|
Department
of Psychology PSYC 4143 Senior Research
in Psychology Fall, 2005 Janice H.
Kennedy, Ph.D. 12:00 – 12:50
MWF Carroll 2261 12:00 – 1:50 T Carroll
2261 |
OFFICE: 1060A
OFFICE HOURS: 3:30 – 4:30 MW
11:00
– 12:00 TT
PHONE NOS.: 681-5504
(Office); 681-0869 (Lab)
E-MAIL: JKENNEDY@GeorgiaSouthern.edu
WEBSITE: www.GeorgiaSouthern.edu/~jkennedy
TEXT:
American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication
Manual. (5th ed.).
OTHER MATERIALS:
Stapler
COURSE DESCRIPTION
AND OBJECTIVES: This is a laboratory course that builds on your statistics
and research methods courses. It provides the advanced psychology student with
an in-depth examination of research methods in psychology through both
classroom and laboratory instruction in particular areas of study. An
independent research project is required that examines an issue in psychology.
This semester, the topic of study will be relationships.
This is a very broad topic and encompasses studies from developmental, social,
ethological, and other areas of psychology. We will talk about parent-child,
romantic, sibling, student-professor, employer-employee, and peer
relationships.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
1.
To become more familiar with methodological, practical, and ethical issues
in
conducting
research in psychology.
2. To
develop expertise in a specific area of research in psychology.
3. To
further develop skills for critically evaluating research.
4. To further develop technical writing skills in
APA style.
COURSE
REQUIREMENTS:
1. Research
Project
An independent research project is required. You will choose
a research topic of interest to you and approved by the instructor, write a
research proposal, complete a review of relevant literature, collect and
analyze your data, and write up your results in APA style. A poster
presentation will be made based on your study. This project accounts for 70% of your grade (IRB proposal = 5%,
complete proposal = 20%, final paper =
35%, poster = 10%) in the course.
2. Labs
Labs
will be conducted which prepare you for your own data collection in the
research project described above. These will involve evaluating published
research, practice in behavioral observation and establishing reliability, from
both videotaped and live observations. Labs, along with your reaction cards,
account for 20% of your grade.
3. Reaction Cards
For each assigned reading, you will be
asked to briefly summarize the study and describe your reactions to the
readings. These reaction cards are combined with your lab activities in terms
of percentage of points. You will be asked to lead a discussion on your
selected readings.
4. Class
Participation
You are expected to complete your readings as assigned and
be ready to discuss them in a thoughtful manner. Class participation accounts
for 10% of your final grade.
GRADES: In summary, each of
the above assignments account for the portion of your grade indicated below.
IRB
Research Proposal 5%
Complete
Research Proposal 20%
Final Paper 35%
Poster 10%
Labs/Reaction
Cards 20%
Class
Participation 10%
Grades will be assigned as follows:
A 90-100
B 80-89
C 70-79
D 60-69
F Below 60
Note:
Prerequisites for this
course are: At least a “C” in PSYC 3141 (Research Methods) and PSYC 4131 (Advanced
Psychological Research).
A grade of "C" is required in this course for
graduation for psychology majors.
For both lab reports and your research project, papers must
be stapled in the upper left corner before they are turned in. Late papers will
be accepted, but a penalty of one letter grade per day will be assigned.
ADMINISTRIVIA: I am very interested
in your learning a lot in this course and hope that you enjoy it as well. I
will be happy to discuss questions related to the course during my office
hours. If you are not free during my office hours, we can schedule a meeting at
a mutually convenient time. Generally, when my office door is open, I am happy
to see you. However, when my door is closed, it is a signal that I prefer not
to be disturbed or am not in. I would
especially appreciate not being interrupted during the half-hour before a class
when I am reviewing my notes and getting ready for class.
Students are expected to be present during assigned class
times. I will be happy to meet individually with you outside of class to help
you with the course, but I will not
go over material discussed in class if you were absent without a valid medical
emergency. The success of this
course depends heavily on everyone's preparation for and participation in
class.
ACADEMIC HONESTY
HONOR CODE: Students are expected to uphold
the Academic Honesty Honor Code as published in section 3 of the Georgia Southern University Student Conduct
Code. Cases of academic dishonesty are dealt with according to policies
outlined in the Student Handbook. You should note that the minimum penalty
requires a grade of zero for the assigned task and academic probation for one
semester for a first offense. Academic dishonesty involves representing any
work turned in (whether tests, papers, etc.) completed in any part by others as
your own.
ACADEMIC
ACCOMMODATIONS: This class complies with the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA). Students with disabilities needing academic
accommodation must: (1) register with and provide documentation to the Student
Disability Resource Center (SDRC); and (2) provide a letter to me from the SDRC
indicating what your need may be for academic accommodation. This should be
done within the first week of class. (SDRC,
Schedule and Reading List
Fall, 2005
Senior Research
Parameters
of research projects
Importance
of Relationships
Aug. 22-26 Attraction
and Relationship Development
Lab 1 Generation of
research ideas
Aug. 29-Sept. 2 Ethics
Skinner,
B. F. (1945, October). Baby in a box. Ladies’
Home Journal. (HO)
Watson, J. B., & Rayner, R. (1920). Conditional
emotional reactions. Journal of
Experimental Psychology, 3, 1-14.
Lab 2 Ethics and the IRB
Sept. 5-9 Labor Day
Parent-Child
Relationships
Ainsworth, M. D. S. (1970). Attachment, exploration, and
separation:
Illustrated by the behavior of one-year-olds in a strange situation. Child Development, 41, 49-67.
Anisfeld, E.,
Egeland, B., &
Hiester, M. (1995). The long-term consequences of infant day-care and
mother-infant attachment. Child Development, 66, 474-485.
Lab 3 Library Research
Sept. 12-16 Relationships in Adolescence
Allen, J. P.,
Furman, W., Simon, V. A., Shaffer, L., & Bouchey, H. A.
(2002). Adolescents’ working models and styles for relationships with parents,
friends, and romantic partners. Child Development, 73, 241-255.
Lab 4 Naturalistic
Observation