LOYOLA UNIVERSITY NEW ORLEANS

INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH
PSYCHOLOGY A301 SECTION 003
FALL 2002

Time and Location:  11:30 - 12:20 M-W-F in Room 533 of Monroe Hall

Instructor:  Dr. Kim Ernst
    Office:  430 Monroe Hall
    Phone:  865.3560 (Office)
                   865.3125 (Department Office)
    E-mail:  kernst@loyno.edu
    Office hours:  TBA and by appointment
    Home Page:  http://www.loyno.edu/~kernst/

COURSE DESCRIPTION:  Application of scientific methods to psychology with emphasis on designing research and on report writing.

COURSE CREDIT:  3.0 credit hours

PREREQUISITES:  The prerequisites for this course are nine hours in psychology, including Psychology A100, or six hours, including Psychology A100, with concurrent enrollment in three Psychology hours.  Satisfactory completion of this course DOES NOT fulfill any Common Curriculum requirements.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:  This course is a beginning course in behavioral science research with a specific emphasis on psychological research.  The primary objective of this course is that students gain fundamental knowledge of the principles and the procedures of the scientific method.  The course is designed so that students will become better prepared to consume research findings (e.g., critically review and evaluate) based on empirical investigations, and those which only proclaim to be.  In addition, this course requires students to prepare and submit an empirical research proposal at the end of the semester.  This means you will plan and design an original research project. This includes practice in writing using the stylistic conventions of the American Psychological Association (APA). Students will also develop skills in using library resources, electronic databases, and the Internet.

COURSE WEB SITE:  The course Web site contains a copy of this syllabus, assignments, announcements, lists of resources, and other materials.

CLASS FORMAT:  In the classroom, students will be exposed to some material from many chapters in the textbook. Some of this material will be covered in a standard lecture format and some topics will be presented as either videotaped material and classroom demonstrations or discussions.

TEXTBOOKS:  Two books are required books for this course.  The paperback study guide that accompanies the textbook is optional.  Each is available in the campus bookstore.

American Psychological Association.  (2001).  Publication manual of the American Psychological Association  
    (5^th ed.).  Washington, D.C.: Author.

Bordens, K. S., & Abbott, B. B.  (2002).  Research design and methods: A process approach (5^th ed.). Mountain View, 
    CA: Mayfield.

I have assigned chapter readings from the textbook (i.e., Bordens & Abbott) and the Publication Manual (PM).  I expect students to read the assigned material before class.  The URL for the textbook is
http://users.ipfw.edu/bordens/rdm4/index1.htm

ADDITIONAL READINGS:  Besides the assigned readings, I will assign some additional readings and video showings during the semester.  I will distribute some of these materials in class, although other materials will be available electronically from the course listserv or Web site, Blackboard, or e-Reserve, or placed on "Reserve" in the Monroe library, or available from the Internet.

CLASS ATTENDANCE:  I expect punctual and regular class attendance.  Further, I will take class attendance in some form (i.e., roll call or attendance roster) each time our class is scheduled to meet (this excludes exam days). Whatever the method used to take attendance, it is your responsibility to sign the attendance roster or to be present for roll call.  Students not present for roll call or who fail to sign the attendance roster will be marked "absent." Also, I will mark "absent" students who are only present for roll call or who only sign the attendance roster and then leave the class period.  Please note, I do not recognize absences from class as either "excused" or "not excused."   If you miss a class period, you are still responsible for all information presented in class.

If, at the end of the semester you had perfect attendance, a bonus of 6 (six) points will be added to your total points earned; if you miss one (1) class, a bonus of three (3) points will be added to your total points earned.  If, however, you miss two (2) or more classes, you forfeit all bonus credit for class attendance.  Bonus points for class attendance will not factor into your midterm grade.

ETHICS:  Academic dishonesty, in any for (e.g., cheating, plagiarism, data falsification) will result in the consequences outlined on pages 46-48 in the Loyola University Undergraduate Bulletin (2003-05).  Please refer to these pages for full explanation of the University’s policy on academic dishonesty, integrity of scholarship and grades, the procedures for dealing with students who are suspected of and/or found guilty of violating this code, and the consequences thereof.

EXAMS:  I will administer four written exams throughout the semester.  I have scheduled three exams of the four exams during regular class meeting times and the fourth exam (i.e., the Final Exam) during the Final Exam week.  Please refer to the "Class Schedule" (see the last page of this document) for the exam dates.

Each exam will cover the assigned material (e.g., textbook chapters, PM), any information presented in class, and any material from the outside-of-class assignments.  The Final Exam will include any new material presented after the third exam and material presented earlier in the course.  Thus, the Final Exam will be a cumulative (i.e., comprehensive) exam.  Questions on exams will consist of multiple choice and short-answer type questions, although (larger) essay questions may be used.  Please note that my exams require more than rote memorization.  That is, I expect students to understand the material and distinguish between and apply various concepts and theories.  Exams will not necessarily be equal in length, but you can expect each exam to be worth 100 points. The Final Exam will be 100 questions with each question worth one point.  You will need a no. 2 pencil to take all exams.  Exam grades will be posted on the bulletin board outside my office.  You may review your most recent exam and answers in my office during my office hours. 

I will not administer routine makeup exams.  I will make exceptions only in cases of emergencies, serious illnesses, or compelling circumstances.  To be eligible for a makeup exam, you must both: (1) notify me before the exam you miss, and (2) provide sufficient documentation concerning your absence.  You can take ONLY one makeup exam.  If you miss more than one exam, you will makeup one exam and receive zero points for any of the other exams you may have missed.  The date to take a makeup exam will be determined when you and I consider the circumstances.  Also, you will receive zero points for the missed exam until you take the makeup exam.  These provisions also apply to the Final Exam.

If you are observing a religious holiday or if you must be away on official university business (e.g., an athletic event, professional conference, student government, etc.) I will attempt to make some arrangement so that you can take the exam early.  You must, however, inform me at least 2 (two) weeks before the exam that will be missed, to make appropriate arrangements.

OUTSIDE-OF-CLASS ASSIGNMENTS:  You should expect approximately 10 outside -of-class assignments.  The assignments are designed to assist you with the preparation of your research proposal.  Individual assignments will be explained, in detail, during class.  I have provided the due date for each assignment in the "Class Schedule."  The amount of time, effort, and work required to complete an assignment  will vary from assignment to assignment.  As the semester proceeds, however, the assignments will demand more of your time and energy,  I will assign a credit point value to each assignment.  At the end of the semester, the cumulative points earned on the outside-of-class assignments will be treated as a single grade.  This grade will factor into your course grade.  When appropriate, I will return assignments with comments, corrections, and suggestions for improvement.  It is your responsibility to correct any errors and modify, correct, or change your work based on my recommendations and comments.

The following general guidelines apply to all assignments.
1.  All work must be submitted by the start of class on the respective due dates.
2.  Late papers (operationally defined as after 11:35 a.m.) will receive zero points.
3.  Written work must be typed in a standard typeface (i.e., Times or Arial) in a 12-point font.
4.  Margins should be 1-inch, and line spacing should be double-spaced.
5.  Papers should be proofed for spelling, typographical, and grammatical errors.
6.  The document must be stapled in the left upper corner.
7.  Assignments are to be conducted independently, unless I specified otherwise.

For assignments numbered 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6, your name and assignment number must appear on the upper right corner of Page 1.  Only your name and the page number should appear on the upper right corner of the subsequent pages.  The examples below illustrate this format.

Example Page 1 header

Example Page 2 header

RESEARCH PROPOSAL:  I require students to submit a typed research proposal on December 5, 2003.  Your proposal should include the following: title page, abstract, introduction (literature review), method section, references, and a table or a figure.  I will determine the requirements for your submission of a Results section and a Discussion section later.  All research proposal topics must receive my approval by Friday, October 24.  Further, your research proposal must be typed according to APA style.  The proposal represents 50% of your final course grade.  Other specifications regarding proposals will be discussed in class.                              

ADDITIONAL SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS:

• You should keep up with all the readings and outside-of-class assignments. Some outside-of-class assignments will take longer than you probably anticipate; plan wisely.  Failure to submit assignments regularly usually affects students’ performance on subsequent assignments, and therefore final course grades.
• I expect you to submit all work on time.  Please retain all work that I return to you.  This practice is valuable for your reference and re-submission if requested by the course instructor.  Also, I would strongly recommend that students "save" their work on two computer disks, and not just a hard drive.
• Concerning the research proposal, I wish to emphasize that rewrites (e.g., Introduction, Method section) are often necessary.  Therefore, I would urge students to use a word processing computer program (e.g., WordPerfect^®, Microsoft Word^®).  Students should visit the computer labs on campus during the first week of the semester to familiarize themselves with the availability of software programs, locations, and hours of operation.

RESEARCH ACTIVITY:  Because psychology is a scientific discipline and this course is an introduction to the research enterprise, I will provide you a few opportunities to experience firsthand.  Students may accomplish this in several ways.  For example, you might choose to serve as a research participant or assistant, or attend a research symposium or colloquium.  More information about this component will be forthcoming.  

EVALUATION AND GRADING:  Your final course grade will be based on your performance on the four written exams, the outside-of-class assignments, the research activity component, and the research proposal.  Each exam will count equally toward your final course grade.  Together, the four exams and a single assignment grade will contribute to 40% of your final course grade.  Midterm and final course grades are based on the percentage of total points earned.  Midterm grades are determined by your performance on the first exam.

40% of your final grade = Exams 1, 2, 3, & 4 (+) a single  cumulative outside-of-class assignment grade
50% of your final course grade = Research proposal
10% of your final course grade = Research activity

The following grading scale will be used when a letter grade must be assigned (i.e., midterm and final course grades):
                                                                            Percentage            Grade
                                                                               90 - 100%                 A
                                                                                88 - 89%                   B+
                                                                                80 - 87%                   B        
                                                                                78 - 79%                   C+
                                                                                70 - 77%                   C
                                                                                68 - 69%                   D+
                                                                                60 - 67%                   D
                                                                                  <60%                      F

One exception to the scale above, is that "+" (plus) grades will not be assigned to midterm grades.  I will assign an "I" (incomplete) grade only when compelling circumstances exist and sufficient and valid documentation is provided by the student.

COURSE LISTSERV:   I expect students enrolled in this course to participate in the course listserv.  A listserv is an electronically based (i.e., e-mail) discussion group.  The primary purpose of the course listserv is to provide communication between subscribers.  For example, I can send one e-mail message to the listserv and everyone subscribed will receive my message.  Similarly, when a subscriber post a question to the listserv any subscriber can send a reply.  This way, everyone subscribed can participate.  I will use the listserv to make relevant announcements; check your e-mail regularly.  Students subscribed to the listserv will also participate by posting relevant questions to other student subscribers.  Questions might concern class lectures, textbook material, assignments, and the like.  In previous semesters, students have also used to the listserv to form study groups and arrange group study times before each exam.

To subscribe to the course listserv,
1. Send an e-mail message to: majordomo@loyno.edu
2. On the first line of your message body type: subscribe psyca301003
3. Then send the e-mail

Soon after sending the e-mail, you will receive an e-mail message from the system administrator.  If you were successful, this e-mail will contain detailed instructions concerning the listserv mechanics.  Please know that when you send an e-mail to the listserv, every subscriber will receive a copy of your message.  Thus, if you want to send something "private" to me, use my individual e-mail address (i.e., kernst@loyno.edu).

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• The staff of the J. Edgar and Louise S. Monroe Library provide workshops on a variety of subjects dealing with electronic information resources and the technologies needed to access and present them.  Visit the library to speak with a librarian or go to the library's Web site, http://www.lib.loyno.edu/li/instruction.htm for more information.
• When you do not understand the material, it is your responsibility to communicate this to me.  Please ask questions.
• Students with disabilities who wish to receive accommodations in this class should contact Disability Services at x2990 as soon as possible so that warranted accommodations can be implemented in a timely fashion. Disability Services are in the Academic & Career Excellence Center, Monroe Hall, Room 405.
• If you do not have a student  e-mail account, you should obtain one from the Office of Information Technology, on the 5th floor of Monroe Hall, during the 1^st week of the semester.
• If my office hours conflict with your schedule, please talk with me so that we can schedule an appointment that will be more convenient for you.

DATES FOR ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS & UNIVERSITY HOLIDAYS:

CLASS SCHEDULE

DISCLAIMER: The schedule and procedures in this course may be modified or altered at the discretion of the course instructor if circumstances warrant changes. Any changes will be announced in class. 08.25.2003

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Last Update: 2003-08-30