Course

Research Methods in Psychology

Faculty
Humanities & Social Sciences
Department
Psychology
Course Code
PSYC 2301
Credits
3.00
Semester Length
15
Max Class Size
35
Method(s) Of Instruction
Lecture
Lab
Typically Offered
To be determined

Overview

Course Description
This course introduces students to the scientific approach and the development of knowledge in Psychology. Through class and lab activities, students learn how to design, carry out, analyze and report on their own research projects. Students learn the critical analytic skills to evaluate psychological research properly.
Course Content
  1. The scientific understanding of behaviour
  2. Theories and falsifiability
  3. Developing questions, hypotheses and predictions
  4. Reviewing scientific literature
  5. Operational definitions and variables
  6. Ethical Research
  7. Testimonials and case study evidence
  8. Correlation and causation
  9. The experimental method
  10. Measurement concepts and practices
  11. Observational methods
  12. Surveys and questionnaires
  13. Experimental design
  14. Conducting experiments
  15. Multiple causation and complex experimental designs
  16. Quasi experimental and developmental research
  17. Understanding research results – describing data
  18. Probabilistic reasoning and chance – inferential statistics
  19. Converging evidence and consensus
  20. Generalizing results
  21. Research report writing
  22. The image of Psychology     
Learning Activities

This course will employ a number of instructional methods to accomplish its objectives, including some of the following:

 

  • lectures
  • laboratory activities
  • small group discussion
  • problem based activities

 

There will be laboratory meetings throughout the semester in which students will develop and carry out their own research projects. It is expected that students may conduct research involving human participants as part of their coursework; instructors are responsible for ensuring that such research meets the College's standards for ethical research.

Means of Assessment

Evaluation will be carried out in accordance with Douglas College policy.  Evaluation will be based on course objectives and may include some of the following: quizzes, multiple choice exams, essay type exams, term paper or research project, computer based assignments, etc.  The instructor will provide the students with a course outline listing the criteria for course evaluation at the beginning of the semester.

 

An example of one evaluation scheme:

 

2 midterm exams  40%
Research project report    30%
Final exam  30%
Total 100%
Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of the course the student will be able to:

 

  1. Critically evaluate the design, measurement and inferential reasoning in psychological research articles.
  2. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the nature of knowledge in Psychology and identify common misunderstandings about Psychology.
  3. Identify the major ethical concerns as they apply to social research projects, especially those using human subjects.    
  4. Identify the strengths and weaknesses of various research methods and designs (e.g., case studies, experiments, quasi-experiments, surveys, observational studies)
  5. Design, conduct, and analyse research projects.
  6. Write a research report using APA guidelines.
Textbook Materials

Textbook(s) such as the following, the list to be updated periodically:

 

  • Cozby, Paul C. & Bates, S.C. (2017) Methods in Behavioral Research (13th Ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Publishing
  • Stanovich, K.E. (2019) How to Think Straight about Psychology (11th Ed.) Pearson Ed.
  • Gravetter, F. J., & Forzano, L.-A. B. (2015). Research Methods for the Behavioral Sciences. Stamford, USA: Cengage Learning.

 

Requisites

Prerequisites

PSYC 1100 AND PSYC 1200

Corequisites

Courses listed here must be completed either prior to or simultaneously with this course:

  • No corequisite courses

Equivalencies

Courses listed here are equivalent to this course and cannot be taken for further credit:

  • No equivalency courses

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Course Transfers

These are for current course guidelines only. For a full list of archived courses please see https://www.bctransferguide.ca

Institution Transfer Details for PSYC 2301
Camosun College (CAMO) CAMO PSYC 201 (3)
Capilano University (CAPU) CAPU PSYC 212 (3)
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) KPU PSYC 2400 (3)
Langara College (LANG) LANG PSYC 2320 (3)
Okanagan College (OC) OC PSYC 260 (3)
Simon Fraser University (SFU) SFU PSYC 201 (3)
Thompson Rivers University (TRU) TRU PSYC 2110 (3)
Trinity Western University (TWU) TWU PSYC 201 (3)
University of British Columbia - Okanagan (UBCO) UBCO PSYO_O 270 (3)
University of British Columbia - Vancouver (UBCV) UBCV PSYC_V 217 (3)
University of Northern BC (UNBC) UNBC PSYC 215 (3)
University of Victoria (UVIC) UVIC PSYC 201 (1.5)
Vancouver Community College (VCC) VCC PSYC 2320 (3)
Vancouver Island University (VIU) VIU PSYC 204 (3)

Course Offerings

Winter 2025

CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum Seats
35
Currently Enrolled
34
Remaining Seats:
1
On Waitlist
5
Building
New Westminster - North Bldg.
Room
N6109
Times:
Start Time
18:30
-
End Time
21:20
CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum Seats
35
Currently Enrolled
35
Remaining Seats:
0
On Waitlist
15
Building
New Westminster - North Bldg.
Room
N6105
Times:
Start Time
11:30
-
End Time
14:20
CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum Seats
35
Currently Enrolled
35
Remaining Seats:
0
On Waitlist
12
Building
Anvil Office Tower
Room
816
Times:
Start Time
15:30
-
End Time
18:20