Research Methods 1

• Credit value: 15 credits at Level 5
• Convenor: Professor Clare Press
• Assessment: a 1.5-hour examination (60%) and two 3500-word lab reports (20% each)

This module allows you to:

• apply statistical techniques by hand and use SPSS to analyse data
• differentiate between statistical techniques and use these techniques for various research designs and research questions
• understand the theoretical rationale behind different statistical techniques
• generate data analysis, interpret relevant parts of the SPSS output, and critically think and comment about different findings that are produced by the analysis
• demonstrate acquired research skills through the writing of lab reports.

Indicative module content

• Research design and analysis
• Experimental and correlational methods; factorial designs
• Laboratory materials and techniques
• Principles of experimental design and statistical analysis
• Statistical methods of analysis
• General linear model
• Linear regression and analysis of variance
• Conduct of experiments
• Data collection, analysis, and report writing

By the end of this module, you should be able to:

• identify when and understand how to use the following statistical techniques, and subsequently interpret statistical findings from the following topics in a comprehensive manner: correlational analysis and simple linear regression; factorial analysis of variance: between and within subject designs; simple interaction effects; and post hoc tests
• understand and discuss the fundamentals of experimental designs issues relating to selection of participants, and ethics in experimental design.