Psych 5 Elementary Statistics for the Behavioral and Social Sciences (4)

 Prerequisite:  Qualification by assessment process or Mathematics 52 (formerly Mathematics 29) or two years of high school algebra with a grade of "C" or better.

 Prerequisite knowledge/skills: Before entering the course the student should be able to

1.                  identify numbers as belonging to specified sets, and graph discrete and continuous sets of real numbers,

2.                  perform the basic arithmetic operations with positive and negative real numbers,

3.                  know and apply the rules of exponents and the order of operations in algebraic expressions,

4.                  use the properties of addition and multiplication for real numbers,

5.                  solve linear equations and inequalities in one variable,

6.                  add, subtract, multiply and divide rational algebraic expressions, and reduce to lowest terms,

7.                  solve equations involving rational algebraic expressions, and analyze and solve word problems leading to such equations,

8.                  simplify radical expressions involving numbers and/or variables,

9.                  perform addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of expression involving radicals and complex numbers and simplify the results, including rationalization of denominators,

10.              solve equations that involve radicals,

11.              analyze and solve application problems requiring the use of quadratic equations,

12.              graph points in the rectangular coordinate system, and straight lines from ordered pairs obtained from a linear equation,

13.              determine the slope of the line between any given pair of points,

14.              know the slope formulas for the equation of a straight line, and be able to determine the equation of a particular straight line from specified input information,

15.              solve and graph linear inequalities in two variables.

 Total Hours:  64 hours lecture

 Catalog Description:  This course provides students with a solid foundation in statistics as used in psychological, sociological, and behavioral research. Students will develop a useable understanding of research design, the organization of data, measures of central tendency and variability, central tendency theory, descriptive and inferential statistics, parametric and nonparametric tests, and basic test assumptions.

Type of Class/Course: Degree Credit

Text:         Thorne, B. M. & Giesen. Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences. 4^th ed. New York, NY: McGraw Hill, 2002 or equivalent.

 Additional Instructional Materials:  Statistics capable handheld calculator, graphing paper.

 Course Objectives:

           By the end of the course, a successful student will be able to

1.                  determine level/scale of data (nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio),

2.                  describe populations and samples using descriptive statistics,

3.                  organize data using descriptive statistics,

4.                  develop and interpret frequency tables and histograms,

5.                  transform raw data into z-scores,

6.                  interpret z-scores in relation to research question,

7.                  estimate probability of occurrence for a range of scores using standardized tables,

8.                  calculate and interpret 95% and 99% confidence intervals in relation to research question,

9.                  calculate measures of dispersion,

10.              compare and contrast measures of dispersion,

11.              calculate measures of central tendency,

12.              compare and contrast measures of central tendency,

13.              discuss types of kurtosis, factors influencing kurtosis, and impact of kurtosis on validity of inferences,

14.              explain central tendency theory in the context of normal population distributions,

15.              explain central limits theory in the context of sample size,

16.              compare and contrast descriptive and inferential statistics,

17.              compare and contrast parametric and non-parametric hypothesis tests,

18.              explain and apply basic assumptions underlying hypothesis testing,

19.              explain use of critical scores and a level in hypothesis testing,

20.              perform a statistical analysis,

21.              apply the rules of probability to descriptive and inferential data,

22.              identify independent and dependent variables in a research question,

23.              determine the appropriate hypothesis test based on research question and level of data,

24.              perform the appropriate hypothesis test based on research question and level of data,

25.              use central tendency theory to explain a, b, and power of hypothesis test, sample size effects, and changes in standard deviation,

26.              appropriately interpret the results of hypothesis tests,

27.              appropriately relate results of hypothesis test to the research question,

28.              calculate and interpret directional and non-directional t-tests on one and two sample means,

29.              calculate and interpret One-way and Two-way ANOVA,

30.              discuss main effects and interaction effects of Two-way ANOVA,

31.              perform and interpret Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation,

32.              perform and interpret chi‑square tests of independence,

33.              perform and interpret chi‑square tests of goodness of fit,

34.              discuss post hoc, a priori, and non-parametric alternatives to t-tests, ANOVAs, and Pearson’s Correlation,

35.              and write a statistical results section for an APA format research paper.

 Course Scope and Content:

 Unit    I         Statistics as a Language

A.        Basic statistical terms

B.        Research terminology

 Unit    II        Descriptive Statistics

A.        Definitions and Scaling

B.        Frequency Distribution and Graphing

C.        Measures of Central Tendency – Normal Distribution

D.        Measures of Dispersion – Normal Distribution

E.         Introduction to Probability

F.         Standardized Scores

 Unit    III       Inferential Statistics - Parametric

A.        Confidence Intervals and Hypothesis Testing

B.        Significance of Difference Between Two Sample Means

C.        Probability

D.        One-way Analysis of Variance

E.         Post hoc Comparisons

F.         Two-way Analysis of Variance

G.        Correlation and Regression

 Unit    IV       Inferential Statistics - Non-Parametric Testing

A.     Chi Square – Goodness of Fit and

B.     Chi Square – Test of Independence

C.     Alternative test for t-test and F-test

 Learning Activities Required Outside of Class:

             The students in this class will spend a minimum of 8 hours per week outside of the regular class time doing the following:

1.                  Individual study

2.                  Skills practice

3.                  Group study

4.                  Completing required reading

5.                  Performing an individually determined data collection and analysis exercise

6.                  Writing a research paper based on the individually determined data collection and analysis exercise

Methods of Instruction:

1.                  Lecture on statistical theory/research theory

2.                  Group discussion

3.                  Instructor demonstrated problem solving

4.                  Instructor led problem solving

5.                  Individual problem solving with instructor guidance

6.                  Group problem solving with peer guidance

7.                  Individual problem solving

8.                  Individual statistical culminating project paper

 Methods of Evaluation:

             1.         Computational and non‑computational problem‑solving demonstrations including:

a.       exams

b.      homework problems

c.       quizzes

d.      discussions

e.       peer review/observation

f.       instructor review/observation

g.       culminating project paper

h.      comprehensive final exam