Research Design and Statistics: 1

Catalog description

This course will introduce students to scientific thinking, with a specific focus on how scientific understanding manifests in psychology, neuroscience, and interdisciplinary research across the social sciences. In this foundational course, students will develop skills important for advanced PSY courses (e.g., consumption, evaluation, and communication of data in various forms). Course content will address the following questions in the context of psychological science: 1) What is scientific knowledge, 2) How do we design, test, and formalize research questions, and 3) Current issues (e.g., ethics, replicability, diversity/inclusion/belonging). Emphasis will be placed on interpreting and communicating psychological science (visual and oral presentation of data, APA style, etc.). Students will be introduced to quantitative analysis and statistical programming. In this course, students will develop knowledge of historical and current systems of bias that arise in psychological science, as well as develop skills to design and critique psychological research using a critical lens. Furthermore, students will learn how to reduce bias through methodology, design, and statistical thinking. Lastly, students will practice reimagining scientific inquiry from an inclusive framework, contextualizing the way that psychology asks questions in comparison to other science and social science disciplines. Satisfies Psychology major requirement. Satisfies Social Scientific Thought Ways if Knowing requirement. Prerequisites & Notes PSY 101