OVERVIEW

The course covers the main methods and techniques for designing and carrying out research projects in psychology and the most common statistical methods for hypothesis testing.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The aim of the course is to provide students with knowledge of the main research designs in psychology (experiments, quasi-experiments, observational studies) and the ability to analyze data using the most adequate statistical method.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims at developing the ability to perform a literature review, critically read a scientific paper, design, develop, and carry out research projects in psychology, analyze data and correctly interpret the results, and communicate research findings to inform the public opinion and the stakeholders.

PREREQUISITES

No specific preequirements are needed.

TEACHING METHODS

The course consists of lectures (online or in person, depending on the situation of the Covid-19 outbreak or other factors preventing classroom attendance) given by the lecturer with the visual support of slides. Students also have the opportunity, via the forum on the course's Aulaweb site, to ask questions and propose exercises and their solutions to both the lecturer and their fellow students, and to receive a reply as soon as possible.

Students interested in the course topics also have the opportunity to carry out internship or laboratory activities with the lecturer and his research group, as well as dissertations. 

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

In the first part of the course, the topics covered will be a recapitulation of the elements of research methodology, the basic concepts of scientific research and the application of the scientific method to psychology that students have already dealt with in their previous academic career. It is also shown how to collect information about the scientific literature on a given topic through specific databases available on the Internet and how to set up and write a scientific article. In the second part of the course, the statistical models necessary for the analysis of data from experimental and observational research in psychology are presented. Statistical models cover nominal, ordinal and metric variables, and focus on those statistical tests necessary to test for differences between a sample and the population and between two or more samples of independent and dependent observations. Models for studying the association between variables and bivariate and multiple regression models are also illustrated. Particular attention is paid to the difference between statistical and substantive significance, with presentation of the main measures of effect size. It is assumed that, thanks to the course and attendance at the workshop associated with the course (Use of software for statistical analysis), at the end of the course the student will be able to carry out data analysis using the appropriate software. The focus of the second part of the course, therefore, is not only on the theoretical assumptions of statistical analysis techniques, but also on the interpretation of the results provided by the software and their practical implications. 

A laboratory activity (Utilizzo di software per l'analisi statistica [Software for statistical analyses]) is associated to this course. The activity aims at developing students' skills in using a statistical software and correctly read its output.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Coolican, H .(2014). Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology. Sixth Edition. New York: Psychology Press [Chapters 1-6, 8-9, 11, 13, 16-19, 21-24]

[Please e-mail to the teacher if you have issues in finding this book]

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

CARLO CHIORRI (President)

FABRIZIO BRACCO

LESSONS

LESSONS START

The calendar of classes will be published in September 2022 on the DISFOR website (https://disfor.unige.it/).

 [Please note that they will be delivered in Italian, although foreign students can ask questions in English, French, and Spanish]

Class schedule

EXPERIMENTAL AND STATISTICAL METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The way in which the examinations are conducted is regulated by the University in accordance with the Government's provisions concerning the containment of the Covid-19 epidemic. In the absence of specific provisions, examinations are only conducted in person. If this is not the case, the lecturer will inform students of the University's arrangements via the course Aulaweb forum. 

In-person exams

There is no distinction between students and non-attendees, nor between workers and non-workers. Registration closes automatically 4 days before the date of the call. This advance notice is necessary so that the lecturer can reserve a room adequate for the number of participants in accordance with the legal requirements imposed by the prevention of the Covid-19 epidemic. No reply will be given to e-mails requesting admission to the examination after the deadline for online registration. If you have problems with your registration, you can solve the problem by emailing the teacher and reporting the problem, but always before the deadline for online registration expires.
The examination is a written task (duration 105 minutes) involving open questions and exercises in interpreting the results of statistical analyses. The open questions (80% of the overall assessment) cover topics in research methodology and theoretical aspects of data analysis. The assessment of the answers to these questions is based on whether they are comprehensive and detailed with respect to the topic, referred to with the correct terminology and spelling of terms and authors' names and such that even those who know nothing about the subject can understand the fundamental aspects of the topic. The exercises (20% of the overall assessment) require the student to explain the scale of measurement of the variables in question, whether there is an independent and a dependent variable, null hypothesis, alternative hypothesis, conclusions, the formula for calculating the effect size with the available data and the indication of the guidelines for its interpretation, similarly to the examples given in the exercises available on the course Aulaweb site. This mode of examination allows the student to reflect on the best way to present the topic in question or the interpretation of the results of the statistical analysis without the pressure of the lecturer waiting for an answer and to prove that he/she is able to explain the concepts or discuss the results with the necessary clarity of presentation and methodological rigour, as in use in the international scientific community and as is required of a future professional.

During the examination, the student may not consult any publication or use any electronic device (mobile phone calculator, smartphone, computer, pad or other electronic instrument) for calculation or communication. Any student caught violating these rules during the examination is automatically failed.

Answers must be written in pen only on the sheets provided by the teacher (additional sheets may be obtained when all the sheets available have been filled). Answers written in pencil and/or on sheets not handed out by the teacher are not taken into account.
The number of questions may vary according to the scope of the topic being investigated. In all cases, the maximum mark that can be obtained for each exercise or question is indicated on the sheet. 

Students with DSA or disability certification are entitled to 30% and 50% extra time, respectively, to take the test and will be allowed to use the appropriate compensatory tools, but they are requested to inform the teacher of this by e-mail before the Aulaweb page with the exam is published, as a special page must be generated. The teacher does not guarantee that extra time and compensatory measures will be granted if they do not communicate this. If students have serious difficulties or are unable to take the exam in this mode, they are invited to contact the teacher and the Contact Person for the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities (contact) to report their condition and request a different exam mode. 

Online exams

The online exam takes place in the following way. On the day scheduled for the test, a new page entitled "Test of [date]" is published on the course's Aulaweb site shortly before the scheduled starting time. Regularly enrolled students must log on, open/download the file with the list of participants showing the number of the test they have been assigned, open/download the corresponding file and take the test. Students must take the version of the test assigned to them; if they take another version, they automatically fail.

The tests must be taken by writing down their answers in a Word/Open Office Writer file, which is supplied blank when the tests are published. The first page must indicate the student's first and last name, the student's matriculation number, the date of the test and the number of the test. Before each answer, the exercise/question for which the solution/answer is given must be clearly indicated.
Once the test has been completed, the student must produce a single PDF document of the paper and upload it to the Aulaweb site. The system accepts a single PDF file of a maximum size of 20MB (larger files will not be accepted) and automatically blocks the uploading of files of a larger size at the end of the allotted time. Therefore, students are invited to take into account the time required to carry out these operations, as files in any other format and/or delivered by a method other than that described here will not be accepted or evaluated.

As an indication, students who have difficulty inserting formulas or graphs into the text document may also write/draw them on paper and insert the image acquired by photo or scanner into the file. Please note that this can be time-consuming and may result in files larger than 20MB. It is therefore advisable to practise these operations during the exercises offered at the end of each week's lesson and by following, for example, the following tutorials for equations (link Word and Open Office) and graphs (link Word e link Open Office).

The teacher declines all responsibility for any computer and/or connection problems, which are therefore not considered as justification for not uploading the file. Failure to upload a file is always interpreted as failure to hand it in, and therefore as failure to pass the test.

Students with DSA or disability certification are entitled to 30% and 50% extra time, respectively, to take the test, but are requested to inform the teacher of this by e-mail before the Aulaweb page with the exam is published, as a special page must be generated. The teacher does not guarantee that the test will be taken if they do not communicate this. If students have serious difficulties or are unable to take the exam in this mode, they are invited to contact the Contact Person for the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities (contact) to report their condition and request a different exam mode.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

In-person exam

The final mark consists of the sum of the marks obtained for each part of the test, rounded up to the usual whole number. The examination is considered passed if the student has obtained at least a mark of 18. Only in this case is it possible to take an oral integration. This integration covers the entire programme and consists of one or two questions designed to check the student's understanding of the topics and his or her ability to reflect on what has been learnt. The oral integration may lead to variations in the mark already obtained of a maximum of 2 points, either upwards or downwards. The oral integration cannot be taken without having obtained at least 18 in the written part. After the oral integration, the grade is considered final and the unsatisfied student will have to retake the test starting with the written paper (with the final loss of the grade already acquired).

The assessment of the open answers is based on the fact that they are exhaustive and detailed with respect to the subject, referred to with the correct terminology and spelling of the terms and names of the authors and such that even those who know nothing about the subject can understand the fundamental aspects of the subject. The assessment of the answers to the exercise is aimed at verifying the student's ability to make explicit the scale of measurement of the variables in question, to identify whether there is an independent and a dependent variable, to formulate null and alternative hypotheses, to draw the conclusions suggested by the results, and to report the correct formula for the calculation of the effect size with the data available and the indication of the guidelines for its interpretation, similarly to the examples given in the exercises available on the Aulaweb site of the course. This mode of examination allows the student to reflect on the best way to present the topic in question or the interpretation of the results of the statistical analysis without the pressure of the lecturer waiting for an answer and to prove that he/she is able to explain the concepts or discuss the results with the necessary clarity of presentation and methodological rigour, as in use in the international scientific community and as is required of a future professional.

Votes are automatically recorded one week after publication of the results. Rejection can be expressed by e-mail or upon receipt of the registration notification. Rejection of a vote implies the definitive loss of the grade obtained, which cannot be recovered at a later date.

Online exam

Before formal assessment, the file uploaded by the student is examined by anti-plagiarism software. Answers that are identical to textbook excerpts and/or other students' answers from the same and previous examinations will be assessed for cancellation (mark 0), and students are then invited to express themselves in their own words.

The assessment of the examination is similar to that described for the face-to-face examination, but since in this case the student can benefit from many more tools and aids than in the face-to-face examination, more weight will be given to any errors or inaccuracies. The examination is considered to have been passed if the student has answered all the questions asked in a sufficient manner (failure to answer a question or a single insufficient answer means that the examination is failed) and has obtained at least a mark of 18. This integration covers the entire programme and consists of one or two questions designed to check the student's understanding of the topics and his or her ability to reflect on what has been learnt. The oral integration may lead to variations in the mark already obtained of a maximum of 2 points, either upwards or downwards. The oral integration cannot be taken without having obtained at least 18 in the written part. After the oral integration, the grade is considered final and the unsatisfied student will have to repeat the test, starting with the written paper (with the final loss of the grade already obtained).

Grades are automatically recorded one week after the publication of the results. Rejection may be expressed by e-mail or on receipt of the registration notification. Rejection of a mark means the definitive loss of the mark obtained, which cannot be recovered at a later date. 

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

Students with certified learning disabilities, special educational needs, and/or any sort of disability that can prevent them to take the exam as described are invited to e-mail the teacher to agree upon a way of taking the exam that suits their needs.  

Students can join the research activity of the teacher of the following topics:

• Development and validation of psychological tests
• Italian adaptation of tests originally in a foreign language
• Multivariate statistical analyses: factor analysis, structural equation modeling, Rasch and Item Response Theory Models
• Personality traits and individual differences
• Personality disorders and clinical assessment
• Cognitive styles