Unit name | Psychological Research Methods |
---|---|
Unit code | PSYC10010 |
Credit points | 40 |
Level of study | C/4 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
Unit director | Dr. Fielding |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | School of Psychological Science |
Faculty | Faculty of Life Sciences |
In this unit, students will be introduced to experimental and qualitative approaches to conducting research in psychology, and the data collection and analysis techniques associated with each. Students will design and conduct psychological research studies, and present their findings in both oral and written formats.
The aims of this unit are to:
Give students exposure to the diversity of research being conducted in the School via their participation in the experimental hours scheme.
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
Weekly: asynchronous 'independent home work'; large group synchronous online Q&A and quiz associated with independent homework content; asynchronous lecture content ;student-led group meeting (online/in-person/hybrid) ; Lab group meeting with TA/supervisor (online/in-person/hybrid)
Formative Assessment:
Students will receive regular formative feedback via their participation in learning activities dispersed throughout lectures and laboratory classes. Participation in these formative activities will assist students' progression toward the unit's ILOs.
Summative Assessment:
Other Pass Requirements:
In addition to earning the requisite number of marks, to pass this unit students must (a) participate in the development and delivery of a group presentation; and (b) participate in a number of studies as a member of the school's experimental hours scheme (or complete an equivalent written activity).
Students will be directed to weekly readings via Blackboard. The majority of these readings will be drawn from the list of recommended texts below. Links to further readings (e.g., journal articles) will also be made available on Blackboard and lecture slides where applicable.
Essential
American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
British Psychological Society. (2014). Code of human research ethics (2nd ed.). Leicester, UK: Author. Retrieved from https://www.bps.org.uk/news-and-policy/bps-code-human-research-ethics-2nd-edition-2014
Recommended
Aron, A., Coups, E. J., & Aron, E. N. (2012). Statistics for psychology (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Bourne, V. (2017). Starting out in methods and statistics for psychology: A hands-on guide to doing research. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2013). Successful qualitative research: A practical guide for beginners. London, UK: Sage.
Breakwell, G. M., Smith, J. A., & Wright, D. B. (Eds.). (2012). Research methods in psychology (4th ed.). London, UK: Sage.
Coolican, H., (2014). Research methods and statistics in psychology (6th ed.). London, UK: Psychology Press.
Crawley, M. J. (2015). Statistics: An introduction using R (2nd ed.). Chichester, UK: Wiley.
Cumming, G., & Calin-Jagerman, R. (2017). Introduction to the new statistics. New York, NY: Routledge.
Ellis, P. D. (2010). The essential guide to effect sizes: Statistical power, meta-analysis, and the interpretation of research results. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Field, A. (2016). An adventure in statistics: The reality enigma. London, UK: Sage.
Forrester, M. (Ed.). (2010). Doing qualitative research in psychology: A practical guide. London, UK: Sage.
Haslam, S. A., & McGarty, C. (2014). Research methods and statistics in psychology (2nd ed.). London, UK: Sage.
Howell, D. C. (2017). Fundamental statistics for the behavioral sciences (9th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage.
Howell, D. C. (2013). Statistical methods for psychology (8th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Howitt, D., & Cramer, D. (2017). Research methods in psychology (5th ed.). Harlow, UK: Pearson.
Nicol, A. A. M., & Pexman, P. M. (2010). Displaying your findings: A practical guide for creating figures, posters and presentations. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Rosnow, R. L., & Rosenthal, R. (2013). Beginning behavioral research: A conceptual primer (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Smith, J. A. (Ed.). (2015). Qualitative psychology: A practical guide to research methods (3rd ed.). London, UK: Sage.
Stinerock, R. (2018). Statistics with R: A beginner’s guide. London, UK: Sage.
Walker, I. (2010). Research methods and statistics. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.