Measurement and Data Analysis in Psychology:

Syllabus, Psychology 124-01 and 124-02, Winter 2003

Neil Lutsky

Olin 111, x4379, e-mail: NLUTSKY@CARLETON.EDU
Web Home Page: http://www.acad.carleton.edu/curricular/PSYC/lutsky/Lutsky.html

Course Teaching Assistant: Kathryn Brooks (BROOKSK@CARLETON.EDU), x5049

Organization and Purposes:

This course is designed to introduce undergraduates to basic principles and procedures of data collection, organization, evaluation, and communication in psychology. We will survey statistics and data analysis in psychology and use standard computer programs to assist our statistical analyses (and understanding). We will also review common measurement procedures in the discipline and criteria that have been developed to gauge the adequacy of those procedures. Finally, throughout the term, we will address and practice fundamental skills contributing to successful psychological research, including topic identification, literature reviewing, methods development, and report writing.

This course is designed to encourage your appreciation of the practical and intellectual significance of research and data analysis. I would argue that it is your responsibility as an educated professional as well as an educated citizen to develop a working and critical understanding of basic principles and techniques of quantitative analysis. Moreover, I would predict, with some confidence, that you will find data analysis highly intelligible, smartly (if not beautifully) designed, broadly useful, and surprisingly enjoyable. This course should also help you overcome any sense you may have that quantitative analysis is intimidating and beyond your ability. It isn't. By the end of this term, you should be willing and able (a) to attend to quantitative material in a journal article or other presentation and to understand what was done and what obtained results may or may not mean, and (b) to engage in quantitative and probabilistic thinking and investigation about issues in psychology and life when doing so is appropriate.

The path to these goals is not without its demands and difficulties. There is a great deal of work in this course, and it is imperative that you keep up with course readings and assignments as scheduled. I strongly recommend that you complete all reading prior to the class for which it is assigned. Homework and writing assignments are due on time in class on the specified days. Also, all significant shortcomings in the homework you turn in must be rectified to the satisfaction of the course teaching assistant. Turning in a homework or writing assignment late or failing to correct a significant shortcoming on your homework will result in a penalty to your grade.

The instructor and teaching assistant will be available on a reasonable basis to provide help with assignments. Of course, you will be better able to make use of these opportunities for assistance if you work on assignments prior to the night before they are due. I will not agree to requests for extensions, so please budget your time accordingly. As you begin this course, it is also important that you refamiliarize yourself with Carleton's standards of academic honesty and abide by them in all of your work. In particular, you should take great care to avoid representing something in papers, examinations, or problem sets (homework) as your own work when it is the work of another.

There are four evaluations contributing to your final grade: weekly problem sets (30%), course writing project (30%), a midterm (20%), and a final (20%)). Please purchase the course text by Aron and Aron (2003), Statistics for Psychology, 3rd edition, and the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th edition. Your course writing project evaluation will be based on the following weights: literature review (30%), peer review (20%), methods (20%), and final paper (30%).




Course Rules:


A. All work in this class must be submitted on time.


B. Significant shortcomings in work in this class must be rectified.


C. Work in this class must not violate Carleton's plagiarism standards.



Topic Outline and Reading Schedule:

January 8, 2003