Psych 350 - Personality psychology lab
CRN 39819

Instructor

R. Chris Fraley, PhD
Office: Department of Psychology, Room 409
E-mail, phone, and other information: http://labs.psychology.illinois.edu/~rcfraley/
Office hours: Tues 2:00 - 3:00 or by appointment [Just swing by on any afternoon other than Mondays. I have an open-door policy and I'm happy to meet with students.]

Teaching Assistants

Jia Chong
Keely Dugan

Class web page

http://www.yourpersonality.net/psych350/fall2019/

Updates

Readings

There is no textbook for this class. All reading material will be made available via the class website and will be announced in class.

Overview of the Course

The discipline of psychology occupies a peculiar niche in modern universities. Contemporary psychologists are concerned with basic humanistic issues (e.g., the nature of emotions, the mind, relationships, free will, and consciousness) that have traditionally been studied by philosophers, poets, and historians. However, unlike scholars in these other disciplines, modern psychologists employ the methods of the natural sciences (e.g., measurement, experimentation) to understand these phenomena.

The objective of this course is to introduce you to scientific methods, explain why they are valuable, and illustrate how they can be used to understand psychological phenomena. More specifically, we will focus on the methods used to study the psychology of personality. Personality psychology is concerned with understanding the ways in which people differ from one another, the origins and development of those differences, and the implications of those differences for important life outcomes (e.g., life satisfaction, close relationships, career performance, creativity, mental and physical health). The study of personality is arguably one of the most integrative areas in contemporary psychology, bringing together theories and data from multiple disciplines to better understand the way in which the mind works, how we develop, and what makes us different from one another. As such, the methods we will discuss in this course will be unusually broad in scope.

Because this is a methods class, this specific course will not discuss on the "content" of personality psychology (i.e., the knowledge that has accumulated over the last few decades). Psychology 250 serves that purpose and functions as a pre-req for this class.

Structure of the Course

There are two components to this course: Lectures and Labs.

Lectures will be held on Tuesdays (3:00 to 5:20) in Room 23 in the Psychology Building. In the lectures I will cover some basic material that you need to know to be an educated consumer of research in psychology.

Each student should also be enrolled in a lab section. The lab sections will be held in Rooms 219A and 453D of the Psychology Department on Weds and Fridays.

39820 Keely Dugan 219A WF 9 - 10:50
39821 Keely Dugan 219A WF 11-12:50
39822 Jia Chong 453D WF 11-12:50
49078 Jia Chong 453D WF 1-2:50


In lab sections you will design studies, collect and analyze psychological data, read and discuss papers, and expand your critical thinking skills. These sections will be led by one of the two TA's for the class and attendance is mandatory. These labs will not necessarily be held twice a week every week, but you should plan your schedule as if each and every session will be held. I will announce in each lecture whether or not both labs will be used that week.

You will be using computers in the labs. To access these computers, you will need an Active Directory (AD) account. Students should already have AD passwords. Please go to the CITES website to create your AD password if you do not already have one: http://www.cites.illinois.edu/accounts/index.html

Participation and User IDs

Because this is a class about personality psychology, we will often want to work through examples based on data that we have collected in class, in lab, or as part of a homework assignment. To benefit from this process, it is important that you fully participate in class and lab activities. You will be assigned an ID code in the first week of labs that is distinct from your name. This ID will be used to associate you with your lab participation and lab-based assignments. You should not share this ID with any of your classmates unless instructed to do so. Once you acquire this code, you will need to write it down and keep it in a safe place. You will not be able to participate in certain assignments without access to this ID.

The Class Webpage

I will post lecture notes and other materials relevant to the class on the class web page. You should treat the class web page as your primary syllabus. I will be updating it on a regular basis and it will be your responsibility to keep up-to-date on any changes that are made. (I will, however, announce significant changes in the lecture sessions.) The lecture-topical schedule listed below is preliminary and will change as a function of how quickly or slowly we are progressing though the course. If you do not have Internet access at home, please visit one of the many student computer facilities on campus.

Grading

This class will be hand's on. What I mean by that is that you'll be learning "how" to do things more than learning about things themselves. You will regularly be asked to write brief reports based on lab activities. In addition to those written reports, you will be in charge of writing three major research papers over the course of the semester based on data that you and your classmates collect. There will also be quasi-weekly quizzes at the start of lectures. Final grades of A, B, C, D, and F will be used; I do not use the + and - system in this class.

Your final grade will be weighted in the following manner:

20% Attendance and participation in lab activities
Lab exercises will typically be completed in lab or at home. These assignments are designed to assess what you've learned thus far and whether you've mastered the skills that were taught in lecture and lab. They will be graded in an all-or-none fashion.

20% Quizzes
There will be short, 6-min long quizzes at the start of most lectures. The purpose of these quizzes is to assess your learning thus far. There are three reasons we will be having multiple, short quizzes instead of a few long exams. First, research indicates that people learn more effectively when studying and testing their knowledge on a regular basis. Second, the average of a large number of small tests is a better indication of your accomplishments than the average of a small number of big tests. Third, using lecture time to administer long exams takes away time that we can spend covering material. Your lowest two quiz scores will not count toward this part of your grade. Thus, if you miss a quiz or can't attend a class, you shouldn't need to worry too much. If you already anticipate missing more than two classes due to travel, you will need to consider how this will impact your final grade before committing to the class.

20% Major Project 1 - Self-Other Agreement
A written paper that summarizes data that you collect regarding your personality traits, interests, and attitudes. You will compare and contrast how you see yourself and how others (friends and strangers) view you. Due: In lab on Oct 11 Oct 18.

Additional information:
Overview of Project [PDF]
Excel Template for Project 1 [Excel]
Grading Sheet/Rubric [PDF]

20% Major Project 2 - Ideographic Analyses
Write a paper that summarizes the data you've collected and analyzed on how your specific traits and attributes covary across time. Due: In lab on week of Nov 15 (I changed this from Nov 8 to Nov 15th on 10/29/2019)


Overview of Second Major Project - the yourPersonality/qs350 system [PDF]
Here is some additional information on how to analyze your data and structure your research report [PDF]
Grading rubric for Project 2: Grading Sheet [PDF]

20% Major Project 3 - Cross-sectional or experimental study
Written paper that summarizes a study you've designed and the data you've collected. Due: last day of lab, Dec 11.

Overview of Project [PDF]
Grading Rubric for Project 3 [PDF]




Extra Credit Opportunities

You can earn up to 3 extra percentage points toward your final grade by participating in research via the Psychology Department Subject Pool. Please note that this is not required; this is an optional, extra-credit opportunity. You can also obtain comparable 3 points of extra credit by writing an additional 3-page research report on topics in personality psychology. Please speak to your TA before Fall Break if you are interested in this latter option instead.

To learn more about the way the Subject Pool works, please see http://www.psychology.illinois.edu/services/subject/credit/. You will need to register in the appropriate online system to sign up for studies and receive credit.

Note: If you need to know your estimated grade at any point in the semester, please contact your TA.

Policy on Missed Assignments

Students will be eligible for a makeup assignment if they notify the TA in advance of the due date. Thus, if there is a scheduling conflict that will prevent you from completing a lab assignment, please let your TA know as soon as you become aware of the conflict. We understand that sometimes people have interviews and cannot attend lab. It is easy for us to be graceful when we know about absences in advance; we tend to not give people the benefit of the doubt if we do not.

In-class quizzes cannot be made up. As noted above, your two lowest grades will be dropped; this is designed to cover all possible situations that might make it difficult for you to attend class.

All assignments must be turned in to your TA by their due dates. Grades for assignments that are turned in late will be deducted the equivalent of a full letter grade. Moreover, for each additional day that an assignment is late, an additional letter grade will be docked. Lab assignments that are graded in a simple "did it" or "didn't do it" fashion will be graded as "didn't do it" if not turned in on time.

Emergencies

Students that will require assistance in the event of an emergency should identify themselves to the instructor. Your instructor will make arrangements to assist you in moving to a Safe Area during an emergency. Safe Areas are located on each floor of the Psychology Building next to the freight elevator in the southwest corner, and they are marked on the emergency wayfaring maps found throughout the building. Please see this for safety information.

Writing

A substantial portion of your performance in this course will be based on the quality of your written assignments. Please attend carefully to the quality of your writing. If you are unsure of the quality of your writing skills, please feel free to ask TAs and the instructor to review drafts of your written work before those assignments are due. Moreover, you can obtain free assistance from the Writers Workshop, part of the Center for Writing Studies. They provide free writing assistance for University of Illinois students, faculty, and staff from all disciplines and at all stages of the writing process. Discuss your writing with consultants who are experienced writers and teachers of writing. Call 333-8796 (or drop-in) to set up a 50-minute session at one of the four Workshop locations. http://www.cws.illinois.edu/workshop/

In your writing, please be sensitive to plagiarism. You are expected to do your own writing; you are not merely supposed to copy the writing of others. The following is paraphrased from http://www.library.illinois.edu/learn/research/academicintegrity.html

Plagiarism is using others' ideas and/or words without clearly acknowledging the source of that information. It may be intentional (e.g., copying or purchasing papers from an online source) or unintentional (e.g., failing to give credit for an author's ideas that you have paraphrased or summarized in your own words). Plagiarism is a problem for a number of reasons. Plagiarism is dishonest and prevents instructors from being able to assess students' authentic strengths and weaknesses and thereby help students to improve. It is crippling to your intellectual progress as it interferes with your ability to trust your own thinking, and it constipates future creative thinking. It is also an infraction of academic integrity and could result in expulsion from the university.

Schedule and Files

Note: Information about the lectures and labs will be updated each week as we progress through the course.

1. Week of Aug 27
Introduction to the Science of Personality
Lecture Notes: [PowerPoint]

Wed: No lab
Fri: Lab - Zero-acquaintance exercise


2. Week of Sept 3
Four Limitations of Personal Experience


Lecture Notes: [PowerPoint]



Wed Lab: No lab
Fri Lab: No lab




3. Week of Sept 10
Lecture: The Scientific Method in Personality Psychology

Lecture Notes: [PowerPoint]



Wed Lab: No lab
Fri Lab: Lab - Questionnaire development




4. Week of Sept 17
Lecture: Creating internet surveys and collecting data using HTML
Slides/Notes: [PowerPoint]

Links and Resources Used:
TryIt Editor
testform1.htm
testform2.htm
example1.html

Note: To view the raw HTML code for these files, open them in your browser window and, on Windows machines, right-click and choose the option titled 'view source'. To do this on a Mac, choose the appropriate option from the Develop menu in Safari. Please see this page for more info.

view data


Wed Lab: No lab. Fri Lab: Creating web-based questionnaires. Note: Homework assignment due next week.


5. Week of Sept 24
Lecture: Overview of First Project + Importing Data from Web Survey
Lecture notes: PowerPoint

Overview of Project [PDF]
Excel Template for Project 1 [Excel]
Grading Sheet/Rubric [PDF]

Lab Notes:
Wed Lab: No lab
Fri Lab: Design online personality survey for first major project


6. Week of Oct 1
Lecture: Ideographic Research: Overview of Second Major Project
Lecture notes: PowerPoint

Note. The zero-acquaintance data that you need for your first major project are now available online in the yourpersonality/qs350 system. I'll discuss this in lecture on Oct 1.

Overview of Second Major Project - the yourPersonality/qs350 system [PDF]
Link to the class assessment system: qs350

Lab Notes:
Wed Lab: no lab
Fri Lab:
Part 1: Extract data from your online surveys and work on first major project
Part 2: Create yourPersonality modules for second major project


7. Week of Oct 8
Lecture: Univariate Descriptive Statistics

Lecture notes: PowerPoint


Lab Notes:
Wed Lab: No lab
Fri Lab: Work on Projects. Meet with TAs to get feedback on analyses or drafts of Major Project 1. If needed, schedule appointment with TA to meet during next Wed lab time.


8. Week of Oct 15
Lecture: Z scores and Correlations

Lecture notes: PowerPoint


Lab Notes:
Wed Lab: By appointment only. Consult with TA about Project 1. Fri Lab: Major Project 1 due. Practice using R to compute means, standard deviations, z-scores, and correlations
Dataset for lab exercise: Comma-delimited text file - headers/labels in first row



9. Week of Oct 22
Lecture: Reliability, the Properties of Random Errors, and Composite Scores

Lecture notes: [PowerPoint]

In-class example on height. Don't fill this out until you're asked to do so. [Height Survey]

In-class example on extraversion. Don't fill this out until you're asked to do so. [Extraversion Survey]


Wed lab: No lab
Fri lab: Lab Exercise on composites and reliability: [MS Word]
Due in lab next week if you don't have time to complete it in lab this week. Ask your TA whether you should turn in your answers electronically or on paper.

composite backup dataset: Comma-delimited text file
composite backup item overview: Text file


10. Week of Oct 29
Lecture: Within-person variation in psychological qualities and their assessment: Follow up on 15-day project

Lecture notes: [PowerPoint]

R code for analyzing data discussed in lecture: [R code / text]

Spreadsheet containing examples discussed in lecture: [CSV]

Here is a re-link for the core data-collection part of the assignment [PDF]
Note: I've changed the due date for this project to Nov 15th.

Here is some additional information on how to analyze your data and structure your research report [PDF]
Grading rubric for Project 2: Grading Sheet [PDF]

Wed Lab: Optional sessions for those who seek extra time/practice/assistance.

Fri Lab: Work on Project # 2. Exercises on within-person analyses [PDF].

Additional files needed for Fri lab:
Spreadsheet containing data: [CSV]


Begin exporting your own data and analyzing it, with TA supervision.


11. Week of Nov 5
Lecture: Making Inferences about Causality: Experiments, Sample Selection, Partial Correlations, Statistical Control
Lecture notes: [PowerPoint]

Wed Lab: Consult with TAs about Project # 2.
Fri Lab: Consult with TAs about Project # 2.


12. Week of Nov 12
Lecture: Basic linear regression and multiple regression

Lecture notes: PowerPoint

Dataset used in class: Achievement [Comma-delimited text file]


Wed: Consult with TAs on Project 2.

Fri: Overview of Major Project 3 and group creation and study planning
Overview of Project [PDF]
Grading Rubric for Project 3 [PDF]



13. Week of Nov 19
Lecture: Factor Analysis in Individual Differences Research: The Basics

Lecture notes: [PowerPoint]

Data set used in lecture: [txt/csv file]

Class exercise survey: [Music Preferences Survey]

Lab Worksheet: [MS Word]
Lab Dataset 1: zero acquaintance ratings - self ratings [CSV file]

Wed Lab: Optional meetings with TAs
Fri Lab: Meet with group and/or work on Factor Analysis exercise.


14. Week of Nov 26
Fall Break. No lecture or lab.


15. Week of Dec 3
Lecture: Testing Theories: Three Reasons Why Data Might not Match the Theory

Lecture notes:PowerPoint

Wed Lab: Optional group work on project 3. See TA for appointment/consult if needed.
Fri Lab: Optional group work on project 3. See TA for appointment/consult if needed.




16. Week of Dec 10
Lecture: Research Methods Jeopardy for Extra Credit

Lecture notes:PowerPoint
In lecture we will have our **final quiz** for the semester and play a research methods quiz game for extra credit. Hot Cheetos will be available.

We will try to have the grades complete and entered into the UIUC system by Dec 18th.