PSY 4410

Intermediate Statistics for Students of Psychology

Spring Semester, 2003

Instructor: John Sideris

Telephone: 962-7643, 280-6271

Email:

Web: (click on "Teaching" for information about this class)

Office Hours: Thursday, immediately following class. I am also available by appointment.

Text

Mendenhall, W. & Sincich, T. (1996). A Second Course in Statistics: Regression Analysis, 5th edition. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.

Time and Place

Tuesday and Thursday, 2:25 pm to 3:40 pm; Room: TEB210

Course overview

This course is designed to advance the student’s ability to apply statistics to problems in psychology and related fields. Statistical analysis underlies the evaluation and developing of theories in psychology and is, therefore, critical to anyone interesting in developing or evaluating those theories. The course is aimed at furthering the student’s data analytic skills, with a focus on linear regression. A secondary aim is to develop in the students a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the scientific method.

Prerequisites

PSY 2400 and a basic understanding of algebra and very basic geometry are necessary. If you are uncertain about your abilities in these areas, a review will be helpful. Please contact the instructor if you are concerned about your math skills and would like help.

Evaluation

Grades in this course will be based on attendance, homework, quizzes and two exams (a midterm and a final).

  • Attendance: Attendance in this course is mandatory. Everyone is allowed 1 excused absence. In order for an absence to be excused you will need to provide me with a doctor’s note on your return. Alternatively, you can clear it with me prior to the absence. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class. Students arriving in class after I have taken attendance will be charged with ½ of an absence.

“Scoring” of Attendance: With above exceptions, each absence will result in a five percentreduction in your final grade. Five absences will result in failure of the course.

  • Homework (15%):There will be homework assigned nearly every day. It will typically be due the class after it is assigned. If you miss a class in which homework is assigned, you will be responsible for getting that assignment, either from classmates or from the web page. Late homework may be turned in only up to the class period following its due date (e.g., an assignment due on Tuesday may be turned in on Thursday). However, there will be a penalty for doing so. No credit will be given for any work handed in after the grace period.

Scoring of Homework: Homework will be scored “0” (not turned in), “1” - (completed, but less than adequate), “2” - (completed adequately). Rarely will “partial-credit” be given; it is often important to get the right answer. Students are encouraged to work together on these assignments. Any interpretation or writing will have to be your own, however.

  • Quizzes(20%): There will be a quiz at the beginning of almost every class. These quizzes are intended to keep us all on track, including the teacher. I expect them to give me important feedback on where the class is and to help me identify problem areas. In most cases, you will be allowed to use your books and notes for the quizzes. I will drop your lowest 3 quiz grades. There will be no “make-ups” for missed quizzes.
  • Exams(65%): There will be two major exams, a midterm and a final. Both exams will be cumulative, so everything covered over the term will be fair game. Your grade for the exams will either be the weighted combination of the two exams or the final alone whichever is greater. “Weighted combination” means that the final is worth slightly more than the midterm. Of the total points available on exams, the midterm gets 40% and the final gets 60%.

General Issues

  • Attendance, Participation and Class Conduct. The material covered each day in class will depend upon everything we have covered up to that point and we will be covering new material everyday. Missing class will make it extremely difficult to keep up. I expect your full participation in all group and individual exercises in class. Questions are strongly encouraged.

Arrive at class on time. Note that quizzes will be given at the beginning of each class. If you must be late or have to leave early please enter and leave quietly and do your best not to disrupt the class.

  • Calculators and Computers. Bring your calculator to every class. You do not need a fancy one, but it should be able to basic functions such as squaring and you may find a memory function helpful. We will also be using computers for some of the assignments in class. I will be introducing you to a statistical package called SPSS. This program is extremely user-friendly, but is also very powerful. It can be found in some of the computer labs on campus.
  • Office hours. I encourage you to take advantage of my office hours to talk about the course, get help with the material or just to chat. Get help early in the term! I am also very happy to make appointments with people.
  • Tips for success.

1.Do all of the readings and do them before the related lecture. You will be amazed how much this helps you. Note that we are covering Chapter 1 today, so you are already behind! ;-) Take notes, either in the book or on another sheet of paper (even typed on a computer).

2.Go to the web page and printout the lecture notes. Bring these to class, along with your textbook. Make notes in your book and on the printouts.

3.Do the exercises in the book. There are answers to the odd numbered questions in the text. Listening and reading are not enough to understand. To really get a handle this material you have to do the work.

4.Come to class. Missing class will hurt you a lot. Come to class ready to listen and learn. Ask a lot of questions. Check with my past students; I don’t mind answering any questions you may have. I can’t help if I don’t know where you are confused.

  • A final word. This is a difficult class, but not beyond the abilities of anyone enrolled. The material is difficult for two reasons. Aside from Intro Stats, this material is outside of most of your experience. Second, doing well requires a fair amount of time and energy. You should expect to put 2 to 3 hours of study for each hour in class. We are in class for about 2 ½ hours each week, so anticipate 5 to 7 ½ (or more) hours of work at home.
Tentative Class Schedule
DATE / TOPIC / READINGS
8/26/03 / Probability, Bayesian Statistics and Informal Frequencies / Lecture Notes
8/28/03 / Probability, Bayesian Statistics and Informal Frequencies / Lecture Notes
9/2/03 / Probability, Bayesian Statistics and Informal Frequencies / Lecture Notes
9/4/03 / Statistics Review / Chapter 1
9/9/03 / Statistics Review / Chapter 1
9/11/03 / Statistics Review / Chapter 1
9/16/03 / Statistics Review / Chapter 1
9/18/03 / Introduction to SPSS / Lecture Notes
9/23/03 / Introduction to Regression / Chapter 2
9/25/03 / Introduction to Regression / Chapter 2
9/30/03 / Simple Linear Regression / Chapter 3 (through page 153)
10/2/03 / Simple Linear Regression / Chapter 3 (through page 153)
10/7/03 / Simple Linear Regression /
Chapter 3 (through page 153)
10/9/03 / Simple Linear Regression /
Chapter 3 (through page 153)
10/14/03 /
Multiple Regression
/ Chapter 4 (through page 211)
10/16/03 / Multiple Regression / Chapter 4 (through page 211)
10/21/03 / Midterm Review / Chapters 1-4; Lecture Notes
10/23/03 / Midterm
10/28/03 / Review Exam – Back to Regression; Interactions / Chapter 4, pages 211-214
10/30/03 / Back to Regression - Model Building / Chapter 5
11/4/03 / Model Building / Chapter 5
11/6/03 / Regression Pitfalls / Chapter 6
11/11/03 / Regression Pitfalls / Chapter 6
11/13/03 / Regression Pitfalls / Chapter 6
11/18/03 / Residual Analysis / Chapter 7
11/20/03 / Residual Analysis / Chapter 7
11/25/03 / Residual Analysis / Chapter 7
11/27/03 / THANKSGIVING
12/2/03 / Course Review - Last day for seniors / ALL COURSE MATERIAL
12/4/03 / Course Review - Exam day for seniors, Last day of classes for all students / ALL COURSE MATERIAL