Outcomes:

After completing this class, students should be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the purpose, scope and areas of interest of researchers in psychology and how this relates to the other behavioral sciences.
• Identify the scientific progress and research methods psychologists and behavioral scientists use in the study of human behavior.
• Define important research and statistical terms, concepts, and principles used in the study of human behavior.
• State and develop a specific, investigable problem or issue in psychology.
• Demonstrate the ability to perform an effective literature search and summarization leading to an operationally definable hypothesis.
• Design survey instruments, or otherwise design strategies to gather data appropriate to the defined hypothesis.
• Identify and compare various research methods and designs used to guide and develop research investigations, to select an appropriate design for the a research project.
• Perform research investigations at a basic level, using inferential statistical methods, involving at least two factors or variables.
• Analyze the project methodology and the research of others to identify major flaws, confounding variables, rival hypotheses and threats to validity in the project.
• Write a concluding report of the study in APA journal style, providing a clear written interpretation of the findings, following standard practices and procedures for organization and illustration.
• Comprehend and apply ethical principles in the conduct of research.