PSY 410: Research Methods for the Behavioral Sciences

Course Description

This course will focus on the fundamental principles of behavioral science research. There will be an overview of the conceptual need for research and an analysis of the methods or designs commonly employed, as well as the procedures utilized to collect and analyze data. Students will review and design research in their areas of interest. (3 credits)

Prerequisites

ENG 101: English Composition 1
ENG 102: English Composition 2
MAT 105: Statistics
PSY 101: Psychology or SOC 101: Sociology

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:

You will be able to develop and refine a research topic that you are interested in.
You will be able to conduct a literature search on the Internet and locate and retrieve Psychological articles that are associated with your research topic.
You will be able to write an introduction for a manuscript based on a review the articles they retrieved.
You will become familiar with writing in APA style and will write an APA style manuscript, including title page, abstract page, introduction, conclusion and reference page.

Course Activities and Grading

Assignments	Weight
Discussions (Weeks 1-13)	25%
Assignments (Weeks 1-13)	20%
Exams (Week 2, Week 4, Week 6, Week 8, Week 10)	40%
Research Paper (Week 15)	15%
Total	100%

Required Textbooks

Available through Charter Oak State College's Book Bundle

American Psychological Association. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. 7th ed. American Psychological Association, 2020. ISBN-13: 978-1-4338-3216-1
Gravetter, Frederick and Lori Ann Forzano. Research Methods for the Behavioral Sciences. 6th ed. Wadworth, Inc., 2019. ISBN-13: 9781337613316

Course Schedule

Week	SLOs	Readings and Exercises	Assignments
1	1,2	Topic: Acquiring Knowledge and the Scientific Method Readings: Chapter 1	Read assigned chapter Participate in the Discussions Answer chapter questions Review the Lecture material
2	1	Topic: Research Ideas Readings: Chapter 2	Review assigned chapter Participate in the Discussions Answer chapter questions Review the Lecture material
2	Exam 1 Chapters 1 and 2 SLOs 1, 2
3	2	Topic: Defining and Measuring Variables Readings: Chapter 3	Read assigned chapter Participate in the Discussions Answer chapter questions Review the Lecture material
4	4	Topic: Ethics in Research Readings: Chapter 4	Review assigned chapter Participate in the Discussions Answer chapter questions Review the Lecture material
4	Exam 2 Chapters 3 and 4 SLOs 2, 4
5	1,2	Topic: Selecting Research Participants Readings: Chapter 5	Read assigned chapter Participate in the Discussions Answer chapter questions Review the Lecture material
6	1,2	Topic: Research Strategics and Validity Readings: Chapter 6	Review assigned chapter Participate in the Discussions Answer chapter questions Review the Lecture material
6	Exam 3 Chapters 5 and 6 SLOs 1, 2
7	1,2	Topic: Experimental Research Strategy Readings: Chapter 7	Read assigned chapter Participate in the Discussions Answer chapter questions Review the Lecture material
8	1,2	Topic: Experimental Designs: Between-Subjects Design Readings: Chapter 8	Review assigned chapter Participate in the Discussions Answer chapter questions Review the Lecture material
8	Exam 4 Chapters 7 and 8 SLOs 1, 2
9	1,2	Topic: Experimental Designs: Within-Subjects Design Readings: Chapter 9	Read assigned chapter Participate in the Discussions Answer chapter questions Review the Lecture material
10	1,2	Topic: Nonexperimental and Quasi-Experimental Strategies Readings: Chapter 10	Review assigned chapter Participate in the Discussions Answer chapter questions Review the Lecture material
10	Exam 5 Chapters 9 and 10 SLOs 1, 2
11	1,2	Topic: Factorial Designs Readings: Chapter 11	Read assigned chapter Participate in the Discussions Answer chapter questions Review the Lecture material
12	1,2	Topic: Correlational Research Strategy Readings: Chapter 12	Read assigned chapter Participate in the Discussions Answer chapter questions Review the Lecture material
13	1,2	Topic: Descriptive Research Strategy Readings: Chapter 13	Read assigned chapter Participate in the Discussions Answer chapter questions Review the Lecture material
14	3,4		Work on Research Papers
15	3,4	SLOs 1-4	Research Papers due Monday 11:55 pm

COSC Accessibility Statement

Charter Oak State College encourages students with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head injury, attention deficit/hyperactive disorder, or psychiatric disabilities, to discuss appropriate accommodations with the Office of Accessibility Services at OAS@charteroak.edu.

COSC Policies, Course Policies, Academic Support Services and Resources

Students are responsible for knowing all Charter Oak State College (COSC) institutional policies, course-specific policies, procedures, and available academic support services and resources. Please see COSC Policies for COSC institutional policies, and see also specific policies related to this course. See COSC Resources for information regarding available academic support services and resources.