Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology

Course materials for PS203 and PS303. Page numbers refer to the textbooks specific to PS203 and PS303. A web-based R console, hosted by rdrr.io, is available below to test any provided code.

USP students can access the assignment/quiz links below, which will direct them to Moodle.

  • How do we acquire knowledge?
  • Differentiating science from pseudoscience
  • Science aims to describe, predict and ultimately explain
  • The merits of common sense?
  • Intuition & confirmation bias
  • Varieties of Psychologists
  • Lecture Slides

  • What are the steps involved in the scientific method?
  • How do you identify a suitable research topic?
  • Literature search strategies
  • Experimental and non-experimental approaches
  • Defining Type-1 and Type-2 errors
  • Presenting your results in APA format
  • Lecture Slides
  • Quiz 1
    Open: 28-02-2024, 12:00 AM
    Close: 04-03-2024, 11:55 PM

  • Ethical considerations during research design
  • Weighing risks and benefits
  • Treatment of participant groups
  • Minimizing deception and discomfort
  • Ethics in research practice
  • Lecture Slides
  • Quiz 2
    Open: 06-03-2024, 12:00 AM
    Close: 09-03-2024, 11:59 PM

  • Psychological constructs
  • Assessment tools
  • Variable categories
  • Reliability and validity
  • Four steps for identifying a research topic
  • Lecture Slides
  • Quiz 3
    Open: 13-03-2024, 12:00 AM
    Close: 15-03-2024, 11:59 PM

  • Cause-and-effect relations
  • Independent and dependent variables
  • More on validity
  • Sampling strategies
  • Controlling for confounds
  • Lecture Slides
  • Quiz 4
    Open: 20-03-2024, 12:00 AM
    Close: 22-03-2024, 11:59 PM

  • Correlational approaches
  • Cross-sectional and longitudinal designs
  • Internal or external validity?
  • Qualitative or quantitative approaches
  • Observational methods
  • Lecture Slides
  • Quiz 5
    Open: 27-03-2024, 12:00 AM
    Close: 29-03-2024, 11:59 PM

  • Item-order effects
  • Sampling context
  • Open-ended and closed-ended questions
  • BRUSO model of questionnaire construction
  • Probabilistic & non-probabilistic sampling strategies
  • APA styling
  • Lecture Slides
  • Quiz 6
    Open: 03-04-2024, 12:00 AM
    Close: 05-04-2024, 11:59 PM

  • Scoring surveys
  • Normal and non-normal distributions
  • Descriptives
  • Point and range estimates
  • Difference scores
  • Lecture Slides
  • Quiz 7
    Open: 17-04-2024, 12:00 AM
    Close: 19-04-2024, 11:59 PM

  • Hypotheses in research versus statistics
  • Null Hypothesis Significance Testing (NHST)
  • Testing assumptions
  • Statistical versus practical significance
  • Common frequentist tests
  • Lecture Slides
  • Quiz 8
    Open: 24-04-2024, 12:00 AM
    Close: 26-04-2024, 11:59 PM

  • Types of correlations
  • Calculating a correlation coefficient
  • NHST and correlational analyses
  • Lecture Slides
  • Quiz 9
    Open: 01-05-2024, 12:00 AM
    Close: 03-05-2024, 11:59 PM

  • Single-sample tests
  • Independent two-sample tests
  • Paired/dependent two-sample tests
  • One-sided versus two-sided hypotheses
  • Lecture Slides
  • Quiz 1
    Open: 08-05-2024, 12:00 AM
    Close: 10-05-2024, 11:59 PM

  • Running a 1-way ANOVA
  • Preparing a data frame in R
  • Post-hoc contrasts and effect sizes
  • Boxplots
  • Installing packages
  • Testing assumptions
  • Lecture Slides

  • Course expectations
  • Installing R and R-studio
  • Basic arithmetic operations
  • Central tendency statistics
  • Lecture Slides
  • LA 1
    Open: 26-02-2024, 12:00 AM
    Close: 04-03-2024, 11:59 PM

  • Vectors and data frames
  • Factorial and numerical variables
  • Value indexing
  • Central tendency point and range estimates
  • Lecture Slides
  • LA 2
    Open: 01-03-2024, 12:00 AM
    Close: 11-03-2024, 11:59 PM

  • Frequentist definitions of probability
  • Binomial data
  • Normal distributions and the Central Limit Theorem
  • Standard error and Confidence Intervals
  • Lecture Slides
  • LA 3
    Open: 08-03-2024, 12:00 AM
    Close: 18-03-2024, 11:59 PM

  • Research and statistical hypotheses
  • Null and alternative hypotheses
  • Type-1 and Type-2 errors
  • Interpreting the p-value
  • Reporting your results in APA format
  • Lecture Slides
  • LA 4
    Open: 15-03-2024, 12:00 AM
    Close: 25-03-2024, 11:59 PM

  • Analyzing k-categories using chi-square tests
  • Assumption tests and alternatives
  • and Cramer's V
  • Lecture Slides
  • LA 5
    Open: 22-03-2024, 12:00 AM
    Close: 01-04-2024, 11:59 PM

    Testing materials and resources for the research report are available on Moodle.
  • Lecture Slides

  • One-sample and two-sample tests
  • Welch's method and bias-corrected effects
  • Other nonparametric alternatives
  • Reporting results alongside outcomes of assumption checks
  • Lecture Slides
  • LA 6
    Open: 05-04-2024, 12:00 AM
    Close: 15-04-2024, 11:59 PM

  • ANOVAs for analyzing k>2 groups
  • Assumptions for ANOVA
  • Relating the F-ratio to the Sum of Squares
  • Post-hoc contrasts with Holm corrections
  • Lecture Slides
  • LA 7
    Open: 12-04-2024, 12:00 AM
    Close: 24-04-2024, 11:59 PM

  • Prediction versus correlation
  • Multiple predictors and regression lines
  • Understanding residuals
  • Hypothesis tests between regression models
  • Assumptions
  • Regression diagnostics: Strategies for selecting the 'best' model
  • Lecture Slides [Part 1]
  • Lecture Slides [Part 2]
  • LA 8
    Open: 19-04-2024, 12:00 AM
    Close: 06-05-2024, 11:59 PM

  • Considering multiple predictors
  • Interactions and main effects
  • Alternate effect sizes and range estimates
  • Assumptions for parametric designs
  • Contrasting models using F-ratios
  • Lecture Slides [Part 1]
  • Lecture Slides [Part 2]
  • LA 9
    Open: 10-05-2024, 12:00 AM
    Close: 20-05-2024, 11:59 PM