feedback from others in the course. Participating in each of these peer reviews is vital to the goals of the course and learning about the scientific method.

At specified points during the semester students will turn in their final paper, written in APA format, for the study and the survey. The paper must include all parts of an original research paper including a Title Page, Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, References, and Graphs/Charts.

Oral Presentation

Researchers communicate their findings in a variety of ways in order to reach the largest audience possible. Therefore, it is important that a student in psychology practice communicating results in multiple ways. Each student will give a 4-5 minute talk based on the results of the research study he/she has designed and conducted. The oral presentation should include the hypothesis to be tested, the techniques used, the results, and a discussion of how the results relate to previous research. Students must also participate by asking questions of one another.

Written Work

All written work will be graded for organization, spelling, and grammar. Unless specified otherwise, all work must be in APA format, stapled together, and typed in 10-12 pt font with 2.54cm (1-inch) margins on all sides. Use only a serif font such as Times New Roman, Garamond, or Palatino. Do not use cursive or “artistic” fonts.

Please email all written work to me as well as providing a printed version. I will not accept assignments in Microsoft Word .doc or .docx format. Instead, they must be in Rich Text Format (.rtf) or OpenDocument Text (.odt) format. You can save .rtf format from Microsoft Word. You can create .odt files with the OpenOffice.org program, available for free download at http://www.openoffice.org/

Grading

The work in this course will be weighted and combined to calculate your final grade as follows:

Weight Lab Assignments: 30% Observational Study Written Paper 15% Oral Presentation 10% Participation in presentation 3% Peer Review 7% Survey Written Paper 15% Oral Presentation 10% Participation in presentation 3% Peer Review 7%

Grading 90% and above A 80%-89.9% B 70%-79.9% C 60%-69.9% D Less than 60% F

Attendance

You are required to attend classes. If you decide to drop the class, it is your responsibility to do so. Five absences may cause you to be dropped - please notify the instructor if you have any extenuating circumstances. The deadline dates for dropping a class with and without a “W” are listed in the printed schedule of classes.

If you are late to a class session, you will miss the material presented before you arrived. As a courtesy to your fellow students, please arrive on time on days when oral presentation of research papers is scheduled

Policies

Exercises are to be submitted prior to the end of the class lab period on the date due. If turned in late, you will receive reduced credit; one letter grade per class session late up to two sessions late. Missed tests or exercises will receive zero credit. Discussion about assignments is encouraged, but you must each do your own work. Cheating and plagiarism will be met with an F in the course. See the EVC catalog for details on the College Honesty Policy as well as student disciplinary and grievance procedures.

If you have learning or physical needs that require special accommodations, please let me know as soon as possible.

Course Outline

Note: This is a tentative schedule, and, real life being what it is, we may deviate radically from this printed schedule. Your mileage may definitely vary. The class web site will contain up-to-date assignments and due dates.