Syllabus for PSY-322-OL
RESEARCH in EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
Research in Experimental Psychology (PSY-322) provides an introduction to the research methods used by experimental psychologists as they attempt to understand human behavior. Examples of research studies, chosen from a variety of areas of experimental psychology, demonstrate these methods and provide you with an understanding of the knowledge these studies have produced.
After completing Research in Experimental Psychology, you should be able to:
You will need the following materials to do the work of the course. The required textbook is available from the college's textbook supplier, MBS Direct.
Required Textbook
Experimental Psychology, 6th ed., by Anne Myers and Christine Hansen (Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2006). ISBN-13: 978-0-534-63441-4
Please note: The Study Guide was written to accompany the 5th edition of the textbook. In that edition the current Chapter 5 had been Chapter 4. Therefore, the supplement in the Study Guide titled "Supplement to Chapter 4: Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient" is a supplement to current Chapter 5, not Chapter 4. Also, you will not be able to check answers to your Review and Study Guide Questions in the Study Guide. In all other ways the Study Guide matches the current textbook.
Study Guide
Study Guide for Research in Experimental Psychology,edited by Elizabeth Wilson (Trenton: Thomas Edison State College, 2002).
Research in Experimental Psychology is a 3-credit online course consisting of ten (10) modules. Assignments include readings in the textbook and study guide.
In addition to to the reading assignments for this course, you are also required to submit seven (6) written assignments, a research project and participate in three (3) graded online discussions
Consult the Course Calendar for assignment due dates.
For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in online discussion forums, complete written assignments, take a proctored midterm examination and complete a final exam. See below for more details.
Consult the Course Calendar for assignment due dates.
Written Assignments
The first six (6) written assignments in this course all build toward the research project report. Directions for the written assignments can be found within the Modules. (See also the course Calendar.)
Please input all work and include references. Include your name at the top of the paper, as well as the course name and code and the semester and year in which you are enrolled.
Before submitting your first assignment, check with your mentor to determine whether your word processing software is compatible with your mentor's software. If so, you can submit your work as you prepared it. If not, save your assignment as a rich-text (.rtf) file, using the Save As command of your software program. Rich text retains basic formatting and can be read by any other word processing program.
Go to the Submit Assignments area of the course website to submit all written assignments.
Research Project Report
The first six (6) written assignments in this course all build toward the research project report.
The goal of this assignment is to guide you through to completion of the experimental design of your research project and to its implementation.
The completed Research Project Report must be presented in the proper format. Your report must be free of errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Handwritten reports will not be accepted.
Please Note:The Research Project Report is worth approximately one-quarter of your final grade.
The Directions for the Research Project Report can be found within the Module 10. (See also the course Calendar.)
Go to the Submit Assignments area of the course website to submit your completed Research Project Report.
Online Discussion Forums
In addition to submitting six written assignments for this class, you are required to introduce yourself and participate in three (3) graded online class discussions.
Your first posting, "Introductions," will give you a chance to tell your mentor and classmates something about yourself and to find out who they are. You should post your introduction in the Introductions forum on the class Discussion Board and respond to at least two of your classmates' responses.
Deadlines for posting discussion threads on the class Discussion Board are given in the course Calendar.
See the Student Handbook for additional help regarding preparing and submitting assignments located within the General Information section of the course website.
Midterm Examination
The midterm is a closed-book, proctored exam. It is two hours long and covers material from Modules 1 - 5 of the course. It consists of definitions and essay questions. The exam is drawn from the text and assigned readings. You will not be asked to do any statistical calculations on the exam.
You may take the examination only during the designated exam week, at an approved location, and with an approved proctor. In this regard, you need to schedule your exam and submit your "Proctor Request Form" with the necessary documentation no later than the end of the first week of the semester (see Administrative Forms in the General Information area of the course Web site).
Consult the course Calendar for the timing of these exams.
If you are on a course extension and have not yet taken the midterm exam, you must let your examination proctor know when you plan to take the exam and contact the Office of Test Administration (609-984-1181) two weeks in advance to request that your exam be sent to the proctor.
For more information on scheduling a proctored examination, see the section Examinations and Proctors in the Student Handbook located within the General Information section of the course website.
Final Exam
The final is a closed-book, unproctored exam. It is two hours long and covers material in Modules 6 - 10. Like the midterm exam, it consists of definitions and essay questions. The exam is drawn from the text and assigned readings. You will not be asked to do any statistical calculations on the exam.
Statement about Cheating
The final examination in this course is an unproctored exam. That means you will not be supervised while taking the test. You are on your honor not to cheat during the exam. Cheating means:
- Looking up any answer or part of an answer in an unauthorized textbook or on the Internet, or using any other source to find the answer.
- Copying and pasting or in any way copying responses or parts of responses from any other source into your online test. This includes but is not limited to copying and pasting from other documents or spreadsheets, whether written by yourself or anyone else.
- Plagiarizing answers.
- Asking anyone else to assist you by whatever means available while you take the exam.
- Copying any part of the exam to share with other students.
- Telling your mentor that you need another attempt at the exam because your connection to the Internet was interrupted when that is not true.
If there is evidence that you have cheated or plagiarized in your exam, the exam will be declared invalid, and you will fail the course.
Please also note that the exam is time-limited. That means you only have the allotted time in which to complete the exam. If you exceed the time limit on the exam, you will be penalized by having two points deducted for every minute that you exceed the time limit. This may also result in your failing the course.
Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:
To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of D or higher on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., exams, assignments, discussion postings, etc.).
You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Letter grades for online participation, written assignments, and examinations are based on the following numerical grades:
| A | = | 93-100 |
| A- | = | 90-92 |
| B+ | = | 88-89 |
| B | = | 83-87 |
| B- | = | 80-82 |
| C+ | = | 78-79 |
| C | = | 73-77 |
| C- | = | 70-72 |
| D | = | 60-69 |
| F | = | Below 60 |
First Steps to Success
To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:
Study Tips
Consider the following study tips for success:
To stay on track throughout the course, begin each week by consulting the course Calendar. The calendar provides an overview of the course and indicates due dates for submitting assignments, posting discussions, and scheduling and taking examinations.
