Admission requirements
MSc Psychology (research) students
Description
The aim of this course is to teach students in the research master programme – regardless of their area of specialisation – about a variety of approaches and methods that can be used in psychological research. This is intended to broaden students’ views regarding the possibilities to operationalise different kinds of research questions.
The course meetings and assignments are intended to make students more aware of the added value of creatively combining different research traditions, and to enhance their ability to consider, combine, and apply multiple methodologies in a single research design.
Course objectives
Students will
be taught about different ways to evaluate an empirical study, and learn how to select a design that suits a specific research question.
gain an overview of the different types of experimental and theoretical methods to operationalise constructs that are used in psychological research.
learn to reflect upon the strengths and weaknesses of different measures and constructs in order to assess their suitability to address a particular research question.
be practising their skills to develop theoretically meaningful experimental hypotheses on various topics and to identify the most suitable experimental design to test them.
Timetable
Designing an Empirical Study (2014-2015):
Registration
Course
Students need to enroll for lectures and work group sessions. Please consult the Instructions registration
Examination
Students are not automatically enrolled for an examination. They can register via uSis from 100 to 10 calendar days before the date; students who are not registered will not be permitted to take the examination. Registering for exams
Mode of instruction
4 modules (each module composed by 2 classes of 2 hours each) + 1 plenary meeting.
Assessment method
Students will review a paper of their own choice and suggest improvements regarding design and method.
Presence is obligatory
The Faculty of Social Sciences has instituted that instructors use a software programme for the systematic detection of plagiarism in students’ written work. In case of fraud disciplinary actions will be taken. Please see the information concerning fraud
Blackboard
Literature will be made available on Blackboard
Reading list
The literature will consist of 2-3 articles per module-one article to illustrate the method and one or two to describe it in more detail.
Modules
Each of the four modules consists of two meetings. The first meeting will be an introduction into the topic(s) to be discussed and the second meeting will focus on practising the application of the main topic(s) introduced in the first meeting.
Module 1: Research ethics and levels of explanation
The aim of this module is to increase the sensitivity of the students with respect to two issues that are often overlooked in empirical research. The first relates to the role of theory in the research process. Even though psychological research is often said to aim for testing hypothe-ses about human mind and behavior, hypotheses are actually often derived after the fact, that is, after the relevant data have been collected. We will discuss the logical and ethical implica-tions of this practice. The second issue relates to the fact that human mind and behavior can be explained at different levels: at a phenomenological, functional, or physiological level. They all provide potentially useful insights into psychological processes but, unfortunately, many researchers confuse these levels and consider some as “causing” others. We will dis-cuss examples for, and the implications of this classical logical error. This module aims to stimulate critical thinking and controversial discussion.
Teacher: Dr. B.R. Bocanegra
Key readings:
Kerr, N. L. (1998). HARKing (Hypothesizing After the Results are Known). Personality and Social Psychology Review, 2, 196-217.
Weisberg, D.S., Keil, F.C., Goodstein, J., Rawson, E., & Gray, J. (2008). The seductive allure of neuroscience explanations. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 20, 470-477.
Module 2: Observation and simulation
The aim of this module is to learn about different observational techniques that can be used to assess responses to specific (experimentally created) conditions. These include a broad range of tools and measures, that help assess cognitive, affective and behavioural responses to different types of (social and task) conditions people can be exposed to, as well as procedures and techniques to quantify more qualitative behavioural observations (such as video-coding). We will also address the question of how theoretically meaningful aspects of richer social situations can be simulated or re-created in the lab (experimental simulations and games), to examine their effects under highly controlled circumstances.
Teacher: Dr. M.K. Noordewier
Key readings:
Wilson, T. D., & Aronson, E., & Carlsmith, K. (2010). The art of laboratory experimentation. In S. Fiske, D. Gilbert, & G. Lindzey (Eds.), The handbook of social psychology (5th ed., vol. 1, pp. 49-79). New York: Wiley.
Reis, H.T., & Gosling, S.D. (2010). Social psychological methods outside the laboratory. In S. Fiske, D. Gilbert, & G. Lindzey, (Eds.), The handbook of social psychology (5th ed., vol. 1, pp. 82-114). New York: Wiley.
Keltner, D., Gruenfeld, D., & Anderson, C. (2003). Power, approach, and inhibition. Psychological Review, 110, 265-284.
Module 3: Exploring the brain
Functional neuroimaging can be a useful tool to test psychological theories. This class will cover the methodological aspects of designing an experimental task for the use of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). The class will focus on the following questions: 1) Which theories can be tested with fMRI and which cannot? 2) What are the experimental requirements for testing these theories? 3) What do we learn from fMRI results? These questions will be illustrated with real data examples from various research areas.
Teacher: Dr. A.C.K. van Duijvenvoorde
Key readings:
Poldrack, R. A. (2006). Can cognitive processes be inferred from neuroimaging data? Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 10, 61-63.
Henson, R. (2006). Forward inference using functional neuroimaging: dissociations versus associations. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 10, 64-69.
Module 4: Evaluating Interventions
In this module we will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of different designs to evaluate interventions, ranging from case reports to randomized controlled trials. The examples will be drawn from the clinical and medical areas, but the principles are applicable to other interventions as well. The standards of conducting and reporting intervention research will also be addressed.
Teacher: Prof. Dr. W. van der Does
Key readings:
Boutron, I. et al. (2008). Methods and processes of the CONSORT group: Example of an extension for trials assessing nonpharmacologic treatments. Annals of Internal Medicine, 148, 295-309.
Vandenbroucke, J.P. et al. (2007). Strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology (STROBE): Explanation and elaboration. PLoS Medicine, 4: e297.
Vandenbroucke, J.P. (2008). Observational research, randomized trials, and two views of medical science. PLoS Medicine, 5: e67.
Contact information
Dr. Bruno Bocanegra
Room 2-B11
E-mail: Bocanegrabr@fsw.leidenuniv.nl