Transfer Credit: SFU and UVic (PSYC201) and UBC (PSYC217)

Prerequisites: ENG 100, PSYC 110 and 120. 

Course Objectives: The fundamental objectives of this course are to introduce the principles and procedures through which psychologists design and conduct experiments, and critically evaluate experimental methodology and research findings. PSYC217 is designed to cover the basic knowledge, principles, and methods used in psychological research for testing psychological hypotheses, analyzing the research data, and reporting the findings.  This course will equip students with the knowledge and experience to identify and critically examine the main ethical considerations of psychological research. This course would enhance students’ understanding and appreciation of the scientific knowledge reported in psychological journals

Course Description: PSYC217 requires 4 hours of lecture a week for the theoretical components, five 2-hour lab meetings for the coverage of hands-on practical components of the research, and one 2-hour ‘field experience’.  PSYC217 covers a wide range of topics including introduction to research in psychology, exploring research literature (e.g., literature searches, databases, peer review), non-experimental approaches (e.g., naturalistic observation, case studies, and surveys), correlational research, regression lines, and correlation coefficients), experimentation in psychology (e.g., variables, causal versus predictive relationships, common sources of confounding, between-subjects designs), evaluating research in psychology (e.g., validity and reliability), quasi-experimentation research (e.g., quasi-experiments, cross-sectional studies and longitudinal studies) and writing a research report.

Evaluation Plan: The grade breakdown for this course will be as follows:

Attendance and participation: 10%;

Lab assignments Ethics Tutorial: 25%;

Poster production and presentation: 15%;

Midterm Exam: 20%;

Final Exam: 30% (A mixed format will be used for the exams)

Required Reading:

Cozby, P. C. (2009). Methods in Behavioral Research. (10th ed.).  New York: McGraw-Hill Ryerson.

Recommended Readings:

Cuttler, C. (2010). Research Methods in Psychology. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt.

McBurney, D. H. & White, T. L. (2010). Research methods (8th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/ Thompson.

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). (2010). Washington: American Psychological Association.

Stanovich, K. E. (2009). How to Think Straight about Psychology (9th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.