OVERVIEW

The course presents methods and techniques for designing and conducting research in the field of psychology.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims at providing students with the basic elements of research design in psychology, focusing on experimental, quasi-experimental and observational studies. The course will also focus on the parametric and nonparametric statistical methods needed to analyze data from psychological studies and on the statistical software output interpretation.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The learning outcomes of this course are to acquire skills in documenting in science, critically reading research articles, designing, developing and conducting research projects in the field of psychology, choosing the appropriate method of measuring psychological variables and identifying possible strategies for statistical analysis of data.

PREREQUISITES

As this is a course in the LM-51 R Master’s Degree Program in Psychology, students are expected to have acquired, during their undergraduate studies, a basic understanding of the main areas of psychology and psychological research methodology necessary to adequately engage with the course content.
In particular, students are expected to have acquired knowledge related to:

• psychometrics and research methodology
• quantitative and qualitative data analysis techniques
• major theoretical and applied models of psychological assessment and intervention

as well as knowledge of general psychology, developmental psychology; social psychology; dynamic psychology; clinical psychology; work and organizational psychology; health and well-being psychology; psychobiology and cognitive neuroscience; educational psychology and learning processes; personality psychology and individual differences; elements of psychopathology and psychological diagnosis;

The following are also required:

• the ability to read and understand scientific texts in Italian and English;
• the ability to use the specialized vocabulary of the discipline;
• basic skills in the critical analysis of scientific literature;
• the ability to connect theoretical models, empirical data, and applied contexts;
• familiarity with the ethical and deontological principles of the psychological profession.

TEACHING METHODS

The course involves in-person lectures delivered by the lecturer with visual support of slides. Lectures will be held in Italian. The lecturer might resort to online lectures (on the Teams platform) in case of specific arrangements by the University. Online lectures are held on the Teams channel "Lezioni Metodi Sperimentali e Statistici in Psicologia" which can be accessed with the code lkjx1qc

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. 

For students with documented difficulties in complying with class attendance, supplementary activities are planned to compensate for non-attendance at lectures only, consisting of reading an introductory text as indicated in the Recommended Reading/Bigliography section.

Erasmus students are required to contact the lecturer in order to agree on and adapt the teaching programme.  

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course covers all stages of planning and executing research in the field of psychology.

• The scientific method
• The development of the research question and the formulation of objectives and hypotheses
• The literature review
• The sampling of participants
• The choice of variables, their measurement, and the assessment of their validity and reliability
• The main survey techniques
• The main research designs
• Fundamentals of statistical and causal inference, relationships among variables
• Research ethics
• Communication of results

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Mandatory text

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 getting this book]

Students who wish to prepare for the examination using alternative sources are requested to bring these to the attention of the teacher before taking the examination.

Introductory text for non-lecture-attending students

https://oercommons.org/authoring/51456-research-methods-in-psychology/view

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

The course takes place in the first semester, starting in late September / early October. The calendar of classes will be published on the DISFOR website (https://disfor.unige.it/didattica/orario-lezioni).

The timetable for this course can be viewed at: Portale EasyAcademy

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

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

There is no program distinction between attending and non-attending, nor between workers and non-workers. Registration is mandatory and failure to register will result in inability to participate in the test. No exceptions to this rule are made for any reason. Registration automatically closes 5 days before the date of the exame. This advance notice is necessary so that the lecturer can prepare a sufficient number of test and reserve a classroom appropriate to the number of participants. In case of problems with registration, students can solve the problem by emailing the lecturer and reporting the problem, but always before the opportunity to register online expires. 

The exam paper is a written assignment (90-minute duration) involving open-ended questions on course topics. There are no data analysis exercises. The evaluation 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 subjectcan understand the basic aspects of the topic. This mode of examination allows the student to reflect on the best way to expound on the topic at hand without the pressure of the lecturer waiting for an answer and to prove that she or he is able to explain the concepts with the necessary clarity of exposition and methodological rigor, as in use in the international scientific community and as is required of a future professional psychologist.

During the examination, the student cannot consult any publication or use any electronic device (cell phone, smartphone, computer, pad or other electronic instrument) for calculation or communication. The student or student caught during the test violating these rules is automatically failed.

During the exam, students are not allowed to go to the toilet, as it is impossible for the commission to reliably verify that the student does not have any means of communicating with the outside. Those who require exemptions for medical reasons are requested to send a medical certificate to the teacher before the exam date so that the most appropriate arrangements can be made. In any case, it will be possible to leave the classroom before the end of the allotted time upon submission of the exam paper.

Answers must be written in pen only on the sheets provided by the teacher (additional sheets may be obtained when all available sheets have been filled). Answers written in pencil and/or on sheets not handed out by the teacher will not be considered.

The number of questions may vary according to the breadth of the topic being investigated. In each case, the maximum score achievable with 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. 

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The final grade consists of the sum of the scores obtained at each part of the test, rounded to the nearest whole number according to custom. The exam is considered passed if the student has obtained at least a grade of 18. Only in this case, an oral supplement may be taken if necessary. This integration covers the entire program and consists of one-two questions designed to test the student's understanding of the topics and ability to reflect on what was learned. The oral integration may result in changes on the already acquired grade of a maximum of 2 points, either more or less. The oral integration cannot be taken without having obtained at least 18 in the written. After the oral integration, the grade is understood to be final, and the still unsatisfied students will have to retake the test beginning with the written (resulting in the final loss of the grade already acquired).

Grades are automatically registered a week or so after the results are published. Rejection can be expressed by e-mail or upon receipt of the registration notification. Rejection of the grade means the final loss of the grade earned, which cannot be retrieved later.

FURTHER INFORMATION

For students with disabilities or specific learning disorder (SLD).

Students with disabilities or with DSA are reminded that in order to request adaptations in the exam, they must first enter the certification on the University website at servizionline.unige.it in the “Students” section. The documentation will be verified by the University's Services for the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities and SLD Sector.

Subsequently, significantly in advance (at least 10 days) of the examination date, an e-mail must be sent to the teacher with whom the examination will be taken, including in the knowledge copy both the School's Teacher Referent for the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities and with DSA (laura.traverso@unige.it) and the above-mentioned Sector using one of the following addresses (disabili@unige.it; dsa@unige.it). The e-mail should specify:

• the name of the course
• the date of the exam
• the student's last name, first name and roll number
• the compensatory tools and dispensatory measures deemed functional and required.

Dispensatory measures and compensatory tools are intended to enable students to achieve the same learning objectives as their fellow students, not to facilitate the examination.

The use of compensatory tools and the application of dispensatory measures must be authorised in advance by the teacher in agreement with the Referent.

To take advantage of the adaptations during the examination, fill in the Adaptation request form; the request will be automatically sent by the system to the teacher in charge of the teaching, to the Contact Person of your School/Area/Department and in copy to the Sector; you will also receive a copy of the request sent by e-mail.

The adjustments available to students are as follows:

• Additional time (+30% DSA)
• Additional time (+50% disability/invalidity)
• Additional time during oral exams to organise the answer
• Calculator (programmable and graphing calculators are not allowed)
• Conceptual Maps
• Tables and/or Forms
• Take the exam in written form
• Take the exam in oral form
• Tutor reader (for written tests only)
• Tutor-writer (for written tests only)

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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
• Attitudes toward aging and ageism