Module PRP-2002:
Research Methods IV

Module Facts

Run by School of Psychology

20 Credits or 10 ECTS Credits

Semester 2

Organiser: Dr Azlina Amir Kassim

Overall aims and purpose

This module will expand on material covered in Year 1 and PRP-2001. Specifically, it will cover ways of designing and analysing psychological research with particular reference to experimental design, analysis of parametric and non-parametric data, and the use of Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and related techniques and associated follow-up tests. The aim of this module is to help students to follow some more advanced procedures of data analysis mainly used in Experimental Psychology, and to be able to use them for the analysis of their own research, oriented to the design, analysis, and write-up of the final year research projects.

Course content

This module builds upon the techniques for quantitative research methods and data analysis that you have learned so far in your degree. The module will start with a short recap of quantitative statistics that you have previously covered. It will then cover one-way ANOVA before moving on to factorial ANOVA, ANCOVA and non-parametric statistics. This module includes an interactive 2 hour/week lecture plus a 1-hour seminar session, where you will have the chance to practice running the different tests you have learnt during the lecture analysing the data. You are highly encouraged to attend the seminar as it will help you understand the content of the lecture in-depth as well as prepare you for the practical mid-term assessment. In addition, this module includes weekly POPPS sessions. You are required to attend the lectures as well as the seminars and POPPS groups, in which attendance will be taken. This module is a core module, meaning that you must pass with a mark of >40% to continue to Year 3.

Assessment Criteria

good

Good review of the literature, written in a clear, concise, and correct manner. Good use of evidence to support the points made.

A good research report that contains very few factual errors. APA formatting rules were followed to a good standard.

A good understanding of the measurements and statistics used in psychology. The ability to differentiate between different experimental designs was clearly demonstrated.

Good oral presentation skills, demonstrating clear understanding, independent work, and critical thinking during discussions relating to research.

Good SPSS skills.

excellent

Excellent review of the literature, written in a clear, concise, and correct manner. Excellent use of evidence to support the points made.

An excellent research report, without any factual errors. APA formatting rules were followed to an excellent standard.

Excellent understanding of the measurements and statistics used in psychology. The ability to differentiate between different experimental designs was clearly demonstrated.

Excellent oral presentation skills, demonstrating clear understanding, independent work, and critical thinking during discussions relating to research.

Excellent SPSS skills.

threshold

Poor review of the literature, with many presentation and content errors. Very little evidence used to support the points made.

A poorly written research report that contains many factual errors. Very few APA formatting rules were followed.

A poor understanding of the measurements and statistics used in psychology. Poor understanding of the different research designs.

Poor oral presentation skills, demonstrating little knowledge of the main elements of the subject area during discussions relating to research.

Poor SPSS skills.

Learning outcomes

  1. Collect data with a variety of experimental techniques and differentiate between the different experimental designs available for empirical research in psychology

  2. Calculate and interpret descriptive statistical analysis and interpret graphical representations of data.

  3. Produce a well written research report that follows the guidelines of the APA.

  4. Demonstrate an ability to communicate scientific research in both oral and written formats.

  5. Demonstrate a more advanced understanding of the use of measurement, observation and experimental design as methodological techniques in psychology.

  6. Demonstrate an understanding of statistics as used in psychological research with particular emphasis on ANOVA techniques and their statistical analysis.

  7. Participate in ongoing psychological research through the SONA program

Assessment Methods

Type Name Description Weight
EXAM Practical Exam

This is a one hour exam. You will be given an SPSS data during one of the seminars. You will have to independently run the analyses and interpret the results to answer the questions.

 15
EXAM Final Exam

This is a 90 minute exam covering material learnt throughout the semester. The format of the exam is Multiple Choice Questions.

 30
REPORT Research Report

For this report, you will be given a SPSS dataset. You will be required to run the appropriate analyses to answer the research questions, and write an APA formatted research report.

 30
CLASS PARTICIPATION SONA 1 2.5
CLASS PARTICIPATION SONA 2 2.5
CLASS PARTICIPATION POPPS Participation 2
CLASS PARTICIPATION Small Roles 4
ORAL PS1 5
ORAL PS2 5
ORAL IMP 1 2
ORAL IMP 2 2

Teaching and Learning Strategy

Hours
Workshop

A 1-hour seminar will be held each week. In the seminars, you will be given the opportunity to develop your statistical skills, and consolidate your understanding of the different topics.

11
 

The module organiser will have a weekly one-hour drop-in for the module. In this drop-in, students may ask questions about the course content and upcoming assessments.

11
Private study

You are expected to work for 200 hours for a 20 credit module. You should spend 156 hours revising the module content so that you're able to complete the different assignments, and gain a thorough understanding of the materials.

156
Lecture

Each week, there will be a two-hour lecture. In the lecture, you will be presented with information about advanced research methods and statistics.

22

Transferable skills

  • Literacy - Proficiency in reading and writing through a variety of media
  • Numeracy - Proficiency in using numbers at appropriate levels of accuracy
  • Computer Literacy - Proficiency in using a varied range of computer software
  • Exploring - Able to investigate, research and consider alternatives
  • Information retrieval - Able to access different and multiple sources of information
  • Inter-personal - Able to question, actively listen, examine given answers and interact sensitevely with others
  • Critical analysis & Problem Solving - Able to deconstruct and analyse problems or complex situations. To find solutions to problems through analyses and exploration of all possibilities using appropriate methods, rescources and creativity.
  • Presentation - Able to clearly present information and explanations to an audience. Through the written or oral mode of communication accurately and concisely.

Subject specific skills

  • Understand the scientific underpinnings of psychology as a discipline.
  • Communicate psychological concepts effectively in written form.
  • Communicate psychological concepts effectively in oral form.
  • Be computer literate for the purpose of processing and disseminating psychological data and information.
  • Retrieve and organise information effectively.
  • Handle primary source material critically.
  • Problem-solve by clarifying questions, considering alternative solutions, making critical judgements, and evaluating outcomes.
  • Reason scientifically and demonstrate the relationship between theory and evidence.
  • Use a range of statistical methods with confidence.
  • Use a variety of psychological tools, including specialist software, laboratory equipment and psychometric instruments.
  • Be aware of ethical principles and approval procedures.

Courses including this module

Compulsory in courses: