Brief Course Description

This course covers both theory and applied methods in psychological research, and in particular, personality, social and/or cognitive research. We discuss a range of issues including translating theory into research, psychometric theory and instrument development, experimental design, sampling, ethical concerns, survey methodology, the use of multiple methods, data analysis and interpretation, and presentation of findings and reporting. In addition, a substantial part of the course is devoted to conducting an original piece of research in the personality, social and/or cognitive domains. The applied aspect of the course involves all stages of research such as: (1) formulating a workable research idea and proposal based on existing theory; (2) presenting the proposal to others for critique; (3) preparing stimulus materials and measures; (4) making critical design/procedural decisions; (5) considering ethical implications and submitting the proposal to the University Institutional Review Board; (6) collecting data; (7) devising an efficient data management system; (8) planning and conducting statistical analyses; (9) presenting the research formally to others; and (10) preparing a final APA-format write-up of the research. A general emphasis throughout the course is on developing a critical eye for interpreting and evaluating psychological research (both one's own research and the research of others).

Note: There are two prerequisites for this course -- Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences and Laboratory in Experimental Psychology. Enrolled Psychology 530 students must have completed these two courses -- with passing grades.

To access the Psychology 530 portion of the this web site, you will need to enter p530 for the username and a special access code that was distributed during the first class period. If you do not have the code and are interested in seeing the course materials, you should contact Dr. Panter at panter@unc.edu.If you would like to access course materials, click below.

Research Methods!!

What Will You Find Here?

Among other items, this portion of the web site contains: p530 News, a class list and research group list, the course syllabus and philosophy, detailed descriptions of library assignments, course lecture materials and exercises, information about setting up the project, preparing the Institutional Review Board proposal, step-by-step instructions about using SPSS, various handouts and guides for preparing the project, information about quantitative talks/workshops and web sites, and contact information.