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Psy 496 Independent Study and Psy 498 Independent Research
Kim Barchard
Fall 2009
Students enrolled:
Psy 496Rachael Airheart (3 credits), Danalee Brehman (3 credits), Shatoyia Burns (1 credit), Angela Cain (3 credits), David Drew (3 credits), Maria Ebro (1 credits), Brian Kautz (3 credit), Annastasia Koerner (3 credits), Joy Lowe (3 credits), Lisa Morganson (3 credits), Jane Park (3credits), Alexa Parker (3 credits), Lauren Shore (1 credit), Diane Umuhozo (1 credit)
Psy 498Emily Anderson (3 credits), Bryan Watson (3 credits)
Volunteers:Holly Walker (part-time), Jenn Lindley (part-time), Saira Haseebullah (full-time)
InstructorKim Barchard
Office phone: 895-0758
Office number: CBC B346
Lab phone: 895-3093
Lab location: CDC 520
Kim’s website
Talk to your instructor about course registration and grades. / Lab Manager
Danalee Brehman
Lab phone: 895-3093
Lab location: CDC 520
Lab website
Talk to the lab manager about lab meetings and record keeping, and all the things you do to assist us in the lab that count towards lab hours: data entry, scoring, data collection, etc.
Poster Teams
Team 1: Emily, Anna, DavidBlameMeeting times to be announced
Team 2: Bryan W., Brian KLEASMeeting times to be announced
Project Teams
Team 1: Bryan W., Danee, Brian K.LEAS Scoring TrainingMeeting times to be announced
Team 2: Danee, Bryan, Saira, David, ShatoyiaData Checking StudyMeeting times to be announced
Team 3: Emily, AnnaPromoting Double EntryMeeting times to be announced
Talk to your Team Members about the work you are doing together.
Poster Supervisor: Shatoyia Burns,
Send your completed poster assignments to the Poster Supervisor for feedback.
Mission Statement
The Interactive Measurement Group will: (1) prepare students for post-baccalaureate education and careers, by helping them identify career and educational goals, develop their leadership and teamwork skills, develop their communication (oral and written) and computer skills, and develop their research skills; and (2) conduct research on psychometric topics, by collecting, scoring, and analyzing data on psychometric topics, and presenting results in professional forums (conferences, publications).
Course Objectives
This course will introduce students to all aspects of the research process, including (1) literature review, (2) study design and creation, and (3) scoring, data analysis, and presentation. Students will read and present research literature. They will be involved in the creation and administration of new research studies. They will score, enter, and analyze data. They will present research findings both verbally and in written form.
Required Text
American Psychological Association (2001). APA Publication Manual, 5th Edition. Available from the UNLV bookstore, and
Course Requirements
▪ Assist with Dr. Barchard’s research for a specified minimum number of hours.
▪As part of their lab hours, some students will be involved in creative projects that result in a new scoring technique, training materials, or studies.
▪ Some students will also write a term poster with a team (topic decided in consultation with Dr. Barchard).
Students can enroll in 1 – 6 credits of Independent Study or Independent Research. Students will only be allowed to enroll in less than 3 credits if they have already been in Dr. Barchard’s lab for at least one semester.
Credits / Minimum Lab Hours / Term Poster / Students1 / 30 / Complete a conference-type poster
Time to assist on this poster: 20 - 40 hours
1 / 60 / No poster required / Maria Ebro,LaurenShore, Diane Umuhozo, Shatoyia Burns
2 / 75 / Complete a conference-type poster
Time to assist on this poster: 20 - 40 hours
2 / 125 / No poster required
3 / 100 / Complete a conference-type poster
Time to complete this poster: 50 - 100 hours / Brian Kautz, Annastasia Koerner, Bryan Watson, Emily Anderson, David Drew
3 / 175 / No poster required / Rachael Airheart, Danalee Brehman, Angela Cain, Joy Lowe, Alexa Parker, Lisa Morganson, Jane Park
4 / 133 / Complete a conference-type poster
Time to complete this poster: 50 - 100 hours
5 / 167 / Complete a conference-type poster
Time to complete this poster: 50 - 100 hours
6 / 200 / Complete a conference-type poster
Time to complete this poster: 50 - 100 hours
6 / 250 / No poster required
Defining Lab Hours
Students will be involved in four types of activities: term posters, term projects, research assistance, and lab meetings. Some of these activities count as “lab hours” and some do not.
Time spent on term posters do not, in general, count as lab hours. This includes time selecting a topic, finding relevant research literature, reading this literature, analyzing data, and writing the paper. The one exception is when the student is talking to Dr. Barchard. All time spent talking with Dr. Barchard counts as lab hours, no matter what the content of the meeting. Individually-scheduled meetings also count as lab hours, even if we spend some or all of the time discussing the term poster.
Time spent on term projects, on the other hand, do count as lab hours. This includes everything to do with the project, including finding relevant literature, reading the literature, any data analysis you do for the project, and any writing you do.
In general, all time spent doing tasks assigned either by Dr. Barchard or by the Lab Manager counts as lab hours, because these activities help Dr. Barchard directly in collecting data and publishing the findings. In addition, please note that all time spent helping other students with tasks assigned by Dr. Barchard or theLab Manager counts as lab hours. For example, if Dr. Barchard asked a student to do data entry, and another student helps the first student figure out how to do it, both students should record that time as lab hours. Time spent working on term projects counts as lab hours because these activities contribute directly to Dr. Barchard’s ongoing research projects.
Distinguishing between lab hours and poster hours is usually straight-forward. However, this is sometimes a bit confusing if the Lab Manager is also working on a poster. When the Lab Manager works with their poster team members on the poster, that time counts as poster hours, not lab hours. Working on a poster does not count as lab hours, even if the Lab Manager is a part of your poster team.
Students are encouraged to spend time in the lab, even when they are not doing things related to this class. However, time in the lab only counts as lab hours if the student is working on tasks relevant to the lab. As well, during the lab hours from 4:00 - 6:00pm on Wednesday, students should be working on lab taskssuch as training, assigned tasks, workshops, and projects. Poster work and other activities should be done outside of the Wed 4 – 6 lab hours.
Students will record their lab hours and poster hours on a piece of paper each time they are in the lab. It is important that they keep these records up to date, because Kim examines these hours every week, to determine if any students are falling behind or are being overwhelmed. It is also important that planned hours are written in PENCIL. Plans change. Students get sick and they have family emergencies. Sometimes students have three exams on the same day. It is important that you change your planned hours to reflect what is going on in your life from week to week. Also keep Dr. Barchard and the lab manager informed, so they can adjust your tasks appropriately.
We are in the process of developing a new system for keeping track of lab hours through the Internet. This system is still experimental. Although we encourage you to use this system, you should also write down your lab hours on the piece of paper. We sometimes have to erase the database for the on-line system. If this was your only record of your lab hours, your records would be lost.
Meetings with lab members
Lab hours will be held from 4:00 - 7:00pm every Wednesday. The Lab Manager and Assistant Lab Managers will be in the lab during this time. They will help students with any tasks they are working on and also provide training. Students must be working on lab tasks in the lab during this time. Students may work on projects during these official lab hours, but they should not work on posters, which are described below.
Most project teams will meet at least twice a week for a minimum of one hour. These meetings count as part of your lab hours (although poster meetings do not). Project team meetings must be scheduled to occur during lab hours. Meeting requirements and times are listed below, with each project team.
There will be weekly lab meetings from 6:00 -7:00pm, chaired by the Lab Manager. There will also be mini-lessons from 4:00 – 4:30. During the lab meetings and mini-lessons, students will be taught useful skills (such as how to present your research, improve writing skills, and learn about various software programs) and will discuss preparation for graduate school. These meetings will also review progress on lab projects, such as data entry, scoring, and study design. Attendance at these meetings is required and counts as lab hours regardless of the content of the meetings.
Possible Topics for Lab Meetings
Week / Date / Mini-Lesson4:00 - 4:30 / New Lab Members 4:30 - 6:00 / Returning Lab Members 4:30 - 6:00 / Lab Meeting
6:00 - 7:00
1 / 8/26/09 / SMART Goals
(Danee & Shatoyia) / Word Workshops (David & Rachael) / Syllabus
(Danee & Shatoyia)
2 / 9/2/09 / Key Sentences 4:00- 5:00 (Shatoyia & Brian) / Personal Goals
(Danee & Anna)
3 / 9/9/09 / Website Bios
(Emily & David) / LEAS Categorizing (Bryan & Danee) / Writing Circles
(Shatoyia & Brian)
4 / 9/16/09 / Finding a hotel for a conference (Shatoyia) / Statement of Purpose (Bryan & David)
5 / 9/23/09 / Prioritizing
(Shatoyia & David) / Statement of Purpose Writing Circle
(Bryan & David)
Week / Date / Mini-Lesson
4:00 - 4:30 / New Lab Members 4:30 - 6:00 / Returning Lab Members 4:30 - 6:00 / Lab Meeting
6:00 - 7:00
6 / 9/30/09 / Double Entry 4:00 - 5:00 (Anna, Brian, & Emily) / Data Checking Study Administrator Training (Shatoyia & Danee) / Presentation on CV's
(Holly & Brian)
7 / 10/7/09 / Basic Communication (Rachael & Bryan) / LEAS Training
(Danee & Bryan) / Data Checking Study (Shatoyia & Danee) / CV Feedback
(Holly & Brian)
8 / 10/14/09 / Submitting Proposal for WPA (Shatoyia & Saira) / LEAS Training
(Danee & Bryan) / Data Checking Study (Shatoyia & Danee) / Interviewing Skills and Interview Day
(Danee & Brian)
9 / 10/21/09 / Stress Management (Rachael & Brian) / LEAS Training
(Danee & Bryan) / Data Checking Study (Shatoyia & Danee) / Tipping Point: Introduction and Mavens (Emily, Anna, Kim)
10 / 10/28/09 / Tipping Point: Salesmen (Emily, Anna, Kim) / LEAS Training
(Danee & Bryan) / Mock Interviews
(Kim and Paul Carpino)
11 / 11/4/09 / Tipping Point: Stickiness
(Anna, Emily, Kim) / LEAS Training
(Danee & Bryan) / Mentorship
(Shatoyia & Emily)
12 / 11/11/09 / Veteran's Day Recess (no lab meeting on Wednesday)
13 / 11/18/09 / Tipping Point:
Brain-Storm
(Emily, Anna, Kim) / Sharing Successes
(Danee & next lab manager) / Planning for the Spring Semester (Kim)
14 / 11/25/09 / Thanksgiving Week Recess (no required meetings this week)
15 / 12/2/09 / Oral Presentations
(All lab members) / Poster Presentations
(All lab members)
16 / 12/9/09 / Finals Week (no required meetings this week)
Meetings with Dr. Barchard
Project leaders and assistant managers will ensure smooth progress through synchronous and asynchronous communication with Dr. Barchard. They will provide brief weekly progress reports by email: what happened in the last week and their plans for the next week. Additionally, some project leaders and assistant managers will have regular synchronous meetings with Dr. Barchard. Dr. Barchard will be working in other cities during some parts of her sabbatical year. When Dr. Barchard is in another city, these meetings will be held by phone and Internet. Check with Dr. Barchard regarding the workshops you should complete to prepare yourself for these long-distance meetings.
Dr. Barchard’s preliminary fall schedule:
Week 1Aug 24 – 26Not available
Week 1Thurs Aug 27, Fri Aug 28Available for email progress reports
Week 2 – Week 6Aug 31 – Oct 2Available for synchronous phone or Internet meetings
Week 7Monday Aug 5Available for synchronous phone or Internet meetings
Week 7Tues Aug 6 – Sat Oct 10Available for email progress reports
Week 8Oct 11 – Oct 18Not available
Week 9 - 16Oct 19 – Dec 11Available for in-person meetings
Lab Activities
Regular and Short-Term Tasks
Dr. Barchard and the lab manager will ask you to complete a number of tasks that directly assist Dr. Barchard in collecting data and publishing her findings. You may also be asked to participate in activities that help keep the lab running. Some activities that help Dr. Barchard collect data include: 1) designing a new psychological test, 2) selecting measures for inclusion in a new study, 3) designing a website that collects data, 4) proof-reading a website, 5) answering email questions regarding an on-going study, 6) assigning credit for an on-going study, and 7) designing a new method of scoring a test. Some activities that help Dr. Barchard publish her findings include: 1) entering data, 2) scoring tests, 3) finding materials through PsycINFO and the library, 4) copying materials, 5) proof-reading SPSS Syntax files, and 6) proof-reading manuscripts. Some activities that help keep the lab running are 1) keeping the lab orderly, 2) keeping the computers running by performing virus scans and critical updates, 3) giving orientations to new lab members, 4) training other students, and 5) helping other students with their research tasks and conference presentations.
Large Projects
Some students will be involved in one or more large projects. This will involve a large time commitment, perhaps up to half the lab hours that the students complete. Most project teams will meet once or twice a week, and will meet with Dr. Barchard every two weeks. See below for the details for each team.
In Fall2009, there will be three project teams.
Team 1: LEAS Scoring Training
Bryan Watson will lead a project team that creates a scoring manual for the LEAS. Work will proceed in the following order:
1. Refine written scoring manual for LEAS; Obtain feedback from Experts on the LEAS; Finalize revised manual
2. Finish drafting fake responses for practice scoring; Obtain feedback on practice scoring materials.
3. Organize several lab members who sort the LEAS glossary into the reasons for giving a certain score
4. Create story-board for interactive computerized training for LEAS scoring
5. Create fake responses for tests of scoring competency, to be integrated with the interactive computer training
6. Create interactive computer program to train LEAS scoring
The first four steps will be completed by the end of Fall 2009, and all steps will be completed by the end of Spring 2010.
This team will meet for 2 hours each week.
Team 2: Data Checking Study
Danee Brehman will lead a project team that will finish creating the study materials for the Data Checking Study. Work will proceed in the following order:
1. Finish Captivate videos (Saira, David, Danee)
2. Finish the rest of the website (Bryan, Danee)
3. Create materials for administering the study, and materials for training the administrators (Shatoyia, Danee)
4. Train administrators (Shatoyia)
5. Organize data collection (Shatoyia)
6. Receive IRB approval
7. Start data collection
The first two steps will be done by September 1. The first five steps will be done by Oct 18. We anticipate that data collection will begin November 1, assuming that we receive IRB approval and that Kim approves of the final study materials and final training materials.
Team 3:Promoting Double Entry
Emily Anderson will lead a project team that will promote double entry. Work will proceed in the following order
1.Find 100 email addresses for people who might be interested in data entry.
2.Draft emails to these people, and then send them.
3.Write two Wikipedia articles, one on data entry and one on double entry. Consider writing articles for psych-wiki.
4.Brainstorm new ways to get people to notice data entry. Create and give several lessons to the lab on the book “The Tipping Point” so that they can help us brainstorm.
5.Implement the new ideas that we come up with.
6.Learn how to improve the “relevance” of web pages, and implement these ideas on the web pages we design (such as the Wikipedia articles, and maybe Kim’s web page on double entry), so that when people search "double entry" in Google our pages will be higher on the results list. (This is a possible goal, we have not decided about it yet)
In the Fall 2009 semester, this team will complete all the first goal, and will draft and send emails to at least 15 people. They will also complete the third and fourth goals. In subsequent semesters, they will finish emailing the rest of the people, and pursue the fifth and sixth goals.
Getting Help with Your Project
Most project teams will meet with Dr. Barchard every two weeks. In addition, teams may email her with questions or requests for additional appointments. If the team is writing a document, they are also encouraged to send their document to the poster supervisor each time they add a new section or do a substantial revision of an old section, to receive feedback on the clarity of their writing and their conformance to APA style. Please note that the poster supervisor will usually not be able to provide any guidance about the direction and goals of the project, nor the content of the writing; Dr. Barchard will work with the teams on those issues. When asking the poster supervisor for help with the clarity of your writing, tell him or her the new or revised section that you want them to provide feedback on, and ask them to answer the following questions: (1) where were you lost of confused about where the paper was going? (2) what section was the hardest to read and understand, (3) do you see any obvious violations of APA format?