Brooklyn College - CUNY
Brooklyn, New York
Psychology 3450W T2AL, BL, CL Tue 2:15-3:55 pm
Experimental Psychology Spring, 2017
Room 133 Ingersoll Hall Extension
Course Description
This course explores the logic and methods of experimental research in psychology. Some of the major topics to be discussed include: the philosophy of science, the logic of descriptive and experimental research methods, research designs, hypothesis testing, experimental control, confounding variables, and external/internal validity. In short, experimental psychology will be presented as a rich and diverse system of objectively acquiring knowledge about the behavior and mental faculties of living organisms. My chief aim in this course will be to acquaint you with some of the ideas and methods that go into creating a scientific style of thought, as well as to give you a glimpse of the types of research found in different domains of Psychology. Hopefully, by the end of this course you'll find yourself to be more critical in your own approaches to acquiring knowledge even in domains outside of psychology.
Instructors
Lecture:
Dr. A. Delamater
Office # 4401 James Hall
Office hours: T, Th: 1:00 - 2:00 pm
Other times: by appointment
Office Phone: 951-5000 x6026
email:
Laboratory:
Lab Instructors: Rick Cheung, Taylan Ergun, Matt Goldberg
Textbook
C. James Goodwin & Kerri A. Goodwin (2013). Research in Psychology: Methods and Design, 7th Edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Note: It is important that you read the relevant chapters as we discuss them in class.
Grading
Your final grade will be determined by your test performance in the lecture component of this course, as well as by your performance in the laboratory component of this course. You'll receive separate grades from the lecture and lab, and your final grade will consist of an average of these two (lecture - 50%, lab - 50%).
Note that in the lecture part of the course, there are two exams: a mid-term and a cumulative final exam. Each of these tests will contribute to your lecture grade, but the final exam will be weighted more (55% for the final and 45% for the midterm).
One more point regarding the grading scheme. The ranges for A, B, C, D, & F, respectively, will be close (in % scores) to: 87 – 100, 75 – 86, 62 – 74, 50 – 61, 0 – 49. These specific boundaries may vary somewhat (up to +/- 2% points) depending on class performance. Also, + and – grades will be reflected by how close your overall grade is to one of these boundaries.
Web Page
A web page for this class is currently under construction. Although incomplete at present, you will find useful information by visiting this site. Also, exam grades will be posted here.
http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/psych/delam/57
The publisher has a web page for this book that includes useful study aids, such as concept reviews, fill in the blank exercises, quizzes, etc. This should be very helpful for exams.
http://bcs.wiley.com/he-bcs/Books?action=index&itemId=1118360028&bcsId=7688
University's policy on Academic Integrity:
The faculty and administration of Brooklyn College support an environment free from cheating and plagiarism. Each student is responsible for being aware of what constitutes cheating and plagiarism and for avoiding both. The complete text of the CUNY Academic Integrity Policy and the Brooklyn College procedure for implementing that policy can be found at this site: http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/bc/policies. If a faculty member suspects a violation of academic integrity and, upon investigation, confirms that violation, or if the student admits the violation, the faculty member MUST report the violation.
Missing an exam
Make-up tests will be given only when there is "good" reason for having missed an exam. For example, if a sudden illness should cause you to miss an exam, then you should be prepared to provide me with a brief note signed by your physician. Contact me before an exam in the event that you anticipate missing one. In the event of an emergency, contact me as soon as possible.
A Note on Etiquette
It will be your responsibility to attend class regularly and participate. Doing so will help you understand what material I regard to be most important, and this should be helpful when you study for exams. Food and drinks should not be brought into the classroom, and, likewise, any trash you may have should be thrown away in a garbage bin before leaving. Please keep the place clean. Also, because it can be distracting otherwise, please make sure your cell phones are off during class time. Finally, once class has begun, please refrain from leaving and re-entering the room repeatedly during class.
Note regarding Student Disability Services
In order to receive disability-related academic accommodations students must first be registered with the Center for Student Disability Services(CSDS).
Students who have a documented disability or suspect they may have a disability are invited to set up an appointment with the Director of the Center for Student Disability Services, Ms. Valerie Stewart-Lovell at 718-951-5538. If you have already registered with the CSDS please provide your professor with the course accommodation form and discuss your specific accommodation with him/her as soon as possible and at an appropriate time.
Tentative Schedule
Date Chapter Topic
Jan 31 1 The nature of science (Contrasting Scientific and
Non-Scientific Approaches)
Feb 7 3 On the origins of research ideas (Basic &
Applied Research, Laboratory & Field Research,
Theories, & Tactics - Replication, Operational
Definitions, & Converging Operations)
14 4 Measurement & Statistics (Reliability, Validity,
Scales, Descriptive Statistics and Inferential
Hypothesis Testing)
21 5 Experimental Research: Basic Issues (IVs, DVs, CVs,
&Validity)
28 6 Experimental Control (Between & Within-Ss Designs)
Mar 7 Continued (Random Assignment, Matching,
Counterbalancing, Bias)
14 *** Mid-Term Exam ***
21 7 Experimental Designs I (1-Factor Designs & Control
Groups)
28 8 Experimental Designs II (2- & 3-Factor Designs &
Types)
Apr 4 9 Correlational Research (Correlation/Causation, 3rd
Variables & Partial Correlations, Factor Analysis,
Examples from Measurement, Personality, and
Intelligence Research)
25 Continued
May 2 10 Quasi-Experimental Research (Nonequivalent
control gp designs, Interrupted Time Series Design,
Program Evaluation)
9 11,12 Small N Designs & Other research methods (ABA
designs & variants, Observational Research, Survey
Research, Case Studies, Archival Research)
16 2 Experimental Ethics (Informed Consent, Deception,
Debriefing, & the APA Code of Ethics)
May 25 (1:00 pm - 3:00 pm) *** Cumulative Final Exam ***
3