This collection of SPSS Video Tutorials from AJ Delgado are exactly as advertised, simple and quick. Here’s just one example, this one focuses on t-tests for independent means. Click here to link to all of his videos. Videos cover all of the key statistics, as well as issues like dealign with skew, and working with […]
Video: A Simple and Quick Way… (SPSS Tutorials) Read More »
A look back into the historical origins of statistics reveals surprising links to Nazis and eugenics. Check out Aubrey Clayton’s article “How Eugenics Shaped Statistics“ It’s an interesting look at statistics’ historical roots and how it’s tied to modern controversies “It’s no coincidence that the method of significance testing and the reputations of the people
Statistics’ Murky Ethical History Read More »
Does signing an honesty pledge at the top or bottom of a document increase honesty? That was the question researchers explored in a field study about reporting on a car’s mileage. But the data from that study may be fake. A post from DataColada.org entitled, “Evidence of Fraud in an Influential Field Experiment About Dishonesty”
Detecting Data Fraud: Miles and Miles of Fabrication Read More »
This activity utilizes an online Java applet to demonstrate the limitations of human intuition and the need for empirical reasoning when studying psychological phenomena. Click here for the activity
Activity: Let’s Make a Deal! Human Intuition vs. Empirical Reasoning Read More »
This assignment utilizes the Teach Psych Science resource Summary steps for conducting a Factorial ANOVA: From data through follow up tests and conclusions to calculate and interpret a 2X3 factorial ANOVA data set from scratch (all hand calculations). A research scenario and data are provided. Click here for the activity.
In this activity, students first brainstorm behaviors that might be present in a children’s TV show that could indicate aggression and cooperation. Next, they watch an episode of Spongebob Squarepants, coding specific behaviors for aggression and cooperation. They comment on the process of recording the behaviors, and whether they would recommend the show to parents.
This activity provides students an introduction to archival research by asking them to do a content analysis of personal ads. Click here for the assignment.
Activity: Personal Ads: An Archival Research Activity Read More »
To help students remember potential sources of threats to internal validity, I use the acronym “MRS SMITH.” This resource provides a handout describing these threats as well as an activity where students need to identify these possible threats. Click here for a link to the activity.
Activity: Identifying Potential Threats to Internal Validity Using MRS SMITH Read More »
This activity helps students apply ethical principles from class to a specific research project. Small groups of students serve as a mock Institutional Review Board (IRB) identifying problems and suggesting changes to make the application more ethically sound. Click here for a link to the assignment.
Activity: Mock IRB for Determining the Ethical Conduct of Psychological Research Read More »
This activity helps students engage the ethical issues of vulnerable populations, minimal risk, beneficence, informed consent/minors’ assent. Small groups compare Watson’s Little Albert Experiment with a Pavlovian Prank on the TV show The Office, and a news article regarding hazings/pranks. Click here for a link to the assignment.
Using current news headline as inspiration, this activity has students develop a research idea into a working hypothesis. Click here for a link to the assignment. Photo by Ludovica Dri on Unsplash
Activity: Developing a Research Idea Using Headlines Read More »
This assignment has students visit a book retailer to critically evaluate the portrayal of the science of psychology in the popular media. Click here for a link to the assignment. Photo by Megan (Markham) Bucknall on Unsplash
Activity: Psychology in the Bookstore Read More »
Students are given a list of personality descriptions based on the 12 signs of the zodiac and have to choose which one best describes them. We then discuss how these personality descriptions are written vague enough to apply to many people. This activity is similar to the classic Forer effect (Forer, 1949). Forer used generalized
Activity: Using Zodiac-based Personality Descriptions to Teach about Biases in Thinking Read More »
This activity involves students analyzing a famous editorial about the existence of Santa Claus in terms in terms of different ways of knowing (e.g., intuition, authority, logic, and the scientific method). Click here for a link to the assignment. Photo by krakenimages on Unsplash
Activity: Ways of Knowing There Is a Santa Claus Read More »
The Data Visualization Catalogue is a project developed by Severino Ribecca to create a library of different information visualization types. This site features most every type of data visualization you an imagine (including some of the most common in psychology– bar chart). Each contains a description, examples, tools for creation, and a video. You can access the site
Examples: Data Visualization Read More »
Tables that contain a lot of data can be difficult to understand. This article from PolicyViz.com shows a few ways to make that information more manageable by simplifying information, highlighting key pieces, and using the right type of chart. You can find the full article here.
Three Things You Can do to Make Your Data Tables More Visual Read More »
Jim Frost provides a thorough explanation of Spearman’s correlation, including when to use it, how it differs from Pearson’s r, and how it’s calculated. You can find the article here.
Spearman’s Correlation Explained Read More »
A comprehensive site created by Dr. Erin Buchanan offering lecture materials and videos for a full range of statistics concepts covered in a basic/introductory course (descriptives, graphs, z-scores, t-tests, ANOVA, correlation, regression, chi-square, etc.). Coverage also includes materials for several statistics packages (e.g., SPSS, JASP, R) Here is a link for a basic course. There
Resources: Stats of Doom Read More »
A meta-analysis looking at the correlation (or lack thereof) of self-report measures of media use and measures that track actual behavior. This would be useful to add to a discussion of types of measurement (contrasting the strengths and weaknesses of self-report and behavioral measures. Parry, D.A., Davidson, B.I., Sewall, C.J.R. et al. (2021). A systematic review and
Article: Self-Report Vs. Behavioral Logs in the Measurement of Digital Media Use Read More »
Measures that use fewer than 10 items are considered “short” and pose some challenges, including concerns about validity. This special issue addresses several misconceptions about these scales and offers ways to counteract potential problems. Ziegler, M., Kemper, C. J., & Kruyen, P. (2014). Short scales – Five misunderstandings and ways to overcome them [Editorial]. Journal of
Article: Misunderstandings about Short Scales and Ways to Address Them Read More »
