Research methods in Psychology

Research Methods in Psychology serves as an introduction to applying scientific methods to psychological questions and topics. We will focus on formulating research questions and learning to evaluate research predictions. We’ll cover different aspects of designing experiments, including how to select participants, choose independent and dependent variables, control for confounding variables, and consider ethical and equitable research practices. This course will also help students learn to communicate scientific ideas through presentations and research papers. Moreover, the course serves to inculcate the habit of critically evaluating research material and learning the principles of peer review and collaborative research through group projects and peer review activities. By learning to conduct a research project from start to finish, students will learn to think holistically about research to become better scientists or consumers of science. It is important for scientists to be not only an efficient producer of research but also be responsible consumers of research. The course aims to use Psychology as an example to help with learning however the technical skills learned through this course is applicable to fields beyond Psychology. By the end of the course, students will be able to articulate research ideas, conduct research and effectively communicate their findings to the broader community.