II COURSE DESCRIPTION.....
This course is designed to teach you how to understand and do research in psychology. Here's what you will be doing throughout the semester.
(1) You will read an excellent textbook by Paul C. Cozby. You are expected to study and learn the material to a high level of mastery. There will be four tests, each covering approximately one fourth of the material in the Cozby text, along with associated material as elaborated in class.
(2) You will learn how to analyze the kind of data produced in psychological research, using SPSS -- a powerful computer package that has been loaded into every computer in every computer lab on campus. You will do so by completing a set of 12 assignments keyed to a well-structured SPSS guidebook (Cronk) that you will follow. For each assignment, you will do one or more statistical procedures using SPSS, and answer a set of questions using an online survey instrument.
(3) Research conducted at SUNY-Oneonta must adhere to established rules and practices that assure ethical treatment of research participants. You will learn about these rules and practices, and "qualify" to conduct research, by completing a set of on-line learning modules established by the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI). The CITI course that you will be taking is entitled Students Conducting no more than Minimal Risk Research.
(4) I will present a set of research ideas in class. You will pick one, and following an extensive library search, will devise and write three elements of a research proposal: an Introduction, a Methods Section, and a Results Section (containing hypothetical data).
(5) Working in a group of 3 or 4 students who have written research proposals on similar topics, you will design and execute a single, group research project, and analyze the data your group collects. Then each member of your group will write (individually) a final research report. Both the elements of the research proposal (see 3 above), and the full, final research report, will be written in the standard APA (American Psychological Association) format. Information on APA format is presented in Appendix A of your text.
(6) Most research projects will use students who belong to the Social Science Human Subjects Research Pool, and secure them using the SONA Research Participation management System. You will learn about the system during class.
(7) Your group will present the results of your research at a simulated research conference conducted during the final examination period designated for the class. Further details concerning all of these activities will be given in class.
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Throughout the semester, I devote class time to explaining fundamental concepts from both textbooks (Cozby and Cronk), performing demonstrations, stimulating discussions, answering questions, and helping you with your SPSS assignments, research proposals, and final research projects. I will be assisted by three Teaching Assistants (TAs), who will be working with you on many aspects of the course. You are expected to attend every class, to complete all reading assignments prior to class, and to remain actively and thoughtfully engaged at all times. I frequently call upon students to answer questions, explain concepts, and continue a line of argument being developed in class; I expect everyone to respond appropriately. When working within a group, you are expected to do your full share of the work, behaving in a professional and responsible manner at all times.
I frequently communicate with you via email. You are expected to read your email at least once each day, and are responsible for knowing anything I tell you via this mode of communication! Cell phones are wonderful, but I expect you to deactivate your phone before you enter class.
Evaluation
Here is how your learning and performance will be evaluated. There will be four objective tests on the textbook material (provision for make-up tests will be made on an individual basis). Your SPSS assignments will be graded. The three elements of your research proposal will be graded and returned to you with extensive comments that are designed to help you write a better final research report. The final research report will be graded, in part, on your success in incorporating feedback given in the comments appended to the research proposal papers. Finally, the conference presentation will be graded on the basis of the cogency and clarity of communication. The Guide to Determination of Grades shows the maximum points awarded for each activity, and the grades awarded for each point total.
Finally, the Psychology Department has instituted a Minimum Competency Requirement for all PSYC 220 students. You are responsible to master a set of fundamental ideas (Core Concepts) that will be "hammered home" throughout the semester. A multiple-choice Core Concepts Exam will be given at the end of the semester. You are required to earn a near-perfect grade (mastery-level) on this exam (approximately 90% correct) in order to receive the letter grade that you otherwise earned in the course. Should you fail to attain mastery on this test, you may take one (and only one) alternative version of the test. Should you fail to attain mastery on the alternative, you can be awarded a course grade no higher than C-. During the past five years, 90% of the students in my sections of PSYC 220 have achieved mastery level on the Minimum Competency Exam on the first try; all but one of the remaining students achieved mastery on the second try.
Similarly, you are required to achieve mastery (approximately 90% correct) on the multiple-choice tests at the end of each of the CITI on-line modules (see A-3, above). There are many alternative versions of the tests, and you may take as many as necessary to achieve the required score. Failure to achieve mastery on all of the modules, will result in the awarding of a course grade no higher than C-. Thus, both achieving mastery on the Core Concepts of the course, and demonstrating mastery of the ethical requirements of research, are necessary to achieve a grade of C or better in PSYC 220.