Psychology 3800F-001 Intersession 2019
Psychological Statistics Using Computers
If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.
1.0 CALENDAR DESCRIPTION
This course covers most statistical procedures used in psychological research, and the use and interpretation of SPSS for Windows. Topics covered include the t test, various forms of analysis of variance, chi-square, bivariate and multiple regression and correlation, factor analysis, multivariate analysis of variance, and Monte Carlo methods.
Antirequisite: Psychology 3830F/G.
Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one can be taken for credit. So if you take a course that is an antirequisite to a course previously taken, you will lose credit for the earlier course, regardless of the grade achieved in the most recent course.
Prerequisites: Psychology 2810, plus registration in third or fourth year Honors Specialization in Psychology or Honors Specialization in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, or Honors Specialization in Animal Behaviour. Psychology Majors students and Psychology Special Students who earn 70% or higher in Psychology 2820E or 60% or higher in or Psychology 2810 may enrol in this course.
Unless you have either the prerequisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enrol in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.
Extra Information: 2 lecture hours, 2 laboratory hours
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Dr. Yves Bureau, PhD., C.Psych.
Office and Phone Number:
Location; St Joseph’s hospital,
Tel. 519 646-6100 ext. 65739 (email messages are best)
Email: ybureau@uwo.ca or ybureau@lawsonimaging.ca
Office Hours: Shortly before and after class
Time and Location of Lectures:
Time: 12:30-3:30pm on Mondays and Wednesdays
Location: Lecture in SSC-2032, Laboratory in SSC-3133 for all days
If you or someone you know is experiencing distress, there are several resources here at Western to assist you. Please visit: http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for more information on these resources and on mental health.
Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you. You may also wish to contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at 519-661-2111 ext 82147 for any specific question regarding an accommodation.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
Gardner, R. C., & Tremblay, P. F. (2007). Essentials of Data Analysis: Statistics and Computer Applications.
This can be purchased at the UWO Bookstore.
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course introduces students to the use of computers in psychology. Emphasis will be placed on the use of SPSS for Windows on microcomputers connected to the SSNDS network, but other applications of computers may be surveyed briefly. The major portion of the lectures will be concerned with the rationale, interpretation, and application of various statistical procedures. Lectures will focus on selected univariate and multivariate analytic methods, and students will be shown how to make use of SPSS for Windows to perform those procedures to answer empirical questions. The laboratories will provide students with the opportunity to use SPSS for Windows and other computer packages that will be required for completing the laboratory assignments. The laboratories will be conducted in the Department of Psychology Computer Laboratory (TBA), where students will be able to work on their assignments with consultation with the course instructor. Students are allowed to use the Laboratory at other times, when available, and also have access to the SSNDS Computer Instructional Laboratory (location to be announced) to complete their Psychology 3800 assignments.4.1 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this course, successful students will be able to:
- Recommend and justify an appropriate research design and statistical procedure for a given research question or hypothesis.
- Differentiate between the statistical procedures in terms of their permissible applications and the scale properties of the data.
- Generate hypotheses to address specific research questions.
- Analyze data using appropriate descriptive and inferential statistical procedures.
- Apply 10 different statistical procedures by analyzing data sets.
- Demonstrate their understanding of Type I and Type II errors by conducting simulated demonstration of such errors.
- Write research reports clearly and effectively in a way that a reader would have the necessary information to replicate the study. The quality of methods and result sections will match the level in good empirical journals.
- Describe, critique and justify their research methodology and generate ways to improve upon it.
- Demonstrate their capacity to work independently and in an ethical manner by producing their own written work and meeting the timelines for the 10 assignments.
LEARNING OUTCOMES, ACTIVITIES and ASSESSEMENT
|
Learning Outcome |
Learning Activities |
How will it be Assessed |
|
Depth and Breadth of Knowledge.
Recommend and justify an appropriate statistical procedure to use for a given research question or hypothesis.
Differentiate between the statistical procedures in terms of their permissible applications based on the scale properties of the data. |
Ten weekly labs are designed to develop applied knowledge of the statistical procedures. In each lab, a problem is presented with a data set or with a request to generate simulated data with specific properties. The labs are described in tutorials led by the instructor. Students develop the research hypotheses, analyze the data, and write a research report. |
The ten labs assess (in part) knowledge of the uses and applications of each statistical technique.
The final exam assesses the ability to select the correct procedure for specific problems. |
|
Application of Knowledge.
Generate hypotheses to address specific research questions and analyze data using appropriate descriptive and inferential statistical procedures. |
For each of the ten procedures presented in class, students have the opportunity in the weekly labs to apply the procedure to a real research problem that addresses real challenges such as violations of assumptions or lack of statistical power. |
The labs assess the ability to use a specific procedure correctly in terms of addressing the assumptions, and reporting and interpreting results.
The final exam does the same but presents research problems in which students must justify using a specific procedure. |
|
Application of Methodologies.
Apply 10 different statistical procedures by analyzing data sets.
Demonstrate their understanding of Type I and Type II errors by conducting simulated demonstration of such errors. |
In each lab, students learn to apply a statistical procedure in SPSS, including preparation of the data file, syntax statement, selection of specific secondary tests of assumptions, interpretation of the output, and how to synthesize the extracted information into a report. |
Students need to master the correct way to interpret and report results from software output. This is assessed in the lab reports and in the exam. |
|
Communication Skills.
Write research reports clearly and effectively in a way that a reader would have the necessary instructions to replicate their study and the necessary information to interpret their results.
Write method and result sections that match the level in good empirical journals. |
Students have the opportunity to develop their research writing skills through weekly reports and receive weekly written feedback from their instructor. This structure helps address timely correction of problems or fine tuning of writing format in specific areas of the report. |
The labs assess students’ ability to think and write clearly.
The section of long answers on the exam also assesses the ability to communicate an idea clearly. |
|
Awareness of Limits of Knowledge.
Describe, critique, and justify their research methodology especially in the discussion section of their research reports.
Generate ways to improve upon their research methodology. |
Feedback from the instructor on the lab reports highlights any needed correction in the interpretation of results and limitations. The lab assignments include questions that specifically address the limits of what can be concluded from the results. |
The lab reports also assess the ability to present justified conclusions along with their limitations. |
|
Autonomy and Professional Capacity.
Demonstrate their capacity to work independently and in an ethical manner by producing their own written work and meeting the timelines for the 10 reports.
|
Students are responsible for 10 weekly lab reports, and must produce their own original reports. |
Late reports receive a deduction and originality of work is assessed in adherence to the institutional policies for plagiarism. |
5.0 EVALUATION
PLEASE NOTE: Because this is an essay course (in the form of written laboratory assignments), as per Senate Regulations (http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/2017/pg108.html), you must pass the essay component to pass the course. That is, the average mark for your written assignments must be at least 50%.
Laboratory Assignments: 50% of course grade
Final Examination: 50% of course grade
Although the Psychology Department does not require instructors to adjust their course grades to conform to specific targets, the expectation is that course marks will be distributed around the following averages:
70% 1000-level and 2000-level courses
72% 2190-2990 level courses
75% 3000-level courses
80% 4000-level courses
The Psychology Department follows Western's grading guidelines, which are as follows (see http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf):
A+ 90-100 One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level
A 80-89 Superior work that is clearly above average
B 70-79 Good work, meeting all requirements, and eminently satisfactory
C 60-69 Competent work, meeting requirements
D 50-59 Fair work, minimally acceptable
F below 50 Fail
6.0 TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE
Laboratory Assignments: 50% of course grade. There will be 10 laboratory assignments, each requiring a written report. All assignments must be handed in at the beginning of the laboratory session following the session in which it was assigned. Late assignments will not be accepted and will be given a grade of 0. The last assignment is due one week after the last laboratory session. Students are responsible for their own assignments--copying assignments constitutes plagiarism. The Laboratory Assignment grade is the mean grade obtained in the 10 assignments. These 10 assignments together constitute the written component of 2,500 words required for a half-year essay course.
Final Examination: 50% of course grade. The final examination will be based on all material presented in lectures, laboratories, and the assigned text chapters. All assigned text material, regardless of whether or not it was discussed in class, is eligible exam material. The final will be set by the Registrar’s office during the official examination period and will be 3 hours long. More information about the exam’s content and format will be provided during the last week of classes.
The final exam will be scheduled by the Registrar’s Office (June 24-25) at some date and time during the final examination period. No electronic aids will be allowed during the exam.
"This course is exempt from the Senate requirement that students receive assessment of their work accounting for at least 15% of their final grade at least one week before the deadline for withdrawal from a course without academic penalty."
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
Date Major Topic Date Assignment (Lab)
May 13tth Introduction May 13th No Lab
May 15th T-Tests May 15th Independent-Samples
t-test and Paired-
Samples t-test
May 20st is a statutory holiday. No classes or lab.
May 22rd Monte Carlo Methods May 22rd MONTE
(Type I error, power)
May 27th Single factor analysis of variance May 27th One-Way ANOVA Posthoc
May 29th Completely randomized May 29th Two-Way ANOVA,
factorial designs and Posthoc Simple main effects
June 3rd Single-factor repeated measures June 3rd Single-factor repeated
June 5th Split plot factorial designs Posthoc June 5th Repeated measures,
Simple main effects
June 10th Chi-Square June 10th Chi-Square
June 12th Correlation and Regression June 12th Correlation and
Bivariate Regression
June 17th Multiple Correlation and Regression June 17th Multiple Correlation
and Regression
June 19th Factor Analysis June 19th Factor Analysis
Note 1: Factor analysis lab is due on June 24th. Place the assignment in (location to be announced) or hand it to me personally.
Note 2: Review will take place on June 24th
8.0 STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES
Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offenses. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offenses because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offense are described at the following link: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf
As of Sept. 1, 2009, the Department of Psychology will take the following steps to detect scholastic offenses. All multiple-choice tests and exams will be checked for similarities in the pattern of responses using reliable software, and records will be made of student seating locations in all tests and exams. All written assignments will be submitted to TurnItIn, a service designed to detect and deter plagiarism by comparing written material to over 5 billion pages of content located on the Internet or in TurnItIn’s databases. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between Western and Turnitin.com http://www.turnitin.com
Possible penalties for a scholastic offense include failure of the assignment, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.
9.0 POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR MEDICAL ILLNESS
Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?Command=showCategory&PolicyCategoryID=1&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation:
http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
10.0 OTHER INFORMATION
Office of the Registrar web site: http://registrar.uwo.ca
Student Development Services web site: http://www.sdc.uwo.ca
Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site for information on the following:
http://psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/student_responsibilities/index.html
- Policy on Cheating and Academic Misconduct
- Procedures for Appealing Academic Evaluations
- Policy on Attendance
- Policy Regarding Makeup Exams and Extensions of Deadlines
- Policy for Assignments
- Short Absences
- Extended Absences
- Documentation
- Academic Concerns
- 2019 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones and smart watches, will be allowed during exams.
