PSY 205 | Course Introduction and Application Information - Department of Psychology

Course Name

Research Methods in Psychology I

Code	Semester	Theory (hour/week)	Application/Lab (hour/week)	Local Credits	ECTS
PSY 205	Fall	3	0	3	5

Prerequisites	None
Course Language	English
Course Type	Required
Course Level	First Cycle
Mode of Delivery	Blended
Teaching Methods and Techniques of the Course	Discussion Q&A Lecture / Presentation
National Occupation Classification	-
Course Coordinator	-
Course Lecturer(s)	Prof. Dr. Seda CAN
Assistant(s)	-

Course Objectives	The aim of this course is to provide students with foundational knowledge and skills in the basic principles of scientific research in psychology, research ethics, literature searching, descriptive research methods, and APA style. The course also aims to prepare students to design and conduct research in subsequent research methods courses.
Learning Outcomes	The students who succeeded in this course; Will be able to explain the fundamental characteristics and aims of the scientific method. Will be able to distinguish between scientific and everyday approaches to acquiring knowledge through examples. Will be able to discuss ethical issues encountered in psychological research within the framework of fundamental ethical principles. Will be able to compare descriptive research methods in terms of their fundamental features, strengths, and limitations. Will be able to select an appropriate descriptive research method for a given research question and justify their selection. Will be able to format in-text citations and reference lists and apply the relevant rules for formatting tables, figures, and text in accordance with the current writing and publication guidelines of the American Psychological Association (APA).
Course Description	This course introduces students to the scientific method and its role in psychological research, ethical issues in conducting research, and major descriptive research methods, including observational and survey research. It also provides introductory practice in searching academic databases, reading empirical research articles, and applying current APA style guidelines to citations, references, tables, figures, and text formatting.
Related Sustainable Development Goals

Course Category	Core Courses	X
	Major Area Courses
	Supportive Courses
	Media and Management Skills Courses
	Transferable Skill Courses

Week	Subjects	Related Preparation
1	Brief description of course content
2	Introduction and The Science of Psychology, Practical Training & Application: Research Databases	Shaughnessy, J. J.,Zechmeister, E. B., & Zechmeister J. S. (2015). Research methods in psychology. (10th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Chapter 1
3	The Scientific Method	Shaughnessy, J. J., Zechmeister, E. B., & Zechmeister J. S. (2015). Research methods in psychology. (10th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Chapter 2
4	The Scientific Method Application: Types of Research Reports	Shaughnessy, J. J., Zechmeister, E. B., & Zechmeister J. S. (2015). Research methods in psychology. (10th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Chapter 2
5	Ethical Issues in Conducting Research	Shaughnessy, J. J., Zechmeister, E. B., & Zechmeister J. S. (2015). Research methods in psychology. (10th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Chapter 3
6	Descriptive Methods: Observation	Shaughnessy, J. J., Zechmeister, E. B., & Zechmeister J. S. (2015). Research methods in psychology. (10th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Chapter 4
7	Descriptive Methods: Observation, Reference Citations in APA, Practical Training & Application: Reference Citations in Text in APA Format	Shaughnessy, J. J., Zechmeister, E. B., & Zechmeister J. S. (2015). Research methods in psychology. (10th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Chapter 4 & APA Manual
8	Midterm
9	Descriptive Methods: Survey Research, Reference Lists in APA, Practical Training & Application: Reference List in APA format	Shaughnessy, J. J., Zechmeister, E. B., & Zechmeister J. S. (2015). Research methods in psychology. (10th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Cozby, P. C., & Bates, S. C. (2011). Methods in Behavioral Research. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Chapter 5 & APA Manual
10	Descriptive Methods: Survey Research, Tables and Figures in APA, Practical Training & Application: Making tables and graphs in APA Format	Cozby, P. C., & Bates, S. C. (2011). Methods in Behavioral Research. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Chapter 5 & APA Manual
11	Descriptive Methods: Survey Research	Shaughnessy, J. J., Zechmeister, E. B., & Zechmeister J. S. (2015). Research methods in psychology. (10th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Chapter 5
12	Quiz, Text Formatting in APA, Practical Training & Application: Text Formatting in APA	APA Manual
13	Measurement Concepts	Cozby, P. C., & Bates, S. C. (2011). Chapter 5
14	Practical Training & Application: Reading an Empirical Research Article
15	Overview
16	Final Exam

Course Notes/Textbooks

Shaughnessy, J. J., Zechmeister, E. B., & Zechmeister J. S. (2015). Research methods in psychology. (10th ed.). McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

ISBN-13: 978-0077825362

Cozby, P. C., & Bates, S. C. (2018). Methods in behavioral research (13th ed.). McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

Suggested Readings/Materials

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association: The official guide to APA style (7th ed). American Psychological Association. ISBN: 978-1-4338-3217-8

Semester Activities	Number	Weigthing
Participation	1	10
Laboratory / Application
Field Work
Quizzes / Studio Critiques	1	10
Portfolio
Homework / Assignments
Presentation / Jury
Project
Seminar / Workshop
Oral Exams
Midterm	1	30
Final Exam	1	50
Total

Weighting of Semester Activities on the Final Grade	3	65
Weighting of End-of-Semester Activities on the Final Grade	1	35
Total

Semester Activities	Number	Duration (Hours)	Workload
Theoretical Course Hours (Including exam week: 16 x total hours)	16	3	48
Laboratory / Application Hours	16		0
Study Hours Out of Class	15	2	30
Field Work			0
Quizzes / Studio Critiques	1	8	8
Portfolio			0
Homework / Assignments			0
Presentation / Jury			0
Project			0
Seminar / Workshop			0
Oral Exam			0
Midterms	1	24	24
Final Exam	1	40	40
		Total	150

#	Program Competencies/Outcomes	* Contribution Level
#	Program Competencies/Outcomes	1	2	3	4	5
1	To have knowledge of basic concepts, theories, approaches (behavioral, biological, cognitive, evolutionary, social, developmental, statistical, humanistic, psychodynamic, and socio-cultural), and current applications specific to the field of psychology by using current course materials and instruments.	-	-	-	-	-
2	To have basic knowledge and skills about the applications in the different subfields of psychology.	-	-	-	-	-
3	To have basic knowledge about the testing and measurement instruments used in different subfields of psychology and basic level skill that does not require expertise in carrying out applications in different subfields of psychology.	-	X	-	-	-
4	To make use of other disciplines that may contribute to psychology and have basic knowledge about the contribution of psychology to these disciplines.	-	-	-	-	-
5	To have cumulative knowledge about the position of psychology as a scientific discipline in Turkey, the conducted research, applications and problems encountered from past to present in the field of psychology.	-	-	-	-	-
6	To have the competence to conduct a research individually and/or as a team using the knowledge acquired in the field of psychology, interpret the findings obtained by using scientific problem solving and critical thinking approaches.	-	-	X	-	-
7	To have the ability to construct a research hypothesis, create a research design, collect data, analyze it, report it in a scientific writing format, and interpret it by using basic knowledge related to testing and measurement, research methods, and statistics acquired in the field of psychology.	-	-	-	-	X
8	To have the competence to share the theoretical and applied knowledge acquired in the field of psychology with the experts and lay people by using the required information and communication technologies in scientific studies and events that benefit the society.	X	-	-	-	-
9	To have knowledge of the relevant professional and ethical values in the domains of psychology and respect individual differences and human rights in research and practices related to psychology.	-	X	-	-	-
10	To constantly renew herself/himself professionally by following both national and international publications in the field of psychology, the developments in testing and measurement instruments and software programs used in the discipline.	-	-	-	-	-
11	To establish written and verbal communication with experts and lay people by using both Turkish and English.	-	-	-	-	-
12	To be able to speak a second foreign at a medium level of fluency efficiently.	-	-	-	-	-
13	To be able to relate the knowledge accumulated throughout the human history to their field of expertise.	-	-	-	-	-