This is an introductory course to the research methods and basic statistical techniques commonly used in psychology research. Students will be introduced to the process of scientific inquiry in psychology, both in terms of empirical research methodology and statistical analysis. The course is divided into lectures and tutorials. The lectures will focus on conceptual issues and cover the content materials that students need to understand to actually design any psychological study and work with any data. The tutorials will be dedicated to more in-depth discussions of some of the topics covered in the lectures, and practical experience with data analysis using SPSS
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Year Taken: AY 17/18, Sem 1
Lecturer: Olivia Choy
Assessments: Mid-term (40%), final exam (60%)
Workload/difficulty: Medium/mediumLet me get this out before we proceed: statistics is my nemesis. It will be an uphill challenge to some, juniors and seniors alike. This is because statistics is classically incompatible with the traditional method of studying that we’re accustomed to and that typically works (i.e. last-minute mugging). I can brute force my way through about anything except statistics. Granted, the ability to command the numbers is an essential skill for any good student of psychology. It is also a badge of honour. Master statistics and dazzle your peers with your outstanding brilliance! And you will forever be in demand for group projects!
Prof Olivia is a sharp cookie. Her slides are good quality (she has an affinity for the colours black and red). She knows how to test your understanding rather than your regurgitation skills. Example: we learn about various types of interaction effects in class. The mid-terms question throws out some specific scenario where I had to chart the DV and draw out the whole ass interaction graph. Still got it wrong though. And that was 1 out of 40 questions. To stand out you need an excellent grasp of the basics – and that won’t come from reading the slides alone, not even the textbook. But don’t be disheartened! Practice makes perfect in statistics. Or so I’ve heard. That means you have to make the effort to go above and beyond. If you see a practice exercise unanswered in your notes, you’d better get to working on it. NOW! IMMEDIATELY! (For more tips, read HP2100/HP3101)
This review was reposted with the kind permission of Gwyneth. Originally published at https://gwynethtyt.com/2021/06/01/ntu-psych-mods/
June 10, 2021 -
Profs and TAs are pretty good and explain the stuff well but during my time in Y1 (due to COVID) the zoom tutorials for SPSS were not that great. Concepts are not difficult to understand at all, formulae and mathematics should be at a JC/O-level standard at worst, not very difficult.
May 27, 2021 -
The prof and the TA is quite good as they are willing to slow down and explain concepts/questions posed. The teaching is quite good, especially if you are not good in math as they explain the logic of formulas and their context of application instead of making you blindly apply so you won’t feel so lost.
The midterms is a question bank mcq so dependent on your luck if you get an easier/harder paper. There are also no pyps available so studying for finals is quite challenging as the only practice available is the textbook questions that are very different from the finals.
May 25, 2021
