Psychology 402 (15436): Statistics in Psychology

 

Fall 2009

John Sparrow, Ph.D.

Office: University Center Rm. 351

Phone: 641-4151  (E-mail: john.sparrow@unh.edu;  Web: pubpages.unh.edu/~jes1)

Office hours:

 

                                    Tuesday                     --                     3:00 – 4:00; 5:00 – 5:45

                                    Thursday                    --                     3:00 – 4:00

                                    Friday                         --                     1:00 – 2:00

 

            Additional meeting times can be arranged by appointment.

 

 

Course Syllabus

Textbooks and Supplies:

 

            Jaccard, J., & Becker, M. A. (2010). Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences (5th ed.).  Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.  [ISBN: 9780534634032]  (REQUIRED)

                                                 

            Kirkpatrick, L. A., & Feeney, B. C. (2009). A Simple Guide to SPSS for Windows: For Version 16.0.  Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth. [ISBN: 049559766x]  (REQUIRED)

 

            Kirkpatrick, L. A., & Feeney, B. C. (2009). A Simple Guide to SPSS for Windows: For Version 16.0. + SPSS 16.0 CD Package [ISBN: 049566586x]  (RECOMMENDED)

 

 

            All titles are available at the UNHM Bookstore.

 

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

 

            This introductory course in statistics is meant to give the student a general knowledge of the various techniques available in data analysis. Students are expected to learn the different computational techniques as well as some of the basic underlying theory in the application of the techniques.  Furthermore, knowing when and where to apply the statistical tests is essential.  Therefore, it is hoped that all students come away from this class not only with a "cookbook" knowledge of the material but, in addition, can apply their knowledge in later college courses and possible careers.

TEACHING/LEARNING STRATEGIES

 

            The primary class format will consist of lectures, discussions, homework assignments, computer assignments, and (of course) exams. Although it is important to keep up with the material in any course, it is particularly important in a statistics class.  This material, while not being especially difficult, does require the student to keep up with a relatively rapid pace.  Also, like many math classes, understanding of later material assumes knowledge of material presented earlier.  Statistics is definitely not a class that you can "cram" for the night before an exam.

 

PREREQUISITE KNOWLEDGE

 

            This course is primarily designed for psychology majors although students with other majors are welcome.  To help alleviate some of the worries of the "mathaphobic," PSYC 402 only assumes a knowledge of basic arithmetic and simple algebraic operations.  While more advanced math skills may help the advanced student understand some of the technical components of the course, it should be kept in mind that only the basic math skills mentioned above will be sufficient for successful completion of this course.  So, don't get too uptight about the math and sit back and try to comprehend the ideas behind data analysis. . . For those of you who are apprehensive about the mathematics, your student study-guide gives a brief review of some basic math principles needed to follow the textbook. 

 

CALCULATORS

 

            You will need a calculator for this course.  You do not need one of the flashy models with 96,000 functions; a calculator with a square key, a square root key and a memory will be quite sufficient.  More advanced machines that are capable of calculating standard deviations and correlation coefficients would be nice for checking homework problems, but such advanced machines are not necessary.

 

STUDENT EVALUATION

 

 Students will be graded on a number of different criteria:

 

Homework

 

            There will be several homework assignments throughout the course of  the semester.  Homework will not be graded per se, but will be checked off and given credit for if complete.  Upon handing in the assignments, an answer sheet will be handed back to you so that you can check your work.  Given this arrangement, NO LATE HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED!  Be sure and do these assignments as they are essential to your understanding of the presented material.  Homework assignments will make up 13% of your final course grade.

 

 

Exams

 

            The exams will make up a substantial portion of your grade (74%).  There will be three exams covering the first three blocks of material and a final comprehensive exam which covers material from the whole course with an emphasis on the last block of material covered in class.  Tests will consist of a closed-book multiple-choice/short answer section and an "open-book" (i.e., appendices only of the textbook and a student-generated formula sheet) problem section.  As a general rule, NO MAKE-UP EXAMS WILL BE GIVEN!  Therefore, make sure you do not miss any scheduled exams (unless there are extenuating circumstances - if so, see me at least one week before the scheduled exam).

 

Computer Assignments

 

            An essential part of your understanding of "statistics in action" will come about through the completion of five computer assignments that together will represent 13% of your final grade.  The assignments are very "user friendly" and hence should not intimidate those of you with limited computer exposure. The assignments will be distributed in class once we have covered the requisite background information pertaining to each module.  In addition, the basic steps of each assignment are outlined in the Kirkpatrick and Feeney (2009) manual.  Campus computers are located in the University Center Rm. 114 suite.  If time permits, I will be showing you how to operate the computers in a later class meeting.  Please hand in the completed assignments to me on the specified dates listed on the syllabus.  Each assignment indicates what printouts should be turned in and what questions should be answered.  Please note that all interpretations must be typed/word-processed!

 

To summarize, then, grades will be broken down as follows:

 

            Homework Assignments                 13%

            Computer Assignments                  13%

            Exam 1                                               18%

            Exam 2                                               18%

            Exam 3                                               18%

            Exam 4 (w/cumulative section)        20%

                                                                        -----------

                                                                        100%

 

Grades will be calculated based on the following percentage cutoff points:

 

                                    A   = 93 - 100%        A- = 90 - 92%

B+ = 87 - 89%          B  = 83 - 86%           B- = 80 - 82%

C+ = 77 - 79%         C  = 73 - 76%           C- = 70 - 72%

D+ = 67 - 69%          D  = 63 - 66%           D- = 60 - 62%

                                    F    = 00 - 59%

 

 

CHEATING

 

            Cheating will not be tolerated in this class. Students caught cheating on exams, homework assignments, or computer assignments will automatically receive a course grade of "F" and his/her name will be forwarded to the dean's office in accordance with university policy.  Hopefully, this information goes without saying.

 

 

A FEW FINAL THOUGHTS

 

            If you have taken other classes with me in the past you know that I expect a great deal from my students.  You should take your work very seriously and make a strong attempt at keeping up with the reading assignments, paper assignments, etc.  Keep in mind that the general rule-of-thumb for attending college at UNHM is that for every hour of in-class meeting time, the student ought to be spending 2-3 hours outside of class time preparing for the class meetings.  I do not mean to scare you off by stating this policy, but I do want my students to know this fact up front.  Also, you should be aware that I keep all student examinations on file; hence, you will not be able to keep your examinations after I return them for your perusal.  I will spend some time in class going over the exams after they have been graded.  If you would like to go over your examination in more detail, you are welcome (and encouraged!) to come see me during office hours.  This policy is a strict one and is non-negotiable.  As a final note, please turn off all cell phones during class time!  If you must leave the phone on for critical reasons, please set the ringer to Òvibration mode,Ó if possible, or, at the very least, make sure the phone is easily accessible so that youÕre not digging around trying to find the phone while itÕs disturbing the class.  Please note that all of the information outlined in this syllabus is subject to slight modification throughout the course.  If any substantive changes in the syllabus are warranted, I will let you know well ahead of time.  Let's work on having both an educational and enjoyable semester of "Statistics in Psychology"!

 

 

 

 

 

TENTATIVE COURSE CALENDAR & COMPUTER ASSIGNMENT DUE DATES

 

 Date                                                   Topic                                                              Chapter(s)

 

Sep.    1          Introduction & Mathematical Preliminaries                                                        1

            3          Distributions: Frequency & Probability                                                           2  

            8         

            10        Central Tendency & Dispersion                                                                     3

            15       

            17        Standard Scores & the Normal Curve                                                            4

            22       

            24        ///// Exam #1 /////

 

            29        Introduction to SPSS (bring Kirkpatrick & Feeney manual to class)

Oct.     1          Overview of Probability                                                                                 6 

            6         

            8          Parameter Estimation                                                                                       7

            13        **  Computer Module #1 Due

            15        Hypothesis Testing                                                                                        8

            20       

            22       

            27        Introduction to Experimental Design                                                                9

            29        ///// Exam #2 /////

 

Nov.    3          Independent- & Dependent-Groups t-tests                                                   10,11

            5     

            10        One-Way Analysis of Variance                                                                      12,13

            12        **  Computer Module #2 Due

            17        Two-Way Analysis of Variance: Brief Intro.                                                   17

            19       

            24        ///// Exam #3 /////

 

Dec.     1          Bivariate Correlation & Regression                                                                5,14

            3          **  Computer Module #3 Due

            8          Chi-Square Test                                                                                             15

            10

            15        Selecting the Proper Statistical Test &                                                           18

                        **   Computer Module #4 Due

            17        ///// Exam #4 - Comprehensive Final Exam  /////   

 

 

Within a few days, a copy of this syllabus will be posted on my web page:

 

http://pubpages.unh.edu/~jes1