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Approved by Faculty Senate December 2, 2002 WINONA STATE UNIVERSITY PROPOSAL FOR UNIVERSITY STUDIES COURSES Department ________Psychology______________________
Date _____10/17/02__________
______PSY308______
___Experimental Psychology_________________________
____3______
Course No.
Course Name
Credits
This proposal is for a(n) ___X__ Undergraduate
Course
Applies to:
___x__ Major
____x_
Minor ____x Required
_____ Required _____ Elective
__x__ Elective
University Studies (A course may be approved to satisfy only one set of outcomes.): Course Requirements:
Basic Skills:
Arts
& Science Core: Unity and
Diversity:
_____ 1. College Reading and Writing
_____ 1. Humanities ___x_ 1.
Critical Analysis
_____ 2. Oral Communication
_____
2. Natural Science
_____ 2. Science and Social Policy
_____ 3. Mathematics
_____
3. Social Science
_____ 3. a. Global Perspectives
_____ 4. Physical Development & Wellness
_____ 4. Fine & Performing Arts _____ b. Multicultural Perspectives
_____ 4. a. Contemporary Citizenship
_____ b. Democratic
Institutions
Flagged Courses: _____ 1. Writing
_____
2. Oral Communication
_____
3. a. Mathematics/Statistics
_____ b. Critical Analysis Prerequisites
___________ PSY 210, PSY 231, concurrent
enrollment in PSY 309________________________________ Provide the following information (attach materials to this
proposal):
Please see “Directions for the Department” on previous page for material
to be submitted. Attach a University Studies Approval Form. Department Contact Person for this Proposal: ________Carrie Fried_________
_457-5483__
_______cfried@winona.edu__ Name (please print)
Phone
e-mail address
Course Description and Syllabus for P308 Experimental Psychology Instructor: Dr. Carrie Fried Office: 231 F Phelps Hall, Phone: 457-5483, email: cfried@winona.edu, Office hours: M & W 11-12 & 1-2, T & Th 10:30-11, 2-3 & , F 11-1 Course goals and objectives: 1) Learn the basics of experimental research in
psychology 2) Learn to communicate research findings 3) Learn the logic behind well designed and conducted
research 4) Learn the technical issues of designing and
conducting research 5) Learn to critique research and spot flaws in research
designs & conclusions, 6) Learn to interpret statistics and research findings, This 3-credit class is designed to be accompanied by P309 Experimental Psychology Lab. You should be enrolled in both P308 and P309. Class/Lecture: Class will be spent primarily in lectures, going over material and answering questions. If you miss lecture, you are responsible for getting lecture notes from a fellow classmate. Keep in mind, material in this course builds on itself, so if you are confused by topics covered in lecture, be sure to ask questions. Homework and reading assignments will also be part of the “class” portion of the course. The Assigned Readings (r-1 – r-8 on course calendar) are research papers picked because they highlight aspects of research we are focusing on. There will be specific questions to answer regarding the readings (questions will be typed on the cover sheet). Answers to these questions should be typed (they will be at least a page long) and brought to class. Often we will discuss these in class. These readings will be available at the library reserve desk at least a week prior to due date. If you want them even more in advance, see me. Grading and Evaluation: Class points will primarily come from exams and assignments designed to assess how well you understand the course material. Points will be broken down as follows: Exams (2) 116 pts (each) Reading reports (8) 48 pts.(total) Homework
20 pts. Total 300 pts. This
course is a University Studies Program Unity and Diversity Critical Analysis
courses: Such
courses are required to meet this following outcomes: A: Promote students'
ability to evaluate the validity and reliability of information: B: Promote students'
ability to analyze modes of thought, works, arguments, explanations, or theories: C: Promote students'
ability to recognize possible inadequacies or biases in the evidence given to support
arguments or conclusions: D: Promote students'
ability to advance and support claims: These
letters are used in the course calendar, course objectives, & throughout the syllabus
to indicate places in the class where these outcomes are met.
Course Calendar (may change slightly as semester progresses) Week Readings (in text) Assignments Due
(&r Univ. Studies outcome) 1 Sept. 3-6 1-11, Ch. 2 Class Intro to class, research, ( a,b) ________________________________________________________________________ 2: Sept. 9-13 80-90, 174-185, 222-228, 233-238 r-1 Friday Class: Intro to experimental methods (a,b,c,d) ________________________________________________________________________ 3: Sept. 16-20 74-80, Ch. 5, 238-242 Append. E r-2 Wed. Class: Intro Experimental, Data & Stats (c,d) ________________________________________________________________________ 4: Sept.. 23-27 Append B r-3 Wed. Class: Stats & Data APA /Format (b,c,d) ________________________________________________________________________ 5: Sept. 30-Oct. 4 Ch. 11 Class: between vs. within subject designs (a,c,d) ________________________________________________________________________ 6: Oct. 7-11 (No Class
Friday) Ch. 11
Class Within Subject designs (a,c) ________________________________________________________________________ 7: Oct. 14-18
64-68
r-4 Monday,. Class: Ethics, MIDTERM
EXAM Friday ________________________________________________________________________ 8 Oct. 21-25 Ch. 12 EXAM Monday Class: MIDTERM, Factorials
(a,c,d) ________________________________________________________________________ 9: Oct. 28-Nov. 1 Ch. 12 . Class: Factorial designs (a,b,c) ________________________________________________________________________ 10: Nov. 4 - 8 pp
194-196, 202-207
. Class: Demand
Characteristic/Exp. Effects
(a,b,c) ________________________________________________________________________ 11: Nov. 11-15 (No Class Monday) 186-194 Ch. 9 r-5 Wed. Class Validity issues, (a,c) ________________________________________________________________________ 12: Nov. 18-22 Ch. 13, Ch.7 r-6 Wed., Class: quasi-experimental & correlational designs (a,b,c) ________________________________________________________________________ 13: Nov. 25-29 (No Class W
or F) Ch 6 & 7
r-7 Monday Class: non-experimental methods (b,c) ________________________________________________________________________ 14: Dec. 2-6 Ch. 6 & 7 r-8 Wed. Class: non-experimental methods ________________________________________________________________________ 15: Dec. 9-13
Class Ethics #2, Review ________________________________________________________________________ Final Exam Wed. Dec. 18th 8am
Psychology 308,
Experimental Psychology, 3 cr. Unity &
Diversity: Critical Analysis course Proposal and
Rationale INTROCUTORY
NOTE: This course was previously approved as
a Unity & Diversity: Critical Analysis course. The
department is in reducing the credits associated with this course from 5-3, (and move the
lab component into a separate course) and thus is required to put P308 through as a new
course and resubmit it to the university studies sub-committee to be re-approved as a
Unity & Diversity: Critical Analysis course. Catalog
Description: Introduction to
the scientific methods and research techniques in psychology General Course
Information: Psychology 308
(Experimental Psychology) is being proposed as a Unity and Diversity Critical Analysis
Course within the University Studies Program. General Psychology and Statistics are
prerequisites for the course. The intent of
P308 is to teach students the different aspects of conducting research in psychology. These aspects include: 1) Understanding the logic behind experimental
research. 2) Learning the basic methodological
issues of different types of research, 3)
Learning to critique research and spot flaws in research design, 4) Reviewing and applying skills in data and
statistical analysis, and 5) Learning how to
write-up an empirical research paper. Class-time typically consists of lectures
supplemented by discussions, case studies, and examples to help students apply course
material. Core topics
covered in the course include: 1) Scientific
Thinking, 2) Theory and
Hypothesis Testing 3) Experimental
Methodology 4) Issues of
Control and Confounding Variables in Experimental Methodology 5) Types of
Validity (e.g., Internal, External, Construct) in Experimental Research 6) Measurement
Issues such as Validity and Reliability 7) Within
Subject, Between Subject, and Mixed Experimental Designs
8) Factorial
Designs 9) Statistical
Analysis (Descriptive & Inferential Statistics) 10) Writing in
APA Format 11) Quasi
Experimental Designs 12)
Introduction to Non-Experimental Methodology (e.g., Surveys, Observations,
Quasi-Experiments) 13)
Non-Experimental Methodology Issues (e.g., Survey Sampling, Sample Bias, and Sample Error)
14) Drawing
Appropriate Conclusions from Different Forms of Research 15) Psychology
Research in Applied Settings.
Specific
Outcomes for USP Unity and Diversity Critical Analysis courses: A: Promote
students' ability to evaluate the validity and reliability of information: One of the
primary goals of this course is teaching students how to evaluate whether the information
provided in psychological research is reliable and the conclusions drawn from the research
are valid. This outcome is addressed at
several different levels and from many different angles.
For example, at a micro-level, these issues are addressed by teaching
students to evaluate the validity and reliability of measures. In measurement, these terms have specific
definitions involving what the measure is actually measuring (validity) and how well
– or consistently and objectively – it is measuring it (reliability). This area has a long history in the field of
psychology where the validity of important measures (e.g., intelligence) are often hotly
debated and other measures (e.g., projective personality tests) are notoriously
unreliable. Students are exposed to these
ideas through lecture and discussions of the validity and reliability of actual measures. At a more
macro-level, replication in research (as a way to evaluate reliability of findings) is a
central feature in basic scientific thinking and theory building. Students are introduced to these ideas through
lectures on the “scientific method”. They
also explore the issue by discussing examples of where replications (or failures to
replicate) have altered theories or psychological principles. Ideas of validity
permeate this course. A central theme in
psychological research is dealing with the sometimes conflicting concepts of internal and
external validity. Briefly, internal validity
has to do with whether the independent variable in an experiment (cause) is solely
responsible for differences in the dependent measure (effect). For example, does exposing an experimental group
to violent video games cause those participants to behave more aggressively than a
comparison group who were not exposed to the violent video games. Or can the differences between the groups be
attributable to other factors (e.g., individual differences, effects of simply playing any
video game). Students learn the fundamentals
of internal validity by learning the basics of experimental research, studying previously
conducted experiments, and designing their own experiments.
Understanding internal validity is key to understanding experimental
research and research design issues. Students
learn to evaluate internal validity by looking for the factors that violate the underlying
assumptions of an experimental design. This
is often done through analyzing and critiquing designs as explained in Outcome C on the
following page. External
validity, on the other hand, refers to whether research findings extend to other populations (aside from those in the
study) or are applicable outside the laboratory. External
validity is an important issue in psychological research because research findings often
have real-world application, such as in the areas of mental health or organizational
psychology. Conceptually and
logically, internal and external validity are independent issues; practically they are
often conflicting in that most types of research either stress external validity at the
expense of internal, or the other way around. The
course stresses that students understand the differences in types of validity and also how
to evaluate the different forms of validity on experiments.
Students often learn about external validity and the potential conflict
between the two forms of validity by examining processes of doing research in applied
settings and / or applying laboratory research to solving real-world problems. B: Promote
students' ability to analyze modes of thought, expressive works, arguments, explanations,
or theories: Because teaching
students how to conduct psychological research inherently involves getting students to
analyze research at many levels, this objective is addressed in many ways throughout the
course. The following are examples of the
activities that address this objective. 1) In
examining where research ideas come from, students learn that sometimes a psychological
phenomenon is explained differently by various theories.
Students examine how competing theories may result in competing hypotheses
for identical situations, and how a well designed study may be able to distinguish between
the two or more theories. 2) Students read previous published research studies and report
on the theories, methods, and results. 3) As is extensively documented in this proposal,
students learn why and how specific aspects of research designs can rule out types of
alternative explanations. For example,
students learn how certain control conditions must be used to adequately test certain
hypotheses. 4) Students are exposed to
various forms of research and examine how those forms of research are use to test
different theories, provide different levels of explanation, and are used in different
contexts. For example, the level of
explanation provided by a case-study or survey will be very different from the level of
explanation provided from a tightly controlled laboratory experiment, even if they are
both designed to study the same underlying phenomenon.
5) Finally, students are exposed to issues of research methodology through
several different modes of thinking. These
include mathematical thinking about statistical analysis of data, logical thinking about
research design, and conceptual thinking about theories and hypotheses. C: Promote
students' ability to recognize possible inadequacies or biases in the evidence given to
support arguments or conclusions: The primary goal
of this course is to teach students how to do research correctly so that they can draw
appropriate conclusions and support their claims. Central
to learning this lesson is learning how and why research done incorrectly may lead to
faulty conclusions. This is often done
through critiquing research designs (often weak or flawed designs). The primary goal in these critiques is to teach
students both to recognize flaws and weaknesses in methodology and to understand how and
why these flaws might draw into question the results and conclusions. Several potential areas of weakness are
stressed. For example, when conducting
experiments the lack of true random assignment of participants to conditions or the lack
of adequate control of possible confounding variables (unwanted systematic differences
between conditions) makes it impossible to draw causal inferences. Students are taught how to spot these flaws but
also to understand why they draw into question cause-effect conclusions. Other potential flaws include incorrect balancing
of the order in which trials are presented in within subject designs (experiments where
subjects participate in more than one condition), incorrect controls of demand
characteristics and experimenter effects (e.g., placebo effects or expectancy biases),
using inappropriate control or comparison groups, or using invalid or unreliable variables
in measuring outcomes. Again, the goal of these critiques is to teach students both to
recognize flaws and to understand the ways in which the flaws may undermine the
conclusions. These activities also reinforce
students understanding of the methodological basics involved in psychological research.
This outcome is typically achieved through discussing published research, and assigning
homework that require students to identify flaws in research designs. Skills learned by
these activities extend beyond the course-emphasized academic research to help students
critically evaluate questionable research findings they are likely to encounter in their
lives. This includes so-called
“pop-psychology” or “pop-science” that are often reported in the media
or become the center of fads or social-movements. Examples
that are sometimes discussed in class include claims of “healing touch” or other
forms of alternative medicine that have become centers of debate lately. D: Promote
students' ability to advance and support claims: There are several
places where this outcome is met -- such as teaching students to design experiments that
will test specific hypothesis and rule out alternate hypotheses, and teaching students how
to correctly interpret and report results of statistical analyses. It has already
been discussed elsewhere in this proposal how students are taught the mechanics of
experimental design and psychological research. These
skills also fit into this category. Students
learn how to design an experiment that will be able to support claims of causal
relationships between variables. At the same
time, they learn how to identify and articulate flaws in designs that may nullify such
claims. As the class discusses
quasi-experimental and non-experimental designs, students learn how and why claims of
causal relationships become more and more difficult to support as alternative hypotheses
become more and more difficult to rule out. Another area
where this particular outcome is addressed is in the statistical analysis and
interpretation techniques taught to students and used by students in the class. Students
learn what statistical tests to use to test significance depending on the type of data
(frequencies, continuous scales, etc.) and the type of relationship being examined
(correlations between variables, differences between groups, etc.). In essence, students learn how to support claims
by using, reporting, and interpreting statistics appropriately. They may learn, for example, how to support a
claim that two experimental groups truly differ on the outcome variable rather than just
demonstrate chance variation. This is often
done through homework assignments in which students receive statistical output and must
write a short report explaining what results mean and backing up these claims by reporting
the appropriate statistical output. These
activities provide students with the ability to advance support for their claims through
the use of statistics. |