I. Course Title: Analysis of Psychological Data
II. Course Number: PSYC 301
III. Credit Hours: 3 credits
IV. Prerequisites: PSYC 121
Pre- or Corequisites: STAT 200 or permission of the instructor.
V. Course Description:
Introduces students to the major methods and techniques used to analyze and interpret
data from psychological studies. Students will learn how to describe and graph data,
assess relationships between variables, and assess and draw inferences about differences
between groups. During the laboratory portion of the class students will (a) complete
exercises that provide hands-on experience with concepts presented in lecture and
(b) analyze data addressing empirical questions in a variety of areas in psychology.
Note(s): Scientific and Quantitative Reasoning designated course.
VI. Detailed Description of Content of the Course:
Major topics to be covered in a typical semester will include:
- Introduction to psychological measurement
- Frequency distributions
- Measures of central tendency (e.g., mean)
- Measures of variability (e.g., standard deviation)
- Normal curve and percentile scores
- Introduction to statistical inference: Z-test
- One sample t-test
- Independent samples t-test
- Dependent samples t-test
- Correlational techniques
- Regression with one predictor variable
- One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)
- Two-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)
- Non-parametric statistics (e.g., Chi-square tests)
VI. Detailed Description of Conduct of Course:
A number of instructional strategies will be employed to enhance student engagement
in the lecture portion of the class, and may include any or all of the following general
strategies.
- Lecture
- Online content, activities, and assignments
- Individual and group presentations
- Individual and collaborative research activities
- Community-based projects
- Video instruction
- Instructor-led class discussions
- Small-group discussions
- Informal writing activities
- Written and critical thinking assignments
- Group activities
- Case studies
- Guest speakers
- Journals or class blogs
The same techniques may be used during the laboratory portion of the course, supplemented
by hands-on experience working with statistical concepts presented in lecture. In
the laboratory, students will develop data analysis skills using statistical software
(e.g., SPSS) to assess empirical questions from various areas of psychology.
VII. Goals and Objectives of the Course:
Students who successfully complete the course will be able to:
- Summarize and describe groups of scores in terms of their distribution, central tendency,
and variability.
- Transform original raw scores to widely-used alternative forms, including composite
scores, standard scores, percentile scores, and T-scores.
- Create and interpret tables and graphs presenting information regarding the distribution
of scores for single variables and relationships among different variables.
- Employ correlational analyses to determine the direction and strength of relationships
among variables.
- Use techniques of statistical inference to test for differences among the average
scores of two or more groups of research participants.
- Test hypotheses with appropriate statistical analyses that correspond to a research
design
- Generate statistical results using statistical software packages (e.g., SPSS) for
inclusion in APA-style reports.
- Present statistical results as tables, graphs, and/or written conclusions in APA-style
reports.
- Critically evaluate the Results sections of APA-style research reports.
VIII. Assessment Measures:
Assessment measures may include any combination of the following strategies:
- In- or out-of-class examinations (Objective and/or essay questions)
- In- or out-of-class quizzes
- Student Presentations
- In-class discussion and participation
- Written assignments/projects/lab reports
- Evaluation of research
- In-class application assignments
- Online assignments
- Group participation
- Class attendance and participation
Other Course Information: None
Review and Approval
March, 2010
March 01, 2021