Laura M. Little, Ph.D. (llittle@u.washington.edu)

Website for course materials: http://faculty.washington.edu/llittle

Supplementary materials: Handouts and supplementary materials will often be distributed during class. You are responsible for obtaining copies of these materials if you miss class the day they are distributed.

Course objectives: Your goals in taking this course should be: (1) to learn the basic ways to summarize and describe data in psychological research; (2) to understand the common statistical analyses in the psychological literature; (3) to learn the basic principles of interpreting statistical analyses in psychological research; (4) to enrich your understanding of psychology through an appreciation of the tools researchers use to analyze data; and (5) to gain exposure to computer software used in data analysis (MS Excel, SPSS). This course will prepare you for any of the laboratory courses required of psychology majors.

Exams: There will be four exams. Each exam will count as 1/5 of your final grade. Your homework average will count for the remaining 1/5 of your overall grade. The fourth exam will be given on the day of the scheduled final exam, although it will not be cumulative. Exams will be scored on a percent scale.

Assignments: There will be near-weekly homework assignments, which cumulatively will count toward 1/5 of your grade. Some of these assignments will be done using the computer software you will be learning in Psych 315. Homework will be scored on a point scale. Your homework average will be computed by dividing your total points earned on homework assignments by the total number of points possible and then multiplying this by 100. You may work with other students on the homework assignments, but you must turn in your own work. We will only accept work that is individually produced (i.e., do not simply hand-copy or photocopy another person’s work or turn in a jointly produced assignment). Homework is due at the beginning of class on the due date. Homework will NOT be accepted late without penalty unless cleared before it is due. Otherwise, homework will be accepted up to one day late, with a 25% penalty. There are no exceptions to this policy. Remember, there are many of you and few of us. Please do not ask us to make different rules to accommodate your particular circumstances.

Course grades will be determined by computing your course percentage (CP = average of all five course components, in percentage). The formula (CP – 55)/10 yields your course GPA grade. For example, suppose a student scores 91%, 78%, 87%, and 71% on the five exams and earns 98% of the points on the homework assignments. The student’s course percentage would be calculated as: CP = (91 + 78 + 87 + 71 + 98)/5 = 85, and her course GPA grade would be (85 – 55)/10 = 3.0.

1. Attendance at all lectures is expected. You will be held responsible for all announcements made during class meetings regarding exam scheduling and homework due dates.

2. All class handouts will be kept in the SAMLab. If you must miss class, you may pick up copies of handouts at the SAMLab during TA’s or peer tutor’s regularly scheduled office hours.

3. If you miss an exam, you will be given a grade of 0 for that exam. No makeup exams will be given unless (1) notice is given to the instructor, in person, by 5 p.m. the day before the exam, or (2) extenuating circumstances prevail for which documentation is available, in the form of an airline ticket receipt, funeral notice, etc. (in the case of family emergencies) or a doctor’s case note (not an appointment card) for SERIOUS illness/injury. This documentation MUST be presented to the instructor, not merely offered. All makeup exams must be taken within one week of the missed exam. There are no exceptions to this policy.

Academic dishonesty: The University of Washington has a set of guidelines on how to respond to suspected cases of academic dishonesty, or "cheating." These cases include plagiarism in written assignments (copying directly from the text or another student’s work) and referring to contraband or getting help from someone else in testing situations. You should familiarize yourself with these guidelines. As a student at the University of Washington you are held to "high standards of academic and professional honesty and integrity" by the Student Conduct Code. The Student Conduct Code can be read on the University’s homepage at www.washington.edu/ students/handbook/conduct.html. If academic dishonesty occurs, you will receive a grade of zero on that assignment or exam. I will refer the matter to the Dean of Arts and Sciences. I respect each of you, and I expect each of you to honor that respect.

To ensure grading efficiency, we ask that you use the following guidelines when preparing your homework assignments.

1. Assignments must be stapled (NOT paper-clipped or folded on the corner). Buy a mini-stapler or use the one in Guthrie Hall.

2. Submit answers in the order in which they are assigned/listed.

3. Work in pencil.

4. Circle answers.

5. Put your student number on your assignment.

If one or more of the above guidelines are not followed, we will take off one point for each type of violation. Thus, it is possible that you can lose up to 5 points per assignment for not following the guidelines.

To ensure that you receive credit for your work, please neatly show all of your work (i.e. formulas and all calculated values).

1. We want you to succeed in this class, and we believe that each of you can succeed.

2. Your chances of succeeding in this class are improved by: (1) reading the textbook before class, and again after the lecture; (2) working out each problem at the end of the chapter, even if it is not assigned; (3) coming to every lecture; (4) learning to tolerate frustration; (5) forming a study group; (6) asking questions in class when you do not understand something; and (7) coming to office hours when you need help.

3. Please use your study group or the newsgroup to check your homework answers. We will NOT check your answers during office hours or class, although we are happy to discuss problem solving procedures with you during office hours.

4. Please do not send broad content questions (such as, "Can you explain ‘variance’ to me?") to Psych 315 staff by email. It is very difficult to explain statistical concepts using email, particularly because it does not support the use of equations and mathematical symbols. These problems are best addressed during office hours.

5. If you must miss a class, please do NOT ask us, "Did I miss anything important in class?" The answer is, "YES. You should get someone’s lecture notes and go over them. Then come to us during office hours if you have any questions."

6. Take care in the presentation of your work. If you must re-copy your work for it to be easily read, then you should do so. It is well worth your time.

7. Please try to avoid bringing up individual matters immediately before class starts. Wait until after class to see me, and I will be glad to talk to you then.