Spring 2004

PSY 418 • Experimental Psychology-W

Course Description

Experimental psychology is the study of the research methods used by psychologists to describe, predict, and understand human behavior. This course may be viewed as an advanced version of PSY 418. We will begin by reviewing the statistical techniques that behavioral scientists have found helpful for describing and analyzing data. We will then attempt to understand the goals of psychological research. What are researchers trying to do? We will explore this through a book,

Grading Policy

Exams: There will be one statistics take-home exam that will contribute about 20% to the course grade. Homework assignments: There will be weekly homework assignments. Some will be statistical exercises. Some will require data collection, data analysis, and a report of a segment of a research study. Others will be analyses of the studies that we will read. These assignments, collectively, will contribute about 40% to the course grade. Semester Project: The report of your semester project will contribute about 30% to the course grade. The project grade will be based on the overall quality of the project, the appropriateness of the analyses, and the quality of the written report. Attendance and Participation and Effort: Class attendance and participation will affect the grade. Bonus points may also be given for outstanding performance on an exam, the homework assignments, and/or the semester project . The additional factors will contribute about 10% to the course grade.

Texts

Aron, A. and Aron, E.: Statistics for the Behavioral and Social Sciences: A Brief Course. Stanovich, K.: How to Think Straight about Psychology.

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