|
Lecture Section |
Instructor: |
J. Cooper Cutting |
Office: |
De Garmo 435D |
Phone: |
438-2999 |
e-mail: |
jccutti@ilstu.edu |
office hours: |
M 10-11
Th 9-10
By appointment |
|
|
Lab sections |
sections 2 & 4 |
sections 3 & 5 |
Graduate Assistant: |
Kevin Wallpe |
Jim Clinton |
e-mail: |
kjwallp@ilstu.edu |
jaclint@ilstu.edu |
office hours: |
Tu 9-10 |
Tu 12-1 |
office hours location: |
DEG 12c |
DEG 12 |
|
Where and When?
Main lecture:
Sec 01: MW 1-1:50 in DeGarmo rm 206
Lab/Discussion Sections
Section 02: Th 3:30-5:20 in DeGarmo rm 19
Section 03: Th 3:30-5:20 in DeGarmo rm 39
Section 04: Friday 12 - 1:50 in DeGarmo rm 19
Section 05: Friday 12 - 1:50 in DeGarmo rm 48
The course web pages are also available for students in Blackboard
NOTE: PSY 231 is a 3 unit course. There are two hours of lecture and two hours of lab.
Each hour of lecture counts for one semester hour and each TWO hours of Lab count as one semester hour. |
Catalog Copy.
Philosophy of science and inquiry with emphasis on experimental methodology and some application of principles through laboratory experimentation and demonstration.
Prerequisites.
PSY 110 or 111 req
ECO 138 or GEO 138 or MAT 150 or MQM 100 or POL 138 or PSY 138 or equivalent req or conc reg.
Course Description & Objective.
This course is designed to introduce students to philosophy of
science and inquiry with an emphasis on experimental methodology. This
will be accomplished by combining traditional lectures with application of
principles through laboratory experimentation and demonstration.
The main course objectives include:
- Learning to review the primary literature (improving library research
skills, increase familiarity with scientific writing and reading
scientific journals)
- Getting a research idea (specification of a testable research idea,
develop hypotheses on several topics in psychology)
- Development and execution of a research plan (choosing the appropriate
research method to test specific hypotheses, ethical guidelines, how to
collect data)
- Basic analysis of research results.
- Presentation of the results (including both a verbal and written
presentation).
Department
objectives
Roughly we will cover the "nuts and bolts" of putting together and
completing a research project in psychology. To this end we will cover
all fourteen chapters of the textbook. Classes will consist of both
lectures and discussions and/or exercises related to the assigned
readings. So it is critical that students read the assigned chapters
prior to class. Homework and/or on-line quizzes will be assigned to
facilitate learning and in-class discussions.
Course Requirements.
Each student will be evaluated based on several exercises, exams, and the
planning, execution, and presentation of a research project. The grading
is broken down below.
- Exams (45%) - There will be three exams. Each is
cumulative. Each exam will be
worth 15%.
- Homework exercises (10%)
- Lab Assignments
(30%)
- Class Experiment project
(15%)
- APA style first draft (5%) - includes literature review, the
design
of the
experiment(s) hypotheses/predictions, and the references.
- Final APA style manuscript(10%) - A complete write-up of the
class research project using APA format.
Extra-credit policy
Class Policies
Active participation is the central requirement for the class. Students
will be expected to participate in a variety of ways, including several
written and oral presentations and discussions. If you are going to miss
a class, then you will miss an opportunity for participation. So it is
critically important that you notify me AS SOON AS YOU KNOW that you'll be
absent and WHY. Call, e-mail, or talk to me in person. Opportunity to
make-up the missed work requires prior notification of the absence and an
excused absence (that is one that you instructor accepts as reasonable and
legitimate). How and when the work will be made up will be determined by
the instructor.
To ensure a smooth flow of discussions, the following policies are
established: Students are encouraged to listen with an open mind, respect
the contributions of others, and avoid personal attacks. Students will
often be faced with alternative viewpoints from the professor or their
peers. Thus, students should be prepared to defend their own positions
with empirical data, obtained from the assigned readings, and reasoned
argument.
You are expected to do your own work. Plagiarism and cheating of any
sort will not be tolerated. Either behavior will result in a grade of
'F'. Note that plagiarism includes situations where you meet with other
students for group discussions and are asked write a summary. Unless
otherwise instructed, this means that each participant in the group must
write their own summary. Making up false excuses for absences will also
be considered cheating and may result in a grade of 'F' for missed work.
And finally, if you have any questions regarding anything in the syllabus
and or the course in general, please feel free to ask. Talk to me in
class, via phone, or e-mail. Don't just assume that you know (or should
know) the answer, I may not have been clear enough or may have forgotten
to mention something.
The Office of Disability Concerns
Illinois State University is an institution and a faculty concerned with
helping all of our students feel welcome, and with helping all students
learn and develop to their full potential. Any student needing to arrange
a reasonable accommodation for a documented disability should contact
Disability Concerns at 350 Fell Hall, 438-5853 (voice), 438-8620
(TDD).
Class Dates |
Tentative topic calendar |
Readings
|
Lab Topics
|
WK1 |
M |
Introductions |
Syllabus |
Introductions Expectations Plagarism
|
W |
Ways of knowing Scientific method Psychology as a science |
Chpt 1 |
WK2 |
M |
Getting your ideas Reviewing the literature
|
Chpt 2
|
Library research
library assignment labs meet in Milner 164d (lower level) & 3rd floor NorthEast classroom
Library Psych Page
|
W |
Using the scientific method Basic Research Methods |
Chpt 3 reading#1
|
WK3 |
M |
LABOR DAY: No
class. |
W |
APA style |
Chpt 8
Opt: APA chpt 1
APA resources |
Reading Journal articles
reading#1
Reading checklist
|
WK4 |
M |
Ethics in experimentation |
Chpt 5 |
Ethics |
W |
catch up and review |
Chpts 1, 2, 3, 5, & 8 |
WK5
|
M |
Exam 1
|
Observational research
APA style | text for assignment |
W |
Class experiment |
|
WK6 |
M |
Variables |
Chpt 4 |
Class experiment exercise
Group Project Literature Review Due
|
W |
Control and variability |
Chpt 4 |
WK7 |
M |
Validity and sampling |
Chpt 6
|
Variables in research
Journal Assignment 1 Due in Lab this week
Results of the class
experiment |
W |
Experimental control |
Chpt 11 |
WK8 |
M |
Experimental designs |
Chpt 11 |
Experimental Bias and Control
Group Project Methods Section Due
Turn in: GP RATING SHEET #1 |
W |
Experimental designs: cont. |
Chpt 11 |
WK9 |
M |
Experimental designs: cont. |
Chpt 11 |
Factorial Designs
Class Exp Paper Draft due in labs
|
W |
catch-up and review |
Chpts 4, 6, & 11 |
WK10 |
M |
Exam
2 |
Pilot group projects
|
W |
Survey research |
Chpt 9 |
WK11 |
M |
correlational designs |
Chpt 10 |
Run group projects
|
W |
Quasi-experimental designs
|
Chpt 12 |
WK12
|
M |
Specialized designs |
Chpt 13 |
Group Project Data Analysis |
W |
Using and interpreting statistics |
Chpt 7 |
WK13 |
M |
Using and interpreting statistics: cont. |
Chpt 7
|
Journal Assignment 2 Due in class on Wed.
|
W |
Using and interpreting statistics: cont. |
Chpt 7 |
WK14 |
THANKSGIVING - No class |
WK15 |
M |
Using and interpreting statistics: cont. |
Chpt 7 |
Final class experiment paper due
|
W |
Presenting research: Posters and talks
|
|
WK16 |
M |
Summing up the research process |
|
group presentations
GP Results and Discussion sections
Turn in: GP RATING SHEET #2 |
W |
Review for the final exam |
|
Finals Week |
FINAL EXAM
Sec 01 Thurs., Dec. 16 1:00 p.m.
Fall '10 finals schedule
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If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at
jccutti@ilstu.edu.
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