Psychology 242 – Introduction to Research in Psychology
The University of Illinois at Chicago
Spring 2001 MWF 11-11:50 2019 BSB Course Call #: 54013

Instructor:
Kari L. Nysse, M.A.
Office: 1049 BSB; Phone (312) 355-0225 (leave detailed message)
Office hours: T 10-11 AM, F 10-11 AM, or by appointment
Mailbox: Psychology Department, Room 1009 BSB
E-mail: knysse@uic.edu
Class web page address: www.uic.edu/classes/psych/psych242kln

TEXTS:

Required:
Shaughnessy, J. J., Zechmeister, E. B., & Zechmeister, J. S. (2000). Research methods in psychology (5^th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill.

Optional:
American Psychological Association. (1994). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (4^th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

A student study guide written to accompany your textbook is available on-line at: http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/psychology/shaugh/olc.htm. To access the study guide, click on "online learning center" found under the category "student resources." (You can also access the study guide via the class web page.)

PREREQUISITE:

Credit or concurrent registration in Psychology 100, Introduction to Psychology.

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES:

Psychology 242, Introduction to Research in Psychology, is designed to provide you with information about psychological research methods, to make you think about issues related to scientific research, and to enable you to perform psychological research. You will learn about a variety of research methods that psychologists use, consider the ethical issues related to conducting research, conduct your own research, and think critically about research reported in newspapers, popular magazines, and local and national news shows.

More specifically, you will:

Learn

• the fundamental principles of the scientific method.
• various research methods to help you understand and evaluate psychological research.
• the ethical considerations related to conducting psychological research.
• the strengths and weaknesses of the various research methods used by psychologists, with an emphasis on matching research methods to research questions.

Think

• critically about published research by evaluating its methods, recognizing its potential biases, and considering alternative explanations for the published findings.
• about the ethical issues surrounding research and the application of research findings.

Perform

• the steps involved in the research process such as formalizing a research topic, reviewing previous literature related to your topic, generating research hypotheses, designing an experiment/study, collecting and analyzing data, interpreting your data, and presenting your results to others.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Tests: (50%) Tests will be a combination of multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions. Questions are designed to assess your knowledge of concepts and your ability to apply those concepts. There will be 3 in-class tests that will cover textbook readings, lectures, class demonstrations, and class exercises. In addition, there will be a forth, cumulative exam during the normal university finals week. You have to take only 3 of the 4 tests. You are allowed to drop your lowest test score. If you take all 3 in-class exams and are satisfied with your scores, you may skip the final exam. If you missed any one of the first 3 in-class tests, or want to try to replace your lowest score with a better score, you may take the final exam. I will automatically take your 3 best test scores when determining final course grades. Because you have the option to drop the lowest test score, THERE WILL BE NO MAKE-UP TESTS FOR ANY REASON. If you are ill, injured, or away for any reason during one of the first three in-class tests, that will be the test you "drop,"and you'll simply take the final. If you miss two tests, that means one of your three test scores will be a zero.



• Observational Research Project: (15%) For the observational research project, you and a partner will design, conduct, and write a report on an naturally occurring human behavior. A detailed handout describing the research project and the final report will be distributed in class. The Observational Research Report is due Friday, February 9, 2001.



• APA Style Research Report: (15%) The basis for this report will be an in-class experiment. As a class, you will participate in a psychological experiment, and together we will analyze the data. You will be responsible for writing a brief APA-style research article reporting the results of our in-class experiment. More information regarding this project will be provided at a later date. If you want to, you can give me a rough-draft of this report for my comments no later than Monday, February 26, 2001. (I highly recommend that you take advantage of this opportunity!) Each student will hand in a final draft of their research report on Friday, March 23, 2001.



• Research Proposal Poster Presentation: (20%) As part of your concluding experience in this research methods course, you will explore how research is an ongoing, continuous process. You will discover first hand how studies develop from previous experiments. This project involves exploring questions left unanswered by previous research while allowing you to demonstrate the wealth of knowledge you acquire throughout the course of the semester. Students will work in pairs to complete this assignment. On the last day of class, you and your partner will present your work to your classmates and your instructor during a "poster session." A more detailed handout describing the poster presentation project will be distributed in class at a later date. Your Poster Presentation Topic is due on Friday, April 6, 2001.



• Extra Credit: (2%) You may earn up to 2 extra percentage points, added directly to your final grade, by keeping your eyes and ears peeled for research reports. If you see a newspaper or magazine article that reports research findings, bring it to class before Friday, February 16, 2001. You will earn 1 percentage point for each article you bring in, up to 2 articles. We will use these articles when we discuss how to be critical, informed research consumers.

GRADING:

Grades will be based on a 100-point scale as follows: 90-100 = A; 80-89 = B; 70-79 = C; 60-69= D; Below 60 = Failure.

Use this example to calculate your final grade:

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MISCELLANEOUS:

• Students who miss a class are still responsible for ALL notes, announcements, and handouts for that class. If you miss a class, you should obtain the notes from a fellow classmate.



• Late work (including tests, as outlined above!) will not be accepted unless you unfortunately experience a documented personal emergency (e.g., illness or family death). An "incomplete" will NOT be given unless you meet the requirements as stated in the UIC Undergraduate Catalog, and restated here: (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.



• Daily attendance is strongly encouraged, and attendance is mandatory at all research-related in-class projects. Specifically, you must be present on the days we conduct the observational project and the in-class experiment. An absence on either one of those days will result in an automatic 5- point deduction from your grade for that particular project.



• All work must be typed.



• In fairness to the vast majority of students who take their college career seriously, no form of cheating will be tolerated. If you cheat on any assignment in this class (including copying the words of a fellow student or any other author in your observational research project, in-class experiment APA report, research proposal poster, or handing in work that you handed in for another class), you will receive a failing grade for the course and judicial charges will be filed.



• If you have any problems or concerns throughout the class, I am here to help you. Please come see me before it is too late at the end of the semester. That's why I hold office hours and why I will schedule special appointments if you can't make my office hours. If you need to make a special appointment, make it a week in advance. As much as I genuinely like to help, it will be nearly impossible for me to accommodate you on very short notice (like the day before an assignment is due).



• Note to students with disabilities: If you have a recognized disability, please contact the UIC Office of Disability Services and then me as soon as possible.



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