Course Description
You are introduced to the procedures and designs used in psychological research and the critical evaluation of research. Topics include the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to research, including non-experimental, experimental, and quasi-experimental designs; research ethics; measurement; validity of methods; control of extraneous influences; and the drawing of valid conclusions from empirical evidence. This is a required course for students majoring in psychology.
Prerequisite
You are encouraged to complete one or more introductory psychology course(s) before taking this course.
- Describe the scientific approach to the study of behaviour
- Apply the ethical principles that govern research in psychology
- Conduct a literature search using peer-reviewed sources
- Design a research proposal
- Discuss the key concepts in research design including operational definitions, variables, reliability, validity and sampling procedures
- Explain the strengths and limitations of research designs used in psychology, including experimental and non-experimental designs
- Identify potential flaws in research design
- Collect and analyze data based on an instructor-approved research proposal
- Construct and analyze graphical representations of data
- Describe basic descriptive statistics including measures of central tendency and variability
- Explain the purpose and appropriateness of inferential statistics such as t-tests and anova
- Draw valid conclusions from empirical evidence with an awareness of the limits of various research methods
