Statistics for the Social Sciences – PSYC 354

Course Description

This course is an introduction to the descriptive statistics and probability, probability distributions, estimation, tests of hypotheses, and visual displays of data with applications in psychology and the other social sciences.

Rationale

Due to the often highly publicized nature of social science research, it is imperative for the student in the social sciences to have a basic understanding of statistics that aids in the description and interpretation of data at a basic level. This course is designed to give the student a working knowledge of the topics listed above with an emphasis on the application of statistical knowledge rather than the theory. This course will also further equip the student to succeed in upper-level statistics courses within his or her field of study. This course will provide the tools for understanding and interpreting basic statistical language and data visualizations encountered in research studies across the social science curriculum.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (2)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to create a thread in response to the provided prompt for each discussion. Each thread must be at least 300 words and demonstrate course-related knowledge. For each thread, students must support their assertions with at least 2 scholarly citations in current APA format. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 2 other classmates’ threads. Each reply must be at least 150 words. (CLO: A, C, D)

Mastery Training Assignments (2)

These assignments are administered via the Mindtap platform and depend on information gained from the Learn material in the assigned module. (CLO: A, B, C)

SPSS Homework Assignments (4)

Assignments are SPSS-based and depend on information gained from the SPSS Tutorial Presentation(s) in the assigned module. (CLO: A, B, C, E)

Assignment is based on information gained from the Learn material in the assigned module. (CLO: B, C)

Hypothesis Testing Assignment

Assignment is based on information gained from the Learn material in the assigned module. (CLO: A, C, E)

Assignment Homework is SPSS-based and depend on information gained from the SPSS Tutorial Presentation(s) in the assigned module. (CLO: B, C, E)

Quizzes (8)

Each quiz will cover the Learn material for the module in which it is taken. Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 15-20 multiple-choice and true/false questions, and have a time limit of 1 hour. (CLO: A, B, C)