PSYC1040 – Introductory Research Methods & Statistics (Week 1)

Course Administration

• Lecturer: Anthony Harris (Perception & brain activity researcher). Contact for content queries; admin queries go to undergraduate administration (Namita) via email listed in slides.

• Lecture logistics:

  • Weekly 2-h lecture, Fridays 10 am (recorded; links on Blackboard Ultra).

  • Weekly 2-h tutorial — sign up on Si-net; large cohort (~400) so act fast if slots needed.

  • Consultation: by appointment via email; use discussion board for common Q&A.

• Blackboard Ultra overview:

  • Tabs: Announcements (weekly, ~1 h after lecture), Discussion Groups (tutor-monitored; peer-answer first, then tutor clarification), Gradebook, Calendar.

  • Content folders: Course Profile, Assessment → Quizzes, Course Resources (extended videos by Dr Phil Grove, written materials, staff info), Week-by-Week folders (slides, readings, etc.).

  • Use Discussion board for peer teaching; explaining material improves retention.

• Respect @ UQ and Academic Integrity modules are compulsory (loss of Blackboard access if not completed).

• Peer notetaker position advertised (paid, support for students with disability).

Assessment Overview (4 items)

Assessment policies & tips:

• No quiz extensions (three-drop rule is built-in buffer).

• New UQ extension policy: max 3 extensions per assessment across semester—request generous single block.

• Mid & Final: closed-book. Only approved calculator + (optional) English-foreign language dictionary.

• Research Report scaffolding & “recipe for a 7” delivered in tutorials—attendance highly recommended.

• Academic Integrity: avoid plagiarism/collusion—share ideas verbally, never files; paraphrase, reference; Turnitin checks vs internet & internal database.

Required Materials

• Calculator: Casio FX-82 series (no alpha storage/stat functions); other UQ-approved models need compliance sticker.

• Textbooks:

  1. Grove, “The Scientific Process and Experimental Design” (free PDF on Blackboard; first 3 weeks focus).

  2. Aron, Coups, Aron – ‘Statistics for Psychology’ (6th or 7th ed acceptable; 6th in library). Page refs for both.

• Optional/extended: UQ Extend videos (Phil Grove) + written notes.

Time Management & Study Techniques

• Workload guideline: 10 h/week for this course (4–h contact + ~6 h reading/practice).

• Before lecture: read assigned chapters, watch UQ Extend modules, attempt practice Q’s.

• After lecture: attempt weekly quiz; review notes; participate in discussion board.

• Evidence-based study: practice retrieval > passive recognition; self-testing, hand calculations, explain to peers.

• Utilize LLMs (Copilot, etc.) to generate practice questions and critique your answers.

Quick Maths Refresher

• Operations needed: +, -, \times, \div, \; ^2, \sqrt{\ } only.

• Order of operations: BOMDAS/BODMAS (Brackets → Orders → Multiply/Divide → Add/Subtract).

• Squaring removes sign: (-3)^2 = 9.

• Formula anatomy: \sum X means “add all X’s”; formula is just a recipe.

• Example mean formula: \bar X = \frac{\sum X}{N}.

Why Research Methods & Statistics Matter

• Ubiquity: clinical practice, HR, sports psych, marketing, media literacy—need to evaluate evidence.

• Stats vaccinate against misinformation; help decide treatment efficacy, interpret polls, etc.

• Mathematics anxiety: stats here uses Yr 8 math; software handles heavy lifting—concepts are key.

• Careers: continual need to integrate new research; stats essential for “informed consumer” role.

Science, Psychology & Knowledge Acquisition

• Psychology breadth: 56 APA divisions; thousands of specialized journals.

• Peer-review process: manuscript → journal → anonymous expert reviewers → revisions → publication.

• Knowledge sources:

  1. Personal experience

  2. Authority (good when justified)

  3. Reason (logic/syllogism)

  4. Empiricism (measurement) ← core of science.

• Neil deGrasse Tyson quote: goal = avoid fooling ourselves (false positives/negatives).

Scientific Method Essentials

• Science = process, not fact list; combines rationalism (theory) + empiricism (observation).

• Key attributes:

  • Systematic observation (standardised measures)

  • Critical analysis & tentative conclusions

  • Openness (methods, data, code sharing)

  • Independence from authority (data over prestige)

  • Focus on solvable, falsifiable problems.

• Goals: Describe, Explain, Predict, Control (e.g., cigarette warnings, traffic signs).

Theories & Hypotheses

• Scientific theory: coherent set of statements summarising existing facts & offering explanatory mechanism (e.g., Piaget’s stages of cognitive development).

• Must be falsifiable: specify conditions that could disprove it (e.g., invisible dragon analogy, Benjamin Rush bloodletting example).

• Hypothesis: precise, testable prediction derived from theory (theory “places the bet”).

• Good hypotheses: measurable variables, clear criteria, non-circular.

Principles Recap

1. Empiricism & Objectivity – measurable, replicable.

2. Skepticism & Critical Doubt – search for alternative explanations (Occam’s Razor: simplest that fits all data).

3. Openness – full disclosure, replication, data/code sharing.

4. Tentativeness – willingness to revise or discard theories with new evidence.

5. Anti-authoritarian – claims judged solely by evidence.

Lifecycle of a Psychological Study

1. Theory/Observation → question.

2. Derive falsifiable hypotheses.

3. Design study (participants, variables, procedure, measurement tools).

4. Collect data (systematic, ethical).

5. Analyse (stats) → descriptive & inferential results.

6. Interpret relative to hypotheses & theory.

7. Report (peer-review journal, open data/code).

8. Community replication & cumulative evidence (support, refine, refute).

Upcoming Tasks (Week 1 → Week 2)

• Read Grove Chapter 1.

• Complete UQ Extend Modules 1 & 2.

• Sign up to a tutorial; attend Week 1 for data collection.

• Acquire/borrow Aron stats textbook.

• Finish mandatory Respect @ UQ & Academic Integrity modules.

• Attempt Quiz 1 on Blackboard (opens ~1 h post-lecture, closes Mon 5 pm; 20 min once started).

Ethical/Practical Implications Discussed

• Extension policy limits: plan realistically.

• Academic honesty: ethical scholarship protects degree integrity.

• Statistics literacy as civic responsibility: evaluating policies, media claims, influencer advice.

• Open-science practices mitigate replication crisis and enhance public trust.