Syllabus
Psy
5500/6500: "Quantitative Methods I"
University of Utah
Fall 2008
Dr. Oakley E. Gordon
Syllabus may change if
circumstances dictate and with proper notification to the students.
Instructor: Oakley E. Gordon, Ph.D.
Office: Beh Sci #701
Phone: (801) 581-4328
Fax: (801) 581-5841
Office Hours: MWF 11:00-11:45 and by appointment.
Home Page: www.psych.utah.edu/gordon
Email: Oakley.Gordon@psych.utah.edu
Teaching Assistant: Joel M. Cooper
Office: Beh Sci #907
Phone: 520-5408
Fax: (801) 581-5841
Office Hours: tba
Email: Joel.Cooper@psych.utah.edu
Both of our mailboxes are to the right of
the doors to the main psychology department office (5th floor of BSS), names
are above the boxes.
1. General Course Information
A. Course web site: www.psych.utah.edu/olms
B. Course Description: Psych 5500 and 6500 meet together. Graduate
students should register for 6500 and will do additional work. This course is
part one of a two-semester sequence providing a graduate-level examination of
statistical procedures in the field of psychology. Topics covered during the
two semesters include: sampling distributions, probability, t tests, analysis
of variance, correlation, simple regression, non-parametric statistics,
multiple regression, data transformations, and the logic of null hypothesis
testing.
This course is designed to both broaden and deepen your understanding of the
use of statistics in the behavioral sciences. By the end of this course you
should have a greater selection of statistical tools available in your tool kit
along with a deeper understanding of the issues involved in the appropriate use
of statistics at the professional level. The second semester of the course will
cover the 'model comparison' approach to statistics.
C. Prerequisites: The prerequisites for both 5500 and 6500
are Psych 3000 (undergraduate statistics in psychology, or the equivalent) and
instructor's consent. The prerequisite of Psych 3000 (or the equivalent) may be
waived at the instructor's prerogative.
D. Course Goals:
- To introduce the student to
the assumptions underlying the development of statistical models of human
behavior. We will begin the course by taking a meta-perspective of the
process of model creation.
- To help the student develop a
deeper understanding of what might be called the 'ANOVA' approach to
statistics in the behavioral sciences. This approach focuses on sampling
distributions, null hypothesis testing, t tests, and the analysis of
variance. It is the approach most commonly taught in undergraduate
statistics and has been widely used in psychology.
- To introduce the student to
current thought within the discipline of psychology concerning the
appropriate use of statistics in psychological experiments and to the
controversies surrounding the use of null hypothesis testing.
- To teach the use of SPSS.
E. Time and Place: The lecture section of the class meets MWF from
11:50-12:40 in Beh Sci 107
F. Course Material
Text: There is no required text for the course. Numerous
handouts--including lecture notes--will be made available for downloading from
the course web site.
Reserve Readings:
Several journal articles and a chapter from a book have been placed on
electronic reserve at the Marriot Library. Go to the library home page,
and look for Student Course Reserves under the Services list.
Additional Material: Links to additional material,
including custom software, are provided on the 'Course Material' page available
on the course web site.
G. Special Announcement Concerning Students with Disabilities: The University of Utah seeks to provide equal access to
its programs, services and activities for people with disabilities. If you will
need accommodations in this class, reasonable prior notice needs to be given to
the instructor and to the Center for Disability Services, 162 Olpin Union Building, 581-5020 (V/TDD) to make arrangements
for accommodations. All written information in this course can be made
available in alternative format with prior notification.
H. Important Dates:
Last Day to Drop Classes: September 3, 2008
Last Day to Withdraw from term length
classes: October 24, 2008
I. Topics Covered
- Model Building
in the Behavioral Sciences
- Basic Statistical Concepts
and Procedures
- Measurement
- Populations, samples,
sampling procedures, bias
- Measures of central tendency
- Measures of variability
- Estimating parameters
- Standard scores and the
normal curve
- The sampling distribution of
the mean
- Probability
- Null hypothesis testing
- t test for 2 independent
means
- One-tailed and two-tailed
tests
- Assumptions underlying the
test, issues of validity, experimental designs
- p values, power, measures of
treatment effect
- t test for 2 correlated
means, repeated-measure designs, carry-over effects, matched pairs designs
- t test for a single mean
- One-way ANOVA independent
means
- Comparisons and Trends
- One-way ANOVA correlated
means
- ANOVA factorial designs
- Correlation
- Regression
- Chi-square: goodness of fit
- Chi-square: test for
association
- Current controversies and
philosophical considerations in the use of statistics in the behavioral
sciences
2. Grades
A. Elements:
your grade in the course will be based upon the following.
40% Assignments
15% Exam 1
15% Exam 2
15% Exam 3
15% Exam 4
B. Letter grades: your total numerical grade will be assigned a
letter grade using the following scale:
A 92+ A- 90-91
B+ 88-89 B 82-87 B- 80-81
C+ 78-79 C 72-77 C- 70-71
D+ 68-69 D 62-27 D- 60-61
E 0-59
C. Incompletes: The policy regarding incompletes follows that of the
university, to receive an incomplete the student must: a) request it; b) receive approval from the
instructor; c) have completed 80% of the material to be covered
during the semester; and d) be passing the class at the time.
D. Assignments: The assignments will provide an opportunity for you
to assimilate the material presented in the text and lectures and understand it
at a deeper level. The assignments will also serve to prepare you for the
exams. You are encouraged to work together on the assignments, but anything you
hand in must be the product of your own efforts (e.g. not copied verbatim from
the work of others). The assignments given out during the semester will be
worth varying amounts of points, your total grade on the assignments will be
equal to the total amount of points you earned on all of the assignments
divided by the total amount of points possible (thus assignments that are worth
more points have a greater effect on your grade than those that are worth fewer
points). Assignments are due by the beginning of class one week after they have
been assigned. I strongly encourage you, however, to complete each assignment
before the next class meeting; it is easier to do an assignment while the
material is still fresh in your mind, and doing an assignment will facilitate
your ability to understand the new material in the next lecture.
E. Exams: The exams will be open book and open note. You will need to
prepare for the exams if you wish to complete them within the time allotted.
Each exam will cover roughly one fourth of the material presented during the
semester, the exact dates for the exams will depend upon the rate at which we
move through the material, advanced notice will be given for each exam date.
F. General Deadline Policy: You are responsible for
handing assignments in on time and for taking the exams when scheduled.
Assignments handed in late might be penalized or not accepted,
alternative dates or times to take exams might involve a penalty or might not
be granted. In general, requests made before a deadline has passed or exam
given are seen in a more favorable light than requests made afterwards.