Research Methods in Psychological Science
M & W 12:00
- 12:50, 2057 BSB
|
Psychology
242
Research Methods in Psychological Science M & W 12:00
- 12:50, 2057 BSB
|
#Assignments
Answers for Exam3
GRADES for Course and Exam 4
Note that "total" grade is out of 100:
A= 90-100; B = 80-89.5; C = 70-79.5; D = 60-69.5
Last 6 digits Total
Exam4
of S.S.
80-1611
76.50 18.00
57-8938
92.25 18.50
72-0170
84.50 13.00
28-2742
86.50 .
72-6315
66.50 .
78-0476
91.25 .
80-8410
83.50 .
80-3997
82.50 .
88-3169
49.00 .
64-9635
82.00 .
72-5914
99.00 19.00
72-5041
91.50 16.50
82-9778
92.00 .
84-7661
52.50 .
92-0729
83.50 16.00
70-7312
81.00 .
68-0711
08.50 .
78-3150
76.00 14.00
49-1920
87.00 15.00
78-3350
81.25 13.00
70-9684
72.50 18.50
72-9206
79.00 13.00
94-6188
84.50 13.50
80-5962
43.00 .
78-6052
84.00 12.50
76-6981
90.50 16.50
84-2740
90.50 .
72-4262
83.50 .
72-9477
88.00 15.50
80-9822
92.50 .
76-7071
95.00 .
78-1168
83.50 .
80-4201
80.50 .
68-0223
89.00 17.00
86-1261
0.00 .
94-9857
96.00 .
78-9647
93.50 16.00
92-7458
89.25 16.50
80-2547
80.50 15.00
74-0122
87.00 14.50
17-8053
82.50 19.50
68-4226
82.50 15.00
62-4771
83.00 .
76-0152
90.50 .
16-9096
86.00 16.00
88-4765
95.00 .
72-3283
80.50 .
64-2377
0.00 .
51-3205
70.50 18.50
Instructor
Thomas Griffin, M.A., University of Illinois at Chicago
1021 BSB, M/C 285
E-mail: tgriffin@uic.edu
Office Hours: Wednesdays at 11:00 and 1:00 or by appointment
PURPOSE AND STRUCTURE OF THE COURSE
The objective of this course is to develop your understanding of scientific approaches to questions and how these approaches relate to the way we form beliefs in our daily lives. You will be introduced to the methods, logic, challenges, and excitement of conducting scientific research, particularly to address questions about human thought and behavior. The class is designed to foster the development of the critical thinking skills needed to evaluate the validity of claims (both the claims that others make and your own). Your increased understanding of scientific research will enable you to be an informed and critical consumer of the research claims, such as those made by advertisers, in the news media, or by politicians. An improved ability to rationally and intelligently evaluate ideas and claims will be useful for a broad variety of careers and your personal life, not just careers involving research.
The class will include lectures that present important concepts, designed to expand upon and integrate ideas in the readings. There will also be opportunities to discuss your reactions to the readings, go over homework assignments, and conduct brief psychological experiments and other exercises.
Required Textbook
· Ray, W. J. (2000). Methods Towards a Science of Behavior and Experience, 6th Ed.
· Other required readings will be handed out in class or posted on-line. Some of these will be excerpts from the suggested books below.
Suggested Additional readings (not required)
· Sagan, C. (1996). The demon-haunted world: Science as a candle
in the dark. NY: Ballentine.
· Shermer, M. (1997). Why people believe weird things: Pseudoscience,
superstition, and other confusions of our time. New York: W. H. Freeman
& Company.
· Schick, T., Vaughn, L. (1998). How to Think About Weird Things
: Critical Thinking for a New Age. Mayfield Publishing.
· Stanovich, K. (2001). How to think straight about psychology
(6th edition). Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Martin, P., & Bateson, P.
(1993). Measuring behavior: An introductory guide (2nd Ed.).
Cambridge
Graded Assignments
Exams (60% of Total)
There will be a total of 4 exams. The last exam will be on the last
day of classes. There will be no final. Your lowest score of these 4 exams
will be dropped and the remaining 3 exams will each count as 20% of your
final course grade.
There will be NO make-up exams!!!
If you miss an exam, that is the one you will drop. If you miss more
than one, you are S.O.L.
The exam questions will be multiple-choice and short answer. They will
cover material from both lecture and the readings. These exams will be
difficult, and designed to require a deep understanding and application
of the core conceptual issues. If you're looking for an easy class where
you don't have to read or struggle to grasp difficult concepts, this is
not the class for you.
Written Homework, in class activities, and small projects (40% of
Total)
All homework assignments must be typed, and will not be accepted late.
If you miss class on the due date, you must email it to me by the end of
that day. If you miss a class and want to know if homework was assigned,
check the class website. Do not email me asking what you missed that day.
Some days we will have class activities that count towards your grade.
I will not always announce this ahead of time, and if you miss that day
you will simply lose the points. If you know ahead of time that you will
be absent, at least let me know. I may take it into consideration when
calculating your final grade.
90-100% A
80-89% B
70-79% C
60-69% D
0-59% E
Other Policies and Expectations
Reading assignments: Many of the ideas are new and complex.
You will not be able to complete homework assignments or do well on exams
if you do not keep up on the readings. Every Wednesday, I will inform you
what chapters you should read prior to the following Monday.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities : Accommodations
are available for students who have a documented disability. Please notify
the instructor during the first week of class of any accommodations needed
for the course. Late notification may cause the requested accommodations
to be unavailable. Students with disabilities who require accommodations
for access and participation in this course must be registered with the
Office of Disability Services (ODS). Please contact ODS at 312/413-2103
(voice) or 312/413-0123 (TTY).
What if you miss class? Students who miss a class are
still responsible for ALL notes, announcements, and handouts for that class.
If you have a documented illness or family death, let me know.
Incomplete: You cannot receive an incomplete for
the course, unless you meet all the requirements as stated in the UIC Undergraduate
Catalog: (1) The student has been making satisfactory progress in the course;
(2) The student is unable to complete all course work due to unusual circumstances
that are beyond personal control; (3) The student presents these reasons
prior to the time that the final grade roster is due; and (4) The reasons
are acceptable to the instructor. Simple failure to do the assignments
and show up for exams will result in an "E", not and "Incomplete".
Schedule, Assignments, and
additional readings
NOTE: ALL HOMEWORK MUST BE TYPED!!
WEEKS 1-5
Week 1:
The Scientific approach and its relationship to our beliefs about
the world.
Assignments:
1. Read "The Fine Art of Baloney Detection" by Carl Sagan (handout
given in class)
2. Read Ch.1 and generate 1 example for each of the 5 "Ways of knowing".
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Week 2:
What is science?
Science as a self-correcting process.
Qualities of a good scientific theory.
5 limitations of personal experience.
Assignments:
1. Categorize each of these examples
into 1 of the 5 "ways of knowing" described in Ch 1. (Tenacity, Authority,
Reason, Common Sense, and Science).
You should notice that 3 of the examples do not
fit very well into any of these categories (hint: 1 of them is "Afterlife")
Do these three examples have anything in common?
Can you think of a new category or a 6th "way of knowing"
that the book author has left out?
2. Read "Is
Evolution Just a Theory", then reread and critique your own definition
of "Theory" that you wrote in class.
How was your definition similar and different from the notion of a
scientific theory described in the article?
If you were late to class on Wed, write a 2-3 sentence definition of
a "Theory" before doing the rest of the assignment.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Week 3:
More about the meaning of "scientific theory"
Theories about unobserved events can still be tested by using the assumptions
to make predictions that can be observed.
The warning signs of pseudo science.
More about limits of personal experience.
Thinking about the odds: Coincidence is more common than we believe.
Assignments:
Due Mon 9/16
**The link below only works when using Explorer. If you must use Netscape
click here
for a MS word version of the article.
1. Read "The
Odds of That", then come up with your own example of some event
that you or others might claim
"cannot just be coincidence". Take the position that it is coincidence
and argue why the odds of such a coincidence
are not as low as we might think. What are some things you might consider
when estimating the odds of this coincidence?
Are there aspects of the context that make such a coincidence more
likely?
What other explanation is there besides coincidence?
Do you think this other explanation is more likely than coincidence?
Why?
Suggestion: If you are having trouble thinking of something,
try the looking on-line with key phrases like "could not be coincidence".
Also, many times people who are claiming evidence of the paranormal (such
as ESP) or miracles point to events they claim cannot be the result
of coincidence. You could use this kind of event as your example.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Week 4:
More about the odds of a chance event or coincidence.
Any theory or explanation of events must rule out chance as an alternative
explanation.
The importance of human psychology to everyday life and the BIG questions.
Where do we get our info about psychology and why is it probably inaccurate?
Assignment:
Study, Study, Study for Exam 1!!!
EXAM 1 Moon 9/21
___________________________________________________________________________________________
*******************************************************************************************
WEEKS 5-8
Week 5
The general goal of research:
All questions are about understanding
how or why objects vary in their characteristics or behaviors.
Three types of research questions:
1. Descriptive Univariate: How does 'X' vary across
many observations?
2. Descriptive Multivariate: How does 'X'
vary in relation to other variables, such as 'Y'?
3. Explanatory: What other variable
causes 'X' vary across different observations?
Assignments: Due Mon 9/30
Read CH. 3 and 4 and then do the following tasks:
-For each of the 5 research questions below, underline the variable
or variables.
-Then generate 2 different "operational definitions" for each variable
in the question (see pgs 54-56 for discussion of this issue).
-Finally, state which type of measurement scale would be best to measure
each operationally defined variable.
(the four types of scales are "nominal", "ordinal",
"interval", and "ratio". They're defined and discussed on pgs. 87-90)
1. How much anxiety do students feel when taking a test?
2. Does education about the scientific method increase people's commitment
to democratic values?
3. Does the way parents raise their kids have a large effect on the
type of personality their children will have?
4. Do students learn more when the number of students in the class
is smaller?
5. Does religious belief cause people to behave more morally?
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Week 6
Operational definitions: Defining concepts or variables in terms of
what can be observed and how and when we will make those observations.
Measuring our variables: Types of scales
Errors in measurement: Random errors and there impact on the reliability
of our observations.
3 ways to reduce the impact of random errors.
.Assignments: Due 10/07
Read Chapter 6. Skip the section titled "Statistical
Hypothesis Testing" (pgs 141-145).
Keep in mind that your book uses the term "chance variation" instead
of "random error",
and uses "systematic variation due to confounds" instead of "systematic
error".
On pg 152, answer the "REVIEW QUESTIONS" 1 through 7, and the "DISCUSSION
QUESTION" #4.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Week 7
(O=T+E+S) Observed scores
= True score + random Error + Systematic error
Our data could be caused by either variance in true scores of our variable,
random error variance, or systematic error variance.
Our operational definitions should be designed to reduce reduce error
in our measurements.
Assignments: Due 10/14
Read Chapter 5 (only read up to the end of pg 125).
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Week 8
Distributions of scores: proportions for categorical variables and
means scores and spread for continuous variables
Both our methods of measurement and methods of sampling can lead to
random and systematic errors.
Sampling: Random and systematic sampling errors that cause our sample
distribution to differ from the population.
Methods of sampling and ways to reduce both systematic and random sampling
error.
STUDY FOR EXAM 2 Mon 10/21
Study guide
The following questions are answered by the lectures and supported
by material in Chapters 3 thru 6.
How do nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio scales differ, and how
is a nominal scale different from all the others?
What are 'Operational definitions' and why are they necessary?
What are the steps in operationally defining a 'latent' or unobserved
variable?
What are the three kinds of variance that can affect (and explain)
the data we observe?
What is meant by "reliability" & "validity", and explain how
a measure can be reliable but not valid?
Why do many observations at different times help to reduce random
measurement error, but not systematic error?
How does the use of multiple operational definitions of a single
variable help reduce systematic error?
What are the two different kinds of random and systematic error
that can affect our interpretation of data?
Explain how random sampling and a large sample size reduce systematic
and random error.
How do convenience and quota sampling contribute to systematic error?
How do we describe a distribution of a categorical variable and
a continuous variable?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
*******************************************************************************************
WEEKS 9-12
Week 9
Correlations: 3 ways to explain them
Types of correlations: Linear (pos & neg), and non-linear
Assignments: Due 10/28.
Read Chapters 7 & 8.
Below are 5 examples of correlations.
For each correlation, predict whether you think those variables would
be positively or negatively correlated,
then draw a simple graph showing that type of correlation.
Also, generate an example of a 3rd variable ("z") that could explain
why these two variables are correlated in this way.
Explain how this 3rd variable might affect each of the other two variables.
1. Scores on the SAT and yearly income at age 35.
2. Amount of school prayer and amount of crime.
3. How often elderly people play cards and how long they live.
4. How often parents spank their kids and how often they were
spanked as a kid.
5. Number of bars and number of churches in a town.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Week 10
More about correlations and third variable explanations.
Assignments: NOTE THEIR ARE TWO ASSIGNMENTS DUE FOR NEXT WEEK!
1. Due Mon 11/4: Read the two chapters in the handout
and answer the following questions.
(If you missed class on Wed 10/30, you can pick up a copy of the handout
from my mailbox in room 1009)
Ch 5 What "third variable" explains the correlation between
the number of appliances and use of birth control?
What "third variable" explains the correlation between academic achievement
and the type of school attended?
Describe the method of "control" that has been used to test whether
school type really causes higher achievement.
Ch 6 How do the methods of "experimental control and manipulation"
help to eliminate alternative explanations?
How did Pfungst control the situation to eliminate the horses math
ability from all other variables?
What happened when he did this?
Why are our intuitions about physics and psychology often mistaken?
2. Due Wed 11/6:
Look on the internet or in a newspaper or magazine, and find an news
article or an advertisement where they are claiming
a cause-effect relationship between two variables that are correlated.
Cut out or print out the ad or article.
Answer the following questions about your article:
What are the variables?
What is the assumed causal relationship between them?
What is there data showing to support this relationship?
Does the article mention the possibility of "third variables"?
Do the article report any steps taken to eliminate third variables
as an explanation?
What kinds of experimental controls and manipulations could you use
to rule out any alternative explanations?
___________________________________________________________________
Week 11
2 ways to deal with "third variable" confounds: eliminate them
statistically, control them using a true experiment.
Random Assignment and Manipulation
Potential confounds introduced by Manipulation of independent variable
and how to get rid of them.
ASSIGNMENT: Due Mon 11/11
Read Chapters 9 & 10 in Ray and answer the "Review Questions" at
the end of each Chapter.
NOTE: Homework must be turned in during class!!
____________________________________________________________________________________
Week 12
Within participant experiments
Experimenter and participant biases that affect results.
EXAM 3 Mon 11/18
Study Guide:
Identify, draw, and describe "positive", "negative", and "no" correlations.
Identify and describe "linear" vs. "non-linear" correlations.
What is a "confound"?
How do "third variables" differ from confounds caused by experimental
manipulation?
What are the ways we can "control" or "eliminate" these two types
of confounds?
What are the 2 main features of an experiment and how do they help
rule out alternative causal explanations?
What is a "within-subject" experiment? How are they beneficial?
The story of "Goldberger and Pellagra" on pg 77-78 in the handout
provides examples of all the issues raised in the questions above. Describe
how all of the issues above relate to this story.
What problems can within subject designs create and how can we deal
with it?
What is a repeated measures design? What is a mixed design?
What are experimenter bias and demand characteristics and how do
we reduce them?
-------------------------------
CORRECT ANSWERS TO EXAM 3.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Week 13
Thinking Critically about data and evidence
Evaluating theories against all relevant data, not just a single experiment.
Why no single experiment can be interpreted on its own.
ASSIGNMENT: Due 11/20
Read "Prayer Before Dying" handout and answer 2 questions. (pick-up
from my mailbox if not in class 11/18)
1) In the first small study, did the use of Random Assignment "work"?
2) Even if the researchers had not "cheated", why should we still have
been skeptical?
ASSIGNMENT: Due Mon 11/25
Read chapters 8 & 9 in the handout given in class on 11/20 (pick
one up from my mailbox, if you missed class)
**NOTE: The handout includes Chapter 12, which is the assignment for
next weekend (the last one).
** If you want to get a head start, the questions for chapter 12 are
below under week 14.
Answer the following questions:
Questions 1-4 are for Ch8
1. What is "the connectivity principle", and how does it relate to
interpreting the results in the "prayer before dying" article? Which explanation
of the data seems more consistent with this principle, the "chance" explanation
or the "prayer works" explanation?
2. News media often make bold claims about how "new, breakthrough research proves something scientists cannot explain!!" Explain how do these kind of sensationalizing headlines violate the connectivity principle and the notion of science as a "gradual synthesis"?
3. How does the use of "converging evidence" help us to overcome the
flaws of any single experiment?
Why is convergent evidence so important to fields
like psychology?
4. Is the requirement of "scientific consensus" just a close-minded attempt to keep out new ideas? Answer honestly, but defend your answer.
Questions 5-6 are for Ch 9
5. Suppose that the body of research on T.V. violence shows that
repeated exposure to violent T.V. does cause in increase in aggressive
behavior. Your aunt Thelma says, "That's a load of horse pucky!! Some kids
are just meaner than others and their parents don't bring em up right!"
Is your aunt Thelma's criticism of the research fair?
If what she says is true, does that mean the research is false or unimportant?
6. Some researchers claim that humn intelligence is influenced by our
genes, while other researchers say that the quality of our education influences
intelligence. This is part of what is called "The Nature vs. Nurture debate".
Why might this "debate" be missing the point or be a waste of time?
__________________________________________________________________________________
Week 14
Applying logical principals of theory evaluation.
Misuses of scientific data and distortions of the scientific process
in our popular culture.
Our bias towards overly simple, one-cause explanations.
ASSIGNMENT: Due 12/02
Read Chapter 12 in the handout (from last week), and answer the following
questions:
NOTE: Question #4 should be quite fun, and will be more fun if you
have already read chapter 12 and can do this during Thanksgiving with a
room full of relatives.
1. What are 3 of the ways that psychology is misunderstood?
2. Why might our culture be resistant to accepting a scientific field of psychology? Besides the examples in the book, can you think of a topic that psychology might study that might pose a threat to certain beliefs or social institutions?
3. On pages 214-217 the author suggests that ideas and beliefs (or "memes") are like selfish creatures that struggle for their own survival, and it doesn't matter whether these ideas are true or false, or whether they benefit or harm the person who believes them. Explain what the author means by this statement.
4. Find out first hand what the general public thinks about psychology.
Tell a friends or family members (who don't have a formal education
in psychology) that you are thinking of becoming a psychologist. Observe
their response. First, see what kind of things they say spontaneously.
Do they mention Freud? Do they talk about how you'll be analyzing people's
dreams or helping them with their problems? Do they mention how you'll
be analyzing them and that you'll finally be able to tell everyone what
the hell is wrong with crazy Uncle Larry? Is there response positive or
negative?
After you get their spontaneous responses, try and convince them that
most of psychology is not about Freud, or
helping the mentally ill. Try and convince them that your going to
be a scientist and conduct research on normal everyday human behavior,
such as how people learn, what techniques promote better learning in difficult
subjects like science, what causes differences in personality, what
things promote or hinder child development, what things affect aggressive
behavior (or anything else you can think of).
Do they seem to get it? Do they stop talking as though your going to
be a therapist? Did they have any idea that psychology studies these things?
If you can keep this act up for a couple of hours, you may find that
these people to whom you told earlier that you will be a scientist, not
a therapist will still say something like "So can you tell us what's wrong
with this crazy family?"
Afterwards, write down some of the responses you remember, especially
if they said anything similar to what said above. You don't need to write
down every detail.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Week 15
How to be a critical consumer of ideas in the worlds of advertising,
politics, news, and friendly debates.
Public misunderstanding of psychology.
EXAM 4 Wed 12/04
THAT'S ALL FOLKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!