PS215-15 Further Methods in Psychology
Introductory description
An integrated approach to conceptual, design and practical statistical aspects of research methods in Psychology.
Module aims
The module will consolidate and extend your skills and understanding of issues in research methods that affect you as a producer (doing projects) and consumer (reading journal articles) of research.
Specific aims are:
- to prepare students to carry out psychology projects in their second and third year;
- to meet core training and accreditation requirements in psychology;
- to teach students how to analyse and present data; and
- to familiarise students with issues affecting the soundness of evidence in psychological research.
Outline syllabus
This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.
Review of NHST incl. Power for simple case; Choosing tests and data screening; Counterbalancing, randomization and multi-trial-per-condition experiments; Extensions to >2 levels; Two-factor designs, moderation/interactions, simple effects; Higher-order designs; Correlation, regression, multiple regression; Data quality; extensions of regression; Qualitative Methods; Ethical issues
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- to explore a data set and systematically test hypotheses about the data
- to evaluate the suitability of data for analyses and understand techniques to attenutate problems of data quality
- to present the results of data analysis clearly and concisely
- to understand methodological issues that affect internal validity
- to understand and discuss basic ethical considerations relating to psychological research
- to perform and report some qualitative analyses
Indicative reading list
Howell, D. C. (2008). Fundamental statistics for the behavioral sciences (6th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth. (or a more recent edition of this text)
Brace, N., Kemp, R., & Snelgar, R. (2006). SPSS for Psychologists. (3rd Edition). New York: Palgrave
MacMillan.
Howell, D. C. (2007). Fundamental statistics for the behavioral sciences (6th ed.). Belmont , CA:
Thomson Wadsworth .
Pallant, J. (2007). SPSS survival manual. Buckingham: Open University Press.
Tabachnick, B. G., and Fidell, L. S. (2006). Using multivariate statistics (5th Edition). Needham Heights , MA: Allyn & Bacon.
View reading list on Talis Aspire
Subject specific skills
understanding of the principles of psychological research, different methods of research and the principles of qualitative methods.
Transferable skills
critical analysis, formulation and testing of hypotheses
written communication skills;
use of SPSS.
Study time
| Type | Required |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 10 sessions of 1 hour (7%) |
| Seminars | 2 sessions of 1 hour (1%) |
| Practical classes | 8 sessions of 1 hour (5%) |
| Assessment | 130 hours (87%) |
| Total | 150 hours |
Private study description
No private study requirements defined for this module.
Costs
No further costs have been identified for this module.
You do not need to pass all assessment components to pass the module.
Students can register for this module without taking any assessment.
Assessment group A
| Weighting | Study time | Eligible for self-certification | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homeworks | 10% | 30 hours | Yes (waive) |
|
Online homework worksheets for all lectures supported by practical classes, building towards the Final Test. |
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| Qualitative assessment | 20% | 26 hours | Yes (extension) |
|
Group Work in groups of 4 or 5 |
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| Final Test | 70% | 74 hours | No |
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In the same format as homework worksheets, but to be completed in a 2hr window. |
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Feedback on assessment
Homework feedback will be composed of automated feedback for questions that can be marked automatically and written comments as appropriate for textual answers.
Otherwise, conventional feedback.
Pre-requisites
To take this module, you must have passed:
Courses
This module is Core for:
- Year 2 of UPSA-C800 Undergraduate Psychology
- Year 2 of UPSA-C804 Undergraduate Psychology with Education Studies
- Year 2 of UPSA-C802 Undergraduate Psychology with Linguistics