Contact Information

Teaching Assistant (TA)

Meeting Times and Location

MW 11:00-12:50 Degarmo 8C

Course Overview

PSY 331 is an advanced course in research methods used in the science of psychology. This section of the course will focus on methods used in cognitive psychology, more specifically in the study of human memory. While we will focus on methods used in this area of psychology, students will build on basic skills in research methods in psychology.

Course Objectives: The Psychology Department has determined that as a result of participating in this course you should meet the following objectives:

 (1) Conduct a literature review of a topic area in psychology using PsycInfo.
 (2) Develop testable hypotheses for psychological research.
 (3) Design research studies appropriate to an area of psychology.
 (4) Read and understand journal articles in psychological journals.
 (5) Write APA-style research reports.
 (6) Understand and follow ethical standards for research in psychology.

To view Psychology Department Course Objectives, click here.

Course Requirements

Assigned Readings:

(1) Martin (2006). Doing Psychology Experiments. (7th Edition)

(2) Additional readings will be assigned from articles and CHs that will be handed out in class or e-mailed to you.

Assignments

(2) A Method and Results portion of an APA-style paper on the first experiment in the course - Draft DUE WEDS 1/30, Final Paper DUE MON 2/11 - your paper grade will be reduced by 15% if you do not turn in your draft on time and you will receive no credit for the peer review of this paper

(3) A full APA-style paper on the second experiment that we'll design during the semester - Intro and Method Draft DUE MON 3/17, Full Paper DUE WEDS 5/7 at 10 am - your paper grade will be reduced by 15% if you do not turn in your draft on time and you will receive no credit for the peer review of this paper

(4) Group oral presentation - last day of class WEDS 4/30 - groups order will be randomly determined on that day (so you must be on time and ready to present at the start of class) - each group will present Background, Method, Results, and Discussion for Exp 2

(5) Project Topic Proposal - a 2-3 page written proposal for the second experiment in the course - each student will develop an idea in written form - the class will then discuss the ideas presented and choose one for EXP 2 - DUE MON 2/4

(6) Two peer reviews on APA paper drafts of fellow students - conducted in class on WEDS 1/30 and MON 3/17

(7) CH Quizzes - days are listed in the syllabus - 5 quizzes will be given on the CH readings assigned from your text to review basic methods concepts learned in PSY 231

(8) Class exercises and HW - about 1-2 of these will be assigned per week, depending on which part of the study we are working on. Due dates will vary by assignment. Assignments will be given in class or downloaded from the course web page. In many cases, you will need to be in class in order to receive the assignment and begin work on it. Many assignments will be group work.

More information will be given in class on the different assignments.

Grading

Grading will be based on the following distribution:

APA Paper #1 (EXP 1)	15%	75 points
APA Paper #2 (EXP 2)	25%	125 points
Group Oral Presentation	10%	50 points
Project Topic Proposal	10%	50 points
Peer Reviews (5% each)	10%	50 points
CH Quizzes	10%	50 points
Class Exercises	10%	50 points
Class Participation	10%	50 points

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Your final grade in the course will be determined from the total number of points (not percentages) you earn on assignments in the course. You must earn at least the lowest point total in these ranges to earn a particular grade. No curving or rounding will be done for grading.

Grade records for this course will be kept on a secure web server that you may access during and after the semester to check your grade progress. You will be given a login and password to access your grade. If you have trouble logging in to the grade book, contact Dr. McBride. The grade server may be accessed from the course web page.

Late Policy

The nature of this course requires work to be done on time to allow us to design our study in time to finish it this semester. Thus, many assignments connot be completed late. Some individually-completed assignments (i.e., assignments not completed with your group) may be turned in after the scheduled time they are due, but will be counted late. The grade you receive on these assignments will be adjusted according to the number of days the assignment is tardy. For late assignments 10% of the total possible points will be deducted for each day it is late. Weekends count as one late day. Computer mishaps (e.g., failure to successfully save work, printer problems) are not acceptable excuses for late assignments. It is your responsibility to back up your work and print assignments in time for them to be turned in. Therefore, unless you make special arrangements with me before the due date (with a documented emergency), any late assignment will have points deducted and some may not be eligible for credit!

Academic Dishonesty

Academic dishonesty such as cheating or plagiarism will not be tolerated. Cheating or plagiarism will result in an F and referral to the Community Rights and Responsibilities (CR&R) Office for disciplinary action. Cheating INCLUDES (but is not limited to): plagiarism of both published and unpublished written work, having another individual take or assist you with an exam, taking an exam for or assisting another individual with an exam, performing or completing a class assignment or quiz for another individual or having another individual perform or complete a class assignment or quiz for you. Cheating is thus defined generally as representing work that is NOT your own as your work or allowing your work to be represented as another's so that individual receives academic credit. You are responsible for understanding what is and isn't plagiarism. More information about plagiarism will be discussed in class and is included in the assignment sheets for written assignments. Violators of this policy will receive a failing grade on that assignment, a possible failing grade for the course, and referral to the department chair and the CR&R Office for disciplinary action. Your work on assignments must be your own.  If you discuss material in written assignments found in another source, you must use your own words. You may NOT lift wording from published works for any assignment in this course.

Final Note

If you have any questions about the syllabus, course, or your progress in the course, please feel free to come talk to me. My office hours are listed above and I am also available for appointments. You should also feel free to stop by my office anytime my door is open. Attendance is your responsibility. You are still responsible for knowing what occurs during a class, even if you miss it. Be aware that missing class may mean you are missing an important part of an assignment and it may not be able to be made up. Any student in need of a special accommodation should contact 438-5853 (voice) or 438-8620 (TDD).

Course Schedule

The following is a listing of the class meetings and the tentative topic that will be covered on those days.  Please note the due dates of all assignments and exams.

WEEK	DATE	TOPIC	READING	ASSIGNMENT DUE
WK1	M 1/14	Syllabus Group Formation	Syllabus	Index Card
	W 1/16	Run Exp 1	CH 1	CH 1 Quiz
WK2	M 1/21	LABOR DAY - NO CLASS
	W 1/23	Exp 1 discussion and Data Analysis	CH 2	Exp 1 Exercise CH 2 Quiz
WK3	M 1/28	Prospective Memory - generating research ideas	CH 3 McDaniel & Einstein Book CH 1	McD & E CH Focus Q's CH 3 Quiz
	W 1/30	Peer Reviews of Method & Results		Draft of Exp 1 Method & Results
WK4	M 2/4	Discussion of PM theories	Einstein et al. (2005) article Smith et al. (2007) article	Project Topic Proposal Article Focus Q's
	W 2/6	Discussion of Exp 2 Topics
WK5	M 2/11	Literature Reviews - meet in Milner 164D	CH 6	Final Exp 1 Paper
	W 2/13	Design Exp 2	CH 7	CH 7 Quiz
WK6	M 2/18	Design Exp 2	CH 8
	W 2/20	Design Exp 2
WK7	M 2/25	Group Reports	CH 4	CH 8 Quiz
	W 2/27	Article Roundtable	Bem (2003) CH	Annotated Bilbliography
WK8	M 3/3	Analysis Plan	CH 12, Appendix A	Graph of Predicted Results
	W 3/5	Writing Session	CH 13
WK9	M 3/10	SPRING BREAK
	W 3/12
WK10	M 3/17	Peer Reviews of Exp 2 drafts		Draft of Exp 2 Intro & Method
	W 3/19	Data Collection
WK11	M 3/24	Data Collection
	W 3/26	Data Collection
WK12	M 3/31	Data Collection
	W 4/2	Data Collection
WK13	M 4/7	Data Collection
	W 4/9	Data Collection
WK14	M 4/14	Data Collection
	W 4/16	Data Analysis and Interpretation
WK15	M 4/21	Data Analysis and Interpretation
	W 4/23	Preparation for oral presentations		Draft of Results section for Exp 2
WK16	M 4/28	Preparation for oral presentations
	W 4/30	Group Oral Presentations
FINALS	W 5/7	FINAL APA Paper DUE by 10 am

If you are interested in obtaining research experience in human memory, take a look at the Memory Lab page.