DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY
COURSE TITLE: Statistics
for the Social Sciences
CLASS TIMES: Tuesday,
Thursday: 7:30 pm 8:50
pm @110 Fine Arts
INSTRUCTOR:
Tara Woolfolk,
Ph.D.
PHONE & EMAIL: (856) 225-6535 (Office)
woolfolk@camden.rutgers.edu
OFFICE HOURS: Mondays: 1:00 pm 2:30 pm, Tuesdays: 4:30 pm 5:30
pm
&
by Appointment @
TEXT
(REQUIRED): Aron, Aron &
Coups. (2008). Statistics for the
Behavioral Sciences, 4th ed.,
TEXT
(REQUIRED): George &
Mallery. (2007). SPSS for Windows
Step by Step: A Simple
SOFTWARE
INCLUDED Guide and Reference, 14.0
Update, 7th ed.,
COURSE
OVERVIEW:
The purpose of this course is to provide students
with a broad overview and general understanding of the basic principals of
statistics. Emphasis will be placed on
the understanding and application of such principals and theories as they relate
to our surroundings and ourselves.
COURSE
COMPETENCIES:
Upon successful completion of the course,
students should be able to:
1.
Understand
the purpose and the reasoning behind performing many basic statistical
procedures.
2.
Be able to
perform a variety of statistical techniques, including t-tests & ANOVAs.
3.
Be competent
at interpreting data and the results of statistical tests.
4.
Be
proficient at SPSS for Windows.
CLASS
EXPECTATIONS & REGULATIONS:
While you we are together in this course, I expect
certain things of you so that class can function as well as possible for all of
us. Here is what I need from you:
1.
You
are expected to come to class on time and be prepared to discuss the material
being presented. Coming to class late is
very distracting. Also, if you come to class, you are expected to stay for the
entire class period unless you seek permission beforehand.
2.
You are expected to treat your fellow
students with respect, this includes turning off all pagers and cell phones
while in class. Additionally, if you attend class, you
are expected to pay attention to the lecture and discussion. In large classes
students feel anonymous and there is a tendency to start conversations with
their friends. Again, this can be very distracting.
***Students who violate these 2 rules will be warned for their
first violation. A second violation will result in a 5-point deduction from an
exam. Any violation after that will result in the loss of a letter grade.
3. You are expected and encouraged to address any
concerns or issues, or raise any questions with the instructor in a timely
manner. If necessary, an appointment can
be made to discuss any issues in private.
4. You understand that the syllabus is meant as a
general outlined of topics that are intended to be covered. The syllabus may be changed based upon
student and/or class need.
5.
You are
expected to take each test as scheduled and turn in any written assignments
when due, unless you receive an exception from the instructor prior to missing
a test/due date. Late assignments will
be assessed a 5 point penalty. Missed
exams may be made up at the discretion of the instructor.
6.
You are expected to actively participate
in the class discussions and are encouraged to ask questions at any time. Please remember that there are no dumb
questions! If you do not understand
something, please feel free to ask about it.
7.
While
I do not take attendance, I think that it will be very difficult for a student
to do well in the course if he/she misses a lot of classes. The reason is that
I test heavily from class material and in many chapters; the class discussion
goes beyond the readings from the text.
EVALUATION:
Evaluation will be
based on the results of tests and examinations, and participation in
discussions.
1.
Tests: There will be three (3) in-class tests. The content of the tests will clearly reflect
information from lectures, class discussion and readings.
2.
Homework
Assignments: There will be 2 homework
assignments.
3.
Participation
and Attendance: Your involvement in the course is important to your success in
class. Please remember that there are no
wrong or dumb questions! All questions
are encouraged and invited!
EVALUATION
PROCEDURE: Student performance and grade will be based
on the following:
40% - homework assignments
60%
tests
100%
830:250:40
Jan. 22 INTRODUCTION - Course Overview
Jan.
24 Chp. 1 Displaying the Order in a Group of Numbers Using Tables &
Graphs
Jan.
29 Chp. 1
Jan. 31 Chp.
2 The Mean, Variance, Standard Deviation, and Z-Scores
Feb. 5 Chp.
2
Feb. 7 Chp.
3 Correlation and Prediction
Feb. 12 Chp.
3
Feb. 14 Chp. 4 Some Key
Ingredients for Inferential Statistics
Feb. 19 Chp.
4
Feb. 21 TEST
1: CHAPTERS 1-4
Feb. 26 Chp. 5 Introduction to
Hypothesis Testing
Feb. 28 Chp. 5 [Homework
1 Due]
Mar. 4 Chp. 6 Hypothesis Tests with Means of Samples
Mar. 6 Chp. 6
Mar. 11 Chp. 7 Making Sense of Statistical Significance
Mar. 13 Chp. 7
Mar. 18 SPRING BREAK: NO CLASS
Mar. 20 SPRING BREAK: NO CLASS
Mar. 25 Chp. 8 Introduction to the t Test
Mar. 27 Chp. 8
Apr. 1 TEST 2: CHAPTERS 5, 6, 7, 8
Apr. 3 Chp. 9 The t Test for
Independent Means
Apr. 8 Chp. 9 [Homework 2 Due]
Apr. 10 Chp. 10 Introduction
to the Analysis of Variance
Apr. 15 Chp. 10
Apr. 17 Chp. 11 Chi-Square
Tests & Strategies When Population Distributions Are Not Normal
Apr. 22 Chp.
11
Apr. 24 Chp. 12 Applying Statistical
Methods in Your Own Research Project
Apr. 29 Chp. 12
May 1 Class Wrap UpLAST CLASS MEETING
May 6 READING DAYNO CLASS
May 13 FINAL EXAMTEST 3: CHAPTERS 9, 10, 11, 12
Tuesday, 5/13, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm; at
our regular classroom