360 Condon Tues. & Thurs. 10:00 - 11:20

Professor:	Teaching Assistant:	Teaching Assistant:
Dr. Lou Moses	Nate Dieckmann	Eric Olofson
Phone: 346-4918	346-4963	346-1984
Office: 397 Straub	329 Straub	393 Straub
Office Hours: M 2:30-3:30, T 12-1	M 1-2 & TH 11:30-12:30	M 3:30-4:30, TH 1-2
E-mail: moses@darkwing.uoregon.edu	ndieckma@darkwing.uoregon.edu	eolofson@uoregon.edu

Course Description: This course is the first in a 3-term sequence of classes designed to provide a thorough grounding in statistical concepts, methods, and applications of relevance to psychological science. The aim of the course is to help students develop skills in the analysis and interpretation of real psychological data. Our focus will be conceptual rather than mathematical (e.g., it is more important to understand why a particular statistical technique is appropriate, and how to make sense of the results obtained from its use, than to understand the full mathematical underpinnings of the statistic). During the course we will make heavy use of the computer, although you will also be asked to carry out hand computations illustrating key statistical principles.

Required Textbook: Howell, D.C. (2002). Statistical Methods for Psychology (5^th Ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Duxbury.

Lectures and Laboratories: A list of lecture topics and reading assignments can be found on the following page. Lecture notes will be available on the course Blackboard web site (see below) prior to the relevant lectures. Please bring these notes to class. The course labs will be held each Friday (10-11 or 11-12) in 180 Straub. The labs will provide an opportunity to gain hands-on computing experience illustrating concepts discussed in lectures. They will also involve discussion of the weekly problem sets and reviews prior to exams, as well as allowing you the chance to raise any questions you have concerning lectures or the textbook.

Software: In this course we will be using SPSS software (version 12). The software is installed on the PCs in 180 Straub (open 8am-9pm Monday through Thursday, and 8-5 Friday). Students may also access the software through the Social Science Instructional Laboratories (SSIL) in McKenzie Hall (there is a fee of $20 per term). If desired, students can purchase their own copy of SPSS from the Bookstore. Be sure your computer is powerful enough to run it, and be sure to get the right version: SPSS Graduate Pack, not the scaled down SPSS student version. The price of the software is $190.

Exams: There will be two exams: an in-class midterm and a take-home final. Exams will be cumulative, with an emphasis on more recent material. Exams will be open book. It will be helpful to have a calculator for the exams but to receive credit for calculation problems you will need to show each step of your calculations; do not rely on an advanced calculator in using complex formulas.

Problem Sets: Problem sets will be assigned each week. Normally, the problem sets will be handed out on the Tuesday (thus giving you the opportunity to try them before the Friday lab) and will be due in class the following Tuesday. The problem sets will be graded on a 10-point scale. Collaborative learning is encouraged: If you want to discuss the problems with other students, feel free to do so. However, the answers you turn in should be written independently. If you have difficulties with the problems, please consult with Nate, Eric, or me.

Grading: The problem sets will count for 35% of your grade, the midterm for 30%, and the final for 35%. Problem sets and exams will be graded by the teaching assistants using explicit criteria that I will provide. The teaching assistants have taken this course previously and performed at a superior level. If anyone has concerns about their work being graded by a fellow graduate student, please see me and we can consider alternative arrangements.

Blackboard: The course web site can be accessed through the Blackboard course information system. On the web site, you will find general announcements for the class, lecture notes, problem sets and solutions, links to relevant web sites, and more. Students enrolled in the course will receive email in the first week of the term notifying them that the course web site is available. To visit the course site, go to http://blackboard.uoregon.edu, login, and then select "PSY 611" from the list of blackboard course sites in which you are enrolled. If you need help logging in or using Blackboard, see http://blackboard.uoregon.edu/local/usingbb/. Also you can get help by going to the library Information Technology Center (ITC) and/or see http://libweb.uoregon.edu/kitc/faq/blackboard.html#help

OUTLINE OF LECTURE TOPICS

Date	Topic	Reading
Sept 28-30	Exploratory Data Analysis	Chs 1 & 2
Oct 5-7	Distributions	Chs 3, 4, 7.1 & 7.2
Oct 12-21	Hypothesis Testing & Estimation: T Tests	Chs 7 & 8
Oct 26-28	One-Way Analysis of Variance	Ch. 11
Nov 2	Contrasts	Ch. 12
Nov 4	MIDTERM
Nov 9-11	Two-Way Analysis of Variance	Ch. 13 (except 13.12 & 13.13)
Nov 16-23	Correlation & Regression	Chs 9 & 10 (except 10.4 & 10.5)
Nov 25	Thanksgiving
Nov 30 – Dec 2	Analysis of Categorical Data	Chs 5, 6, 10.4, & 10.5
Dec 9	TAKE HOME FINAL EXAM DUE AT 9AM