| Location | Term | Level | Credits (ECTS) | Current Convenor | 2019-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canterbury (version 2) |
Autumn and Spring View Timetable |
4 | 30 (15) |
Pre-requisites
None
Restrictions
This module is available only to UKC students studying Psychology. Not available wild. Not available to short-term credit students.
Overview
SP300 is concerned with methodology in psychology, with statistics in psychology, and how they interact. In the lectures, relevant topics in methodology and statistics are introduced over the course of the year (examples are design considerations, counterbalancing, sample versus population, descriptive statistics, histograms, summary statistics, hypothesis testing). There are a number of dedicated lectures looking at how the psychological literature reflects the methodological and statistical issues that have been addressed in the lectures, and how researchers have balanced the requirements of methods, statistics and theory-driven investigationDetails
This module appears in:
Contact hours
88 hours. This is typically formed of a 1 one-hour statistics lecture, 1 one-hour methodology lecture, and a combination of practicals and workshops per week.
Method of assessment
60% Coursework, formed of group and individual reports, and a 40% Examination
Indicative reading
Howitt, D. & Cramer, D. (2011/2014). An Introduction to Statistics in Psychology (5th or 6th Ed.). Pearson.
Howitt, D. & Cramer, D. (2011/2014). Introduction to SPSS in Psychology (5th or 6th Ed.). Pearson.
American Psychological Association (2009). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th Ed.).
Learning outcomes
Subject specific learning outcomes:
8.1 Understand elementary principles of research design, the scientific method, experimental and descriptive research, and to understand how these three topics interact
8.2 Understand how principles of scientific method are instantiated in specific research examples taken from the psychological literature and the research done in the department
8.3 Understand about relationships between statistics and research hypotheses in psychology
8.4 Conduct simple statistical tests that are commonly used in psychology, using commonly used computer software. To interpret results of these inferential tests. To relate these results to psychological theories.
8.5 Learn and practice reading psychological papers and to learn how to write reports on psychological research adhering to the psychological standards in publishing (APA guidelines).
Generic learning outcomes
9.1 Read, digest and summarise scientific papers
9.2 Write research reports that are complete, concise, and well-structured
9.3 Present statistical data and numbers in an accessible manner
9.4 Use generically available software for psychological statistics (for example, spreadsheet programs like MS Excel) and to use specialist software for psychological statistics (for example, statistical software like SPSS, SAS, or R).
9.5 Conduct small research projects with a group of peers