Course Syllabus
Learning area
RESEARCH METHODS IN EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Learning objectives
Knowledge and understanding
Learning different methods for survey research (including ambulatory assessment) and indirect measures
Learning about the scale construction process and psychometric issues when creating a measure
Applying knowledge and understanding
Identifying the best methods to measure different concepts in different domains
Creating surveys and indirect measures using specific software
Detailed program
Survey and vignette research: scale construction process, psychometric properties and quality, creating a survey using Qualtrics.
Ecological Momentary Assessment method: construction process, psychometric properties and quality, creating a EMA survey using Qualtrics and an App and testing it.
Indirect measures: reaction time-based vs. accuracy-based measures, psychometric properties and quality, creating an indirect measures using Inquisit.
Prerequisites
No specific prerequisites but the lab experience might be better if you take the Psychometrics (for statistics) and Social Cognition courses (for Inquisit) in the same year than the lab.
Teaching methods
Presentation of examples of research in different domains related to survey research and especially scale construction and validation, to studies using ecological momentary assessment, and to implicit cognition research.
Group work or individual work for creating surveys and measures applied to different domains. Attendance is required.
Assessment methods
Students in small groups have to create a scale on a topic of their choice starting from the existing literature, then collect data, and examine the validity of the scale. The small groups have then to present their work orally with slides and each student has to provide an individual report on the work he/she/they produced within the group.
Textbooks and Reading Materials
Mehl, M. R., & Conner, T. S. (2012) Handbook of Research Methods for studying life. Guilford
Rudman, L. (2011). Implicit Measures for Social and Personality Psychology. Sage
Furr, R. M. (2011). Scale construction and Psychometrics. Sage
