Instructor Class Location Time Phone & Email Office Hours & Location University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) Psychology 301 EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY Section XXX Class Call # XXXXX Course Catalog Description (4.0 Credits): Lecture, plus field research on scientific methods in behavior and cognitive processes. Prerequisite: PSY 101; PSY 210 or STAT 152 or APST 270; junior or senior standing Required Text Doing Psychology Experiments, by David Martin (7th Edition) Course Overview & Objectives This course is an undergraduate level course designed to introduce students to methods used in experimental psychology and human neuroscience. Students will examine the connection between cutting edge neuroscience technologies, such as human brain imaging, experimental psychology and. Much of the course will involve students considering directly how the development of brain research technology connects with science and. Other portions of this course are directed at developing skills in experimental design and analysis, including the use of the statistical software package SPSS (all students are expected to have had previous exposure to SPSS or comparable statistical software in PSY 210 or equivalent prerequisite). Students will perform experiments and analyze data from these experiments both individually and as part of a group. Students will also learn how to disseminate the results of their experiments orally and in the form of an APA-format manuscript. A major goal of this course will be for students to gain firsthand experience with the relationship between technology, psychology, human neuroscience and problems of societal concern. Such problems might include, but not be limited to individuals attitudes about societal factors such as gender, health and race, and the connection to brain data, social media, and the use of technology in education, just to name a few. Students will be assigned weekly readings and associated HW assignments drawn from the required course textbook, which includes chapters on: making scientific observations, both in the lab and in the real world; interpreting and reporting results from scientific experiments; being fair with human participants (ethics; also see CITI training under Evaluation of Student Performance ); and even a chapter on how to be fair with science (including how to distinguish between sound and unsound interpretations of scientific information). Students will complete a midterm and final exam on this material; preparation for these exams will be facilitated by weekly required online assignments. In addition to bi-weekly class meetings, weekly lab meetings will assist students in acquiring the competencies in all student learning objectives. In small groups, students will engage in handson activities designed to allow students to examine and discuss the relationship between technology, psychology, neuroscience and. All labs will be supervised by a teaching 1 of 4
assistant (TA) who is well-versed in the role of technology in psychology and neuroscience, and its connection to, designing experiments and analyzing data using SPSS. Taken together with the bi-weekly class meetings, the labs are designed to allow students to execute their final research project, which will culminate in a final paper and a final scientific poster presentation during a formal research symposium held in the UNR Rotunda (at the Knowledge Center) toward the end of the semester. Evaluation of individual student contribution to group projects will be based on (1) peer evaluation by fellow group members and (2) evaluation by instructor during poster presentation (each student must present the poster his/herself during the poster session for at least 10 minutes) The group project has three major components: (1) a research proposal that requires a detailed description of the proposed project, including methods, data analysis and relevant literature search; (2) prior to data collection, the research proposal is converted into poster form, which contains an introduction, methods, hypothesized results and general discussion; (3) once data are collected, the hypothesized results and discussion section are updated to reflect actual data, and the initial research proposal is re-written as a final publication-format research paper This course satisfies Silver Core Objective 9 (Science, Technology & Society): Students will be able to connect science and technology to real-world problems by explaining how science relates to problems of societal concern; be able to distinguish between sound and unsound interpretations of scientific information; employ cogent reasoning methods in their own examinations of problems and issues; and understand the applications of science and technology in societal context. This course satisfies Silver Core Objective 14 (Application): Students will be able to demonstrate their knowledge and skills developed in previous Core and major classes by completing a project or structured experience of practical significance. Student Learning Outcomes Upon successfully completing this course, you will: SLO 1: Be able to list and describe contemporary investigative techniques and their connection to science and problems of societal concern SLO 2: Explain various ethical concerns in psychology research, especially those related to the modern research technology SLO 3: Demonstrate an ability to execute all phases of the research process. Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes All SLOs will be evaluated based on online homework assignments, lab assignments, midterm exams, and the completed final project, which includes a poster presentation and paper. For successful completion of SLO 1, the completed research project must demonstrate explicitly how brain research connects science (psychology/neuroscience) and. SLO 1 will also be evaluated via required CITI training. 2 of 4
Sample Rubric for SLO 1 Understanding of application of brain research technology to problems of societal concern Exceeds Meets Meets Does not meet 4 (exemplary) 3 (good) 2 (developing) 1 (inadequate) Demonstrates a Demonstrates an Demonstrates a Demonstrates a detailed understanding of partial minimal evidence-based how brain understanding of understanding of understanding of imaging connects how brain how brain how brain with science and imaging connects imaging connects imaging connects with science and with science and with science and Evaluation of Student Performance Grading Summary: Homework Assignments (SLO 1) 20% Midterms (SLO 1) 20% Laboratory Assignments (SLO 1) 10% Poster Presentation 15% Attendance and Participation (SLO 1) 10% Research Proposal and Final Report (SLO 1) 25% Grades will be assigned as follows: A = 93-100% A- = 90-92.9% B+ = 87-89.9% B = 83-86.9% B- = 80-82.9% C+ = 77-79.9% C = 73-76.9% C- = 70-72.9% D+ = 67-69.9% D = 63-66.9 % D- = 60-62.9% F = 59.9% or below CITI Training: An important component of understanding the application of science and technology in societal context is an awareness of ethical standards in the conduct of research. To this end, each student will complete federal ethics training. This training is a requirement of the course; failure to do so by the end of the semester will result in an incomplete for the semester and a 2% penalty on your final grade once completed. The CITI certification is good for five years and is something that you will need in a 375 lab and will look good on a graduate school application, so make sure you get it done. Extra credit: Up to 5% You may choose to participate in ongoing psychology experiments being conducted in the dept. Registration is through the SONA system. You should contact your TA for additional information for signing up. For extra credit you may participate in up to 4 experiments the completion of each will contribute 1.25% to your final grade. Alternatively, there may be times during the semester when topic-relevant speakers will deliver talks here at UNR. On these occasions, you will be notified in advance and your attendance to each of these talks can be worth 1.25% of extra credit counted towards the overall course maximum of 5% overall. You must present evidence of your attendance to the talk to the TA within one week. 3 of 4
***Attendance at lectures and labs is required. Absences will only be excused with a doctor s note. Your attendance and participation will be evaluated by the TAs and me.*** Academic Dishonesty Cheating, plagiarism or otherwise obtaining grades under false pretenses" constitute academic dishonesty according to the code of this university. Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and penalties can include canceling a student's enrollment without a grade, giving an F for the course or for the assignment. For more details, see the University of Nevada, Reno General Catalog. Disability Services Any student with a disability needing academic adjustments or accommodations is requested to speak with me or the Disability Resource Center (Thompson Building, Suite 101) as soon as possible to arrange for appropriate accommodations. Academic Success Services Your student fees cover usage of the Math Center (784-443 or www.unr.edu/mathcenter), Tutoring Center (784-6801 or www.unr.edu/tutoring), and University Writing Center (784-6030 or http://www.unr.edu/writing_center). These centers support your classroom learning; it is your responsibility to take advantage of their services. Keep in mind that seeking help outside of class is the sign of a responsible and successful student. Statement on Audio and Video Recording Surreptitious or covert video-taping of class or unauthorized audio recording of class is prohibited by law and by Board of Regents policy. This class may be videotaped or audio recorded only with the written permission of the instructor. In order to accommodate students with disabilities, some students may have been given permission to record class lectures and discussions. Therefore, students should understand that their comments during class may be recorded. 4 of 4
5 Week Dates General progression of the course Read for class HW assigned HW due SLO 3 1 8/24 Course Overview 8/26 Experimental psychology/neuroscience Chapter 1 HW 1 (chap 1) 8/28 Lab 2 8/31 Experimental psychology/neuroscience Chapter 2 HW 2 (chap 2) HW1 9/02 Brain imaging 9/04 Lab 3 9/07 Labor Day No Class 9/09 Mock brain imaging experiment Chapter 3 HW 3 (chap 3) HW 2 practice 9/11 Lab 4 9/14 Presentations (mock brain experiment) Chapter 6 HW 4 (chap 6) HW 3 9/16 Presentations (mock brain experiment) feedback 9/18 Lab 5 9/21 Brain training technology, does it work? Chapter 7 HW 5 (chap 7) HW 4 9/23 Guest speaker (Berryhill): Lumosity practice 9/25 Lab 6 9/28 Ethics of human brain research. Chapter 8 HW 6 (chap 8) HW 5 9/30 Ethics of human brain research. CITI due 10/02 Lab feedback 7 10/05 Lit Rev. Technology,, psychology Chapter 9 HW 7 (chap 9) HW 6 10/07 Guest speaker (Ressel): info tech/ practice 10/09 Lab 8 10/12 MIDTERM EXAM 1 (WebCampus) Available from 12a until 11:59p 10/14 Research proposals re brain technology Chapter 11 HW 8 (chap 11) HW 7 Initial assessment 10/16 Lab 9 10/19 10/21 10/23 **Last chance for proposal approval** Chapter 12 HW 9 (chap 12) HW 8 10 10/26 Chapter 13 HW 10 (chap 13) HW 9 10/28 DATA COLLECTION 10/30 Nevada Day No Lab 11 11/02 DATA COLLECTION Chapter 4 HW 11 (chap 4) HW 10 11/04 DATA COLLECTION 11/06 Lab 12 11/09 DATA COLLECTION Chapter 5 HW 12 (chap 5) HW 11 11/11 Veteran s Day No Class 11/13 Lab 13 11/16 DATA COLLECTION Chapter 10 HW 13 (chap 10) HW 12 11/18 Data: Psychology and 11/20 Lab 14 11/23 Data: Psychology and HW 13 11/25 Data: Psychology and 11/27 Family Day No Lab 15 11/30 Are you ready to present your poster? 12/02 Poster Presentation (Rotunda) practice/feedback 12/04 Lab (Final Papers) 16 12/07 MIDTERM EXAM 2 (WebCampus) Available from 12a until 11:59p 12/09 Prep Day No Class!!! 12/11 Finals Week No Class!!! 17 12/14 Final Paper Due by 5pm Final assessment 5 of 4