Learning Goals for the Psychology Core Curriculum
(Psy 240, Psy 241, Psy 242)

Adopted by the faculty of the psychology department upon the recommendation of the Core Curriculum Committee (David Allbritton, Christine Reyna, Ching-Fan Sheu)

(Last Updated March 19, 2003)

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Psy 240 is the introductory statistics course that all psychology majors are required to take, and Psy 241 and 242 are the department's required Research Methods sequence. To provide consistency across sections of the courses, the department has adopted a set of common learning goals for each course, listed below.

In the two-quarter methods sequence, 241 serves as an introduction to research methods and 242 focuses on developing and applying research methodologies, with an emphasis on experimental research.  Both courses are designed around a "learning by doing" philosophy in which students are actively involved in experiencing, conducting, analyzing and reporting research.  Thus both courses typically include web-based experiment demonstrations, instruction in statistical concepts and the use of SPSS for data analysis, and projects in which students design, conduct, analyze, and report research.  Student research projects are the primary focus in 242, while 241 is more content-oriented, emphasizing the learning of basic concepts and skills along with critical thinking in evaluating research. 

Learning Goals for Psychology 240: Introduction to Statistics

• Some basic understanding of research methods (to the degree that they inform statistical procedures, but not to replace 241 or 242)
• Understanding of different ways to represent and interpret data in graphic form
• Central tendency and variability
• Normal distributions and standard scores
• Correlation and regression 
• Elements of probability
• Sampling distributions
• Chance errors in sampling
• Confidence Intervals
• Hypothesis testing (including t-tests)

Learning Goals for Psychology 241:  Research Methods I

Content

• Research Ethics (optional: web-based training from IRB web site)
• APA style
• Variables
• Reliability
• Validity
• Threats to validity (confounds)
• Control
• Types of research (distinguishing experimental vs. non-experimental research)
• Non-experimental research techniques (including archival and observational)
• Statistical concepts: basic descriptive statistics; logic of hypothesis testing; correlation
• Statistical techniques: how to use SPSS to obtain descriptive statistics, identify outliers, and compare two conditions using t-tests and/or chi square.
• Introduction of basic experimental design concepts (optional)

Skills

• Distinguish evidence from opinion and propaganda
• Critically evaluate the quality of evidence in research
• Clearly state a research hypothesis
• Identify independent and dependent variables
• Operationally define variables
• Identify threats to research validity
• Collect and code data
• Analyze data with SPSS and interpret results
• Report a non-experimental research project in APA style

Projects

• Design and carry out a non-experimental (e.g., observational or archival) research project

Learning Goals for Psychology 242:  Research Methods II

Content

• Research Ethics – web-based training from IRB web site (or certificate if previously completed)
• Experimental Design
• Within vs. between-subjects designs
• Confounds
• Counterbalancing
• Factorial designs and interactions
• Survey Research
• Quasi-experiments
• Single-subject experiments
• Statistical concepts: main effects and interactions; reliability analyses and correlation
• Statistical techniques:  Using ANOVA to analyze simple and factorial experiments in SPSS.  Analyzing reliability and simple correlation for survey data.

Skills

• Design an experiment
• Use counterbalancing and randomization to assign conditions
• Identify threats to validity and apply methods of control
• Analyze and interpret the results of an experiment using ANOVA in SPSS
• Report experimental results in APA style
• Analyze and report a simple survey-based study
• Work individually as well as in groups

Projects

• Design, carry out, analyze, and report results for an experiment
• Create, analyze, and report results for a survey (optional)