PYH401 Advanced Research Methods for Psychology

Unit Outline: Semester 1 2024, Kelvin Grove, Internal

Overview

Honours students in psychology are required to complete a substantial research project in an area of psychological inquiry. This unit is a core unit in the honours program and extends upon the sequence of undergraduate research method and statistics units in your undergraduate psychology program, that prepare you to successfully conduct quantitative and qualitative research. In particular, this unit introduces a range of analytic software and the field of multivariate statistics and demonstrates how these techniques allow the testing of complex multifactor models of human behaviour.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Critically apply coherent knowledge about the conduct of psychological research, and some of the main data analysis techniques and analytics software used in the discipline of psychology.
2. Identify and employ the optimal techniques to answer complex research questions from a variety of options and sources available
3. Formulate strategies for acquiring new knowledge about complex statistical procedures and qualitative data analytic approaches.
4. Analyse research data and communicate evidence-based results in a professional format.

Content

Learning Approaches

This unit is designed to introduce you to multivariate research techniques, qualitative approaches,  analytic software programs and their application within authentic research contexts. Teaching will involve the presentation of key content through videos and other learning resources provided on the unit Canvas page. A series of face-to-face workshops will feature interactive activities in which you will conduct data analysis and interpret the findings. In these workshops you will engage in peer-to-peer learning and feedback, and have the opportunity to get direct feedback on your performance from teaching staff. Students are encouraged to also use the computer laboratories for further practice in between lectures. The PYH401 Canvas page is used to support student learning through the online provision of resource material, further reading, links to videos, practice quizzes and exams and to broadcast timely messages and alerts to engage you at key milestones.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

Formative feedback is provided in the form of practice quizzes and practice exams, and further supported by in class discussion in interactive workshops which provides both peer and teaching staff feedback on performance. 

Assessment

Overview

There are three summative assessment items in PYH401. The first two of these provide the opportunity to develop your knowledge and skills in multivariate research techniques, and to obtain progressive feedback about your progress in the unit, as well as carrying a significant weighting toward your final grade.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Online Quiz

At four points in the semester, an online quiz will be undertaken. Each quiz will contribute 5% toward your final grade. Quizzes provide an opportunity to identify areas of weakness and direct your learning in a timely way to ensure you are on track. Each quiz is preceded by a practice quiz through which you can assess your self mastery of the content before taking the assessable quiz.

Assessment: Research Report

This authentic assessment simulates the work you will undertake in your honours research project or in a Masters or higher degree research thesis. From a data set generated in class, you will identify constructs based on the set of questionnaire items, identify and conduct an appropriate statistical analysis to answer the research question you have generated. You will then write an APA formatted research report for consumers of research, describing the results of the analysis you have conducted and interpret this in terms of your research question. This exercise will be invaluable in developing your ability to independently construct hypotheses, derive appropriate tests of hypotheses (and assumptions), and write in an informative and ethical way about your own data analysis.

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

Assessment: Final Examination

The final exam will be held during the examination period. The exam will be 2.5 hours in duration, and consist of both multiple choice and short-answer questions. For the short answer questions, you will be given a number of research scenarios, with associated statistical output, and will be required to respond to the research questions that are posed. This examination will test all work covered in all classes.

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.

Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

Resource Materials

Recommended text(s)

Field, A. P. (2018). Discovering statistics using SPSS. (5th ed.). London: Sage. 

Note: Any edition is fine!

Risk Assessment Statement

There are no out of the ordinary risks associated with this unit.

Course Learning Outcomes

PY09 Bachelor of Behavioural Science (Honours Psychology)

1. Critically evaluate empirical findings, major concepts, and theoretical bases of core areas in psychology, including first-nations perspectives.
   Relates to: Online Quiz, Final Examination
2. Investigate a substantive original research problem relevant to the discipline of psychology with intellectual independence, application of scientific research methods and technologies and ethical principles.
   Relates to: Online Quiz, Research Report