PSY 312 Research Methods II

TR Greene 308, 12:30-1:45

Stephanie McKee
mckes13@wfu.edu
Greene 149
Office Hrs: By apt
Lab Section C
W 12:30-1:45 pm
Greene 158

Lab Section D
W 12:30-1:45 pm
Greene 158

Lab Section E
W 2:00-3:15 pm
Greene 106

TA: Stephanie McKee

mckes13@wfu.edu
Greene 149
M 2:00-3:00

TA: Stephanie McKee

mckes13@wfu.edu
Greene 149
M 2:00-3:00

TA: Stephanie McKee

mckes13@wfu.edu
Greene 149
M 12:30-1:30

Welcome!
In PSY 312, we will cover research designs and statistics associated with experimental research. We will
talk about experiments (and about studies that pose as experiments but totally arent). Youll learn two
classes of statistical techniques: t-tests and ANOVAs, as well as a few other types of analyses. And youll
deepen your knowledge of ethics in research, of SPSS, and of APA style writing.
Course goals
It is my hope that by the time you leave this course, you will have gained valuable knowledge about
research design and statistics that you can utilize for the rest of your life. In this course you will have the
opportunity to:
1. Evaluate popular press reports of psychology research
2. Use the psychological literature to discover evidence for or against common viewpoints
3. Evaluate the quality of evidence presented by researchers, especially concerning experimental
studies
4. Identify how to statistically analyze data and identify which statistics are appropriate for which
situations
5. Communicate scientific ideas and findings to others in writing
6. Complete a research project from start to finish
We care!
I love to talk to students outside of class. Catch me at the end of lecture and we will schedule an
appointment. The best way to get in touch with me, besides talking to me in or out of class, is to send me
email. I do my best to answer all emails within 24 hours, however if you have not heard from me, please
feel free to send another email yours likely got buried in other incoming email. Another great person to
talk to outside of class is your TA, who is going to be fabulous.
Additionally, dont wait to get help if you start to struggle with the material - we have lots of ways to help
keep you on track if you let us know you would like our assistance.
What you need: Course Materials
Things you should bring to all lectures and labs:
1. A laptop computer or a mobile device with wifi access
2. A scientific calculator that can compute a mean and standard deviation, however it may not
be a graphing calculator.
a. Two of many possibilities:
i. Texas Instruments TI30XS Multiview
ii. Casio FX-300ESPlus
3. Scratch paper for in-class exercises and notes
4. Your statistical tables handout (distributed during the course)

Mark Leary (2012). Introduction to Behavioral Research Methods, 6 th Ed.

APLIA. Well be using Aplia for online homework and for an electronic statistics textbook. If you
purchased an Aplia license in PSY 311, you will be able to use that license to access Aplia for PSY
312. If you did not use Aplia in PSY 311, please come talk to me before doing anything further.
To register for our course in Aplia, go to login.cengagebrain.com. If you already have an account, sign
in. Otherwise, create a new account. From your dashboard, enter our course key NYGX-J68B-MLVB
in the box provided and click the register button. You may be asked to enter your license key.

Tophat Class Participation Software. This software allows me to ask you questions in class and
allows you to answer them using a device you already own any device with wifi access will do. To
purchase a one-semester license for Tophat, visit http://tophat.com/register/student/ and follow the
steps below.
(Make sure to read Step 3 instructions)
o

Step 1: School. Enter Wake Forest as your school. (Or our 6-digit course code 652992)

Step 2: Account Info. Enter your name, email, username, and password

Step3: Grading Setup. The student identifier you should enter is your lab section followed by
your student ID. For example, LabA034162528. You must follow this format exactly. If you
are unclear about these instructions, skip this step and do it later with assistance from your
TA.

Step 4: Phone. Enter your cell phone number and do the verification test. Do this even if you
dont plan to use your phone for most classes it might come in handy later.

Step 5: Course. Identify our course in the list shown and click enroll.

You can pay the $20 fee using a credit card. You should receive a confirmation email with your
receipt. One you have an account, you can log in by visiting http://tophat.com/login.

Lecture Notes. PowerPoint lecture slides will be posted before each class. Feel free to download
them to take notes.

Supplemental Material. Supplemental article readings will be posted on Aplia for you to download
throughout the course.
How you will be graded

Participation: 5%
Lecture. You are required to attend all lectures and to participate in lecture activities. Your
participation grade is based on your Tophat percentage of questions answered. You can view
your Tophat participation score at any time.
If you earn a 90% participation or higher in Tophat, this will translate to 10 points for participation.
Below 90%, you will earn the number of points that corresponds to the exact percentage earned
on Tophat. You should notify your TA if you have an excused absence from class (e.g. a school
organization activity, a documented illness). You must notify your TA in the same week as your
missed class(es) to receive credit, and you may be asked to provide a note.
Labs. Always check the lab activity folder in the Aplia Materials tab to see if there is a lab activity
sheet to bring to lab sessions. Labs on Monday will cover course concepts from the previous
week as well as SPSS, while Wednesday labs will focus on the lab project. You will frequently

have prep work for Wednesday labs (listed on the syllabus or assigned by your TA). Coming
unprepared to lab may result in losing 1 of 5 participation points.
Each unexcused lab absence will result in the loss of 1 of 5 participation points. To receive an
excused absence, you must receive email confirmation that your absence is excused (from me or
your TA).
Homework: 30%
There will be 13 online homework assignments, due on Tuesdays at 12:00pm sharp. You can
work on questions throughout the week and submit them as they are completed. Certain
questions will give you immediate feedback, while other questions will be graded after the
Tuesday deadline.
You are encouraged to complete the homework assignments collaboratively with your lab partner
or with a study group, however please be careful to avoid accidental plagiarism.
You may request a one week extension from your TA for one homework assignment during the
term. Please contact me if you have a personal situation that spans more than one week of
missed homework, and I will try to accommodate you.
Lab Project: 30%
Your lab section will design and conduct a quasi-experimental survey-based research study
during the semester. Each lab section will work on a different project aimed at answering a
different research question.
The final product of this research project will be a full empirical paper that you write with your lab
partner. In order to help you write the best possible final paper, you and your partner will turn in
smaller writing assignments (drafts) throughout the semester. You will get feedback on the drafts,
which you can incorporate when writing your final paper. The deadlines and weights for the
assignments are listed below. Late assignments will lose 5% of the assignment points for each
day late.
Due Date
Feb 11
Feb 18
Mar 4
Mar 30
Apr 15
May 5

Assignment
Literature Search Assignment
Research Question Assignment
Method Draft
Introduction Draft
Results Draft
Full Project Paper

Points
15
10
25
25
25
100

For each assignment, there will be a lab workshop dedicated to the content and form of the
writing task. We will also give you an instruction handout with the exact grading rubric that your
TA will use to grade your work.
Both you and your partner will earn the same grade on all assignments. Hopefully, you will find it
helpful and rewarding to work with a partner for these assignments. If, however, you develop
concerns about your partner, you should contact your TA as soon as you realize there is a
problem. We cannot retroactively change grades for turned-in assignments. We can and will,
however, break-up a partnership for future assignments if the problem appears serious and if
you can document that your partner has been negligent in doing the work and that you have
emailed him/her warnings without getting a positive response.
Tests: 35%
Tests. There will be two tests during the semester, each worth 10%. Test questions may come
from the lectures, the labs, or the text, with an emphasis on content discussed in lecture. Each
test will contain two formats of questions: 30 multiple choice questions and 2 free response

questions. You will be allowed a calculator, a 4X6 formula card, and a set of statistical tables. A
practice test will be posted on the course website in advance of each test.
SPSS Quiz. There will be an SPSS quiz, worth 5% of the course grade.
Final Exam. The final exam is worth 10% of the course grade and will include both conceptual
and computational problems from the entire course.
If you need special accommodations for testing, we are happy to assist you. Please bring us a
copy of your ALC letter, and we will make sure you get what you need. Test absences will be
excused for emergencies only. You will be asked to bring a note from a physician or a dean. You
must make-up a test within one week of the test.
Extra Credit Opportunities: .
EC Project Paper Analyses. You can earn up to 3 extra points on your final project paper grade
by including up to 3 additional analyses of your project data that you found interesting, beyond
the analyses required of everyone in your section.
Final course Grades
While this course is not graded on a bell curve, if fewer than 25% of the class receives at least a
90%, grades will be curved to accommodate this.

Schedule
*This schedule may change as the semester progresses.
See the Aplia home page for the most updated schedule information.

DATE

TOPIC

READING AND HW

Week 1
Jan 13

Course Introduction
o What you will learn in this course
o Course materials
o Course requirements

Jan 14
W LAB

Lab Introduction
o Course Pre-Assessment Exercise
o Meet Campus Life Liaison

Jan 15

Statistical Designs
o Flow chart for matching designs to statistics

Jan 19 M
LAB

Homework Concepts
o Matching Designs & Statistics Workshop
o Homework Q&A

Review: G & W, Ch 1-4

Jan 20

Validity in Research Designs

o External Validity
o Internal Validity

HW #1 due
Leary Ch 9 p 194-196, 203-205, &
p 206

Jan 21
W LAB

Project Concepts
o Discuss Reading
o How would you design a study?

Reading 1 due
o Lab C: TBD
o Lab D: TBD
o Lab E: TBD

Jan 22

Research Designs
o Non-Experimental
o Quasi-Experimental

Leary Ch 1 p 21-23
Leary Ch 13, p 269-276

Jan 26 M
LAB

Homework Concepts
o Validity Workshop
o Homework Q&A

Review: G & W, Ch 5

Jan 27

Research Designs
o Quasi-Experimental Contd

Jan 28
W LAB

Project Concepts
o Article discussion

Reading 2 due
o Lab D: Organizational
Engagement
o Lab E: Belongingness

Jan 29

Research Designs
o Experimental

Leary Ch 9 p 182-190

Feb 2 M
LAB

Homework Concepts
o Confound Workshop
o Homework Q&A

Review: G & W Ch 6.2-6.3

Feb 3

Research Designs
o Experimental Contd

HW #3 due

Week 2

Week 3

HW #2 due
Leary, Ch 9, pp 190-193
Leary, Ch 13, pp 287 Table 13.1

Week 4

Feb 4
W LAB

Project Concepts
o Literature Search Workshop

Feb 5

Central Limit Theorem

Feb 9 M
LAB

Homework Concepts
o Central Limit Theorem Workshop
o Homework Q&A

Feb 10

Feb 11
W LAB

G & W, Ch 7

Z test for a sample mean

o One Tail

HW #4 due
One sample Z test study guide
G & W, Ch 8.1, 8.3, & 8.4

Project Concepts
o Research Question Writing Workshop
o Assign methods tasks

Literature Search Assignment

due
Bring Jan 28 reading to lab!

Z test for a sample mean

o Two Tails

Two sample Z test study guide

G & W, Ch 8.1, 8.3, & 8.4

Feb 16
M LAB

Homework Concepts
o Z Test Workshop
o Homework Q&A

Feb 17

T test for a sample mean

o Hypothesis Test
o APA style

HW #5 due
One sample T test study guide
G & W, Ch 9.1, 9.2, 9.3c - 9.3e

Feb 18
W LAB

Project Concepts
o Method suggestion presentations
o Begin making method decisions

Research Question Assignment

Due

Feb 19

Confidence Intervals
o Calculating a confidence interval
o What does the interval mean?
o What does confidence mean?

G & W Ch 9.3c,d,e

SPSS
o One-Sample Mean: T-Test and Confidence
Interval
Homework Concepts
o Homework Q&A
T test for two independent sample means
o Hypothesis test
o APA style

HW #6 due
Independent samples T Test study
guide
G & W, Ch 10

Week 5

Feb 12
Week 6

Week 7
Feb 23
M LAB

Feb 24

Feb 25
W LAB

Project Concepts
o Methods Writing Workshop
o Final method decisions & begin writing

Bring Jan 28 reading to lab!

Feb 26

Issues with NHST

o Effect size, Cohens d

G & W, Ch 8.5, 9.3, 10.3a-b

Week 8
Mar 2
M LAB

SPSS
o Independent Samples T-Test
Homework Concepts
o Homework Q&A

Mar 3

Paired-Samples T test
o Hypothesis Test
o APA style

Homework #7 due
Paired samples T Test study guide
G & W, Ch 11

Mar 4
W LAB

SPSS
o Paired Samples T-Test
Homework Concepts
o Homework Q&A

Methods Section Draft due

Mar 5

Review

Week 10
Mar 16
M LAB

Test 1

Homework #8 due
Test 1 in Lab Today

Mar 17

Error in Research Studies

o What is error and how is it different from bias?
o Type 1 error
o Type 2 error

Recruit participants!
G & W, Ch 8.2

Mar 18
W LAB

Project Concepts
o Introduction Writing Workshop
o Outline paper introduction

Bring Jan 28 reading to lab!

Mar 19

Power
o What is the power of a test?
o Factors that affect power

G & W, Ch 8.6

Mar 23
M LAB

Homework Concepts
o Power Workshop
o Homework Q&A

Mar 24

One way ANOVA

o Hypothesis test
o APA style

Homework #9 due
Oneway ANOVA study guide
Howell, Ch 16

Mar 25
W LAB

Project Concepts
o Power Analysis
o Data preparation

Mar 26

ANOVA contd
o ANOVA practice
o Post-hoc: Fishers protected t-tests

SPSS

Introduction Section Draft due

Week 11

Week 12
Mar 30
M LAB

o One way ANOVA

Homework Concepts
o Homework Q&A

Mar 31

Repeated Measures ANOVA

o Hypothesis test
o APA style

Apr 1
W LAB

Project Concepts
o Data Analysis

Apr 2

Repeated Measures ANOVA

o Post-hoc tests

SPSS
o Repeated Measures ANOVA
Homework Concepts
o Homework Q&A

Homework #10 due

Repeated Measures study guide
Howell, Ch 18

Week 13
Apr 6 M
Lab

Apr 7

Two way ANOVA I

o Main effects
o Interaction effects

Homework #11 Due

Leary Ch 10, p 217-229

Apr 8
W LAB

Project Concepts
o Results Section Writing Workshop
o Data Analysis

Bring Jan 28 reading to lab!

Apr 9

Two way ANOVA II

o Simple Effects Tests

Two Way ANOVA study guide

Howell, Ch 17

SPSS
o Two-way ANOVA
Homework Concepts
o Homework Q&A

Week 14
Apr 13
LAB

Apr 14

Two way ANOVA III

o Concepts

Homework #12 Due

Apr 15
W LAB

Project Concepts
o Discussion Section Writing Workshop
o Outline Discussion Section

Results Section draft due

Bring Jan 28 reading to lab!

Apr 16

Two way ANOVA IV

o Concepts

Apr 20
M Lab

Practice Test 2 Q&A

Course Post-Assessment

Practice Test 2 due

Apr 21

Test 2 Review

Test 2 today

Practice SPSS quiz due

SPSS quiz today

Week 15

Apr 22
W LAB
Apr 23

Test 2

SPSS Quiz Review in Lab Breakouts

Week 16
Apr 27
M Lab

SPSS Quiz

Apr 28

Lab Presentations

Apr 29
W LAB

Conceptual Final Review

Meet in Room

Cumulative Final Exam May 1, 9am

Final Paper Due May 5, 12:30pm