INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Cheryl Schwartz OFFICE HOURS: T: 8:30 - 9:15, 10:45 - 11:15,

OFFICE: Science Building 307-H T: 5:00 - 5:30; Th: 10:45 - 11:50;

OFFICE PHONE #: 773.794.2988 & by appointment
 
 
 

DESCRIPTION OF COURSE: This is the first course of a sequence intended to prepare students to understand, utilize, and produce research. Students will learn about descriptive statistics, normal distributions, and correlations as well as the elements of research design, and APA style. The objectives will be accomplished via lectures, readings, exercises, library research, exams, and, ultimately, the writing of part of a research paper in proper APA format.
 
 
 

COURSE OBJECTIVES:
 

1. To learn the methodology of psychological research. Over the course of this class, you will learn how and where to find pertinent information, write literature reviews, critically evaluate experiments, appreciate different research designs, and write a research paper for an original experiment.
 

2. To acquire a fundamental understanding of statistics. You will learn the basic principles of statistical reasoning, which statistic to use when and why, the ability to understand results of published articles, and the ability to calculate basic statistics.
 

3. To learn and practice APA-style writing. Published articles in psychology are written according to the American Psychological Association's format. The papers you will write in this class will teach you to present information and conclusions clearly while strictly adhering to the boundaries of APA style.
 
 
 

REQUIRED TEXTS:
 

Heiman, G.W. (1998). Understanding Research Methods & Statistics: An Integrated Introduction for Psychology. Houghton Mifflin: NY.
 

Gittis, M.M. (1998). Understanding Research Methods & Statistics: An Integrated Introduction for Psychology: A Student Study Guide. Houghton Mifflin: NY.

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

RECOMMENDED TEXT:

Hock, R.R. (1997). Forty Studies that Changed Psychology: Explorations into the History of Psychological Research (2^nd ed.). Prentice Hall: NJ.
 

COURSE POLICIES:

* Cheating, in any way, shape, or form, will not be tolerated.

* Lectures and announcements will not be repeated. If you miss a class, get notes/handouts from another student.

* Chances are that you will have to turn in more than one assignment and prepare for a test within a week. Plan time accordingly!!

* No excuses will be accepted for missed or late assignments and exams. (Homework that is not turned-in due to illness must be accompanied by a letter from a medical professional on official letterhead and will be excusable once. The second time, a missed homework assignment will receive a grade of zero.) There will be NO make-up exams. Missed exams will receive a grade of 0 (zero), NO exceptions.
 

* Homework guidelines:

Homework will be accepted and graded only if it meets the following criteria:

Homework is due at the beginning of class on the due-date. If class is canceled, a homework assignment due that day will be turned-in at the beginning of the next class meeting. Regardless of inclement weather, etc., you are expected to keep-up with readings, homework, and other assignments.

If a homework exercise involves no calculations, it must be typed. If it involves some calculations and some narrative responses, the homework assignment may be hand-written VERY NEATLY. If I can't read it, I won't grade it!

Hand-written homework shall be done on 8½ x 11", loose leaf notebook paper (not torn from a spiral notebook).

Statistical homework shall be done neatly so that the order of solving the problem is evident. Make sure to show all of your work, including formulas used, and circle your final answer. Homework will be graded on the accuracy and completeness of the procedures as well as on the correctness of the final answer.
 

Homework that is not done according to these guidelines will not be accepted and the student will receive a zero for that homework exercise.
 
 
 

* Exams: Exam format will vary depending on content. Generally, exams will include multiple choice, true/false, matching, and/or fill-in-the-blank questions as well as calculations. Occasionally, short answer and essay questions may also be included. If class is canceled, an exam scheduled for that day will be taken at the beginning of the next class meeting.
 

* Participation: Attendance and participation are strongly recommended. Complicated material will be covered, assignments will be changed, and announcements will be made in class -- all of which will be missed if you are absent. I will make myself available to answer SPECIFIC questions, but will not repeat lectures or announcements.
 

* First Class Session Attendance:

All Psychology Department instructors adhere to the policy outlined in the Summer 1999 Schedule of Classes, page 13. In short, due to excessive demand for this course, if you do not attend the first day of class, your seat will be given to another student! NO exceptions!
 

* Incompletes:

Psychology Department instructors adhere to the policy outlined on p. 13 in the

GRADING POLICIES:
 

Points will come from:
 

1 Quiz (APA Style) 15
 
 
 

4 Exams:

Exam 1 (Chapters 1, 2, & 3) 100

Exam 2 (Chapters 4 & 5) 100

Exam 3 (Chapters 6, 7, & 8) 100

Exam 4 (Chapters 9 & 10) 100
 
 
 

10 Homework Assignments 100
 
 
 

3 APA Paper Modules 170
 
 
 

Subjective (attendence, character, diligence, participation, etc.) 15
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Therefore, grades will be assigned as follows:
 

A: 630 - 700 (90 - 100%)

B: 560 - 629 (80 - 89%)

C: 490 - 559 (70 - 79%)

D: 420 - 489 (60 - 69%)

F: 419 (59% )
 
 

This semester-long project will consist of designing an original experiment related to one of a selected group of topics listed on the last page of this packet. This major assignment MUST be typed.

In order to assist students in managing the complex task of writing a research introduction for the first time, the project has been broken into sections. As with homework, each section is due at the beginning of class on the due-date as indicated on the Tentative Course Calendar. All homework guidelines also apply to these paper sections.
 

General Instructions for Introductions:

1. All sections MUST be typed. They must be double spaced with 1 inch margins at the sides, top, and bottom. As a student, you may use the computer labs at Northeastern.

2. As with homework, proposal sections are to be handed-in at the beginning of the period on the date that they are due. Twenty percent of the full credit for the section will be deducted for each day it is late. (That's two letter grades per day!) On the fifth day, it will receive a grade of zero. (Weekends are excluded.)

3. Sections will be graded on clarity, content, completeness, accuracy, and form. Form includes using correct grammar, punctuation and spelling and strictly following APA style.

4. Sections that are not done according to these guidelines will not be accepted and the student will receive a grade of "0".
 
 

1. Turn in 5 PSYCINFO "complete record" abstracts from your chosen topic (see topic list on the last page of this packet). At least three of the abstracts shall be experiments. Print the name of the topic at the top of each page along with your name and date.
 

2. On a separate sheet of paper, provide a typed reference list of FIVE JOURNAL ARTICLES in proper APA format.
 

3. Finally, TYPE the following information about the study YOU plan to propose:

* You may include one paragraph briefly describing the study which you wish to propose. This is optional, but helpful.

* the Independent Variable(s) and operational definition(s)

- Are there different levels? If so, name & define them.

- Are the IVs selected or manipulated?

- Are the IVs within-subjects or between-subjects?

* the Dependent Variable(s) and operational definition(s)

* the Hypothesis (an explicit statement about what you expect to be the outcome of your study)
 

Section #2 will be a "cursory rendition" of the Introduction and Reference sections. Read Chapter 1 in your APA Manual. If you would like a refresher on grammar, writing style and punctuation, read pp. 23-89 in your APA Manual.
 

One problem many beginning psychology students have is learning to write "scientifically". Scientific prose and creative writing serve different purposes. Certain devices used in creative writing (such as sudden topic shifts and ambiguity) can confuse and frustrate readers of scientific prose. Therefore, avoid these devices and aim for clear and logical communication.

As your write your introduction, keep in mind that the Introduction is the first part of the body of an APA paper, and its purpose is to present the problem to be studied.

A good introduction (which I'm sure you all will write ):

* describes the point of the study.

* describes the theoretical implications of the study and relates the study to previous work in the area.

* describes how the hypothesis and experimental design relate to the problem.

* describes the theoretical propositions tested and how they were derived.

* overall, gives the reader a firm sense of what was done and why.
 

In order to write a good Introduction, you will need to discuss the literature relevant to the problem. In other words, provide an appropriate history by discussing other researchers' work. Remember to use only references pertinent to the specific problem -- avoid works of tangential or general significance. When discussing this history, emphasize pertinent findings, relevant methodological issues, and major conclusions. Make sure to provide logical continuity between previous and present work. Do NOT just write a series of paragraphs, each devoted to one study. Instead, develop the problem so it is understandable to someone in psychology.

Conclude the introduction with a Rationale section. Here, briefly summarize the background information, and remind the reader what is unique about your study. Define the variables and clearly and explicitly state your hypothesis/-es.

The References begin on a separate page. There will be a reference for each article and book to which you refer in the paper. (In other words, if you cite it in your paper, it must appear in the Reference list.) Do not list articles or books in the References that you do not use in your paper. At least 5 references are needed to write any sort of APA style paper.

See pages 174-176, 194-207, and 265-266 in the APA Manual for specific instructions on Reference section format.

WARNING: Do NOT use older editions of the APA Manual to prepare your References! Formats were changed in 1994 with the new version.
 

IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE WITH WRITING ASSIGNMENTS, OR ARE UNSURE OF PROPER APA FORMAT, TAKE THE PROPOSAL SECTIONS TO THE STUDENT WRITING CENTER OR SCHEDULE A MEETING WITH THE PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT TUTOR. ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS PROOF-READ YOUR WORK FOR SPELLING, TYPOS, AND GRAMMATICAL ERRORS. There is NO excuse for typos and incorrect spelling when using a word processor!

The final draft of your paper should include all corrections and revisions from your first draft (Section 2). The parts of an APA paper you will need to include are the Title page, Introduction, and Reference page. See pages 239-251, and 258-272 of your APA Manual for manuscript typing guidelines and a sample paper.