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Course Syllabus
Course Information
Course number: PSY 3393.004 www.turnitin.com
Course title: EXPERIMENTAL PROJECTS IN PSYCHOLOGY Class ID: 2792714
Term: FALL 2009 Password: variable
Meeting times: Tues & Thurs 1-2:15pm, GR 4.208
Course Description
This course offers laboratory and field experience in designing and conducting psychological research. Because the
major emphasis is on the writing of research reports, this course fulfills the advanced writing requirement for
Psychology majors. You will learn how to understand, conduct, and write about research in psychology.
Specifically, you will learn how to 1) become better consumers of research, 2) design and conduct research studies,
and 3) effectively share research findings with others. Additional course goals include promoting independent and
critical thinking, developing your abilities to communicate more effectively orally and in writing, and giving you
greater appreciation for statistics, research methods, and Psychology as a science.
Course Textbooks and Materials (please be aware that I may add to or change this list at any time)
You can see the new, 6th edition APA Style Manual at http://apastyle.apa.org/, along with some useful
supplemental information. You can buy the manual directly from APA for $28.95 or from amazon.com for
$15.62, last time I checked. If you have trouble finding the book on amazon, email me for the link.
Sometimes it doesn’t come up in a search, or incorrectly comes up as out of stock. The UTD bookstore also
has a few copies of the NEW 6TH edition.
IMPORTANT: I want to help you do well in this class! To get the most benefit from your time in this class, read
the material to be discussed before we discuss it in class. You will find classes to be much more interesting and
involving if you come prepared to discuss each day's topic.
Notice that there may be times when you have more than one assignment due on a particular day. You will need to
plan ahead so that you do not fall behind.
Please do not make video and/or audio recordings of class sessions without my explicit permission.
Video and/or audio recordings of class sessions made with or without permission may not be distributed
in any way. This includes but is not limited to postings on the internet, websites, eLearning, or email.
AUG 25 AUG 27
Psychology and the search for truth Dissecting research articles—use of supporting
Anatomy of a research article—format and style evidence, development of hypotheses
SEP 1 SEP 3
Ethics in research—beyond the Golden Rule LIBRARY SESSION with Susan Kutchi
Doing doable research
Meet at McDermott Information Desk at 1:00
SEP 8 SEP 10
IRB Certificate & Plagiarism tutorial quiz due today Planning research—finding ways to answer questions
Planning research—generating useful questions
SEP 15 SEP 17
INTRODUCTION DUE (submit to www.turnitin.com Let’s try an experiment
by 1:00pm)
How do we measure behavior? What do we measure? Meet in Computer Lab, GR 3.206
SEP 22 SEP 24
Let’s try a survey More lab time today
SEP 29 OCT 1
PROPOSAL (Intro & Method) DUE (submit to More experimental designs
www.turnitin.com by 1:00pm)
Discussion of projects and data collection
OCT 6 OCT 8
Complex experimental designs Repeated Measures designs
A note on the timeline for completing your project: you should be ready to begin collecting data by
October 6, and should be ready to begin analyzing your data by October 22.
OCT 20 OCT 22
Observational research Data analysis sessions
OCT 27 OCT 29
Data analysis sessions Data analysis sessions
NOV 3 NOV 5
RESULTS DUE Writing workshop
Writing your discussion
NOV 10 NOV 12
Writing Writing
NOV 17 NOV 19
FULL REPORT DUE (submit to www.turnitin.com Class presentations (4)
by 1:00pm)
Class presentations (4)
NOV 24 NOV 26
Class presentations (4)
NO CLASS—Happy Thanksgiving!
DEC 1 DEC 3
Class presentations (4) Class presentations (4)
FINAL FULL REPORT DUE (submit to
www.turnitin.com by 1:00pm)
I want to help you be successful in this course in every way I can BEFORE the end of the semester. After December
3, the course is over. At that point, I simply cannot just give you extra points or additional assignments.
Course grades will be ready Dec. 16.
Midterm grades will be calculated by dividing the total number of points earned on your Introduction and
Proposal by the total possible points that could have been earned (40).
Quizzes
Quizzes will give you an opportunity to show that you understand relevant course concepts. Content of the quizzes
will come from class discussions and assigned readings. I will NOT be posting my own notes online. Timing of the
quizzes and other pertinent details will be announced in class.
Class activities/homework
1. Article summaries—you will be writing several summaries of research reports early in the semester. These
are not listed in the course calendar because I will be assigning them in class. You will need to be in class
to receive these assignments. Missed assignments cannot be made up.
2. Plagiarism tutorial & IRB training—details will be discussed in class. These tasks will not take long, and
are not worth very many points toward your final grade, but both are REQUIRED. You cannot complete
your project without them.
3. Mini projects—we will do some quick data collection and analysis, with write-ups, early in the semester.
Again, you will need to be in class to receive these assignments. Missed assignments cannot be made up.
Turnitin.com
You will upload your paper several times throughout the semester as you continue to revise and expand your work.
In order to avoid appearing to plagiarize yourself, however, you should over-write your paper with each new
revision. Thus, only one assignment appears in turnitin.com, even though you will upload your paper at least four
times (introduction, proposal, full report, final report). Please remember, I cannot grade any paper until the version
I am grading has been uploaded to turnitin.
Independent Project
Details will be discussed in class throughout the semester. All of these assignments should be in APA format, as
described in your publication manual. Please notice also that NONE of these assignments may be skipped—all must
be completed, in order and on time. You do NOT need to (and should not) wait for feedback on the previous section
of your paper to begin working on the next section. I will make getting feedback to you a top priority. Here are a
few reminders:
1. Introduction
Your introduction will include your title page, introduction (with hypotheses), references, and an
appendix with copies of any materials you have so far. You will have at least 5 relevant articles from
peer-reviewed journals. The title page and the appendices should not be uploaded to turnitin. Although
the number of pages you write is not particularly important in and of itself, you can expect that your
introduction probably will be about 4-5 pages long, not including references. Completeness is more
important than length (short enough to be interesting, long enough to cover what’s important).
2. Proposal
Your formal proposal will include your IRB forms, title page, introduction (with hypotheses), method, a
section on how you will be analyzing your data, references, and an appendix with copies of all of your
materials (solicitation script, consent form, questionnaire, stimulus materials, etc.). The IRB forms, title
page, and the appendices should not be uploaded to turnitin. The combined introduction and method
3. Results
You’ll only need to give me your title page, hypotheses, and results section. The subtitle “Results”
should appear at the beginning of this section. You do not need to upload your Results section to
turnitin.com on November 3, but this section should be included in the later versions of your paper that
you will upload. Don’t be surprised if your results section is only about 1-2 pages long.
4. Full report
Your report will include your title page, abstract, introduction (with hypotheses), method, results,
discussion, references, and appendix. You can expect that your full report, from abstract through
discussion, is likely to be about 12-15 pages long.
5. Class Presentation
Create a poster or powerpoint presentation to share your project with the class in a 15-20 minute oral
presentation. Attendance is required for all of the class presentations. Each student’s ratings of others’
presentations will count toward his or her own presentation grade. You do not need to upload your class
presentation to turnitin.com.
Remember, this syllabus is only a starting point. Details will be discussed in class throughout
the semester and significant changes in procedures, deadlines, and requirements are likely!
Seriously, if you must miss a class, please do not come (or write) and ask me what you missed.
This may sound strange, but I am not a reliable source of this information. I don’t take notes
during class. Find out from someone who was there and made notes.
Field Trip Policies through electronic mail. At the same time, email raises some issues
Off-campus Instruction and Course Activities concerning security and the identity of each individual in an email
Off-campus, out-of-state, and foreign instruction and activities are exchange. The university encourages all official student email
subject to state law and University policies and procedures correspondence be sent only to a student’s U.T. Dallas email
regarding travel and risk-related activities. Information regarding address and that faculty and staff consider email from students
these rules and regulations may be found at the website address official only if it originates from a UTD student account. This
http://www.utdallas.edu/BusinessAffairs/Travel_Risk_Activities.ht allows the university to maintain a high degree of confidence in the
m. Additional information is available from the office of the school identity of all individuals corresponding and the security of the
dean. transmitted information. UTD furnishes each student with a free
No travel and/or risk-related activity is associated with this course. email account that is to be used in all communication with
university personnel. The Department of Information Resources at
Student Conduct & Discipline U.T. Dallas provides a method for students to have their U.T.
The University of Texas System and The University of Texas at Dallas mail forwarded to other accounts.
Dallas have rules and regulations for the orderly and efficient Please note that privacy regulations prohibit me from emailing
conduct of their business. It is the responsibility of each student your grades to you. Grades will be returned in class on designated
and each student organization to be knowledgeable about the rules days. If you miss one, please come to my office.
and regulations that govern student conduct and activities. General
information on student conduct and discipline is contained in the Withdrawal from Class
UTD publication, A to Z Guide, which is provided to all registered The administration of this institution has set deadlines for
students each academic year. withdrawal from any college-level courses. These dates and times
are published in that semester's course catalog. Administration
The University of Texas at Dallas administers student discipline procedures must be followed. It is the student's responsibility to
within the procedures of recognized and established due process. handle withdrawal requirements from any class. In other words, I
Procedures are defined and described in the Rules and Regulations, cannot drop or withdraw any student, even though your paperwork
Board of Regents, The University of Texas System, Part 1, Chapter may require my signature. You must do the proper paperwork to
VI, Section 3, and in Title V, Rules on Student Services and ensure that you will not receive a final grade of "F" in a course if
Activities of the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures. you choose not to attend the class once you are enrolled.
Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in
the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff members are Student Grievance Procedures
available to assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations Procedures for student grievances are found in Title V, Rules on
(SU 1.602, 972/883-6391). Student Services and Activities, of the university’s Handbook of
Operating Procedures.
A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the
responsibilities of citizenship. He or she is expected to obey In attempting to resolve any student grievance regarding grades,
federal, state, and local laws as well as the Regents’ Rules, evaluations, or other fulfillments of academic responsibility, it is
university regulations, and administrative rules. Students are the obligation of the student first to make a serious effort to resolve
subject to discipline for violating the standards of conduct whether the matter with the instructor, supervisor, administrator, or
such conduct takes place on or off campus, or whether civil or committee with whom the grievance originates (hereafter called
criminal penalties are also imposed for such conduct. “the respondent”). Individual faculty members retain primary
responsibility for assigning grades and evaluations. If the matter
Academic Integrity cannot be resolved at that level, the grievance must be submitted in
The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility writing to the respondent with a copy to the respondent’s School
and academic honesty. Because the value of an academic degree Dean. If the matter is not resolved by the written response
depends upon the absolute integrity of the work done by the provided by the respondent, the student may submit a written
student for that degree, it is imperative that a student demonstrate a appeal to the School Dean. If the grievance is not resolved by the
high standard of individual honor in his or her scholastic work. School Dean’s decision, the student may make a written appeal to
the Dean of Graduate or Undergraduate Education, and the dean
Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, will appoint and convene an Academic Appeals Panel. The
acts or omissions related to applications for enrollment or the decision of the Academic Appeals Panel is final. The results of the
award of a degree, and/or the submission as one’s own work or academic appeals process will be distributed to all involved parties.
material that is not one’s own. As a general rule, scholastic
dishonesty involves one of the following acts: cheating, Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in
plagiarism, collusion, and/or falsifying academic records. Students the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff members are
suspected of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary available to assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations.
proceedings.
Incomplete Grade Policy
Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for As per university policy, incomplete grades will be granted only
other classes, and from any other source (including your own work for work unavoidably missed at the semester’s end and only if 70%
for other past or current classes) is unacceptable and will be dealt of the course work has been completed (that’s everything but ONE
with under the university’s policy on plagiarism (see general exam). An incomplete grade must be resolved within eight (8)
catalog for details). This course will use the resources (among weeks from the first day of the subsequent long semester. If the
others) of turnitin.com, which searches the web for possible required work to complete the course and to remove the
plagiarism and is over 90% effective. incomplete grade is not submitted by the specified deadline, the
incomplete grade is changed automatically to a grade of F.
Email Use
The University of Texas at Dallas recognizes the value and
efficiency of communication between faculty/staff and students