RMI_Fall15_Hess

Research Methods I: Fall 2015
Lecture: TF 12:30pm-2:00pm
Statistics and Design Lab: T 2:30pm – 5:30pm

Professor: Yanine Hess
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: 914.251.6633
Office: NS2039
Office Hours: W 9:30-10:30; F 10am-12pm
LA: Tamar Valdman

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the research
methods and statistical techniques employed in the behavioral sciences. This course will cover the
nature of scientific knowledge, ethics in research, and the types of designs employed, including
experimental, quasi-experimental, and non-experimental research designs. We will also cover the
fundamental statistical techniques (using SPSS) that enable us to analyze, present, and draw conclusions
from data collected within the context of research. Students will apply this knowledge by engaging in
research-related activities, such as assessing quality research, choosing appropriate methodologies
(design and statistics) to answer a question of interest, and using APA format to communicate their own
findings. Overall, this course is designed to teach a practical and critical perspective on how
psychological research is conducted.

This course satisfies the SUNY mathematics general education requirement; therefore, after

completing this course you should be able to:

1. Interpret and draw inferences from mathematical models such What’s in this syllabus?

as formulas, graphs, tables, and schematics; Course Requirements 2
2. Represent mathematical information symbolically, visually, Course Components 3
numerically and verbally; Course Schedule 6
3. Employ quantitative methods such as arithmetic, algebra, Class Policies 9
geometry, or statistics to solve problems;

4. Estimate and check mathematical reasonableness; and College Policies 10

5. Recognize the limits of mathematical and statistical methods. Student Resources 10

Prerequisite and Minimum Grade
You must have completed 4S0tacrneddaitrsdasnd received a grade of C+ or better in Introductory Psychology.

Psychology majors must earn a grade of at least C in this course. Any student earning less than C must
petition the Psychology Board of Study in writing for permission to retake the course

RMI Fall 2015

Course Requirements at a Glance

Coursework and Exams Points The multiple course components serve
to help students who may be weak in
1 Exams: Best 2 out of 3 200 one particular area (e.g., test taking),
while developing your ability to clearly
2 Final Exam: Cumulative and mandatory 100 understand and communicate scientific
findings in writing and orally.
3 Ethics Training: Certificate of completion 15
submitted on time
Grading (700 points total)
Homework Assignments: No late
4 submissions will be accepted, no exceptions. 120

Score % Grade

5 Partial Poster Report 20 683 - 700 98 – 100% A+

6 Partial Lab Reports: 3 methods and results 140 648 - 682 93 – 97% A
sections written on lab experiments.
627 – 647 90 – 92% A-
7 Research Plan and Presentation 50
606 – 626 87 – 89% B+

8 Experiment Dissections 10 571 – 605 82 – 86% B

9 Research Methods Binder 20 550 – 570 79 – 81% B-
15
Course Feedback: 3 surveys completed 10 529 – 549 76 – 78% C+
during the course of the semester
10 494 - 528 71 – 75% C

11 Class Attendance and Participation --cut-off for progress in the major--

* Extra Credit Opportunities *20 473 – 493 68 – 70% C-

Total Possible Points 396 – 472 57 – 67% D

(*excluding Extra Credit points) 700 < 396 < 57% F

Materials Recommended

Required Text
Pallant, J. (2013). SPSS Survival
Texts
Cozby, P.C., & Bates, S. C. (2011). Methods in Behavioral Manual: A step by step guide to
data analysis using SPSS. 5th Ed.
Research (11th Ed.). Boston: McGraw Hill Open University Press.
(ISBN-0078035155) This is a statistics handbook that will
Passion Driven Statistics (2013) iBook (Moodle) come in very handy during your senior
Materials project year.
o USB Thumb drive (with minimum 4GB of memory)
o 3-ring 1” binder

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RMI Fall 2015

Coursework and Exams

Assignments must be submitted on the dates they are due; similarly, exams must be taken on the
scheduled dates. If you receive accommodations from the Office of Access and Accommodations
(OAA), you must schedule your exam time at the Learning Center for the same time it is scheduled in
class. Credit will not be given for late assignments or exams taken after the scheduled date unless this
is arranged with the instructor in advance. The student will be asked to provide valid, written
documentation of the event that prohibited the completion of assignments or exams on time.

1 Exams: Best 2 out of 3 200 pts

There will be three scheduled in-class exams given during the semester. Each exam
will include definitions, short answer, multiple choice, and fill-in-the-blank questions.
Exams will be designed to ask you to apply your knowledge and integrate material
from lessons and class experiences.

Your lowest exam grade will be automatically dropped at the end of the semester.
This opportunity serves the following important purposes:

a. It is the only “make up” opportunity for missing an exam. The missed
exam will automatically be dropped; or alternately
b. It allows you to drop a grade that is not reflective of your knowledge
and/or ability.

2 Final Exam: Cumulative and mandatory 100 pts

There will be a cumulative final for this class that will be given during our designated
final exam time during finals week. This exam is mandatory.

3 Ethics Training: Certificate of completion submitted on time 15 pts

All students are required to complete ethical training for work with human subjects.
Go to: http://phrp.nihtraining.com/users/login.php, register and complete all
modules. To receive credit you must print out your certificate as proof of completion
and submit a copy to me in class. Completion of this training will take approximately
3 hours and is due September 8th.

4 Homework Assignments: No late submissions will be accepted, no exceptions. 120 pts

There are 12 homework assignments. Descriptions of each assignment are available
in the course iBook or on Moodle. All assignments are due on the dates specified on
the course schedule, and must be turned in on time to receive credit, no exceptions.

# Assignment / Source # Assignment / Source
7. Confounding Variables/Moodle
1. Social Media/ iBook Ch.2 8. Creating Graphs/Moodle
2. Data Management/iBook Ch.3 9. Analysis of Variance/iBook Ch.7
3. Interpreting Graphs/Moodle 10. Moderation/iBook Ch. 11
4. Correlation Coefficients/ Moodle;
11. Regression/iBook Ch.9
Correlation/iBook Ch.8 12. Statistical Decisions/Moodle
5. Design Identification/Moodle

6. t-Test/iBook Ch.6

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RMI Fall 2015

5 Partial Poster Report 20 pts

You will create a partial poster report for the work we conduct in Lab 10: Complex
Designs and Factorial ANOVA.

6 Partial Lab Reports: Three methods and results sections written on lab experiments. 140

You will complete three partial lab reports for the experiments we conduct in labs. Each pts

partial lab report will consist of a methods section and a statistical results section,

written and formatted in APA style, as they would appear in a formal lab report. Each

report will be worth more than the report before it, and you will receive feedback from

me on only the first report, with the expectation that you will apply any/all feedback

that you receive to your future work.

Study #1: Observational and Survey Research 50 points (draft: 20; Final: 30)

Study #2: Social Psychology Experiment 40 points

Study #3: Proactive Interference Experiment 50 points

Grades for late partial reports will be reduced 5 points for each day late.

7 Research Plan and Presentation 50 pts

The semester will culminate with brief presentations on a proposed research project
you design on your own with feedback from your colleagues. The project must be
one that could be implemented by you here at Purchase College.

PowerPoint Presentation: You will submit a PowerPoint presentation outlining your
project (10 pts) and you will present it to the class (10 pts) to receive feedback.

Methods Proposal and IRB: Your final methods proposal, which will include any
revisions you decide to make based on the feedback, will be turned into me for
grading (30 pts).

8 Research Methods Binder 20 pts

Throughout the course, you will be required to keep all handouts, lab activities, class
notes, assignments, and work in your class binder. This binder will serve as your own
personal how-to statistical and research manual that you will reference for Research
Methods II and your senior project. You must bring this binder with you to every lab
meeting, and are expected to manage this binder on a weekly basis to ensure that it
is organized, labeled logically and well, and will actually be useful to you in the
future. At the end of the course, we will collect your binders and assess to what
extent the binder a) includes all the relevant course material and, b) has been
properly organized, labeled, and annotated to serve as a manual for you in the
future. Binders will be graded as:

0 - Non-existent or almost no work included
5 - Minimal work included
10 - Most work included
15 - All work included but not organized, annotated or easily referenced in the
future

20 - All work included and well organized/labeled for future reference.

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RMI Fall 2015

9 Experiment Dissections 10 pts
15 pts
In the final third of the class we will be reading and discussing experimental
papers. For each of these classes you must bring 2 copies of a typed dissection
(describing in detail the design of the experiment using bullets). Each dissection is
worth 2 points. Dissections will not be accepted after the class for which they are
assigned.

10 Course Feedback: 3 surveys completed during the course of the semester

A requirement of this course is the completion of three surveys: 1) at the beginning
of the course, 2) during the midterm, and 3) at the end of the course. The surveys
will be administered by an independent evaluator and will be sent to you by email
from a non-Purchase email address. You must check your emails regularly.

11 Class Attendance and Participation 10 pts

Points will be awarded to students who demonstrate consistently excellent
attendance and participation. Feedback from the learning assistants will also be
taken into consideration.

* Extra Credit Opportunities *20 pts

There are two ways by which you may earn extra credit points toward your final
grade. Please use the appropriate forms available on Moodle to submit your
assignments.

1. Attend one of three lectures from the 2015 Science in the Modern
World Spring Lecture Series, and submit a 1-page reaction paper. All lectures
will be in the PepsiCo Theater in the Performance Arts Center (10 points):

2. Participate in a psychology senior research project (10 points)

Sign up for and participate in a senior psychology student’s research project.
To receive your credit, you must show up for your assigned participation time
and submit the appropriate signed extra credit form. A “no-show” will result
in forfeiture of your extra credit opportunity.

Total Possible Points 700

(*excluding Extra Credit points)

**********************************
All work is due the day it is

assigned. Other than what is
detailed above regarding late
policies for specific assignments, no
late work will be accepted under
any circumstances. There will be no
additional extra credit or work
beyond what is listed here.

**********************************

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RMI Fall 2015

Course Schedule

# Day/DateWeek 1Topic Reading due for the day Assignment Due

T 9/1 Introduction; Scientific Understanding of Syllabus Binder with
T 9/1 Behavior & Where to Start CB: Ch.1 & 2 syllabus
LAB 1: Pre-semester Assessment; iBook: Ch.1 & 2
F 9/4 Introduction to SPSS, (Introduce Disney
dataset) datasets and codebooks CB: Ch.3 HW#1
Ethics

T 9/8 Fundamental Research Issues CB: Ch.4 Ethics certificate

Week 2 T 9/8 LAB 2: Data Management/Understanding iBook: Ch.3 HW#2
Variables with the Disney dataset

F 9/11 Measurement Concepts CB: Ch.5 Course Survey #1

T 9/15 Basic Statistical Concepts: Notation, CB: Ch.12 (pp.239-

Frequency Distributions, Central Tendency, 246)

Week 3 & Variability iBook: Ch. 4

T 9/15 Lab 3: Observational and Survey Research CB: Ch.6 HW#3

F 9/18 Observational Methods CB: Ch.6 (cont’d) Coding in Excel
due

T 9/22 Understanding Probabilities and Inferential CB: Ch.12 (p247 on) &

Statistics: Correlation Ch.13 (p264-267)

Week 4 iBook: Ch.5

T 9/22 Lab 4: Observational and Study Research: iBook: Ch.8 HW#4

Data entry, analysis, and discussion

F 9/24 Survey Research CB: Ch.7 HW#5

T 9/29 Exam 1

Week 5 T 9/29 Lab 5: Social Psychology Experiment Partial Lab1
Data Collection

F 10/2 Review Exam 1

T 10/6 Understanding Statistics: Inference CB: Ch.13

Week 6 T 10/6 Lab 6: Social Psychology Experiment iBook: Ch.6 HW #6
Analysis, discussion and write-up CB: Ch.8 Partial Lab 2

F 10/9 Experimental Design

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# Day/Date Topic RMI Fall 2015

T 10/13 Experimental Design (continued) Reading due for the day Assignment Due

HW#7

Week 7 T 10/13 Lab 7: Designing Studies from Scratch

F 10/16 Conducting Experiments CB: Ch.9

T 10/20 STUDY DAY: NO CLASSES

Week 8 T 10/20 STUDY DAY: NO CLASSES Course Survey #2
(Survey still due online) HW#8

F 10/23 Catch Up & Review

T 10/27 Exam 2

Week 9 T 10/27 Lab 9: Proactive Interference Experiment Ferraro &King, 2004 HW #9
iBook: Ch.10 & 11

F 10/30 Review Exam 2

T 11/3 Complex Designs CB: Ch.10 Partial Report 3

Week 10 T 11/3 Lab 10: Complex Designs and Factorial iBook: Ch.10 & 11 HW#10
Poster assignment
ANOVA

F 11/6 Complex Designs (continued); Outcomes of

Factorial ANOVA

T 11/10 Developmental Design CB: Ch.11

Week 11 T 11/10 Lab 11: Developmental Design and iBook: Ch.9 HW #11
Regression

F 11/13 Program Evaluation

T 11/17 Dissection 1: Design Critique (Schumann & Dissections 1 & 2
Ross, 2010)
Week 12 Dissection 2: Sampling Issues (Patterson,
2006)

T 11/17 Lab 12: Research Plan Development

F 11/20 Choosing the appropriate statistics for yourCB: Ch.14 HW#12
research & Generalizing your results Dissections 3 & 4

Week 13 T 11/24 Dissection 3: Operational Definitions
(Slepian et al., 2011)
Dissection 4: Framing (Li et al., 2010)

T 11/24 Lab 13: Practice Being an Experimenter
and Participant!

F 11/27 THANKSGIVING RECESS: NO CLASS

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RMI Fall 2015

# Day/Date Topic Reading due for the day Assignment Due

REMINDER: Your PowerPoint file for your presentation is due by 9am on Tuesday,

12/1, uploaded to Moodle. No credit will be given for late submissions.

Week 14 T 12/1 Dissection 5: Use of Novelty (Halberstadt Dissection #5
et al., 2011) PowerPoints due by
Review for Exam 3 9am

T 12/1 Lab 14: Research Plan Presentations

F 12/4 Exam 3

T 12/8 Review Exam 3 Methods proposal
and IRB

Week 15 T 12/8 Lab 15: Final review & practice exam All extra credit due
Make sure your binders are ready!
Complete Binders
F 12/11 Final exam study session Course Survey #3

Finals week TBA Cumulative Final Exam* Check the final exam schedule on Moodle or on the Registrar’s
web page: http://www.purchase.edu/departments/Registrar/FinalExamSchedule.aspx

*Conflicts: If you are scheduled to take two exams at the same time, you will need to
make arrangements with me to take a “conflict” exam. *Proof of conflict must be
provided

How to Succeed in this Course
1. Do the readings BEFORE class and do ALL assignments to the best of your ability.

a. Do not procrastinate. Time management is an important skill to master and procrastination is a
behavior, not an immutable part of your character or personality.

2. Take good notes during class. Relying on the PowerPoint slides is an easy way to do poorly.
3. Attend office hours with the Learning Assistant and Professor to clarify coursework/homework you do

not understand.
4. Use mistakes as a learning experience. Doing poorly on any particular assignment or exam does NOT

mean you are “bad at statistics” or “can’t do this.” Let the work show you where your own challenges lie
and use the resources at hand to overcome them.
5. Try to come up with your own unique ways of understanding course concepts by relating the materials to
topics you care about or to examples in your own life.

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RMI Fall 2015

Class Policies

This syllabus has been prepared to serve as your
guide for this class. Therefore, it is important
that you read through the entire document
carefully and understand its contents. It is my
strict policy not to answer any questions for
which the answers appear in this syllabus!

IN THE CLASSROOM TECHNOLOGY

Etiquette: Please arrive to class on time, make sure Email and Moodle Usage: You MUST use your
any disruptive electronic devices (i.e. cell phones) are Purchase email in this course. In addition, it is your
silenced, and be attentive. Students who responsibility to check Moodle regularly for
continuously display a disregard for the rest of the announcements and coursework.
class by engaging in disruptive behaviors (i.e., arriving
late/leaving early, texting, talking with classmates Cell phones: TURN THEM OFF BEFORE CLASS BEGINS
during lectures, etc.) will be asked to leave the class or you will be asked to leave the class and incur an
and will not receive attendance credit. Texting, unexcused absence for the meeting. Use of a cell
talking, or otherwise disrupting the lecture will phone during an exam will result in an immediate F.
negatively impact your grade.
Backing-up Course Work: It is the responsibility of
Eating and Drinking: It is fine to bring food or each student to keep safe back-up copies of their
beverages into the lecture classroom, so long as it work, including notes and papers. Students will be
does not distract other students and you clean up responsible for their own work, even in the event of a
after yourself. computer malfunction. Please bring a USB drive with
you to labs to save your work.

WEATHER CANCELLATIONS

Class will not meet when the college has officially canceled classes. Check the "Weather Hotline" (251-
7500) for cancellations. Class will also be canceled if the professor cannot get to campus; if possible,
notification will be sent by e-mail. Please plan to make the following accommodations in the event of a
class cancellation.

 Assignments due on canceled days will be due the following weekday by 10am in my mailbox in the
Natural Sciences office.

 Tests scheduled for canceled days will occur in the next scheduled class.

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RMI Fall 2015
Plagiarism and Academic Integrity: The use of phrases or sentences written by others, paraphrases of
their words, or similar arrangement of their subject matter without explicit acknowledgment
constitutes plagiarism. Representing another's original ideas, laboratory
or fieldwork, data, photographs, or collected specimens as one's own also constitutes
plagiarism. It does not matter if the plagiarism is intentional or not. Nor does it matter
if the questionable material is copied from a published source, from the web, or
from another student's paper or work. Every student is responsible for avoiding
such misrepresentation. All instances of cheating (on homework as well as
exams) will carry serious consequences.

Please make certain you understand the standards relative to
academic integrity by going to and reading:
http://www.purchase.edu/Policies/academicintegrity.aspx

Persons with Disabilities: Under the Americans Learning Center

with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Vocational Student Services Building

Rehabilitation Act of 1973, all students, with or Room 213 (x3996)

without disabilities, are entitled to equal access The Learning Center at Purchase College
to the programs and activities of Purchase assists students in learning, developing
College. Students with documented physical,
learning, psychological and other disabilities academic skills, and attaining academic success.
are entitled to receive reasonable accom- The Center offers a comprehensive system of
modations. If you need classroom or
testing accommodations, please support, ranging from help in a specific course to
contact the Office of Access and detailed instruction in writing and study skills. The primary

modes of support are peer-based individual and tutoring.

Accommodations (Student Students who need help in understanding assignments or in

Services building, 3rd floor; preparation of assigned work should take advantage of

914-251-6035. the services offered by the Learning Center.

Counseling Center, The Mod on Lincoln Avenue
across from the Campus Center North (N2) Parking Lot
914-251-6390; [email protected]

Hours: Mon-Fri, 8:30am – 5:00pm

The counseling center provides individual counseling (short term), group counseling,
consultations and referrals, free of charge and confidential. In the event that you or
someone you know is experiencing an emergency (e.g., appears to be a threat to themselves
or others) after hours, please contact the University Police Department (UPD) at 251-6911.
If appropriate, UPD will connect you to one of our staff members, who will take steps to assist

you in resolving the crisis.

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