INSTRUCTOR: Office Hours: Tues & Thur 3:00-4:00 (or by appointment)
Jeff Vancouver, Associate Professor e-mail: vancouve@ohio.edu
223 Porter Hall phone: 740-593-1071
Home page: http://www.psych.ohiou.edu/people/Faculty/Vancouver/vancouver.html
Course Objectives: This course is designed to introduce the student to the principles of behavioral science research and the rationale underlying various research strategies. After the course, the student should have a critical understanding of the research process. This includes being able to:
• intelligently read and critique the research literature.
• translate a research question into a study.
• understand the necessity for making trade-offs during the research process. Making the appropriate trade-offs is the key to good research.
• communicate well the logic and findings of a particular research project.
Text: Whitley, B. E., Jr. (2002). Principles of Research in Behavioral Science (2nd ed). Mountain View, CA: Mayfield.
American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication Manual (5th ed). Washington, DC: Author.
Note: Additional articles, and chapters as noted in the Calendar of Assignments.
Course Format. The material covered in this course is somewhat complex. Interaction with the material and the creation of products is required to master it. Various activities will be structured throughout the term to facilitate this interaction and to assess mastery. You will be expected to have read the assigned reading material before class because more time will be spend using it than reviewing it (e.g., lectures).
Projects. You will have one primary project to complete during the course. It involves developing a research proposal/grant application with at least one experimental study or a computational model that can explain a set of extant or to-be-derived experimental data (For 1st years, I would encourage developing a project that could be a potential thesis; for more senior students, I would encourage a grant application having multiple studies). On the last day of class or during our scheduled final exam, you will present your individual proposals to the class. You will be given feedback throughout the term on your projects. You will be expected to incorporate this feedback when appropriate. The project is worth 30% of your grade.
Review. You will be ask to give a formal review of a fellow student's paper. The review is worth 10% or your grade.
Participation. Participation in class is a primary mechanism for learning. For this reason your level of contributions to the discussion, activities, the class project and classmates' projects will be assessed. Participation will be worth 15% of your grade.
Assignments. You will have numerous mini assignments due throughout the term (see the Calendar of Assignments). These assignments are designed to provide an opportunity for feedback and moving your projects forward. They will be graded for completeness (and timing), not quality. In total, completion of the assignments is worth 7%.
Quizzes and Assessments. For every class except the first day and the final exam time there will be some method of assessing your level of processing the material. Generally, this will consist of a 5 to 10 minute quiz at the beginning of the class that covers the previous class's material and the readings for the current day. Some other assessments might be take home. Each is worth 2% of your grade for a total of 38%.
Other Points of Interest. The calendar of assignments is a starting point. Changes may occur as the course progresses.
Tue. January 6: The Nature of Science
Whitley (chap. 1)
Kuhn, T. S. (1959). The essential tension: Tradition and innovation in scientific research. C. W. Taylor (Ed.), The Third (1959) University of Utah Research Conference on the Identification of Scientific Talent (pp. 162-174). Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press.
Thur. January 8: Overview of methods
Whitley (chap. 2)
Runkel, P. J. & McGrath, J. E. (1972). Research on human behavior: A systematic guide to method. (chap. 4). New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston.
Tues. January 13: Research Questions and Hypotheses
Whitley (chap. 4)
(Skim) McGuire, W. J. (1997). Creative hypothesis generating in psychology: Some useful heuristics. Annual Review of Psychology, 48, 1-30.
Thur. January 15: Constructs to variables Research Questions Assignment Due
(keep a copy available for subsequent classes)
Whitley (chap. 5)
Tues. January 20: Ethical Treatment Copy of Certificate of Completion of on-line IRB training due
Whitley (chap. 3)
The Nuremberg Code, The Belmont Report, OU IRB Guidelines, OU Psychology Department's Human Subject Policy
Thur. January 22: Causality and Internal Validity Operaionalization Assignment Due
Whitley (chap. 6)
Shadish, W, R, Cook, T. D. & Campbell, D. T. (2002). Experimental and Quasi-Experimentation Designs for generalized causal inference (Chap. 1, pp. 1-32). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Tues. January 27: Generalizability and External Validity
Whitley (chap.14)
Mook, D. G. (1983). In defense of external invalidity. American Psychologist, 38. 379-387.
Anderson, C. A., Lindsay, J. J., & Bushman, B. J. (1999). Research in the psychological laboratory: Truth or triviality? Current Directions in Psychological Science, 8, 3-9.
Thur. January 29: Experimental Research Strategies Page 4 of IRB Project Outline Due
Whitley (chap. 7)
Kassin, S.M., Kiechel, K.L. (1996). The social psychology of false confessions: Compliance, internalization, and confabulation. Psychological Science, 7, 125-128.
Tues. February 3: The Passive Observational Research Strategy
Whitley (chap. 8)
Baron, R. M. & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1173-1182.
Vancouver, J. B., Thompson, C. M. & Carlson, B. (2003). All things in moderation, including tests of mediation. Working paper.
Thur. February 5: Research in Natural and Simulated Settings
Whitley (chap. 10)
Lord, F. M. (1967). A paradox in the interpretation of group comparisons. Psychological Bulletin, 68, 304-305.
Lord, F. M. (1969). Statistical adjustments when comparing preexisting groups. Psychological Bulletin, 72, 336-337.
Miller, G. A. & Chapman, J. P. (2001). Misunderstanding analysis of covariance. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 110, 40-48.
Tues. February 10: Writing Workshop Bring Drafts of Project to work on
APA Publication Manual (Chaps 1 & 2)
Thur. February 12: Examining and Testing Specimens
Whitley (chap. 9)
Powers, W. T. (1973). Models and generalizations. Behavior: The Control of Perceptions (Chap 2, 10-18). New York: Aldine De Gruyter.
Simon, H.A. (1992). What is an "explanation" of behavior? Psychological Science, 3, 150-161.
Hulin, C. L. & Ilgen, D. R. (2000). Introduction to computational modeling in organizations: The good that modeling does. In D. R. Ilgen, & C. L. Hulin (Eds.), Computational Modeling of Behavior in Organizations (pp. 3-18). Washington, DC: APA.
Tues. February 17: Survey Research Draft Introductions to Project Due
Whitley (chap. 11)
Thur. February 19: Data Collection
Whitley (chap. 12)
Tues. February 24: Integrative Literature Reviewing
Whitley (chap. 16)
Thur. February 26: Evaluation Research and Change IRB Project Outline Due
Whitley (chap. 15)
Rogosa, D. (1988). Myths about Longitudinal Research. In K. W. Schaie, R. T. Campbell, W. Meredith, & S. C. Rawlings (Eds.), Methodological Issues in Aging Research (pp. 171-209). New York: Springer.
Tues. March 2: Interpreting Research Results
Whitley (chap. 13)
Vancouver, J. B., Thompson, C. M., & Williams, A. A. (2001). The Changing Signs in the Relationships Between Self-Efficacy, Personal Goals and Performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86, 605-620.
Thur. March 4: Writing and Presenting Research Bring Final Draft of Project (2 copies)
Whitley (chap. 17)
Wilkinson, L. et al., (1999). Statistical methods in psychology journals. American Psychologist, 54, 594-604.
Reviews and comments to reviewers of Vancouver, Thompson & Williams
Tue. March 9:Wrap-up Reviews Due (2 copies)
Whitley (chap. 18)
Cronbach, L .J. (1957). The two disciplines of scientific psychology. American Psychologist, 12, 671-684.
Thurs. March 11: Presentations of Project
Thursday, March 18, 12:20 pm Presentations of Project; Project Due