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PSYC 2299/2299L - Research Methods and Lab

Class Meeting:

Mon, Thu 9:40 am - 10:40 am

Wed 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Lab Meeting:

Tue 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

TA Student Help Hours:

Wed 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

All class sessions will take place on Microsoft Teams

Office: Only available via Microsoft Teams for Spring 2021

 

Email: ssthomas@lagrange.edu

(use subject: "Research Methods")

TA: Kennedy Conner (kconnner@lagrange.edu)

 

Twitter@SocialPsySteph (Class hashtag: #PSYC2299) 

 

Please see the course calendar at the bottom of the page for the assignment and exam dates.

 

All students enrolled for Spring 2021 should complete the following survey. All surveys should be completed by Friday, February 5th at 3 pm. This survey will count as your first participation points for the course.

Text & Software
Text & Software

Morling, B. (2020).  Research methods in psychology.  Evaluating a world of information (4th Ed.).  W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. 

The hard-copy of the book is not required. Students may choose to purchase an all-digital copy of the book if they would prefer that format.

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American Psychological Association. (2019). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th Ed.). American Psychological Association: Washington, D.C.

 

There are 3 copies of this book available in the library (2 in reference, 1 in the stacks). Students are encouraged to purchase their own copy as it will be very useful in future classes and grad school.

 

Writing Portfolio. For those of you who have completed PSYC 1005/1006, your portfolio from that class is required for this course as well. I will not be going into detail about APA formatting and scientific writing as you already covered that in that course.

Additional readings may be provided and required throughout the semester.

Proctoring Software: In this class, LockDown Browser and Respondus Monitor will be used to facilitate the online proctoring of assessments (such as quizzes or exams). Students will be able to download LockDown Browser from a link provided from within our course on Connect and will incur a one-time, $15.00 fee (payable only by credit card) for the use of Respondus Monitor. This one-time fee will entitle a student to unlimited use of Respondus Monitor for this course and any other on at LaGrange College for the time period of one year.

 

These pieces of software work only with a reliable desktop or laptop computers running Windows or Mac OS as well as modern iPads.  Devices used for testing must be equipped with a functional webcam and must have access to a stable, high-speed internet connection. LockDown Browser and Respondus Monitor will not function with smartphones, tablets that are not iPads, or Chromebooks. 

 

If you do not have access to a personal computer that meets these specifications, laptops are available for checkout in Lewis Library. Campus Wi-Fi is robust and will satisfy your internet connectivity requirements.

 

Students having difficulties with the functionality of these tools should contact IT (support@lagrange.edu, 8049) for assistance.

Statistical Software: Students will need JASP downloaded onto their computers to be able to analyze data. A link to this free download can be found on Connect.

Course Objectives

The primary objectives of the course are as follows:​

  • Gain an understanding of how psychologists strictly scrutinize each others' research.

  • Gain knowledge of the proper use of statistical tests on various types of research.

  • Gain knowledge on the use of specific methods to make specific claims.

  • Gain a comprehensive knowledge of research methods and design.

  • To provide students with the tools that they need to become sophisticated research consumers by thinking critically about claims based on research.

  • To understand the role and importance of research in social sciences and everyday life.

  • To provide students with the experience of conducting an independent research project.

  • To gain an understanding of how to properly structure a scientific research report according to APA format.

Course Requirements

All graded activities should follow the LaGrange College Honor Code and should be your own work. Unless otherwise noted, all work receives an individual grade; thus graded items cannot be completed with the input of others.

 

Exams and Quizzes

There will be 5 exams during the regular term and a final exam, each covering about two-three chapters of course material. The exams will entail multiple choice and short answer questions. These exams will be based on lessons, exercises, film clips, and outside readings and assignments including material covered in the textbook and online assignments. It is very important to complete each lesson and to take good notes. A good portion of the material that I will cover in lessons will not be found in the readings. In addition, there will be at least one quiz given at some point during the semester which may contain multiple choice and short essay questions. To see actual dates for all exams, please see the course calendar at the bottom of this page (found here).

To do well on the exams: you will need to regularly complete lessons, take good notes, keep up with the reading material and study both this material and the notes with the aim of fully understanding it (not just memorizing it). The exam questions will emphasize understanding and mastery of concepts and theories rather than memorization of information. Completion of the LearnSmart modules (see later section) and online study aids are also good ways to study and test understanding. However, these should not be your ONLY method of study, as stated, the exams will focus more on understanding than memorization. I will focus mainly on questions that assess whether you have a thorough understanding of these concepts and theories and whether you can apply this understanding to new situations.

 

The material in this course builds on itself so information from previous exams is still pertinent for later exams. So while exams are not necessarily comprehensive, you do need to still understand previous information to do well on them and previous information may show up on exam questions.

Exam policy for Spring 2021: For Spring 2021, exams will change slightly to accommodate the changes due to COVID-19. All exams will be administered through Connect using Respondus. To use Respondus, students will be required to purchase access (a year subscription to the service is $15 and one subscription can be used for all of your courses that require Respondus). In addition, all students will need a working webcam and a computer (please note: Chromebooks will NOT work with Respondus). All students will complete their exams at the same time.

Final exam: The final exam will take place starting on Thursday, May 6th at 8 am. The final exam will contain 2 chapters' worth of new material as well as a comprehensive section. There will be no make-ups or early exams given for the final exam.

 

Quizzes: There will be at least one planned quiz given throughout the course of the semester. This quiz will cover the information covered in the syllabus. The instructor reserves the right to give pop quizzes in class at any time.
 

Absence during exam: Please notify the instructor on the day of your absence from a test by phone or e-mail. To make up an exam, a student must have an excused absence. An excused absence is determined by the instructor and may include an illness that requires the student to remain at home/in their dorm room, a death of someone close to the student, court date during class time, school-sponsored event that occurs during class time, or other events at the discretion of the instructor. To notify the instructor of an excused absence, the student must complete an electronic absence form (this can be found on Connect). If documentation is available, that should be submitted along with the form. Only one undocumented exam absence will be counted as excused per student. After that one, all exam absences must be accompanied by written documentation to count as excused. To designate a missed exam as excused (whether it has documentation or not), the student must submit an absence form no later than the day they return to class to be able to make up the exam and receive full credit; 20% will be deducted from the exam grade if the student turns in the absence form after this date. The student must then arrange to make up the exam as soon as it is convenient, but definitely within 1 week of the original exam date. If more than one student needs to make up the exam, one common time may be arranged for all makeup exams to be given. If no absence form is turned in, the exam cannot be made up and the student will receive a grade of "0" for that exam. If the exam has not been made up within one week of the original exam date (unless prior approval has been obtained by the instructor), the exam cannot be made up and the student will receive a grade of "0" for that exam. The instructor will not contact the student to determine if a missed exam is excused. If no contact is made by the student, it is assumed the missed exam is unexcused. Zeros will be given for exams when it is determined that the absence is unexcused. Please note the following examples of unexcused absences: absences due to vacations or leaving early before a scheduled break, except under extenuating circumstances, work schedules are not considered an excuse for missing an exam. 
 

Attendance & Class Participation

Attendance is crucial to be successful in this course. Missing just one day can put you far behind on material. Thus, attending class is a required component of this course and will contribute to your grade. Being on time is also important in order to not disrupt the class and ensure you have received all of the information. Therefore, students that are 15 minutes or later for the class will be counted as absent for the day and will not receive attendance points.

 

If you miss class, it is your responsibility to find out what you missed from a classmate. I am happy to answer specific questions about the material after you have obtained materials from a classmate, but I will not re-give lectures to students who missed class. I do not send slides to students by email. Recordings of class sessions will only be accessible to students who have an excused absence for the corresponding course.

 

Early in the semester, you should get contact information from one or more of your classmates and set up a "buddy system" for the purposes of letting you know what was covered in class and any changes to the course outline (including information regarding deadlines for various assignments).

If you are absent, you must fill out an absence form (found on Connect) and turn it into me ASAP, and at least by the next day you are in class. For an absence to be excused, an absence form must be completed. After receiving your absence form I will email you indicating what specific work you should complete to make up for your absence. If a graded assignment or exam is missed due to absence, it may only be made up if the absence is deemed excused. 

If you have three or more unexcused and/or unmade-up absences during the course, you will fail the course. In addition, if more than 1 unexcused absence accumulates in lab, you will fail the course. Absences that you have been made-up will not be counted towards this total. In addition, only 2 undocumented excused absence will be accepted during the course. After that, all other absences require documentation to be considered excused.

Students who achieve perfect attendance for the whole semester will earn extra credit towards their participation grade. If a student is absent and completes the required steps to make up their absence, this absence will not count against their perfect attendance.

If a student has a chronic illness, are on an LC sponsored sports team, or have other situations that may cause the student to miss a class or to cause the student to fall behind in classwork, it is the student's responsibility to notify the instructor at the beginning of the semester or as soon as the conflict arises. Students should not wait until an assignment deadline or exam day to let the instructor know that of an ongoing problem that is interfering with the student's ability to keep up in the course.

Another contribution to your overall grade will be your participation in active learning exercises such as activities, discussion forums, completion of personality scales, doing fun field experiments outside of class, tweeting about class topics, and so on. These activities are designed to help you learn concepts in an active and memorable manner. By participating in these active learning exercises, you will learn much more (and have more fun) than would be possible if this class consisted solely of lectures and multiple-choice tests. These activities will not be announced in advance.


Twitter: For the majority of the in-class assignments we will be using Twitter. Therefore, students should set up a Twitter account if they do not already have one. Students will also need to approve follow requests from the instructor for this course; if students would prefer to set up an account specifically for this course (instead of using their personal account), that is perfectly acceptable. To get credit for these activities, students must fill out the survey (linked at the beginning of the syllabus) in which they provide the Twitter handle that they will be using for the course.
 

In addition, I will use Twitter to send out additional reminders and announcements (in addition to what I post on Connect). Students are strongly encouraged to follow me to easily receive this information. When I post information relevant to our class, I will use #PSYC2299. I encourage students that have questions or comments related to class to post using this # as well or send me a direct tweet. I will also post a list of all students' Twitter handles on Connect (for those students who have indicated they are willing to share this information) so that students may connect using Twitter. This offers an easy way to ask questions of other students, post information relevant to the class, or set up group study sessions.

 

Missed Participation: To make up a graded assignment that was due on the day a student was absent, a student must have an excused absence. An excused absence is determined by the instructor and may include an illness that requires the student to remain at home/in their dorm room, a death of someone close to the student, court date during class time, school-sponsored event that occurs during class time, or other events at the discretion of the instructor. To notify the instructor of an excused absence, the student must turn in an absence form (this can be found on Connect). If documentation is available, that should be submitted along with the form. This form will not be accepted electronically. Only two total undocumented absences will be counted as excused per student (an undocumented exam absence is counted in these two). After two, all missed participation must be accompanied by written documentation to count as excused. To designate a missed participation as excused (whether it has documentation or not), the student must submit an absence form on the day they return to class to be able to make up the exam and receive full credit; half credit will be given if the student turns in the absence form after the day they return to class. The student must then arrange to make up the missed participation as soon as it is convenient, but definitely within 1 week of the original participation date. If no absence form is turned in, the participation cannot be made up and the student will receive a grade of "0" for that participation. If the participation has not been made up within one week of the original participation date (unless prior approval has been obtained by the instructor), the participation cannot be made up and the student will receive a grade of "0" for that participation. The instructor will not contact the student to determine if a missed participation is excused. If no contact is made by the student, it is assumed the missed participation is unexcused. Zeros will be given for participation when it is determined that the absence is unexcused. Please note the following examples of unexcused absences: absences due to vacations or leaving early before a scheduled break, except under extenuating circumstances, work schedules are not considered an excuse for missing a class. Once answers to a graded item have been distributed in any format (orally, online, returned work, etc.) the graded item may no longer be made up and the instructor will provide the student with other options to make up the missing grade. Twitter participation cannot be made up as these assignments involve reflecting on class discussion. However, students may drop two excused Twitter assignments from their grade. Absence forms are still required for a missed Twitter participation. If an assignment is assigned on a day that a student is absent but is not due until a later date, the student is still responsible for completing this assignment on time unless prior approval has been obtained by the professor. There will be opportunities throughout the semester for students to earn extra credit toward their participation grade. Students are encouraged to complete these opportunities as much as possible to help in case of more than two missed Twitter assignments, less than ideal performance on a graded participation assignment, etc.

Course Objectives
Exams and Quizzes
Final Exam
Absence During Exam
Quizzes
Attendance & Class Participation

InQuizitive modules: For each chapter, there will be an online InQuizitive module that students will need to complete. These modules are meant to be completed either concurrently while reading the associated chapter through the ebook or after reading the entire chapter. These are NOT a substitute for reading the book. Each module is meant to assess understanding and comprehension of the material covered in that chapter. There are a set number of learning objectives that you must complete to receive your points (20 per chapter). These are meant to prepare you for in-class discussion as well as to serve as one possible means of studying for exams. As such, they will point out areas where you might need some work. There are help guides available on Connect to familiarize you with the system.

 

InQuizitive modules are due by the date that each chapter will be covered (see the schedule for actual due dates). Because these are online assignments and are all available for completion starting on Day One, no late submissions will be accepted. Students are encouraged to complete the assignments well in advance of the due date to avoid any conflicts or technical mishaps. You will receive a grade for each module based on the points you have earned for that assignment by the due date.

The InQuizitive modules also serve as an excellent study tool. The modules will point out areas that need to be refreshed so you can go back to previous modules and use them as study guides for upcoming exams. The software also offers many study options including quizzes.

 

Please note: These modules only pull information from the book. My lectures often include other relevant information that was not included in the book. Therefore, InQuizitive modules should not be your only study tool as they will not cover all of the information that may be present on an exam. 

Research Project

This project is a scaled-down example of what a senior psychological science student does to complete their senior capstone project. Completion of an experimental psychology (research methods) project is required to demonstrate your mastery of the fundamentals of the scientific method. Completion of this research project will mainly take place during the lab portion of this class. The research project will require that you develop a psychological topic and write up a formal research manuscript (using APA style) describing your research.

 

You will work in small groups to design the project and collect and analyze the data. Some in-class activities will be submitted as group assignments but all sections of the formal research report (the manuscript) will be completed and submitted independently. For any assignment submitted as a group assignment, a portion of that grade will be dependent on the anonymous peer reviews of the other members of your group. All peer reviews are anonymous and students will only see their total grade for the assignment (not the individual peer grade). 

 

Please see the student handbook for a description of plagiarism. Any students caught plagiarizing any portion of their paper or work will receive a "0" for that assignment and may fail the class. Please see the section on Academic Misconduct below for more information. Students who turn in incomplete final papers (e.g., not including all sections) will be given a "0" for the project. 

Overall Grading

The different types of assignments that you will encounter in this class will each contribute a unique amount of weight towards your final grade in the class. The following table lists the percent of your final grade that will come from each of the designated types of assignments. Note: an average grade of D or F on exams may lead to a final grade of D or F in the course.

InQuizitive Modules
Overall Grading
Research Project

See the recommended study strategies if you would like information on how to more effectively study for this class.

 

The following factors may also affect a student's grade:

 

Grades may also reflect class behavior, and those students who behave in a way deemed disruptive by the instructor may have their grades reduced and/or be referred to the Honor Council. Likewise, students that are active in class discussion may have their grades increased.

 

Academic misconduct. Any student who cheats or plagiarizes will be given a grade of “F” for the course and will be referred to the Honor Council. Cheating includes, but is not limited to: wearing earphones or hats to the test session, attempting to or leaving the classroom with a copy of the test or answer sheet, looking at another student’s test or answer sheet, or using a phone during the exam period. Plagiarism involves any attempt to pass off work from another source as your own. This applies to both tests and assignments.

 

Extra Credit Assignments
Journal to Journalism Extra Credit

Often psychological research will get reported in journalism (magazines, newspapers, etc.). Sometimes, unfortunately, that reporting doesn't stay true to the actual scientific findings. This is one of the reasons being a critical consumer of research is so important. So, to practice those skills, you can complete the journal to journalism assignment for extra credit. 

 

To earn extra credit, you can complete the following Journal to Journalism assignment with up to 6 separate submissions. For this assignment, you must find a news article that reports on some psychological study. You will also find the published study reported on in the news piece. Then, answer the questions provided in the worksheet regarding both the journalism piece and the published journal article. For all answers, highlight the section of the article where you found your answer and label it with the question number (e.g., “1a”). This means that you will be including an annotated copy of both the journalism article and journal article with this assignment.
 

Your responses should NOT be copied and pasted from either article. This is plagiarism and it will be reported. Instead, write your answers in your own words after synthesizing what you learned when reading the article(s). This also means no quotes! Be sure the worksheet is legibly formatted and neat looking when you are finished. Assignments will be returned if they are hard to read. No handwritten or emailed assignments will be accepted (the only exception to the handwritten rule is the highlighting of the articles). All files should be submitted as PDFs.

 

Each assignment that you successfully complete will add 3% to your lowest exam (up to 18% total earned). You will only receive credit for those assignments that you complete with 100% accuracy. Any assignments you turn in with mistakes will be returned to you so you may fix them and resubmit. You may turn in up to 2 assignments a week and all submissions are due on Monday of each week at the beginning of class. Final submissions are due by 11:59 pm April 30th (the last day of classes). 

 

To submit, email a PDF copy of your completed worksheet and both articles to Dr. Thomas.

Finding Errors

To encourage the reading of all class materials, I offer extra credit to the first person to notice errors in any class documents. If you spot an error (this can be as simple as a misplaced comma or a misspelled word), please send me an email with a screenshot and explanation of the error. Each found error will earn you extra credit towards the Participation portion of your grade. This not only encourages deep reading and attention to all class materials but ensures that the class materials are continually improving.

 

Maintaining a Good Learning Environment

 

Phones and Other Devices

Please silence your phone and put it away during class. Yes, I can see you texting, tweeting, and snapping even when you put your phone under the desk or try to hide it on your desk. This not only distracts other students around you but also distracts me from my lecture. If I see a phone out an inappropriate time, I will call you out in front of everyone and your grade WILL be negatively impacted by repeated issues. 

 

You will need a laptop for this course as all class sessions will take place online.  Thus, a reliable computer and internet connection is required for this course. If you don't have a computer, you can check one out from the library.

Email

Please use polite email etiquette and don't email me about these issues or your email may be deleted. In general, my email responses will be very short (1-sentence). I am not trying to be rude, just efficient as I get many emails in a day. If your question requires a lengthy response, I would suggest scheduling a meeting with me instead. For all email responses, please permit at least 24 hours before expecting a response (e.g., you are unlikely to get a response to your email the night before an exam). In general, emails may not be answered over the weekend, holidays, or after business hours.

Microsoft Teams

For Spring 2021 we will be using Microsoft Teams to live-stream class sessions as well as to aid in communication both inside and outside of the classroom. Thus, you are required to have Microsoft Teams setup on your computer. You are also strongly encouraged to set this up on your phone as well. There is a free app in the app store you can download. This software is free with your LC account. Do not create a new account, use your LC Microsoft account to log in. If you have trouble logging in, please contact IT. More information including tutorials on how to access and download Teams as well as a link to our course Team are provided on Connect.

Extra Credit Assignments
Phones and Other Devices
Email
Microsoft Teams
Other Administrative Details
Other Administrative Details

All papers submitted in this class should follow the paper formatting guidelines found here.

All exams and handwritten work turned in for a grade must be completed in pencil if not typed. Do not use pen/marker/highlighter to complete any graded work.

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The course outline is a guide. The coverage of certain topics or participation in class activities may take more time or less time than was originally expected. The instructor reserves the right to alter the course outline at any time. Students will be notified in class and/or by email of any changes in the course outline. If given as an option, the student majority vote will decide changes in exam dates that may occur.

 

All due dates and times in this course are given in eastern time. Please note! If you travel to central time, your work is still due at the stated eastern time!

In the case of an emergency such as severe weather or an influenza or zombie outbreak, I may be obliged to make changes to course content, assignments, or other substantive elements of the class.
 

The syllabus may be corrected or amended if errors or omissions are discovered after the syllabus is posted. Corrections will be posted to the course Connect site and/or the instructor's Twitter page.

 

ADA Statement:  Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, LaGrange College consistently undertakes to provide, by every reasonable effort, assistance and appropriate accommodations to qualified students with disabilities. If you have a disability, please contact Brandi Cameron, Coordinator of Learning Disability Support Services at 706-880-8269.  She is located in Smith Hall in room 121. Students with documented accommodations that they wish to utilize must speak with the instructor & present documentation by the end of the 2nd week of the semester. 


Acts of academic misconduct (e.g. cheating, plagiarism) may result in course failure and will result in referral to the Honor Council. No electronic devices may be on a student's person, out, or in use during exams or other graded activities. If that rule is violated, it will be assumed that the device is used for cheating. The matter will be referred to the Honor Council. Unless told otherwise by the instructor, assume that all graded work uses only the student's brainpower and is closed book/notes/internet and is an individual assignment. During exams and graded activities, students may only have a pencil and an eraser on the table top (aside from any materials provided by the instructor). During exams, all belongings should be closed and stowed under the table. All notes/books must be in a zipped bag and placed under the table. You must turn in your exam if you leave the room.

Honor Code:  “As a member of the student body of LaGrange College, I confirm my commitment to the ideals of civility, diversity, service, and excellence.  Recognizing the significance of personal integrity in establishing these ideals within our community, I pledge that I will not lie, cheat, steal, nor tolerate these unethical behaviors in others.” 

All tests, papers, etc... will be destroyed during week 5 of the following semester. Any questions regarding grades or assignments must be addressed before that time.

You are required to get permission from the instructor if you wish to audio record, video record, or take pictures of a class.

 

Important information from the instructor will be sent to student's via their LaGrange email account or via announcements within the Connect course site. Students are responsible for all messages and materials sent via these routes. Reminders and hints may also be sent via the instructor's Twitter account. Any changes to course policy, dates, or assignments will also be sent via email or Connect.

 

DropGuardThe faculty, staff, and administration at LaGrange College want students to succeed in every aspect of their college experience. One of the tools we use to help us in that process is called DropGuard. The DropGuard system allows faculty and staff members to enter information when they are concerned about students – perhaps because of absences from class or other activities, or because of irregular performance, and so on. If there are several indications that things may not be going well for a student, it’s possible that the student will be contacted by their advisor or by another campus official. Students may receive email notifications from DropGuard when the instructor notes a concern. If a student finds themselves in a situation where they could use some additional assistance, please set up a meeting with a faculty member or academic advisor. Naturally, academic support services are readily available in PACE, Tutoring Center, the Writing Center, and in the Counseling Center (study skills, time management, etc.). If students have specific questions about DropGuard itself, please feel free to e-mail: studentsuccess@lagrange.edu.


If you ever encounter an issue with an online assignment, please email me and you MUST include a screenshot that documents your issue. Failure to follow this guideline may result in a denial of your request for late submission of the assignment. As a note, technical errors are bound to occur, therefore, it is HIGHLY recommended that you do not wait until the last minute to complete assignments.

 

Responsible Employee Reporting Obligation: All faculty and staff share in the responsibility to create a safe learning environment for all students and for the campus as a whole. As members of the campus community, all faculty and staff (other than those designated as confidential reporters) are designated as responsible employees and therefore have the duty to report any instances of sexual harassment, sexual violence and/or other forms of prohibited discrimination. If a student would prefer to share information about sexual harassment, sexual violence or discrimination with a confidential employee who does not have this reporting responsibility, a list of those individuals can be found at http://www.lagrange.edu/about/security/sexual-harassment-violence.html.

*Instructor reserves right to alter schedule due to any unforeseen circumstances*

Course Schedule

 

You can download the PDF of the schedule here or see the image below.

Course Calendar
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