Instructor and Class Information

Class Hours:        Tuesday & Thursday, 6:00 pm – 8:40 pm

Professor:            Grace Flores-Robles, M.A.

Email:                    [email protected]

Note: Include your first name, last name, and PSY 305 in the subject line. I am available for questions via email and will reply within 48 hours. Emails sent after Friday at 7pm may not be seen until the following Monday.

Course Overview

This course will familiarize students with major methodological approaches to the study of human behavior. Topics will include qualitative research, survey design, construct and experimental validity, experimentation, and research ethics. These topics will be introduced through research projects, activities, and demonstrations completed over the course of the semester.

Prerequisites: PSY 226 (Statistical Methods in Psychology)

Student Learning Goals

The goal of this course is to help you understand, develop, and critically evaluate research in psychology and related social sciences. Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

  • Describe why psychology is a science.
  • Conduct library database searches and identify scholarly sources relevant to one’s research topic
  • Interpret and synthesize the results of empirical papers in the academic literature
  • Generate creative, scientifically grounded hypotheses in the field of psychology
  • Distinguish among different research designs and identify the proper design for addressing a particular research question
  • Describe the ethical principles that guide research with human subjects
  • Write a high-quality APA-style research proposal.
  • Critically evaluate scientific research in psychology

Textbook and Resource Information

You will be required to have access to a computer, the Internet, your CUNYFirst account, and email address in order to complete this course. I am committed to creating a no cost experience and will provide all required readings. It is not necessary to purchase any materials.

  • Textbook: We will be using a free, openly-sourced textbook: Research Methods in Psychology, 4th edition, edited by Jhangiani, Chiang, Cuttler, and Leighton, and published by Kwantlen Polytechnic University.It is available electronically at the following link: https://kpu.pressbooks.pub/psychmethods4e.
  • Blackboard: The syllabus and journal articles are available on blackboard. An abbreviated version of my power-point presentation for each lecture will be available on Blackboard before each exam. These are only outlines, and do not contain enough information to justify missing class lectures. I make them available because I think they are helpful for you to study from.
  • Email: I will communicate with the class via Blackboard. It is to your advantage to have an email address on file with Blackboard where you can reliably receive email.