Psych 315: Understanding Statistics in Psychology, Spring 2002



Psych 315: Understanding Statistics in Psychology, Summer 2003

(Prerequisites: Psych 209 and Math 111 or Math 120)

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Laura M. Little, Ph.D. (llittle@u.washington.edu)

TA: Amy Guthormsen (aguthorm@u)

Undergraduate TA: Yuan-Shan (kira363@u)

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Text: King & Minium (2003). Statistical Reasoning for Psychology and Education

Website for course materials:

Supplementary materials: Handouts and supplementary materials will often be distributed during class. You are responsible for obtaining copies of these materials if you miss class the day they are distributed.

Course objectives: Your goals in taking this course should be: (1) to learn the basic ways to summarize and describe data in psychological research; (2) to understand the common statistical analyses in the psychological literature; (3) to learn the basic principles of interpreting statistical analyses in psychological research; (4) to enrich your understanding of psychology through an appreciation of the tools researchers use to analyze data; and (5) to gain exposure to computer software used in data analysis (MS Excel, SPSS). This course will prepare you for any of the laboratory courses required of psychology majors.

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Grading

Exams: There will be four quizzes and two exams. Each quiz will count as 1/8 of your final grade, and each exam will count as ¼ of your final grade. The last exam will be given on the last day of the quarter. Exams and quizzes will be scored on a percent scale. I will replace your lowest quiz score with your assignment grade (see below).

Assignments: There will be near-weekly assignments, which cumulatively will count toward 1/8 of your grade. Many of these assignments will be done using the computer software you will be learning in Psych 315. Assignments will be scored on a point scale. Your assignment average will be computed by dividing your total points earned on assignments by the total number of points possible and then multiplying this by 100. You may work with other students on these assignments, but you must turn in your own work. We will only accept work that is individually produced (i.e., do not simply hand-copy or photocopy another person’s work or turn in a jointly produced assignment). Assignments are due at the beginning of class on the due date. They will NOT be accepted late without penalty unless cleared before it is due. The penalty is 25% each day late, including weekend days. There are no exceptions to this policy. Remember, there are many of you and few of us. Please do not ask us to make different rules to accommodate your particular circumstances.

Course grades will be determined by computing your course percentage (CP = average of all course components, in percentage). The formula (CP – 55)/10 yields your course GPA grade. For example, suppose a student scores 78%, 87%, 85%, and 71% on the four quizzes, an 83% and 88% on the two exams, and earns 93% of the points on the assignments. The student’s course percentage would be calculated as: CP = 1/8(78 + 87 + 85 + 93) + ¼(83 + 88) = 85.625 (notice how that quiz grade of 71 was replace by the assignment grade of 93) and her course GPA grade would be (85.625 – 55)/10 = 3.0625 which would be rounded up to a 3.1.

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Course policies

1. Attendance at all lectures is expected. You will be held responsible for all announcements made during class meetings regarding exam scheduling and assignment due dates. I will post announcements to the course website, but, in general, you’ll get the information soonest if you are in class.

2. All class handouts will be kept in the SAMLab. If you must miss class, you may pick up copies of handouts at the SAMLab during TA office hours.

3. If you miss a quiz or an exam, you will be given a grade of 0 for that exam. No makeup exams will be given unless (1) notice is given to the instructor, in person, by 5 p.m. the day before the exam, or (2) extenuating circumstances prevail for which documentation is available, in the form of an airline ticket receipt, funeral notice, etc. (in the case of family emergencies) or a doctor’s case note (not an appointment card) for SERIOUS illness/injury. This documentation MUST be presented to the instructor, not merely offered. All makeup exams must be taken within one week of the missed exam. There are no exceptions to this policy.

Important University Policies

Academic dishonesty: The University of Washington has a set of guidelines on how to respond to suspected cases of academic dishonesty, or "cheating." These cases include plagiarism in written assignments (copying directly from the text or another student’s work) and referring to contraband or getting help from someone else in testing situations. You should familiarize yourself with these guidelines. As a student at the University of Washington you are held to "high standards of academic and professional honesty and integrity" by the Student Conduct Code. The Student Conduct Code can be read on the University’s homepage at washington.edu/ students/handbook/conduct.html. If academic dishonesty occurs, you will receive a grade of zero on that assignment or exam. I will refer the matter to the Dean of Arts and Sciences. I respect each of you, and I expect each of you to honor that respect.

Assignment policies

To ensure grading efficiency, we ask that you use the following guidelines when preparing your assignments.

1. Assignments must be stapled (NOT paper-clipped or folded on the corner). Buy a mini-stapler or use the one in Guthrie Hall.

2. Submit answers in the order in which they are assigned/listed.

3. Work in pencil.

4. Circle answers.

5. Put your student number on your assignment.

If one or more of the above guidelines are not followed, we will take off one point for each type of violation. Thus, it is possible that you can lose up to 5 points per assignment for not following the guidelines.

To ensure that you receive credit for your work, please neatly show all of your work (i.e. formulas and all calculated values).

 

Seven things you should know about Psych 315:

1. We want you to succeed in this class, and we believe that each of you can succeed.

2. Your chances of succeeding in this class are improved by: (1) reading the textbook before class, and again after the lecture; (2) working out each problem at the end of the chapter, even if it is not assigned; (3) coming to every lecture; (4) learning to tolerate frustration; (5) forming a study group; (6) asking questions in class when you do not understand something; and (7) coming to office hours when you need help.

3. Please use your study group or the newsgroup to check your assignment answers. We will NOT check your answers during office hours or class, although we are happy to discuss problem solving procedures with you during office hours.

4. Please do not send broad content questions (such as, "Can you explain ‘variance’ to me?") to Psych 315 staff by email. It is very difficult to explain statistical concepts using email, particularly because it does not support the use of equations and mathematical symbols. These problems are best addressed during office hours.

5. If you must miss a class, please do NOT ask us, "Did I miss anything important in class?" The answer is, "YES. You should get someone’s lecture notes and go over them. Then come to us during office hours if you have any questions."

6. Take care in the presentation of your work. If you must re-copy your work for it to be easily read, then you should do so. It is well worth your time.

7. Please try to avoid bringing up individual matters immediately before class starts. Wait until after class to see me, and I will be glad to talk to you then.

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