Research Methods in Social Psychology
830:323:01
Mon-Thurs, 2nd period (9:50-11:10), Tillett 105
Thurs, 3rd period (11:30-12:50), Tillett 205
Professor: Lee Jussim
Office Hours: Before and after
class and by appointment
Office: 619 Tillett Hall
Phone: 445-2070
web page:
http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~jussim/
T.A.: Erica Waters
Office hours: Mondays, 4-5.
Office: 423 Tillett
Phone: 445-4036 (just for leaving messages, this is not a direct line to
her)
Required Text: Beginning Behavioral Research (4th Edition), Rosnow &
Rosenthal
Additional Required Readings: (Available online)
NOTE READINGS APPEARING IN BOLD ARE OR WILL BE AVAILABLE
ON ELECTRONIC RESERVE (THROUGH IRIS).
Click here to
learn how to access items on electronic reserve
I. INTRODUCTION: ERROR AND BIAS IN HUMAN JUDGMENT (1 week)
a. Demonstrations
b. Thinking Like a Scientist
c. Pseudoscience
Reading:
Rosnow & Rosenthal: Chapter 1
II. ISSUES IN THE PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE (1-2 weeks)
a. What makes a theory scientific?
b. Hypotheses, predictions, facts, and evidence
c. Causality
d. Some Theories in Social Psychology
e. Mini-Theories and Models
f. Atheoretical but interesting research questions
Required Readings:
A. D. Kline (1983). Theories, Facts, &
Gods: Philosophical aspects of the creation-
evolution controversy. In D. B. Wilson (ed.)
Did the Devil make Darwin do it? Ames,
Iowa, Iowa State University Press.
Gish, D. T. (1988). Creation, evolution,
and the historical evidence. In M. Ruse (ed.),
But is it science?. Buffalo, NY: Prometheus
Books.
Eldredge, N. (2000). Creationists attack
II: The origin and history of life. Chapter 6 in
The triumph of evolution and the failure of creationism.
NY: W.H. Freeman & Co.
NOT required, but these sites may help inform your minor paper:
Creation Science Sites:
http://emporium.turnpike.net/C/cs/mainpts.htm
http://emporium.turnpike.net/C/cs/index.htm
http://www.icr.org/research/jb/large-scale+tectonics.htm
(Institute for Creation
Research [ICR] paper on the Biblical Flood)
http://www.icr.org/research
(More ICR papers)
Evolution Sites:
http://tolweb.org/tree/phylogeny.html
http://www.talkorigins.org/
http://www.accessexcellence.org/WN/SU/wormturns998.html
http://www.vuletic.com/hume/cefec
Fundamentals of logic:
http://www.summit.org/resources/Critical_Thinking/logicandlogicalfallacies.htm
http://skepdic.com/faith.html
(warning: This is an atheistic site)
III. WHERE DO RESEARCH IDEAS COME FROM? (1 week)
a. Theories
b. Logic
c. Experience
d. Literature
e. Knowledge of and dislike for existing research
Reading:
Rosnow & Rosenthal, Chapter 2
IV. CONTENT ANALYSIS PROJECT (about 3 weeks)
A. What is a content analysis?
1. Some classic content analyses in social
psychology
2. How to conduct a content analysis
B. The chi-square statistic
C. How to Write
Readings:
Rosnow & Rosenthal: Chapters 4, 15
Wilkes, R. E., & Valencia, H. (1989).
Hispanics and Blacks in Television Commercials
Journal of Advertising,
18, 19-25.
Bem, D. J. (1987). Writing the empirical
journal article. In M. P. Zanna & J. M. Darley (eds.),
The compleat
academic. New York: Random House.
Rosnow & Rosenthal: Appendix A
V. SURVEY PROJECT (about 4 weeks)
A. What is a survey?
B. Some classic surveys in social psychology
C. How to conduct a survey
1. Question creation and construction
2. Data collection
D. Statistics for surveys
1. Descriptive statistics
2. Reliability
3. Correlations
E. Validity
F. More on How to Write
Readings:
Rosnow & Rosenthal: Chapters 6, 9, 10, &
13
Prothro, J. W., & Grigg, C. M. (1960): Fundamental
principles of democracy: Bases of
agreement and disagreement.
Journal of Politics, 22, 276-294.
Warwick, D. P., & Lininger, C. A. (1975).
Questionnaire Design. Chapter 6 in
The Sample
Survey: Theory and Practice. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Re-read the CONTENT ANALYSIS readings on how to
write
Grading:
An unspecified number of random pop quizzes:
10%
Minor Paper (1200-1800 words)
10%
Minor research project (1800-3500 words)
10%
Major research project (3500-5000 words)
20%
2 Reviews of classmates' Major research project
(400-1000 words)
10%
Rewrite of 2nd Major research project
(@3500-5000 words)
30%
In-class participation
10%
(note: participation will actually be graded. For example, sitting in
class silently
will warrant an F for this 10% of your grade. Reluctantly offering
a contribution once every other week or so, D. Contributing
about once per class, C. Contributing about twice per class, B.
Regularly contributing to most classes, A).
PAPERS MUST BE HANDED IN AT THE START OF CLASS ON THE DAY THEY ARE DUE.
PAPERS HANDED IN MORE THAN FIVE MINUTES AFTER THE START OF CLASS
ON THEIR DUE DATE WILL BE CONSIDERED ONE DAY LATE (SEE BELOW).
WARNING I: LATE PAPERS WILL BE DOWN GRADED ONE FULL GRADE LEVEL
FOR
EACH DAY LATE. FOR EXAMPLE: 1)A B+ PAPER THAT IS ONE DAY
LATE WILL
RECEIVE A GRADE OF C+ ; 2) AN A PAPER HANDED IN AT 2PM
ON THE DUE DATE
WILL RECEIVE A B ; 3) A B PAPER HANDED IN TWO DAYS LATE
WILL RECEIVE A D .
ALL PAPERS HANDED IN MORE THAN THREE DAYS LATE ARE AUTOMATICALLY F
s.
WARNING II: The minimum wordcount indicated on the syllabus is a
true minimum.
Minimum, in this context, means "not less than." Papers that have fewer
than
the minimum required are inadequate. The maximum wordcount indicated
on the syllabus is a true maximum. Maximum, in this context, means
"not more than."
You must be able to do justice to your topic within certain limits.
If you have either fewer
than the minimum, or more than the maximum, required words, you will automatically
fail that paper.
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