Last Updated 27 July, 2001

Research Method I (3 units)

 Prerequisite Subjects: Psy11, Stat35, BS137

Course Description

This course in research exposes students to the processes and techniques of social scientific research. This semester we will examine issues related to conceptualization of a research question or problem, the role of theory in research, development of a research design, measurement of variables, data collection, and data analysis. It is my hope that students will leave this class with a level of understanding allowing them to conduct research in their chosen field.

When you have completed this course, you should be able to read and evaluate psychological research and to formulate hypotheses and design research to test such hypotheses appropriately.

This course is important for people going on to graduate school, but it also forms an essential part of your liberal arts education. This course will give you the tools to be a better consumer of the kinds of information you encounter every day. The skills you learn here will help you evaluate the claims of salespeople, authors, other scientists, and charlatans

 

Course Objectives

This course’s main objective is to teach you how to think scientifically. This course seeks to:

  1. Familiarize students with the process by which empirical research discovers the answers to questions through the application of scientific procedures.
  2. Introduced students to the logic and skills of social scientific research.
  3. Provide students with the skills in the basic methods of research design, conceptualization and measurement, operationalization, sampling, techniques for gathering and analyzing data and inquiry into the ethics and politics of social research.

Tentative Schedule (See Detailed Schedule)

Week

   Assignment/ Activity

1

 Introduction to Scientific Method Chapter 1

2

 Ethics in Research Chapter 2, Appendix B (Mcguigan)

Chap 3 (Martin)

3

 Doing Research in the Library / Internet Chap 5 (Martin)

4

 The Research Process Chap 2 (Martin) 

5

 Overview of Experimental Methods

Chap 6 to 8 (Mcguigan)

Long Examination

6

 Non-Experimental Methods : Survey, Observation, Field Experiments Chap 10 (Martin)

7

 Correlation studies, Archival Research, Single Subject, Physical Trace

Chap 7 (Martin)

Midterm Examination

8

 Workshop: APA Format, Introduction Chap 13 (Martin)

9

 First draft due : (Chapter 1 Introduction)  

10

 Second draft due: (Chapter 2 Theoretical Framework)  

11

 Workshop: Methodology, Operational Definitions Chap 5 (Mcguigan)

12

 Third draft: (Chapter 3 Operational definitions, Methodology)  

13

 Workshop: (Generalizations) Chap12 (Mcguigan)

14

 Fourth draft: (Chapter 4 Expected Results)  

15

    

16

 Final Draft  

17

 Revisions Due  

18

 Defense of Proposal  

*Note: This is intended to benefit you as guide for your study.  Please understand that the schedule is flexible and subject to change at the discretion of the instructor.

Requirements

 Students will be graded based on their performance on the following requirements:
Quizzes

10%
Long Exams

10%
Exercises

10%
Midterm Exam

20%
Experimental Research

25%
Experimental Paper Presentation

15%
Panel Participation

10%

Final Grade

100%

 

References

Experimental Psychology: Methods of Research 7th Ed., F.J. McGuigan

Doing Psychology Experiments 4th ed., D. W. Martin

Statistical Methods for the Social Sciences 3rd Ed., A. Agresti, B. Finlay

Internet Resources                     

Formats http://www.psychwww.com/resource/apacrib.htm

Helpful writing tips:  http://chiron.valdosta.edu/mawhatley/writing.htm                    

The Elements of Style:  http://www.bartleby.com/141/index.html or http://www.english.uiuc.edu/cws/wworkshop/bibliography/apa/apamenu.htm).

Journals online :  http://psych.hanover.edu/Krantz/journal.html

 

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