To the Instructor

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To the Instructor

This instructor’s manual is designed to be a comprehensive supplement to my textbook, Research Methods for the Behavioral Sciences, Fifth Edition. In addition to this instructor’s manual, a book entitled Using SPSS for Windows, which provides a succinct introduction to the SPSS for Windows statistical software program, is also available.

This manual contains information, organized by chapters, to help you teach your course. In the first part, I have provided some essay and multiple-choice questions for your use in creating exams. I have endeavored to produce a set of questions that have both content validity, and which are also highly reliable. I have successfully used many of these questions in my own classes. For this edition, I have added ten new multiple-choice questions per chapter, for a total of 180 new questions.

Also new to this edition, the multiple-choice questions have been broken down into three types – conceptual questions (C) ask the student to formulate an answer based on his or her understanding of a concept; factual questions (F) ask the student to recall information from the text; and applied questions (A) introduce a real-life scenario and ask the student to apply his or her acquired knowledge to make a choice. The sequence of questions follows the order in which the information appears in the text. The format of the items follows basic principles of test construction, and the level of difficulty is purposely varied.

In the margin beside each multiple-choice item lies a notation like the following:

Ans: b
Page: 289
Type: C
LO: 5

The first entry designates the correct answer. The second entry specifies the page number in the main textbook where the information is located. The third entry identifies the type of question provided, as explained above. The final entry indicates the number of the learning objective that the item addresses. A list of learning objectives begins each chapter of the test questions in this instructor’s manual.

The information provided in the key can be used in several ways. By systematically choosing items according to the learning objectives, an instructor can ensure that a test assesses the breadth of students’ understanding of the course material. By varying the proportion of items that are conceptual, factual, or applied, the instructor can manipulate the extent to which a test assesses the depth of students’ understanding of the material.

Following the test questions, I have provided the answers to the Review and Discussion questions found at the end of each chapter in the main text. These questions were designed to help the student ensure he or she has mastered the chapter material. These questions can also be used as springboards for in-class discussions.

Next, I have provided answers to the Hands-On Experience questions, both for the in-text questions at the end of each chapter and for the additional questions found in the OnlineTeachingCenter. These questions were designed to provide opportunities for students to think creatively about research and in some cases to conduct their own research projects. I have found that many of these questions can be expanded into small written projects, and that students enjoy working on them in pairs or in small groups.

Finally, I have included a “Research Paper Checklist,” which is intended as a handout for students to refer to when writing research reports in APA format. This checklist is not meant to cover every possibility that students will encounter as they write their reports, but it will give them a general guideline for many of the important issues.

I hope you find this instructor’s manual and test bank useful. I am always interested in receiving comments from instructors. You can write me at the Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD20742 or contact me via email: .

Charles Stangor