RESEARCH METHODS
Spring 2025
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Class Information |
Instructor Information |
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PSYCH 3002 |
Helen C. Harton, Ph.D. |
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WRT 105 (class)/112 (lab) |
Bartlett 2080 |
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MWF 11-11:50 + M 10-10:50 (lab) |
273-2235; harton@uni.edu |
Office hours: M 3:30-4; F 12-1:30; by arrangement
Course Information
Course Learning Outcomes: By the end of this course, you should be able to:
Instructor Course Description: In this course, you will learn how to design, interpret, present, and evaluate psychological research.
Course Catalog Description: Introduction to fundamentals of
psychological inquiry. Emphasis on experimental research but all major
approaches (correlational, field, clinical, phenomenological) considered.
Prerequisite(s): PSYCH 1001; plus 6 additional credit hours in psychology.
Syllabus/Class Information Locations: The course syllabus can be found linked from my website, www.uni.edu/harton, or directly at http://www.uni.edu/harton/rmsyll25s.htm. It is also linked from the BlackBoard elearning site. Hyperlinks in the syllabus link to PowerPoint slides for the class and readings. PowerPoint slides will be posted online at least 24 hours before each class and updated as needed until class time. If the slides don’t seem to open, right click on the link, choose “open in a new window” and hit return at the end of the url. It should then open or download. You could also try using a different browser.
Credit Hour Statement: This course meets the Course Credit Hour
Expectation outlined in the Course Catalog. Students should expect to work a
minimum of 2 hours per week outside of class for every course credit hour.
Since this is an advanced undergraduate course, the expectation is that you
will work approximately 3 hours per week outside of class for every course
credit hour, or an average of 12 hours per week.
Readings
Required:
Jhangiani, R. S., Chiang, I-C. A., Cuttler, C., & Leighton, D. C. (2019). Research methods in psychology (4th ed.). Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. (JCCL)
Optional, but recommended,
especially if you plan to go to graduate school in psychology or a related
area:
American Psychological Association
(2019). Publication manual of the
American Psychological Association (7th ed). http://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000
In addition, some articles will be assigned in class. These will be provided in Blackboard and/or linked from the syllabus.
*Note that the online textbook (JCCL) has NOT been updated to new APA
style (7th edition), which came out in October 2019, but that you
WILL need to use version 7 style for your papers (resources available in Bb).
Grading
Tests 1-3 25%
Final exam 10%
Paper introduction 7.5%
Paper method and results 7.5%
Final completed paper 15%
Lab (including study implementation and group work) 15%
Group presentation 5%
Homework/In-class activities 15%
Earning 90% of the possible points will earn an A, 80% a B, etc., with these categories being further subdivided by pluses and minuses (e.g., 80-82 = B-; 83-86 = B; 87-89=B+).
Course Requirements and Expectations
Tests/Exam: There will be three tests and a comprehensive final exam. Tests will be made up of multiple choice, short answer, and short essay questions. You can have one 8.5 x 11 or smaller piece of paper with notes on it for each test/exam.
· Test 1 will cover the basics of the scientific knowing and the scientific method, basic study design, and understanding graphs, tables, and articles.
· Test 2 will cover measurement, surveys, correlations, sampling, and observation.
· Test 3 will cover experiments, quasi-experiments, and small n designs
· The final exam will cover ethics, evaluating research, AND information from throughout the semester.
· There will be a study guide for each test/exam that will tell you what information you will be responsible for knowing on the test that you will get at least one week before the test/exam.
Research paper: You will choose among several topics to explore this semester. After you rank your topic choices, you will be assigned to a 3-4 person group on one of your top choices. With your group, you will read and find literature on the topic, come up with a hypothesis, and design and carry out a study to test that hypothesis. Each of you will write individual papers, but you will collaborate on literature search, study design, implementation, and analysis. The research paper will include an introduction that pulls together previous research on the topic (aka a literature review). This is not just a compilation of separate paragraphs, each describing one study--you should organize the studies you read in a coherent manner, analyzing what others have done and leading into what needs to be done next (your study) and what you expect to find. You will then have a method section detailing who your participants were and what you had them do, a results section describing what you found, and a discussion section addressing why you think you got the results you did, what they mean, and limitations of your study. These sections should be followed by a list of references (in APA style), and appendices (including questionnaires used). You will turn in the introduction first, then the methods and expected results, and finally the entire paper (with revisions to previous sections based on feedback). The paper should be in the latest APA style (7th edition). Click on the hyperlink above for more information (it also contains links to a detailed rubric and a template for the paper). You must use Microsoft Word to submit your paper—the university provides free access for all students. If you haven’t written a research paper before, note that it is different and much more specific than other types of papers that you may have written in the past.
Study implementation and group work: Your grade for this portion of the class will include lab attendance and participation, group project assignments, group bibliographic notes, your active participation in designing and analyzing the study, the quality of your study, and your ability to meet deadlines. Your fellow group members will also rate you, and your group grade may be lowered if there is consensus that your participation was low in quantity or quality (or raised, if they think you did more than your fair share). Click on the hyperlink above for more information.
Group presentation: Your group will make a 10-minute presentation of your study’s purpose, hypotheses, method, results, and interpretation and answer questions from the instructor and the rest of the class. The presentation should involve PowerPoint-type slides. Everyone in the group should participate in the presentation in some way, but it is up to the group how to divide the work (e.g., one person could make the slides, and another do most of the talking). Everyone in the group will get the same grade, and each person in the group will have at least 1 question to answer. Click on the hyperlink above for more information.
Homework/in-class activities: There will be homework exercises and/or in-class activities each week that will be assigned in class to give you practice with course concepts. They may include assignments, computer exercises, class demonstrations, and data collection. The individual pre-paper assignments (e.g., reference section) count as part of your homework grade. In-class assignments such as practice sheets and small group activities will also be included in this part of your grade. In-class activities are generally worth 5 pts. Points for homework assignments vary from 5 to 25 depending on the assignment. See Bb for more information.
Course Schedule
The schedule is tentative—it’s possible that
some topics may take a little longer or get covered more quickly depending on
class understanding, which may also affect due dates, especially for smaller
(e.g., homework) assignments. Exam dates and due dates for the paper should be
set, but we may still need to be flexible. At any rate, the exams and paper
assignments will not be moved forward.
Further details on each assignment are
provided in Blackboard. Unless indicated otherwise, all assignments should be
submitted via BlackBoard.
Hyperlinks on dates are to PowerPoint slides.
They will be posted each week and finalized by the start of class. If you have
trouble opening a link, right click on it, choose “open in another window” and
then hit return at the end of the url in that new window. It should then
download. Dates in bold are lab days.
Unless specified otherwise, all assignments should be done individually.
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Topic |
Assignment |
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Welcome and
introduction to the course |
·
Discuss
working in groups ·
Turn
in ranking of topics |
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How do we know
what we know? |
·
Read
JCCL Chapter 1 (textbook) ·
“Me” slide due ·
Groups
assigned |
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Logistical
fallacies |
·
Lab 1: Library resources and taking notes ·
Read
chapter on logical fallacies (Bb) ·
Logical
fallacies assignment due. |
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How to avoid
and correct misinformation |
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Basics of
experimental design |
·
Read
JCCL Chapter 2 |
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Hypotheses and
operational definitions |
·
Lab 2: Group discussion of assigned
articles ·
Questions
on assigned articles due |
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Understanding
articles |
·
Read this
article on how to read empirical articles |
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Understanding
tables and figures |
·
Hypotheses
assignment due |
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Recap |
·
Lab 3: Group discussion of articles and
ideas; work on group bibliography questions (each group member needs to bring
in two articles that they have read and are ready to discuss) ·
Questions
on 2 articles you identified due |
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Theory and
replication |
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Plagiarism and
intervening variables |
·
Plagiarism
assignment due (upload screen shot of final grade) |
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Scientific
writing |
·
Lab 4: Writing a literature review and
outline ·
References due
in APA style (individual assignment) ·
Read
JCCL Chapter 11 |
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Feb 19 |
Test 1 |
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Scientific
writing |
·
Class
online bc instructor is presenting at SPSP ·
Assignments
will be posted in Bb |
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Scientific
writing |
·
Lab 5: Work on study design ·
Outline for
paper due |
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Measurement |
·
Read
JCCL Chapter 4 |
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Measurement |
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Measurement |
·
Lab 6: Work on study design |
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Sampling and
surveys |
·
Introduction
section due ·
Google
drive and spreadsheet updated and ready to be graded (group assignment) |
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Surveys |
·
Read
JCCL Chapters 6 and 7 |
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Correlation |
·
Lab 7: Qualtrics implementation and
testing; Finalize study |
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Correlation |
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Polling |
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Observation |
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Lab 8: Peer review studies |
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Mar 26 |
Review |
·
Final
study design due and ready to go (group assignment) |
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Mar 28 |
Test 2 |
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Observation |
·
Lab 9: Collect data (and provide data) ·
Read
JCCL Chapter 5 |
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Experiments |
||
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Experiments |
·
Read
JCCL Chapter 9 |
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Experiments |
·
Lab 10: Clean and analyze data |
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Experiments |
·
Class
online bc instructor is presenting at MPA ·
Assignments
will be posted in Bb ·
Read
JCCL Chapter 8 |
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Apr 11 |
Experiments |
·
Class
online bc instructor is presenting at MPA ·
Assignments
will be posted in Bb |
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Apr 14 |
Experiments |
·
Lab 11: Clean and analyze data |
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Apr 16 |
Experiments |
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Quasi
experiments |
·
Method
and results sections due |
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|
Quasi
experiments/small n designs |
·
Lab 12: Interpret data (group
assignment) ·
Read
JCCL Chapter 10 |
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Apr 23 |
Review |
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Apr 25 |
Test 3 |
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Apr 28 |
Project
presentations |
·
Lab 13: Project presentations (group assignment) |
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Ethics |
·
Read
JCCL Chapter 3 |
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|
Ethics |
·
Last
day to participate in extra credit or turn in extra credit papers |
|
|
Ethics |
·
Lab 14: Peer review of paper |
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May 7 |
Ethics |
·
Final paper due
along with paper addressing changes you made in response to feedback from
peer and instructor |
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May 9 |
Review |
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May 13** |
Tuesday,
10-11:50 Final exam |
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FAQs
How can I do well in this course?
The most important thing to do if you want to do well in this course is
to come to class and pay attention. Keep up with assignments, especially for
the project and paper, and read the extra information I put online for that and
the other assignments. Start on the paper assignments early. Talk to me about
anything you don’t understand, and meet with me about your paper/study. Read
the book and other assigned readings.
What is the class format like?
We will use a variety of research-based active
learning techniques and other best practices in teaching in this course,
including elements of the flipped classroom, specs grading, small group
discussions, and project-based learning, that have been shown to increase
learning vs. traditional lecture alone (e.g., Freeman et al., 2014). It is
important that you do the assignments before class so you’ll be prepared to
actively participate in the class.
I’ve heard this is a hard class and
a lot of work. I’m scared.
Not technically a question, but yes, this is a challenging class, but one
that you can totally do well in if you try. Use the resources (e.g., readings,
information in Bb) and ask for help from me when you need it. It’s a 4 credit
class and writing intensive, so you should expect to spend about 12 hours a
week on the class on average. You’ve got this.
What is this “lab” thing?
The main thing we’ll do in lab during the semester is the group work of
designing a study. There will also be a few nonproject-related
labs where you might practice writing or evaluate a study.
Why do we have to work in groups? I
hate people.
Most jobs will require some coordination with other people. Even as a
professor (a relatively solitary job), I have to work on lots of committees and
consult with others, and almost all of my research projects are done
collaboratively. Working in groups helps you develop skills you’ll need for
work (and for life—most likely you also will need to collaborate at some point
with family members or others). It’s also a way to make the workload lower and
make it possible to complete a study in this short time frame. If you’re having
trouble with your group, talk to me early so we can try to sort things out—or
better yet, try to solve the problem among yourselves.
Can I just do my project on my
own/Do it on a different topic?
No. One of the goals of the class is to learn to work effectively in
groups. The topics were chosen so that you have a solid background and idea to
start with. This is one project in one semester out of your life—I’m not asking
you to spend the rest of your life studying this topic or hanging out with your
group.
Do we have to get together with our
groups outside of class?
There will be some time each week in class and/or lab to get together
with your group members. You will definitely need to work on parts of the
project outside of class, but they may or may not require your group to
actually meet (and if you do need to meet, you could use zoom). You may also
want to meet with me outside of class, but that also could be with a subset of
the group.
Since we’re working in groups, can
we just write a group paper?
No. You need to write a separate, individual paper to show that you’ve
learned writing skills and understand your study. Some parts of the paper will
be similar—the references, method, and results will be very similar across
group members—but the paper should be written on your own.
Why are there so many assignments?
I’ve been teaching research methods for a long time, and I don’t assign
things just for the thrill of grading them. Every assignment has a purpose, and
they are designed to help you become a better critical thinker, writer, and
consumer of research and prepare you for later assignments and tests. The
rationale for each assignment, how many points it is worth, and its grading
criteria are detailed in Bb.
What if I can’t make it to class
because I’m sick or for other reasons?
If you email me by 9am the day of class, I can send you a zoom link for
class. I don’t recommend doing this regularly, as it’s harder to pay attention
online and people who’ve done this frequently in the past have tended to do
poorly in the class.
What if the weather is bad?
If UNI cancels face-to-face classes, we’ll move class online to zoom at
the regular time. If they don’t cancel, I will be here as usual, but if it’s
dangerous for you to get in, you can email me and get the zoom link.
Can I turn things in late?
You get two “free” late passes--that is, you can turn in up to 2
individual assignments up to 48 hours late with no penalty and no need for a
rationale. These passes apply to the first two things you turn in late—you
can’t take one back and use it for someone else later. Turning things in late
may delay you getting feedback on them. The “free passes” do not apply to the final paper, extra
credit, or your group project. Any additional late assignments, or ones later
than 48 hours, will have half a letter grade (5 points on a 100-point scale)
taken off per day. If illness or other things become an issue for you, talk to
me.
What if I’m sick and can’t take the
test on time?
If you are sick or have a family emergency (vacations are not a good
excuse), let me know before the test and we will discuss options. Your test may
be different from that given to the rest of the class in that case.
What’s the deal with plagiarism and
cheating?
They are bad. Make sure you read and follow the UNI Academics
Ethics Policy (http://www.uni.edu/policies/301).
We’ll also talk about plagiarism and ways to avoid it in class. Cheating and
plagiarism of any kind or amount will result in lowered grades, including a
possible 0 on the assignment in question and/or F in the class, regardless of
intentions. If you have any questions
about what is acceptable, ask. Note that it is not acceptable to use secondary
sources in scientific writing—you should cite and read the primary source—that is, the study written by the
authors themselves that describes their methods and results in detail. We’ll
also discuss the proper use of AI in class—it may be used to help you
brainstorm ideas or proofread your writing, but should not be used to generate
written responses or papers.
What is your policy on the use of
AI?
ChatGPT and other AI sources can be useful
tools, but shouldn’t replace you actually thinking and doing the work. AI isn’t
actually smart—it just repeats things it’s “heard” and those are often
incorrect. You need to have a basic knowledge of an area before you can really
use AI effectively.
Acceptable uses of AI include: brainstorming
(e.g., getting a list of possible measures you might use, or getting ideas for
a study design), using it to improve your grammar, and using it to generate
practice test questions you can use to study.
Unacceptable uses that will negatively affect
your grade and may result in other consequences include using it to generate assignments
or do them for you or using it to write your paper or sections of your paper.
AI can be helpful, but you need to use it
critically. If you use AI to create materials (e.g., a measure) for your study,
you should cite it. Note that AI often makes up things, so you can’t trust
it—that’s where the need for your own thinking comes in.
How do I find materials for class?
The syllabus is online and can be accessed directly from my home page,
but it is also linked in Blackboard. Many resources are linked directly from
the syllabus, including the PowerPoint slides. If the slides don’t open when
you click on them, then right click on the link and choose “open in another
window.” You should then be able to hit return on that page and download the
slides. Slides will be posted at least a day before each class session, but may
be updated up to class time. The textbook for the class is online and free and
linked from the syllabus.
How will you get in contact with me
or share class information?
There is a class listserv that will be used to contact you with
additional information about assignments, notices if class goes online, etc.
Make sure to check your UNI email so you get those notices. I may also post
them in Blackboard, but the default and first place they will show up is in
email, so check there first.
What is the best way to reach you?
The best way to meet with me is to talk to me before class—I have another
class after this one and will have to leave quickly after class--or email me to
set up a time to meet. We can meet over zoom or face-to-face, depending on your
preference. You can also stop by my office hours, but you may have to wait if
there is another student ahead of you.
Are there any opportunities for
extra credit?
Yes! You can get up to 8 points of extra credit on your final exam by
participating in research projects through the department’s SONA system and/or
attending research-relevant talks (only those announced in class or via email
will count). One hour of research or talk is equivalent to a maximum of 2
points, depending on the quality of the paper turned in. For both talks and
research participation, to receive any credit, you must turn in a 1-2 page
informal summary and analysis of the experience (i.e., relating it to class
topics, critiquing it based on knowledge of research methods) within a week of
participating.
What if I’m having other issues I
need help with?
I’m happy to help you with class or psychology (as a field, e.g.,
graduate school, research) questions. I can also help direct you to other
places to get help, such as the UNI Counseling Center, The Learning Center @
Rod Library, or the Panther Pantry (food bank on campus).
Are there other things you or the university want me to know?
You can find more information on university policies related to free speech, nondiscrimination, and accessibility, along with opportunities for tutoring here.