McGill Psych 306 Research Methods in Psychology PDF

Psych 306 Research Methods in Psychology Professor Caroline Palmer Page 1 Course Objectives of Psych 306 To familiarize you with the research methods used by psychologists and other behavioural scientists (cognitive scientists, neuroscientists)...

Psych 306 Research Methods in Psychology Professor Caroline Palmer Page 1 Course Objectives of Psych 306 To familiarize you with the research methods used by psychologists and other behavioural scientists (cognitive scientists, neuroscientists) To understand how scientists conceptualize problems, obtain information, study behaviors, and disseminate our findings To help you understand the research of others, and think critically about it; become an informed consumer of information and research To provide you with a basis for conducting your own research Page 2 Course Pre-requisites Required courses: Psych 100 (intro), Psych 204 (statistics) Co-requisites: Psych 305 (statistics) Restrictions: must be U2 or higher NOTE: Psych 306 is offered in Winter 2025, probably each semester Students who do not have the prerequisites do not perform as well Recommended to wait until you have the prerequisites Page 3 Topics Covered Basics of the scientific method: – hypothesis testing, measurements, participant selection, research ethics, how to avoid biases, etc. Introduction to different research strategies: – Descriptive research strategy – Correlational research – Experimental strategy – Between- and within-subjects designs – Non-experimental and quasi-experimental designs – Factorial designs – Single-subject designs – Replication crisis, open science Page 4 Contacting Me By email: [email protected] Best way to reach me I respond to emails as quickly as possible (except on weekends) WRITE PSYCH 306 IN SUBJECT LINE If you have a content/material question: Use Discussion Forums (see MyCourses) Ask the TAs Page 5  Teaching Assistants Charlotte Caswell and Rachael Manning Both are reached through their email addresses listed on the syllabus and through zoom links for office hours on MyCourses WRITE "PSYCH 306” IN SUBJECT LINE – Otherwise your email may not be read  Responsible for:  Discussions regarding lectures and materials  Office hours  Assignments and tests; discussion boards Page 6 What to Expect Teaching Philosophy To educate and inspire To encourage students to take an active role in their education To give lectures that complement (not copy) the text My advice: Come to class prepared (read ahead of time) Ask questions, give opinions Talk to your neighbours and make study partners Page 7 Required Textbook  Gravetter & Forzano, (2018). Research Methods for the Behavioral Sciences (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage (REQUIRED text)  Previous editions are used at your own risk  Check any older editions against the latest one to verify if the material has changed so that you can adjust accordingly  This is your responsibility Available through multiple vendors, see links provided in the syllabus and on MyCourses Mindtap is NOT required, although it may be helpful as a study aid Page 8 Course Materials Website via MyCourses: Syllabus Readings outside the text (if applicable) All assignment information Recorded lectures (all lectures will be recorded) Any supplemental links Discussion forum Research suggests that people have different learning methods Different ways to engage in Psych 306: Attend in person Attend online (lectures recorded) Page 9 Course Format When: T/Th 2:35-3:55pm Where: McConnell Engin Room 304 and online recordings Please note that you are responsible for the textbook readings, class lectures/links, as well as any additional material presented on myCourses Be RESPECTFUL Do not disturb others Show up on time Page 10  Lecture Component For those who have already taken a research course: We will cover similar topics at the beginning; it will get more complex later Straightforward content but requires some logical analysis The material will use several examples and include different experts (guest lectures) The amount of overlap between lectures and readings varies by topic Follow the readings listed in syllabus Page 11  Grading Final Grades = Midterm 1 (37%) + Final Exam (37%) + Assignments (26%) 4 Homework Assignments: Administered online, test knowledge acquired in the course Read a scientific article, answer questions on research methods Due dates listed in Syllabus; assignments posted 1 week before Extra Credit: Earn up to 2% credit from Psychology Participant pool Full details listed in syllabus and at: www.mcgill.ca/psychology/files/psychology/student_faq.pdf. Questions? Ask at [email protected] DO NOT make plans for the exam period in December until the schedule is finalized Page 12  Examinations The midterm is delivered in person during class period; Closed note, Closed book Final exam is non-cumulative and is delivered in person (Closed note, Closed book) during the exam period Both exams have multiple choice and some short answers likely Questions include material from readings and lectures Page 13  Examinations Sample questions will be provided on MyCourses, 2 weeks before the exams Any assigned materials on MyCourses, lectures, or in assigned readings can be on an exam Documentation (medical note or equivalent, in email to instructor) is required for a missed exam, following McGill guidelines If you have a class scheduled at the same time as Psych 306, you must send the instructor an email 2 weeks prior to the exam date with the course number and instructor’s name. We will work with you to resolve conflicting dates. Page 14 How to Succeed in Psych 306 Read the material BEFORE the lecture Study the lecture slides posted the night before Try to connect the different concepts covered Review questions in chapters Do not miss class – Lectures provide information not necessarily found in textbook Study with others – but be sure you are learning Page 15  Being a Savvy Data Consumer Newspapers, social media sites rely on graphs to convey research findings Graphics: Important aspect of presentation and analysis of a study’s design Helps reveal patterns that you cannot see without a figure Graph interpretation: The visual decoding of the quantitative and qualitative information encoded on graphs. bad graph what is the research design Page 16  Common Data Presentation Graphs, figures, and tables are read in terms of x- and y-values. X-values represent the independent variable, the manipulated variable. Y-values represent the dependent variable, the outcome. 3 primary types of graphs: Line Pie Graphs Bar Graphs Graphs/Charts X variable Y variable Y variable X variable X variable Y variable = % of each category Page 17  When is each type of graph used? Continuous data (quantitative data): Can have any number of possible values. 3 41267 Example: height in inches/cm Usually discrete numeric values – ordered sequence of numbers 3 4 5 Categorical data (qualitative data): Can have only certain possible values Examples: employment category or preferred music genre Not usually numerical values labels category Ordinal data: a categorical variable for which there is a definite ordering of the categories categorical with order Example: severity of experienced pain on a 1-7 Likert scale Often ordinal data is treated as “continuous data” short medium tall Page 18  Continuous variables: Line Graphs Line graphs- used to track changes in a continuous Y % of adults interviewed variable by a continuous X variable (often time periods) Line graphs can also be used to compare changes over the same period of time for more than one group. Year continuous graph time increases continuously for more than Press Gazette (UK, 2023) group Page 19  2 Continuous variables: Scatterplots Blue = low crime neighborhoods Red = high crime neighborhoods Related to Line Graphs: Risk of Intimate Partner Violence (log) Points plotted without a connecting line X and Y must be continuous variables Each “subject” is represented by a point Sometimes two conditions shown in one plot andy continuous Child Maltreatment (by caregiver) when 2 parents are fighting more likely of violence Page 20  One Categorical variable: Bar charts Bar graphs (charts) Used for categorical variables: McGill Undergrad Majors (2022) 10000 - Vertical bars Data displayed as a series of vertical (or 8000 horizontal) bars whose heights indicate Number 6000 the number or proportion of values in each category 4000 2000 McGill Undergrad Majors (2022) - Horizontal bars 0 Undergrad Major Music Agri-… Educ Undergrad Major Engin not continuons Health Sci Science Arts 0 5000 10000 Note the switch in X-Y axis position from Number Horizontal to Vertical bars Page 21 One Categorical variable: Pie Charts McGill Undergrad Majors (2022) 851 1,777 Mus 2,590 Agri 9,311 Envir Educ Arts The pie area devoted to each arts 4,637 Engin Y category is proportional to: science Health Science Number in that category/ Sci Total number in all categories 5,895 6,292 Areas are ordered from largest to smallest, usually clockwise clockwise around the pie but in order Page 22  Multiple Categorical variables: Stacked Bar Charts Daily Hours Spent with Digital Media Daily Hours Spent on Digital Media (US) Digital Media Mobile (cell phones, tablets) Desktop / Laptop Other (game consoles) Year OurWorldInData.org/internet Page 23 When X-axis = Time, Data can be presented as a Bar or Line Graph Rainfalll in Montreal (mm) MAX Jan Feb Mar Apr May June Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Month in 2022 Page 24  Not all Graphs are Easy to Interpret Survey respondents’ “I agree” responses to questions on climate change No meaningful relationships: order of %’s color used and % values color and type of question Original survey by CBC News, 2023 Galway & Field (2023) Page 25 Not all Graphs are Easy to Interpret Study of weight loss in US and its relationship to wages by gender and career Y X-value = Career / Field What is the y-value? A difference score: Income(obese worker) - Income (non-obese) A percentage: of what? Time period listed as 2006-2022: Average over that period? or difference (2022-2006)? Nov 25, 2023 Economist Page 26 Consumer Warnings about Graphs Questions to ask when you read a graph:  What types of values are on the X and Y axis? (categorical? continuous?)  What does the figure caption tell you about the graph?  Are there two or more conditions in the same graph? If so, are they represented the same way (presented with the same range of values)? Canadian Singers' Popularity Canadian Bands' Popularity % "Like" Responses % "Like" repsonses 65 100 60 80 Same 55 60 values 40 50 20 45 0 Shawn Justin Leonard Shawn Justin Leonard Shawn Mendes k.d. Bieber Justin Cohen Arcade Mendes GuessCohen Bieber Tragically Mendes Lang Bieber Fire Who Hip Page 27 Consumer Warnings about Graphs When you encounter problems reading a graph: Ask “Do I understand this graph?” If YES, what is it saying? – If NO, why not? It might be an unclear or incomplete graph, or It might be a type of graph that is unfamiliar Huff (1954), journalist & magazine editor Page 28  Next Class: The Scientific Method Homework for next class meeting: Get the Textbook check MyCourses for lecture slides and recordings read the textbook sections listed in the Syllabus Page 29