Course Syllabus

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "PS 210-1"
COURSE NAME: "Introduction to Research Methods"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2026

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Alfredo Spagna
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: MW 11:30 AM 12:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisite: PS 101 with a grade of C- or above
OFFICE HOURS:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

The course is designed to improve students’ skills both as consumers and producers of science. Thus, a major goal of the course is to enhance students’ ability to read, interpret, and evaluate scientific evidence presented in academic journals, as well as evidence communicated through popular press and other media outlets. Another major goal is to develop students’ ability to produce original research. The course includes a laboratory component where students will learn to search for and locate relevant literature, formulate testable hypothesis, identify and implement the appropriate research design, and effectively communicate research findings.
Sample topics include: the role of scientific inquiry in psychology, ethics in research with human participants, reliability and validity, essential elements of research designs, writing a research report

Minimum passing grade for students enrolled for the BA in Psychological science: C-

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

This course provides an introduction to research methods employed in the study of human behavior in psychology with a focus on studies in the areas of cognition and perception. Students will gain experience in the design and conduct of research, including ethical issues, observation and measurement techniques, interpretation of data, and preparation of written and oral reports.

Topics include: the role of scientific inquiry in psychology; ethics in research with human participants; reliability and validity; evaluating frequency, association, and causal claims; essential elements of research designs; reading and evaluating empirical papers, and basics of APA style.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

At the end of this course students will be able to:

1. Understand advantages and disadvantage of research methods used by psychologists. Define and explain key research concepts.

2. Identify individual and socio-cultural factors that can influence the generalizability of research findings.

3. Interpret, design, and conduct basic psychological research.

4. Demonstrate effective writing and presentation skills including communication of quantitative data. Write using APA style.

5. Be familiar with key regulation for protection of human research participants and apply ethical standards to evaluate psychological science.

TEXTBOOK:

NONE

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

NONE

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
Quizzes (weekly)	These will allow students to demonstrate their understanding of key concepts in research methodology and their applications (goal 1 and 2). Quizzes will consist of multiple-choice questions.	10
Labs	Lab assignments are designed to allow students to review and further engage with the material by applying the concepts to practical examples	20
Exams	These will allow students to demonstrate their understanding of key concepts in research methodology and their applications (goal 1 and 2). Exams will consist of some multiple choice as well as short answer questions. Exams will be mostly non-cumulative although concepts from earlier sections may be included.	40
Writing Assignment	These assignments will allow students to apply the concepts learned in class to interpret, evaluate, and summarize primary sources.	30

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Minimum passing grade for students enrolled for the BA in Psychological science: C-

ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.

STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE

Week	Date	Topic	Chapter	Notes
1	Mon Jan 19	Introduction to Course and Content Psychology Is a Way of Thinking	1
	Wed Jan 21
2	Mon Jan 26	Sources of Information: Why Research Is Best and How to Find It	2
	Wed Jan 28
3	Mon Feb 2	Identifying Good Measurement	5
	Wed Feb 4
3	Fri Feb 6	Ethical Guidelines for Psychology Research	4	Make-up class 4/6
4	Mon Feb 9	Surveys and Observations: Describing What People Do	6
	Wed Feb 11
5	Mon Feb 16	Sampling: Estimating the Frequency of Behaviors and Beliefs	7
	Wed Feb 18
6	Mon Feb 23	Catch Up & Review Midterm 1
	Wed Feb 25
7	Mon Mar 2	Bivariate Correlational Research	8
	Wed Mar 4
8	Mar 9–13	Spring Break – No Classes
9	Mon Mar 16	Multivariate Correlational Research	9
	Wed Mar 18
10	Mon Mar 23	Introduction to Simple Experiments	10
	Wed Mar 25
11	Mon Mar 30	Confounding and Obscuring Variables	11
	Wed Apr 1
12	Mon Apr 6	Holiday – No Classes (see Feb 6)
	Wed Apr 8	Quasi-Experiments and Small-N Designs	13
13	Mon Apr 13	Catch up &Review Midterm 2
	Wed Apr 15
14	Mon Apr 20	Experiments with More Than One Independent Variable	12
	Wed Apr 23
15	Mon Apr 27	Factorial Designs	12
	Wed Apr 30
	May 4–8	Final Exam (Date TBD)