Statistics in Psychology
Professor: Victor Benassi, Ph.D.
PSYC 402.1BB
CRN: 30043
Credits: 4.00
January Term, 2017
12/28/16 – 1/20/2017
Contact Information:
Email: [email protected]
Online Office hours:
Contact me by email between 9:00 am – 5:00
pm, Monday – Friday.
I will have some limited availability on email
outside normal online office hours. I will
respond as soon as I can. Course Description
This course introduces design, statistical analysis, and decision making in psychological
research. The overview of statistical analyses for this course includes probability, hypothesis
testing, confidence intervals, exploratory data analysis (including measures of central tendency,
variability), t-tests, correlations, bivariate regression, one-way analysis of variance, and chisquare. You will be introduced to and given opportunities to practice computer methods of
computation (using SPSS statistical package).
How Does Course Scheduling For This Online Differ From Scheduling for Face-To-Face Courses?
All of the course material, activities, quizzes, exams, SPSS assignments, etc. are managed
through UNH’s learning management system, Canvas, which is accessible now through this link:
https://www.unh.edu/it/kb/article/mycourses-by-canvas-login.html
To access all necessary information about the course, click on the tab for PSYC 402 1BB
(Statistics in Psychology, 1BB, CRN: 30043).
Time Commitment
To succeed in this course, students will need to work full-time every week day (and as need on
weekends) during this January term course. In order to be successful in this course, you will need
to put in substantial time, effort, and dedication. This is especially true for statistics, as every
topic builds on the preceding topic.
Required graded assignments are due nearly every week day of the course. This is so because
there would is no way to otherwise cover the topics required in the Psyc 402 course nor to assess
student learning.
This is a four (4) credit course. The amount of time you will need to put into the course will
depend on several factors, including your performance goals for the course, how well and
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quickly you are able to grasp the material, etc. Most certainly, everyone will need to put in a full
work day on the course every weekday (and on weekends, as needed).
My past experience teaching this course is that students who do not put in the required time and
effort typically do not do well in the course. Of course, we all differ in terms of our prior
experience, expectations, motivation, available time, etc., so it is not possible to guarantee any
particular outcome for you.
Effective and efficient time management are crucial to success in the course. Review the Course
Schedule in this syllabus and take note of the fact that there are assignments due each week day.
Required Materials and Resources
Text:
You will work through a computer-based text and instructional courseware. You must register
and pay $25.00, using an approved credit card. (You may not use the Guest option of working
on the course materials because this option will not record and save your work, which is essential
in order to give you credit for your work, including your checkpoint quiz scores.)
The course material is as a major source of material for your coursework. You will read and
consider material from a series of modules; you will complete “Learn by Doing” and “Did I Get
this” activities as a way for you (and I) to assess how well you are learning and understanding
the course material. (These are ungraded activities, but completing them and considering the
feedback you receive is essential for you to do well in the course.)
Canvas:
You will need to access the course Canvas site on a regular basis throughout course in order to
access important materials and announcements relevant to the course.
Calculator:
You will need a calculator with a square key and a square root key as you work to compute and
understand the statistical problems.
SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences):
There are four assignments for which you will use the computer software, SPSS, for statistical
analysis of data. Therefore, you either need to access a computer on the UNH campus that has
SPSS OR you will download this program onto the PC or Mac you will use for this course (see
instructions at: http://at.unh.edu/acs/services/software/).
NOTE: I have provided you (in the SPSS Information folder in Canvas) with a separate
document (SPSS Tour) that instructs you on how to use the SPSS program. In addition, the
instructions and other material necessary to complete each of the four SPSS assignments are
included in this folder.
NOTE: If you download and/or use SPSS from off-campus you must first run UNH’s virtual
private network (VPN) program, called Pulse Secure. You must run Pulse Secure every time you
open SPSS from off campus. Follow this link for Pulse Secure VPN - Installation Instructions:
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http://www.unh.edu/it/kb/article/pulse-secure-vpn-installation-instructions.html
In addition to quizzes (checkpoint quizzes and Choosing Statistical Test quizzes) and other
required coursework, there will be four scheduled separate exams. Refer to section on Course
Work and Course Schedule for details and administration dates. The exams will be administered
through the course Canvas site. Every student must complete each exam on the date and at the
time as it appears in the COURSE SCHEDULE. This is no grace period for late completion of
these exams.
Course Introduction
The aim of this introductory course is to provide a general knowledge of how basic statistical
concepts are used in psychological research. You will learn in which conditions – and how – to
perform various computational techniques, along with underlying statistical theories in the
application of those techniques. Working with symbols is fundamental in statistics; treat them as
a foreign language – work to understand them conceptually, and then memorize them. Another
essential component of statistical analysis is mathematics. In terms of the math, success in this
course requires the appropriate application of only basic mathematical operations and
computations of elementary algebraic expressions.
What happens if the university is closed due to curtailed operations at UNH? Because this is
a totally online class, as long as electrical power and internet access are available, there will be
no adjustments to the due dates in the Course Schedule. If there is any reason to make an
adjustment to the Course Schedule, I will notify you at the Canvas Announcements page.
Course Objectives
By the end of the course, my goal is that you will be able to:
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Critically interpret ordinary statistics encountered in everyday life
Ø For example, what it means when political poll results tell us “58% +/- 2%”
Apply and interpret descriptive statistics commonly used in psychological research
Ø Statistics that are used to categorize and summarize data
Apply and interpret inferential statistics commonly used in psychological research
Ø Statistics that are used to make decisions about research findings
ü i.e. whether the research results are due to random happenstance (chance), or to
cause and effect
Choose and conduct appropriate statistical analyses
Critically evaluate results of statistical analyses, and to draw appropriate conclusions
Conduct analysis of psychological data using computer software (SPSS)
How is the class organized, given that it's all done online?
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There will be online lecture material presented through Canvas (Youtube videos). These
videos will be designed to assist with your understanding of the material covered in the
online course material. For each assignment, after you work through the material for a
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topic, but before you complete any of the associated Checkpoint quizzes, you should
watch the associated Youtube videos. The purpose of the videos is to help you understand
the material in OLI (and, hence, to perform well on the Checkpoint quizzes).
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We are going to use an outstanding set of online material as the primary source. You read
and consider material from a series of 15 modules; you will complete a lot of “Learn By
Doing” and “Did I Get this” activities as a way for you (and I) to assess how well you are
learning and understanding the course material. (These are ungraded, but completion of
them and considering the feedback you receive is essential for you to do well in the
course. I will monitor your access to and completion of these activities, and I will contact
you if I note that you have not been doing this work.)
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Please note: Some of the “Learn By Doing” activities, lab activities, and Stat Tutor
activities require the use of Excel statistical programs. I do NOT expect you to complete
any of these activities.
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Because this is a totally online course, all of the work you do will be “homework.” There
are no class meetings.
Course Work
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Choosing the Appropriate Statistical Test Quizzes (10% of your course grade)
o Once we begin to address various statistical inference tests, I will assign, on
Canvas, modules for each statistical test that we cover. Each module will contain
background on the statistical test, followed by a brief quiz designed to help you
understand appropriate use. These modules are designed to prepare you for a final
exam on these materials (administered on January 18). Further details will be
presented when we begin these activities.
o There are 8 of these online graded quizzes administered through the Canvas
modules. Due dates are in Course Schedule and in the Canvas Modules. (Note:
The Choosing Statistical Test final exam will consist of questions where you are
asked to select the appropriate statistical test for a described research problem.)
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SPSS Assignments (5% of your course grade)
There will be four assignments that everyone is required to complete that involve
analyzing sets of data using the statistical program called SPSS. For each assignment,
you will prepare and submit a report (via the course Canvas site). Details will be
presented when we begin these assignments. Due dates are in Course Schedule and in the
Canvas Modules.
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OLI Checkpoint Quizzes (10% of your course grade)
o Within OLI, these are called: “Checkpoint quizzes.” These are graded quizzes that
assess your understanding of material from relatively small sections of the OLI
course material. Scores on these quizzes will contribute to your final course grade.
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If you complete all of the assigned quizzes, I will drop your lowest score before I
calculate your overall OLI Checkpoint Quizzes score. If you do not complete all assigned
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quizzes, I will calculate your score based on all of the assigned quizzes. Due dates are in
Course Schedule and in the Canvas Modules.
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Two Exams on OLI Checkpoint Quizzes (50% of your course grade; 25% each)
o Exam 1 and Exam 2 will cover OLI CMU material from Modules 4 through 10
and Modules 11 through 15, respectively. The exams will consist of multiplechoice questions based directly on the quizzes assigned in the OLI course material
(checkpoint quizzes). The questions will be on the same concepts tested in the
OLI quizzes, but they will not be exactly the same questions. The concepts tested
will be the same as the content in the OLI quizzes.
o Note: Exam 1 will be given on Thursday, January 5. You must take the exam on
this day, between 7:00 am and 10:00 pm eastern time.
o Note: Exam 2 will be given on Monday, January 16. You must take the exam on
this day, between 7:00 am and 10:00 pm eastern time.
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Choosing Stat Tests Final Exam (20% of your course grade)
o This exam will consist of 24 word problems. For each problem, I will describe a
research study and then ask you which among the following statistical tests is
appropriate to analyze the data from the study: Z-test, independent samples t-test,
matched samples t-test, ANOVA, chi-square, correlation, liner regression. (Note:
I will give you eight quizzes during the course, so that you can practice learning
what tests about to different research designs.)
o Note: This exam will be given on Wednesday, January 18. You must take the exam
on this day, between 7:00 am and 10:00 pm eastern time.
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Statistical Concepts Final Exam (5% of your course grade)
o There is a Final exam on major Statistical Concepts Covered in this Course.
o Note: This exam will be given on Friday, January 20. You must take the exam on
this day, between 7:00 am and 10:00 pm eastern time.
o The general topics covered on this final exam are:
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How data are collected (e.g., sampling methods, research designs, types of
variables)
How data are represented (e.g., graphs, tables)
Measures of Center (mean, median, mode)
Measures of Spread (e.g., variance, standard deviation, stem and leaf,
boxplots)
Normal Distribution
Probability
Bivariate Quantitative Data
Bivariate Categorical Data
Sampling Distributions
Confidence Intervals
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Significance Tests (Z-test for population mean, t-test for population mean,
t-test for two independent samples, t-test for matched pairs, chi square,
correlation, and regression). This exam will not include analysis of
variance (ANOVA).
Grading
You will be able to access your scores for all assignments from the Grade Center at the course
Canvas site.
Course
Your course grade is based on:
Choosing Stat Test Quizzes
10%
SPSS Problems
5%
OLI Checkpoints (quizzes)
10%
2 Exams on OLI Checkpoint Quizzes 50% (25% each)
Choosing Stat Tests Final Exam
20%
Statistical Concepts Final Exam
5%
________
Total Possible:
100%
For example:
Choosing Stat Tests Quizzes
.85 X .10
SPSS Problems
.90 X .05
OLI Checkpoint Quizzes
.84 X .10
2 Exams on OLI Checkpoint Quizzes .85 X .50
Choosing Stat Tests Final
.89 X .20
Statistical Concepts Final
.85 X .05
Final Course Weighted Score
Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
Range
.93 – 1.00
.90 - .92
.87 - .89
.83 - .86
.80 - .82
.77 - .79
.73 - .76
.70 - .72
.67 - .69
.63 - .66
.60-.62
< .60
= .085
= .045
= .084
= .425
= .178
= .043
= .86
Academic Honesty
Academic honesty is a core value at the University of New Hampshire. The members of its
academic community both require and expect one another to conduct themselves with integrity.
This means that each member will adhere to the principles and rules of the University and pursue
academic work in a straightforward and truthful manner, free from deception or fraud. The
academic policy can be found in the annual publication, Student Rights, Rules and
Responsibilities (http://www.unh.edu/vpsas/handbook/welcome-university-new-hampshire).
Collaboration (unless preapproved by the course instructor) or aid on any course work is
considered to be cheating. Such unauthorized activity includes, but is not limited to the
following:
1. Receiving outside help on course quizzes and exams.
2. Consulting with any other than the instructor about SPSS assignments.
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3. Using another person's answers to assignments, in whole or in part, and submitting them as
your own.
If a student is determined to have cheated and or plagiarized on any graded course assignment,
the student will be given an F in the course and the dean of the student’s college will be
notified. If you have a question about, or want assistance with, any graded assignment, contact
the course instructor.
Disability Services for Students
The University is committed to providing students with documented disabilities equal access to all
university programs and facilities. If you think you have a disability requiring accommodations, you
must register with Disability Services for Students (DSS). Contact DSS at (603) 862-2607 or
http://www.unh.edu/disabilityservices If you have received Accommodation Letters for this course
from DSS, please provide me with that information.
Course Schedule
OLI Assignments and Quizzes:
For OLI-related reading assignments and checkpoint quizzes, access the material by clicking on
the OLI CMU Statistics tab in your course Canvas site. Note: The page numbers in the Course
Schedule and in the Canvas Modules refer to the OLI pages for assigned readings and required
checkpoint quizzes that appear in the online course materials.
I provide links to online lecture material (in Youtube videos) on many of the topics covered in
the course. You should watch these videos after you work through the assigned OLI material but
before you attempt any Checkpoint quizzes for that module material. I selected these videos
because they can help clarify points in the OLI material (from a different perspective) and
provide you with additional instruction of a topic. Don’t be concerned if the author of a video
uses different terms or statistical symbols as used in OLI. You should always follows the terms
and symbols used in OLI.
Note: THE MATERIAL COVERED IN THESE VIDEOS IS INTENDED TO SUPPORT
YOUR LEARNING OF THE MATERIAL IN OLI. OLI CHECKPOINT QUIZZES ADDRESS
MATERIAL SPECIFICALLY COVERED IN OLI. All YouTube videos are within the Canvas
Module with which they are associated.
When Are Assignments Due?
You should complete all of the work (including required Checkpoints quizzes) by 11:59 pm
eastern time on the date listed in the Course Schedule and Canvas Module for a topic (or earlier
if you wish). If you complete an assigned checkpoint quiz after its due date, your score on that
quiz will be reduced by 3 percentage points for each day beyond the due date. Please contact me
if you have any difficulty keeping up with the pace of the course.
The Assignment due dates are the last day assignments are due. With the exception of the four
exams (Exam 1, Exam 2, Choosing Statistical Test final exam, and Statistical Concepts final
exam), you may complete and submit all other required assignments any time before the
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deadline. If you do not want to submit an assignment that is due on a particular day, do so before
that date and you will be all set.
With the exceptions of the four exams, which must be completed on the assigned dates, feel free
to complete other assignments before the deadlines.
Choosing Statistical Test Quizzes
These quizzes are accessed in Canvas by clicking on the Choosing Statistical Tests tab in your course
Canvas site.
The due dates for the 8 Choosing Statistical Tests quizzes are provided in the Course Schedule below.
Quizzes are due by 11:59 pm eastern time on the date listed in the Course Schedule for a topic (or
earlier if you wish). If you complete an assigned checkpoint quiz after its due date, your score on
that quiz will be reduced by 3 percentage points for each day beyond the due date. Please contact
me if you have any difficulty keeping up with the pace of the course.
SPSS Assignments
SPSS assignments are accessed in Canvas by clicking on the SPSS Assignments tab in your course
Canvas site.
The due dates for the four SPSS assignments are provided in the Course Schedule below. Assignments
are due by 11:59 pm eastern time on the date listed in the Course Schedule for a topic (or earlier
if you wish). Each assignment is worth 20 possible points. If you complete an SPSS assignment
after its due date, your score on that assignment will be reduced by 3 percentage points for each
day beyond the due date.
Four Exams and Exam Dates
The Course Schedule shows the date for each of the 4 exams. Each exam must be taken on the
assigned date (Refer to the Course Schedule and the Exams Module in Canvas for the date of
each exam). No exceptions. Exams are available only on the days they are administered, not
before or after. Plan your time carefully so that you will have the time needed to complete each
exam. All exams are timed. Once you open an exam, you must complete it at that time, within
the time allocated for the exam.
Exam 1, Exam 2, the Choosing Statistical Test final exam, and the Statistical Concepts final
exam must be taken on the assigned dates. Check the Course Schedule now to make sure you
will have the required time to complete each of these exams on the required dates. Let me know
by no later than September 1 if you believe there will be any problem with you completing these
exams on the required dates. I will then work with you to ensure you can complete the exam on
the required date.
Go To Course Schedule on Next Pages
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Course Schedule
Date
28-­‐Dec
OLI Checkpoint
Quizzes Due
OLI Readings
Modules 1 – 3 (pp. 1-­‐11) Complete Study Skills Module (Required of all students)
Choosing
Stat Test Due
SPSS
Due
No Assignments due for Modules 1-­‐3 on OLI. 1. Complete all three steps of the Study Skills Module by the due date. 2. Watch all Pre-­‐Course Tegrity Videos. 3. Ensure SPSS is downloaded and working properly on your computer. 29-­‐Dec
Module 4: Examining Distributions (pp. 12-­‐37) Examining Distributions Checkpoint 1 (p.25) Examining Distributions Checkpoint 2 (p. 37) 30-­‐ Dec
Module 5: Examining Relationships (pp. 38-­‐66) Examining Relationships Checkpoint 1 (p. 51) Examining Relationships Checkpoint 2 (p.65) Module 6: Sampling (pp. 67 – 71) 2-­‐Jan
Module 7: Designing Studies (pp. 72 – 87) Sampling Checkpoint (p. 71) Designing Studies Checkpoint 1 (p. 81) Designing Studies Checkpoint 2 (p. 86) Module 8: Introduction Probability (pp. 88-­‐96) 3-­‐ Jan 4-­‐Jan
Introduction to Probability
Checkpoint (p. 96)
Module 9: Random Variables (pp. Random Variables
97-­‐113) Checkpoint 3 (p. 113) Module 10: Sampling Distributions (pp. 114-­‐124) Sampling Distributions Checkpoint 1 (p. 119) Sampling Distributions Checkpoint 2 (p.123) 9
SPSS Assign 1 Course Schedule
Date
OLI Readings
OLI Checkpoint
Quizzes Due
Choosing Stat
Test Due
SPSS
Due
Exam 1 on Modules 4-10 (from OLI Checkpoint Quizzes)
5-­‐ Jan
This exam will consist of multiple-choice questions based directly on the quizzes assigned in the
OLI course material (checkpoint quizzes). The questions will be on the same concepts tested in the
OLI quizzes, but they will not be exactly the same questions. The concepts tested will be the same
as the content in the OLI quizzes.
This is a timed test. You must complete the exam between 7:00 am and 10:00 pm on
Thursday, January 5. You will have one attempt to complete the exam. Once you open the exam
you must complete it in one sitting within 120 minutes.
6-­‐ Jan Module 11: Introduction (Inference) (pp. 125-­‐128)
Module 12: Estimation (pp. 129-­‐
144)
Estimation Checkpoint
(p. 144)
Overview Checkpoint
(p. 151) 9-­‐ Jan 10-­‐ Jan Module 13 (Part 1): Hypothesis Testing (pp. 145-­‐164)
Hypothesis Testing for a
Population Proportion
Checkpoint (p. 164)
Hypothesis Testing for a
Population Mean
Checkpoint (p. 173)
Module 13 (Part 2): Hypothesis Testing (p. 165-­‐176) [z and single sample t]
Hypothesis Testing
Checkpoint (p. 174)
11-­‐Jan Module 14: Inference for Relationships (Part 1) (pp. 177-­‐
188) Module 14: Inference for Relationships (Part 2) (p. 189-­‐
196) Two Independent
Samples Checkpoint
(p. 188)
Matched Pairs
Checkpoint (p. 196) 10
z-test
t-test for
population mean
t-­‐test for matched pairs (take this one first) Two independent samples t-­‐test (take this one second)
SPSS Assign 2
SPSS Assign 3
Course Schedule
Date
12-­‐ Jan OLI Checkpoint
Quizzes Due
OLI Readings
Module 14: Inference for Relationships (Part 3) (pp. 196-­‐
204)
Module 15: Inference for Relationships (Part 1) (pp. 204-­‐
210)
Choosing Stat
Test Due
SPSS
Due
ANOVA for
independent
means SPSS Assign 4 ANOVA Checkpoint
(p. 203)
Case C→Q Checkpoint
(p. 205)
Chi Square
Correlation (no new reading assignment on topic; review OLI 13-­‐ Jan pp. 52-­‐55 in prep for choosing stat test quiz)
Module 15: Inference for Relationships (Part 2) (pp. 211-­‐
215)
Correlation
Case C→C and Q→Q
Checkpoint (p. 214)
Regression
Inference for
Relationships
Checkpoint (p. 215)
Exam 2 on Modules 11 -15 (from OLI checkpoint quizzes) 16-­‐ Jan This exam will consist of multiple-choice questions based directly on the quizzes assigned in the
OLI course material (checkpoint quizzes). The questions will be on the same concepts tested in the
OLI quizzes, but they will not be exactly the same questions. The concepts tested will be the same
as the content in the OLI quizzes.
This is a timed test. You must complete the exam between 7:00 am and 10:00 pm on Monday,
January 16. You will have one attempt to complete the exam. Once you open the exam you must
complete it in one sitting within 120 minutes.
Exam on Choosing Statistical Tests
18-­‐Jan This exam will consist of 24 word problems. For each problem, I will describe a research study
and then ask you which among the following statistical tests is appropriate to analyze the data
from the study: Z-test, independent samples t-test, matched samples t-test, ANOVA, chi-square,
correlation, liner regression. (Note: I gave you eight quizzes during the course, so that you can
practice learning what tests about to different research designs.)
This is a timed test. You must complete the exam between 7:00 am and 10:00 pm on
Wednesday, January 18. You will have one attempt to complete the exam. Once you open the
exam you must complete it in one sitting.
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Final Exam on Statistical Concepts Covered in this Course
20-­‐Jan This is a timed test. You must complete the exam between 7:00 am and 10:00 pm on Friday,
January 20. You will have one attempt to complete the exam. Once you open the exam you must
complete it in one sitting. The questions assess understanding of important statistical concepts.
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