1 Research Design & Analysis PSYCH 310 Section 002 Fall 2015 120 MARB MWF from 12:00 pm - 12:50 am Instructor Information Name: Rebecca Lundwall Office Hours: 1 1:50 pm Email: Rebecca_Lundwall@byu.edu TA Information Name: Tom White Office Hours: By Appointment Email: thomaswhite262@gmail.com Course Information Description This course will help you develop the skills to design, analyze, and write about a research project. You will participate in classroom discussions and activities that gradually build up to the finished product of the course (an empirical research paper). It is my hope that you will have satisfaction in your final product and the skills you have gained along the way. Learning Outcomes 1. Critically review literature Students will be able to critically review the literature to generate a testable hypothesis based on a summation of current research findings and scientific thought. Measurement: Writing assignment. 2. Methodological designs Students will be able to distinguish between methodological designs and implement and execute an appropriate design to test the hypothesis, demonstrating an understanding of and sensitivity to relevant ethical considerations, including how to identify and measure dependent variables and measure or control for independent and other variables critical to the design of the study. Measurement: Multiple choice tests, short essays. 3. Written report of research Students will be able to prepare a written report of the research project adhering to APA style in all aspects of presentation (e.g., format, figures/tables, referencing) in a format that would be suitable to submit to an APA journal. Measurement: Writing assignment. 4. Present research orally Students will be able to present the research orally to an audience of peers in either a paper or poster format. Measurement: Presentation assignment. 5. Critically evaluate published research Students will be able to critically evaluate the quality of published research. Measurement: Writing assignment.
2 Prerequisites PSYCH 210, PSYCH 307, PSYCH 308 Materials Image Item Research Methods in Psychology: Evaluating a World of Information Required by Beth Morling W. W. Norton & Company; 2 nd Edition (2011-10-06) ISBN: 9780393274943 paperback Course Components Your grade for this class will be based on: 1. Quizzes: These will cover major points from the assigned readings in the textbook. 2. Attendance: I will take 10 points off for each day missed after the first two unexcused absences (which are free). This is not meant to be unkind. It is simply crucial that you attend in order to complete the learning objectives of the course, including learning from each other. 3. Homework Assignments: You will receive several homework assignments with specific deadlines. Late assignments cannot usually be accepted because we will go over the assignments in the next available class period. For some assignments, you will be given a research article and asked to answer specific questions. The questions are designed to help you know what to look for when evaluating a research article. For other assignments, you will complete steps toward your final class project. Please submit assignments in Learning Suite. You should present your project for peer review in class at various times during the semester and present you final project to me and your peers either by publishing it online in Learning Suite or by presenting a single slide or poster at the end of the semester. 4. Extra Credit: There will be two extra credit opportunities, each worth 10 points. One will be visiting the FHSS Writing Center and the other will be completing a course evaluation. Both will be due towards the end of the semester. Details will be explained in class. Grading Scale Grades Percent Min. Points Needed Grades Percent Min. Points Needed A 93% 279 C 73% 219 A- 90% 270 C- 70% 210 B+ 87% 261 D+ 67% 201 B 83% 249 D 63% 189 B- 80% 240 D- 60% 180 C+ 77% 231 E 0% 0
3 Class Policies Respect: Let s all practice simple courtesies that show we value each other and the sacred time we have to learn in this course. For example, cell phones and laptops should not be used in class except for designated activities. Never use your cell phone during another person s presentation. You should arrive on time for class except in the case of a true emergency. Learning Suite: All assignments you do outside class should be turned in to Learning Suite. It is nearly impossible to keep track of assignments if they are sent in a variety of other ways. It is your responsibility to check your grades in Learning Suite. You have 10 days from the date that the assignment was due to make sure your grade is correct. Please do not throw away any quizzes or paper assignments until you make sure your grade is correct. Excuses and Extensions: If you have a University Accessibility letter or Athletics letter that indicates that you should be able to negotiate later due dates in some circumstances, then I need to know that ahead of any due dates you feel you cannot meet. If I agree with the need for an extension, I will generally give you 3 extra days to complete the assignment. Excused absences and extensions on assignments require a doctor's note or some similar type of documentation of the emergency or critical situation. You do not need to meet with me or tell me the exact nature of the emergency. I just need the note. Due to the size of the class, the complexity of the course project, and the difficulty of catching up once you get behind, I will only grant extensions for serious emergencies. Most students have at least a few typical challenges (such as colds, extensive homework, forgetfulness, etc.). These do not warranted excused absences or extensions. If I do grant you an extension on an assignment, you must turn the assignment in to Learning Suite by the agreed due date and notify me by email that you have handed it in. Learning Suite does not notify me when a new assignment is turned in after the due date. We want to be able to grade your assignment and get it back to you as soon as possible. University Policies Honor Code In keeping with the principles of the BYU Honor Code, students are expected to be honest in all of their academic work. Academic honesty means, most fundamentally, that any work you present as your own must in fact be your own work and not that of another. Violations of this principle may result in a failing grade in the course and additional disciplinary action by the university. Students are also expected to adhere to the Dress and Grooming Standards. Adherence demonstrates respect for yourself and others and ensures an effective learning and working environment. It is the university's expectation, and my own expectation in class, that each student will abide by all Honor Code standards. Please call the Honor Code Office at 422-2847 if you have questions about those standards.
4 Academic Honesty The first injunction of the Honor Code is the call to "be honest." Students come to the university not only to improve their minds, gain knowledge, and develop skills that will assist them in their life's work, but also to build character. "President David O. McKay taught that character is the highest aim of education" (The Aims of a BYU Education, p. 6). It is the purpose of the BYU Academic Honesty Policy to assist in fulfilling that aim. BYU students should seek to be totally honest in their dealings with others. They should complete their own work and be evaluated based upon that work. They should avoid academic dishonesty and misconduct in all its forms, including but not limited to plagiarism, fabrication or falsification, cheating, and other academic misconduct. Student Disability Brigham Young University is committed to providing a working and learning atmosphere that reasonably accommodates qualified persons with disabilities. If you have any disability which may impair your ability to complete this course successfully, please contact the University Accessibility Center (UAC), 2170 WSC or 422-2767. Reasonable academic accommodations are reviewed for all students who have qualified, documented disabilities. The UAC can also assess students for learning, attention, and emotional concerns. Services are coordinated with the student and instructor by the UAC. If you need assistance or if you feel you have been unlawfully discriminated against on the basis of disability, you may seek resolution through established grievance policy and procedures by contacting the Equal Employment Office at 422-5895, D-285 ASB. Plagiarism Intentional plagiarism is a form of intellectual theft that violates widely recognized principles of academic integrity as well as the Honor Code. Such plagiarism may subject the student to appropriate disciplinary action administered through the university Honor Code Office, in addition to academic sanctions that may be applied by an instructor. Inadvertent plagiarism, which may not be a violation of the Honor Code, is nevertheless a form of intellectual carelessness that is unacceptable in the academic community. Plagiarism of any kind is completely contrary to the established practices of higher education where all members of the university are expected to acknowledge the original intellectual work of others that is included in their own work. In some cases, plagiarism may also involve violations of copyright law. Intentional Plagiarism-Intentional plagiarism is the deliberate act of representing the words, ideas, or data of another as one's own without providing proper attribution to the author through quotation, reference, or footnote. Inadvertent Plagiarism-Inadvertent plagiarism involves the inappropriate, but non-deliberate, use of another's words, ideas, or data without proper attribution. Inadvertent plagiarism usually results from an ignorant failure to follow established rules for documenting sources or from simply not being sufficiently careful in research and writing. Although not a violation of the Honor Code, inadvertent plagiarism is a form of academic misconduct for which an instructor can impose appropriate academic sanctions. Students who are in doubt as to whether they are providing proper attribution have the responsibility to consult with their instructor and obtain guidance. Examples of plagiarism include: Direct Plagiarism-The verbatim copying of an original source without acknowledging the source. Paraphrased Plagiarism-The paraphrasing, without acknowledgement, of ideas from another that the reader might mistake for the author's own. Plagiarism Mosaic-The borrowing of
words, ideas, or data from an original source and blending this original material with one's own without acknowledging the source. Insufficient Acknowledgement-The partial or incomplete attribution of words, ideas, or data from an original source. Plagiarism may occur with respect to unpublished as well as published material. Copying another student's work and submitting it as one's own individual work without proper attribution is a serious form of plagiarism. 5
6 Tentative Schedule: I reserve the right to make changes I feel are in the best interest of the class. It is your responsibility to listen in class and watch Learning Suite for announcements of changes. Date Due 7 pm, night before class in LS Reading In-Class Topic/Activity Points 31-Aug chapter 4 intro & CITI certification 2-Sep lecture chapter 4 4-Sep HW 1: CITI Certification lecture chapter 4 15 7-Sep HOLIDAY 9-Sep chapter 1 lecture chapter 1 & quiz 5 11-Sep chapter 1 14-Sep practice reading article 10 16-Sep HW 2: answer Qs about an article you find go over HW 2 together in class 15 18-Sep chapter 2 lecture chapter 2 & quiz 5 21-Sep lecture chapter 2 23-Sep HW 3: answer Qs about an article you find go over HW 3 together in class 15 25-Sep Conference Times (no class) 28-Sep chapter 3 lecture chapter 3 & quiz 5 30-Sep lecture chapter 3 2-Oct HW 4: mock IRB due (all but methods) lecture chapter 3 (peer present) 30 5-Oct chapter 5 lecture chapter 5 & quiz 5 7-Oct lecture chapter 5 9-Oct HW 5: mock IRB due (add methods) lecture chapter 5 30 12-Oct Conference Times (no class) 14-Oct chapter 7 lecture chapter 7 & quiz 5 16-Oct lecture chapter 7 19-Oct chapter 8 lecture chapter 8 & quiz 5 21-Oct lecture chapter 8 23-Oct SWKT Lab (bring partial data) 20
7 Date Due 7 pm, night before class in LS Reading In-Class Topic/Activity Points 26-Oct chapter 9 lecture chapter 9 & quiz 5 28-Oct lecture chapter 9 30-Oct lecture chapter 9 (peer present) 2-Nov chapter 10 lecture chapter 10 & quiz 5 4-Nov lecture chapter 10 6-Nov SWKT Lab (bring data) 25 9-Nov chapter 11 lecture chapter 11 & quiz 5 11-Nov lecture chapter 11 13-Nov lecture chapter 11 16-Nov chapter 12 lecture chapter 12 & quiz 5 18-Nov lecture chapter 12 20-Nov lecture chapter 12 (peer present) 23-Nov Conference Times (no class) 20 24-Nov Friday SWKT Lab (bring data) 35 25-Nov HOLIDAY 27-Nov HOLIDAY 30-Nov workshop writing a results HW 6: entire paper up through results workshop writing a discussion 2-Dec section 75 4-Dec Conference Times 7-Dec Conference Times 9-Dec Presentation Day/ Celebration 15-Dec HW 7: entire paper due (add discussion) Final Exam Day 150 Details of the homework (HW) assignments are in Learning Suite (LS).