Psy 330 EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
Instructor: Dr. Gary Nickell, Psychology Department Fall 2006
Office: 360J Bridges Hall
Office phone: Voice (218) 477-4080 or 477-2802 (Psych Department)
TDD (218) 477-3697 (MSUM Information Desk)
Office hours: 8-9 AM MWF, 10-11 AM MWF, 2-3 PM MW, 8-9 AM TH
E-mail:
Home page: http://web.mnstate.edu/nickell/
Class web page: http://web.mnstate.edu/nickell/classes/psy330/psy330.htm
Class time and days: 9:30 – 10:45 AM TH in BR 362
Texts: Galvan, J. L. (2006). Writing literature reviews (3rd ed.), Pyrczak Publishing.
Kantowitz, B. H., Roediger, H. L., & Elmes, D. G. (2005) Experimental
psychology (8th ed.), Wadsworth.
Rosnow, R. L., & Rosnow, M. (2006). Writing papers in psychology (7th ed.),
Wadsworth.
***** Keep the Kantowitz and Rosnow texts for Psy 430
Special accommodations: “Students with disabilities who believe they may need an accommodation in this class are encouraged to contact Greg Toutges, Coordinator of Disability Services at 477-5859 (Voice) or 1-800-627-3529 (MRS/TTY), CMU 114 as soon as possible to ensure that accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.”
Bulletin course description and prerequisites: Course emphasizing report writing (APA editorial style), and application of research methodology and statistics. Prerequisite: PSY 232
Course objectives: The major objectives of this course are to:
(1) enable students to use electronic databases and other resources to find research literature, (2) have students critically read and evaluate psychological literature and research, (3) enable students to write a coherent, organized literature review, (4) enable students to develop an appropriate research proposal, (5) enable students to make effective oral presentations, and (6) enable students to demonstrate knowledge of APA writing style guidelines.
Student learning outcomes: As a result of this course, you will be able to
· understand and apply basic research methods in psychology,including research design, data analysis, and interpretation.
· respect and use critical and creative thinking, skeptical inquiry, and,when possible, the scientific approach to solve problems related to behavior andmental processes.
· weigh evidence, tolerate ambiguity, act ethically, and reflect other values that are the underpinnings of psychology as a discipline.
· demonstrate information competence and the ability to use computers and other technology for many purposes.
· demonstrate effective writing skills in various formats and for various purposes.
· demonstrate effective oral communication skills in various formatsand for various purposes.
Evaluation standards/grading:
There are no formal exams in this course. However, there will be three small (3) quizzes (20 pts. each) scheduled during the semester.
We will also have weekly writing assignments (approximately 80 pts.), some of which will be completed in class, others which will be done individually and will be due the following class meeting. Several of these assignment in class will involve informal writing assignments (e.g., paraphrasing a paragraph in an article). All assignments due in a following class meeting must be typed and double-spaced.
There will be three oral presentations: brief topic presentation (5 pts.), article review presentation (25 pts.), and research proposal presentation (50 pts).
The literature and research proposal components of the course will be worth a total of 150 points. The annotated bibliography assignment is worth 20 points. The first draft of the literature review (title, literature review, references) is worth 70 points, and the final draft of the proposal (Title, abstract, literature review, and method) is worth 60 points.
The quality of student writing will affect your course grade. Some of the criteria I will use for evaluating the quality of your papers and assignment include:
· Focus — The paper addresses the assignment/answers the question? There is a thesis,main idea, or hypothesis that holds the paper together.
· Organization — The paper is cohesively organized, making effective use of paragraphs and transitions, or other appropriate genre conventions.
· Development — The paper provides sufficient evidence to support the over-all thesis, or answer the question. Topic sentences for each paragraph are adequately supported.
· Clarity — Sentences are clear and effectively punctuated (appropriate diction, no run-ons, fragments, misspellings, or grammar errors).
· Voice — The tone is professional and informative (not stuffy, preachy, whiny, or filled with slang).
· APA style – Appropriate use of APA style formatting.
There are 30 formal points allocated for attendance (15) and class participation (15). Based on the MSUM student absence policy you may have 2 unexcused absences and still receive all 15 points. Appropriate classroom etiquette is expected including being on time for class and not leaving early. It is your responsibility to notify me of any condition that may interfere with regular class attendance. Attendance points are based on the system below.
0-2 absences - 15 points 3 absences - 14 points
4 absences - 13 points 5 absences - 11 points
6 absences - 10 points 7 absences - 9 points
8 or more absences will get 0 points
Extra credit for participating in research is NOT available for this class. There will be several Extra Credit Quizzes (ECQ’s) throughout the semester. The ECQ’s will be 1 or 2 multiple choice questions handed out at the beginning of a class period. The ECQ questions will be based on previous in-class lecture material. Extra credit will be available for other activities. There is a maximum of 20 points extra credit.
The Final letter grade system is listed below.
Total points = 400
A = 89.5% or 358 pts. B = 79.5% or 318 pts. C = 69.5% or 278 pts.
D = 59.5% or 238 pts. F = Less than 238 pts.
Experimental Psychology Paper:
Students will review the research literature in a content area of their interest, and develop a proposal for an experimental research study, preferably a study that does not constitute a direct replication. Conceptual replications are acceptable. Although no data will be collected this semester, the students should have thought through the experimental method with enough detail that it could be effectively carried out in Psy 430. Therefore, the final proposal (10+ pages not counting the title page or references) should include a title page, abstract, literature review (with a minimum of 10 references, but no more than 2 book references), and a detailed rationale for the research question(s) raised. Also, a detailed method section (subjects, materials, procedure and design) should follow. The proposal should be typed and follow the APA format (according to the 5th edition of the APA Manual). Include a photocopy of the first page of each article used. A number of writing and research web resources appropriate for this class are available on the web at: http://web.mnstate.edu/nickell/writing_resources.htm
On September 14th, hand in the title and a brief description of your topic.
On September 28th or before, hand in a typed annotated bibliography. The annotated bibliography should include complete references for at least five articles you will use in your paper. After each reference, write a paragraph describing the article in your own words. This aspect of the paper is worth 20 points. A short sample of this assignment is available on the class web page.
On October 26th or before, a draft of your literature review is due. This draft is worth 70 points. For each day the paper is late the grade will be dropped by two points. Include a copy of your paper on disk using whatever software you chose or e-mail me a copy of your paper as an attachment.
On December 5th or before, your final proposal is due. Include a copy of your paper on disk using whatever software you chose or e-mail me a copy of your paper as an attachment. For each day the paper is late the grade will be dropped by two points. This aspect of the paper is worth 60 points. A short sample paper is available on the class web page.
Academic honesty: The MSUM Student Handbook (http://web.mnstate.edu/ sthandbook) discusses student conduct code issues including academic integrity such as cheating or plagiarism. If you have any questions regarding this conduct code or your rights, please review the handbook. With regard to plagiarism, the policy states: “The term “plagiarism” includes, but is not limited to: (a) the use, by paraphrase or direct quotation, of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgment, (b) the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged in the selling of term papers or other academic materials.”
In this course, all required writing assignments may be subject to submission for textual similarity review through the Turnitin.com web site to the instructor, who may then use the tool to check for originality of students' work. All submitted papers will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers. Use of the Turnitin.com service is subject to the Terms and Conditions of Use posted on the Turnitin.com site. If I have convincing evidence of academic dishonesty, the student may receive an F for the course regardless of their performance in other assignments.
Course Schedule
Week Date Tentative Topic(s) Reading Assignments
1 H 8/24 Introduction and Syllabus Kantowitz Appendix A
2 T 8/29 History of Experimental Psych Kantowitz Ch. 1
H 8/31 Literature reviews Galvin Ch. 1
3 T 9/5 Finding a topic and articles Meet in Psych Lab,
Rosnow Ch. 2, Galvan Ch. 3
H 9/7 Analyzing research literature Galvin Ch. 5
4 T 9/12 Synthesizing literature Quiz 1 (20 pts.) at beginning of class
Galvan Ch. 8
H 9/14 Topic presentations (5 pts.) Topic Choices due
5 T 9/19 Writing a first draft Galvan Ch. 9
H 9/21 Writing a coherent essay Galvan Ch. 10
6 T 9/26 Research designs Kantowitz Ch. 2, 3
H 9/28 Research designs Annotated Bibliography due (20 pts.)
7 T 10/3 Style, mechanics and language Galvan Ch. 11
H 10/5 Bias in Research Quiz 2 (20 pts) at beginning of class
8 T 10/10 Ethics in writing Rosnow Ch. 7 (Paraphrasing exercise)
H 10/12 Ethics and research Kantowitz Ch. 4
9 T 10/17 No classes
H 10/19 Online research Meet in Psych Lab
10 T 10/24 Statistics review Kantowitz Appendix B
H 10/26 Statistics review In stat lab, Title, Lit. review and
references drafts are due (70 pts.)
11 T 10/31 Using PowerPoint Meet in lab, Rosnow Ch. 9
H 11/2 Posters Quiz 3 (20 pts) at beginning of class
12 T 11/7 Writing methods sections Kantowitz Ch. 5
H 11/9 Student Conferences (methods)
13 T 11/14 Student Conferences (methods)
H 11/16 Article review presentations (25pts)
14 T 11/21 Article review presentations (25pts)
Fall Break (Nov. 22-26)
15 T 11/28 Editing and final drafts Galvan Ch. 13
H 11/30 Student read other student drafts
16 T 12/5 Oral presentations (50 pts.) (4) Written final proposal (60 pts.)
H 12/7 Oral presentation (4)
17 T 12/12 Oral presentations (4)
Final Class Period Tuesday December 19th at 9am – oral presentations if needed
Note: I reserve the right to change the quiz and assignment dates, assignments and points for assignments, and deadlines at my discretion if needed.