Methods in Behavioral Research

An important emphasis in this course is the development of research skills. Research (in any field), never has been, nor ever will be, a realistically solitary pursuit. Therefore, you should know up front that this is not a "memorization" course. You cannot expect to do well simply by reading the texts and keeping a seat warm in class. To firmly ensconce the material into your mindset, you must become actively involved.

1. To be capable of generating testable hypotheses about almost any topic. To do this, you must know what dependent and independent variables are, as well as internal and external validity, and you should know the common pitfalls in conducting research and how to avoid them.
2. To understand the ways in which research designs determine the appropriate statistical methods to employ for data analysis. Through multiple examples of different research designs you will come to more fully appreciate the integral relationship between statistical and research methods.
3. To be able to design and conduct good research (test hypotheses). To this end, you will be expected to propose and design novel experiments, determine various statistical qualities of these proposals, and present data (graph results).
4. To learn how to interpret statistical outcomes and data results in theoretically meaningful ways. This will be demonstrated by conducting statistical tests (such as Chi Square, Correlation, ANOVA, and Multiple Regression if time permits) using SPSS and providing reasonable interpretations of these outcomes.
5. Finally, as a result of having taken this course, you should be able to think more critically about any research result including the many commercial claims you encounter daily.

Students are expected to have their textbooks and other required course materials (lab books, digital media, etc.) at the start of the course. Failure to have required course materials will not be accepted as justification for failure to be prepared for class, missed or incomplete assignments, failure to prepare for exams, quizzes and other course evaluations or inability to complete other course requirements. The only exception to this policy will be situations in which the textbooks and/or other course materials are not available from the publisher.
 

1. Accessibility Accommodations for Students: Robert Morris University welcomes students with disabilities into all of the University's educational programs. If you have, or think you may have, a disability that would impact your educational experience in this class, please contact Student Accessibility Services (SAS) to schedule a meeting with the SAS Coordinator and Assistant Director Molly Hill. She will confidentially discuss your needs, review your documentation, and engage with you in the interactive process to determine your eligibility for reasonable accommodations. To learn more about academic accommodations, please visit rmu.edu/sas, email sas@rmu.edu, or call 412.397.6884.

2. Masking: You may elect to wear face masks in the classroom. Please respect individual decisions about whether to mask. Any negative response to an individual who elects to wear a mask will be reported to Student Conduct. If you are feeling ill but well enough to attend class, we strongly encourage the use of a face mask until you are feeling well.

3. In an Emergency: RMU Police emergency response telephone number is: 412-397-2424. From campus telephones dial only: 2424.

4. RMU Alert: All students are urged to sign up for the RMU emergency alert notifications at rmu.edu/rmualert. Always check with RMU to see if classes are in session during inclement weather.

5. Academic Integrity: Academic Integrity is one of this university's highest ethical values. All students are expected to understand and adhere to the standards of Academic Integrity as stated in the RMU Academic Integrity Policy, which can be found on the RMU website at rmu.edu/ai. Any student who violates the Academic Integrity Policy is subject to possible judicial proceedings that may result in sanctions, as indicated in the Policy. Depending on the severity of the violation, sanctions may range from receiving a zero on an assignment, to being dismissed from the university. If you have any questions about the Policy, please consult your course instructor.

   NOTE: The use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology for the completion of coursework is not allowed unless expressly permitted by the instructor for the course.

   Excerpt from Robert Morris University Student Academic Integrity Policy and Judicial Procedures document (June 1, 2011, p. 3):

   Violation of 'Fair Use': As noted, students' projects may include any of the following works:

   • speeches, PowerPoint presentations, web pages, charts, graphs, illustrations, images, photographs, drawings, cartoons, and the like
   • material obtained through people such as news sources, video and audio recordings, interviews, and the like
   • information and opinions obtained through electronic media such as web sites, blogs, images, video as well as audio materials, and the like.

   Improper use of any such work or similar authored by other people is a violation of academic integrity as is the failure to comply with "fair-use" requirements. In many cases, written permission from the artist is required for use in a student's project. Students who feature the original artistic media works of others in their projects should ensure that they have complied with the legal and artistic implications of this use. This includes knowledge of the concepts of "licensing," "copyright," "fair use" and "public domain." (See fairusenetwork.com).

6. Use of Personal Technologies During Class Time: The use of laptops, cell phones, MP3 players, or any technology that distracts you (and/or your neighbors) from course content and delivery are prohibited. If you are caught using ANY technologies during class time, you will be marked absent for that class. If the instructor deems your electronic addiction to be disruptive you may be asked (or required) to leave.

   Why am I inflicting such a "torture" upon you? It was shown back in 2014 (and replicated since then) that notes taken by hand result in superior memory/learning compared with notes taken on computer/laptop. The classic demonstration of this is: Mueller, P. A., & Oppenheimer, D. M. (2014). The Pen Is Mightier Than the Keyboard: Advantages of Longhand Over Laptop Note Taking. Psychological Science, 25(6), 1159-1168.