Weekly overview
This overview will be continuously updated over the course of the year.
Lab 1 (w/c 2 Oct)
Content
Chapter 1 introduces the lecturers and demonstrators.
Chapter 2 explains how to use this book.
Chapter 3 describes how you will be able to get support outside of the lab classes. This includes the help desk, the Moodle forum, e-mail and Teams chat.
Chapter 4 covers how to set up your computer for the lab classes.
Chapter 5 describes further computer skills and software.
Chapter 6 lists dates and times for your weekly lab classes and gives an overview of what we will cover this academic year. In addition, it describes the workload for this module.
Chapter 7 explains how this module will be assessed (including the research participation scheme or RPS). It also introduces academic misconduct, extenuating circumstances and support plans.
Chapter 8 introduces the core book for this module and explains how to get hold of a copy.
Learning objectives
- To get your computer set up for the upcoming lab classes.
- To learn key facts about this module.
To do outside the lab
- Install a recommended web browser and Office 365, if you do not have those already installed on your computer (see Chapter 4).
- Read Chapters 5 to 8 in the HHG and confirm that you have read them using the form in Chapter 9.
- Get access to Beth Morling’s book (see Chapter 8).
- We would recommend to read Chapters 1 to 3 in Beth’s book before Lab 2. If you read them, you will not only be better prepared for Lab 2, but you will also have less reading to do in the coming week.
Lab 2 (w/c 9 Oct)
Content
Chapter 10 is an introduction to psychological research basics. It covers empiricism, measured and manipulated variables, conceptual and operational definitions, types of claims, reliability and validity.
Chapter 11 describes the differences between research producers and research consumers.
Chapter 12 explains the first summative quiz.
Learning objectives
- To acquire the basic vocabulary necessary to describe and evaluate psychological studies.
- To demonstrate understanding of this vocabulary in a multiple-choice quizzes.
- To apply this vocabulary when evaluating research and designing a study.
To do outside the lab
- We would recommend to read Chapter 11 in the Hitchhiker’s Guide.
- Read Chapters 1 to 3 and 5 in Beth Morling’s book.
- Complete the summative quiz. Deadline: Thursday, 19 October, noon.
Lab 3 (w/c 16 Oct)
Content
Chapter 13 briefly talks about research ethics. It also includes a link to material that we will use for an activity in the lab class.
Chapter 14 describes formative activities that will require you to reflect on the reliability and validity of a measurement scale used in an educational psychology setting.
Learning objectives
- To consider ethical guidelines when conducting research.
- To apply your knowledge about psychological measurement.
To do outside the lab
- Complete the good measurement activities (see Chapter 14). Deadline: Thursday, 26 October, noon.
Lab 4 (w/c 23 Oct)
Content
Chapter 15 introduces psychological experiments. It briefly talks about the history of experimental psychology and introduces two experimental paradigms: simple and choice reaction time tasks.
Chapter 16 introduces interference tasks. It explains how interference tasks typically have a relevant and an irrelevant dimension. The information conveyed by the irrelevant dimension can conflict with the information conveyed by the relevant dimension. As we are typically unable to fully ignore the irrelevant dimension, participants tend to be slower and make more errors when there is conflict. This is referred to as the interference effect.
Optional Chapter 16 showcases a couple of interference examples from the University of Nottingham.
Chapter 18 is a journal article reading exercise. You will read sections of a published research article and will have to answer some questions about the article.
Chapter 19 describes your second summative quiz.
Learning objectives
- To be introduced to some classic psychological experimental paradigms: simple and choice reaction time task, Stroop task, and flanker task.
- To learn about interference effects and cognitive control.
- To practice reading empirical research articles and retrieving key pieces of information from them.
To do outside the lab
- Read Chapters 10, 11 and 14 in Beth Morling’s book.
- Complete the summative quiz. Deadline: Thursday, 9 November, noon.
Lab 5 (w/c 6 Nov)
Content
Chapter 20 explains how to open, run, quit and save PsychoPy experiments.
Chapter 21 explains the PsychoPy Builder view and its parts: the components panel, the routines panel, the flow panel and the toolbar. It also describes naming conventions for PsychoPy components and routines.
Chapter 22 explains the most relevant PsychoPy components and their main properties in more detail. It focuses on the Text component, the Image component and the Keyboard component.
Chapter 23 requires you to confirm that you have read Chapters 20 to 22.
Chapter 24 is an optional chapter which includes a video of me building a Stroop task in PsychoPy.
Chapter 25 describes a range of different exercises you will work on in the lab class.
Learning objectives
- Learn PsychoPy basics:
- Learn how to open, run, quit and save PsychoPy experiments.
- Understand the role of components, routines and the flow in the Builder view.
- Know the main properties of Text, Image and Keyboard components.
- Apply your knowledge when completing the exercises.
To do outside the lab
Lab 6 (w/c 13 Nov)
Content
Chapter 26 explains input file basics and how to use PsychoPy loops to update information from one trial to the next.
Chapter 27 shows that input files can be used to define stimuli, to determine the accuracy of responses and to add relevant information to PsychoPy output files.
Chapter 28 describes a range of different exercises you will work on in the lab class.
Chapter 29 announces the formative PsychoPy assignment.
Learning objectives
- To learn how to use loops and input files in PsychoPy.
- To apply this knowledge when completing the Lab 6 exercise and the formative PsychoPy assignment.
To do outside the lab
Lab 7 (w/c 20 Nov)
Content
Chapter 30 explains how to give accuracy and “too slow” feedback using PsychoPy.
Chapter 31 describes various miscellaneous bits of information about PsychoPy. These are: the order in which PsychoPy processes components, how to skip routines, and how to copy and paste routines and components. It also describes how to access the demo experiments that come with PsychoPy.
Learning objectives
- To learn how to give feedback in PsychoPy.
- To apply this knowledge when completing the exercise (Chapter 32).
To do outside the lab
- If you have no previous experience using Python, you might want to read Chapter 66 before the lab.
Lab 8 (w/c 27 Nov)
Content
Chapter 33 covers PsychoPy output files. It explains where these files are stored, how they get their file name, and what is stored in the rows and columns.
Learning objectives
- To learn how to interpret PsychoPy output files.
- To apply this knowledge when completing the exercise (Chapter 34).
To do outside the lab
- Complete the summative PsychoPy assignment (Chapter 35). Deadline: Thursday, 14 December, noon.
Lab 9 (w/c 4 Dec)
Content
Chapter 36 is an introduction to using Excel.
Chapter 37 introduces Excel formulas and some Excel functions that are relevant for us.
Learning objectives
- To learn Excel basics.
- To learn how to use Excel formulas and functions.
To do outside the lab
- Continue working on the summative PsychoPy assignment.
Lab 10 (w/c 11 Dec)
Content
Chapter 38 provides some information relevant in the context of the exam in January, including a link to the practice quiz and slides with example PsychoPy questions.
Chapter 39 explains the rationale behind data preprocessing.
Chapter 40 shows how to preprocess PsychoPy output files with Excel. It explains how to remove trials with extreme RTs, incorrect trials and trials with outlier RTs.
For those interested, Chapter 41 shows how to preprocess PsychoPy output files with R.
Learning objectives
- To learn how to use Excel to analyse a PsychoPy output file, including:
- Removal of trials with extreme RTs.
- Removal of incorrect trials.
- Removal of trials with outlier RTs.
- To learn how to calculate means, medians and standard deviations using Excel.
To do outside the lab
- Continue working on the summative PsychoPy assignment.
- Revise for the exam in January.
Lab 11 (w/c 29 Jan)
Content
Chapter 42 is an introduction to SPSS. Among other things, it introduces SPSS file types, explains how to get data into SPSS and how to compute new variables in SPSS. It also mentions some free alternatives to SPSS.
Chapter 43 covers some steps that should be completed before calculating descriptive or inferential statistics using SPSS. Specifically, it describes how to check measurement levels and how to define missing values.
Chapter 44 has a couple of exercises related to the material covered in Chapter 42 and Chapter 43.
Learning objectives
- To learn some SPSS basics, including:
- Getting data into SPSS.
- Computing new variables.
- To learn about SPSS alternatives.
- To learn how to:
- Check measurement levels.
- Define missing values.
- Add variable and value labels.
To do outside the lab
If necessary, catch up on the Excel material from Labs 9 and 10. There will be a summative quiz on this material next week!
Lab 12 (w/c 5 Feb)
Content
Chapter 45 focuses on categorical data, including selecting and sorting variables, calculating descriptive statistics for categorical data and recoding variables.
Chapter 46 focuses on continuous data, including calculating descriptive statistics for continuous data, boxplots and removing participants.
Chapter 47 describes the third summative quiz.
Chapter 48 includes a couple of exercises related to the material covered in Chapter 45 and Chapter 46.
Learning objectives
To learn how to:
- Use Frequencies in SPSS to screen data and to compute descriptive statistics.
- Recode variables.
- Use boxplots to identify outliers.
- Remove and filter participants.
To do outside the lab
Complete Quiz 3. Deadline: Thursday, 15 February, noon.
Lab 13 (w/c 12 Feb)
Content
Chapter 49 is an introduction to inferential statistics.
Chapter 50 covers how to run, interpret and report one-sample t-tests.
Chapter 51 is an exercise that involves computing a t-test step-by-step using Excel.
Learning objectives
Learn how to…
- Run and interpret a one-sample t-test using SPSS.
- Report the results of a one-sample t-test.
To do outside the lab
- Before the lab class: Read Chapter 49. We will not cover this chapter in the lab class and will assume that you are familiar with this material.
- Make sure to complete Quiz 3 by Thursday, 15 February at noon.
Lab 14 (w/c 26 Feb)
Content
Chapter 52 covers how to run, interpret and report a Pearson correlation test.
Chapter 53 adds some thoughts on the Pearson correlation coefficient.
Chapter 54 describes the Excel and SPSS quiz.
Chapter 55 is an exercise that involves computing a correlation test step-by-step using Excel.
Learning objectives
Learn how to…
- Run and interpret a Pearson correlation test using SPSS.
- Report the results of a Pearson correlation test.
To do outside the lab
- Complete the Excel/SPSS data analysis quiz. Deadline: Thursday, 7 March, noon.
Lab 15 (w/c 4 Mar)
Content
Chapter 56 is an introduction to writing lab reports.
Learning objectives
Learn how to structure and write a lab report.
To do outside the lab
- Complete the Excel/SPSS data analysis quiz. Deadline: Thursday, 7 March, noon.
Lab 16 (w/c 11 Mar)
Content
Chapter 57 introduces the lab report template and the lab report marking rubric.
Chapter 58 is an exercise focusing on how to structure introduction sections.
Chapter 59 introduces the experiment for the summative lab report.
Chapter 60 introduces the formative lab report.
Learning objectives
- To familiarise yourself with the lab report template and the marking rubric.
- To learn how to structure an introduction section.
To do outside the lab
- Complete the experiment for the summative lab report. Deadline: Thursday, 21 March.
- Start working on the formative lab report. Deadline: Thursday, 28 March.
Lab 17 (w/c 18 Mar)
Content
Chapter 61 is an exercise focusing on how to structure discussion sections.
Learning objectives
To learn how to structure a discussion section.
To do outside the lab
- Complete the experiment for the summative lab report, if you haven’t already done so. Deadline: Thursday, 21 March.
- Continue working on the formative lab report. Deadline: Thursday, 28 March.
Lab 18 (w/c 25 Mar)
Content
Chapter 62 is an exercise focusing on APA-style referencing.
Chapter 63 showcases a chart created with jamovi and ESCI and explains its advantages.
Chapter 64 introduces the summative lab report.
Learning objectives
To practise APA referencing.
To do outside the lab
After 28 March, 1pm: Start working on the summative lab report. Deadline: Monday, 13 May, noon.