Psychology 310-303

Fall 2007
M W F 11:15 am - 12:05 pm
Lectures in Brackett Hall 122
Labs in Brackett Hall 210
L310-305 M 2:30 - 4:30 PM
L310-306 W 2:30 - 4:30 PM

Revised October 8, 2007

Instructor Robert L. Campbell
Office Brackett Hall 410A
Office Hours M 1:30-2:30 pm W 1:30-2:30 pm Th 2:00-5:00 pm
Phone (864) 656-4986
Email campber AtsiGn clemson DoT edu
Web http://www.robertlcampbell.com
Teaching Assistant Justin Graving
Office Brackett 320A
Office Hours M W 12:00-2:15 pm
Phone (864) 656-6564
Email graving AtsIgN clemson dOt edu

Recommended reading:

American Psychological Association. Concise rules of APA style. Washington DC: APA, 2005.

The purpose of this course is to give you a thorough grounding in the empirical research techniques that we use in psychology. For historical reasons, we call this course "experimental" psychology, but we won't restrict our focus to true experiments. Survey research, naturalistic observation, and quasi-experiments will also be covered. We'll also give some attention to non-empirical issues in psychology; deeper theoretical issues in psychology often cannot be evaluated on the basis of empirical data alone. You will get a good deal of practice in writing about your studies--good, clear scientific writing is the goal, not just conformity to the stylistic norms of psychology journals--and in critical thinking about the claims that researchers make. You will also be making a poster presentation of your project, after you have collected and analyzed the data.

This is a difficult, labor-intensive course. I don't have an attendance policy, because I don't think adults need one. It does not follow that skipping classes is a good idea. There is no textbook; all course materials (except for the book on proper style for writing research reports, which is recommended rather than required) will be presented in lecture and on Blackboard. Regular attendance at class and lab and timely work on the written assignments are necessary for success in this course. You will be helping to conduct 3 laboratory studies and writing them up: you will be drafting the front sections of your final project (Introduction and Method); you will be preparing an application to submit to the Institutional Review Board; and you will producing a final version of the entire project, both as a compete report and as a research poster. (in addition, if you can get us a draft of the Results and Discussion sections for comment a few days before you turn in your final paper, this is likely to be beneficial for you.) Written assignments that are late will have 5 points deducted for each day past the due date. It's critical to stay on schedule when there is so much for you to do and for us to grade. If I haven't arrived--or Justin hasn't arrived--within 15 minutes of the scheduled time for a class or lab to begin, you are free to leave.

There will be three tests. The final project counts as our final exam. If a real emergency (such as illness or death in the family) requires you to reschedule a test, please notify me before the scheduled test time so a makeup can be arranged.

Your grade will be determined on a contract basis. To receive a grade of A, B, C, or D in this class, you must turn in your IRB submission by the date specified in the schedule below. Each of the other assignments will then count toward your final grade as follows.


Test 1 11%
Test 2 11%
Test 3 11%
Study 1 writeup 5%
Study 2 writeup 5%
Study 3 writeup 10%
Final project introduction and references 8%
Final project method section 8%
Final project poster 8%
Complete final version of final project 23%

Cheating policy:
Cheating means providing or accepting information on a test (tests are meant to be your individual work). Or not being the sole author of your writeups (we encourage you to discuss the writeups and your final project with others, but the actual writing on your lab writeups--and the actual data collection, analysis, and writing on your final project--must be yours alone). If you decide to cheat, we will take action against you according to University policy.


Class Schedule


Date Topic Items Due
Wed. August 22 Science, Empirical and Theoretical
Fri. August 24 Hypothesis Testing
Mon. August 27 Hypothesis Testing / Getting Ideas for Research [Tue. Aug. 28 is the Last Day to Add a Class]
Wed. August 29 Literature Searches
Guest lecturer: Peg Tyler

Fri. August 31 Hypothesis Testing/ Metaphysical Hypotheses
Mon. September 3 BOWDEN BOWL DAY
Wed. September 5 Ethics 1 [Human Subjects] Study 1 report due
[Last Day to Drop without a W]
Fri. September 7 Ethics 1 [Human Subjects]
Mon. September 10 Ethics 2 [IRBs]
Wed. September 12 Ethics 2 [IRBs]
Fri. September 14 Ethics 2 [IRBs]
Mon. September 17 TEST 1
Wed. September 19 Ethics 3 [Reporting Data]
Fri. September 21 Ethics 3 [Reporting Data]
Mon. September 24 Ethics 3 [Reporting Data] Introduction and Reference Section for Final Project Due
Wed. September 26
Psychological Measurement
Fri. September 28 IRB Forms
Mon. October 1 IRB Workshop 1
Wed. October 3 NO CLASS
Fri. October 5 NO CLASS
Mon. October 8 Psychological Measurement Method Section for Final Project Due
Wed. October 10 Psychological Measurement
Fri. October 12 Measurement and Operational Definitions Last day to withdraw without a final grade
Mon. October 15 FALL BREAK
Wed. October 17 Measurement and Operational Definitions
Fri. October 19 TEST 2
Mon. October 22 Survey Research
Wed. October 24 Sampling
Fri. October 26 Confounds
Mon. October 29 Single-IV Experiments: Between Groups
Wed. October 31 Single-IV Experiments: Between Groups
Fri. November 2 Single-IV Experiments: Within Groups
Mon. November 5 Single-IV Experiments: Within Groups
Wed. November 7 Multiple IV Experiments
Fri. November 9 Multiple IV Experiments
Mon. November 12 Multiple IV Experiments
Wed. November 14 Constructing a poster
Fri. November 16 TEST 3
Mon. November 19 Final report workshop
Wed.-Fri. November 21-23 THANKSGIVING
Mon. November 26 Final report workshop
Wed. November 28 Final report workshop
Fri. November 30 Final report workshop
Mon. December 3 Posters
Wed. December 5 Posters
Fri. December 7 Posters
Mon. December 10 4:30 pm
FINAL PROJECT DUE

Lab Schedule

Date Topic
Monday/Wednesday August 27/29 Study 1
September 10/12 Study 2
September 17/19 Study 3 begins
Study 2 report due
September 24/26 Study 3
October 1 ONLY IRB Application Workshop 2
IRB Submission Due
October 8/10 Study 3
October 22/24 Study 3
October 29/31 Study 3
November 5/7 Final report workshop
November 12/14 Final report workshop
Study 3 report due on November 14
November 26/28 Final report workshop
December 3/5 Final report workshop

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