Course

Research Methods in Psychology

Faculty
Humanities and Social Sciences
Department
Psychology
Course code
PSYC 2301
Credits
3.00
Semester length
15
Max class size
35
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Lab
Course designation
None
Industry designation
None
Typically offered
To be determined

Overview

Course description
This course introduces students to the scientific approach and the development of knowledge in Psychology. Through class and lab activities, students learn how to design, carry out, analyze and report on their own research projects. Students learn the critical analytic skills to evaluate psychological research properly.
Course content
  1. The scientific understanding of behaviour
  2. Theories and falsifiability
  3. Developing questions, hypotheses and predictions
  4. Reviewing scientific literature
  5. Operational definitions and variables
  6. Ethical Research
  7. Qualitative research (i.e. Narrative, Phenomenology, Grounded Theory, Case Study, Ethnographic)
  8. Correlation and causation
  9. The experimental method
  10. Measurement concepts and practices
  11. Observational methods
  12. Surveys and questionnaires
  13. Experimental design
  14. Conducting experiments
  15. Multiple causation and complex experimental designs
  16. Quasi experimental and developmental research
  17. Understanding research results – describing data
  18. Probabilistic reasoning and chance – inferential statistics
  19. Converging evidence and consensus
  20. Generalizing results
  21. Research report writing
  22. Public trust in science and public perception of psychology  
Learning activities

This course will employ a number of instructional methods to accomplish its objectives, including some of the following:

 

  • lectures
  • laboratory activities
  • small group discussion
  • problem based activities

 

There will be laboratory meetings throughout the semester in which students will practice developing and carrying out their own research projects. Students may conduct research as part of their coursework in this class. Instructors for the course are responsible for ensuring that student research projects comply with College policies on ethical conduct for research involving humans, which can require obtaining Informed Consent from participants and getting the approval of the Douglas College Research Ethics Board prior to conducting the research.

Means of assessment

Evaluation will be carried out in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy.  Evaluation will be based on course objectives and may include some of the following: quizzes, multiple choice exams, essay type exams, term paper or research project, computer based assignments, etc.  The instructor will provide the students with a course outline listing the criteria for course evaluation at the beginning of the semester. This is a letter-graded course. 

An example of one evaluation scheme:

 

2 midterm exams  40%
Research project report    30%
Final exam  30%
Total 100%

Instructors may use a student’s record of attendance and/or level of active participation in a course as part of the student’s graded performance. Where this occurs, expectations and grade calculations regarding class attendance and participation must be clearly defined in the Instructor Course Outline.

Learning outcomes

At the conclusion of the course, students will be able to:

 

  1. Critically evaluate the design, measurement, and inferential reasoning used in psychological research articles.
  2. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the nature of knowledge in psychology and identify common misunderstandings about the field.
  3. Identify major ethical concerns as they apply to social research projects, particularly those involving human subjects.    
  4. Identify the strengths and weaknesses of various research methods and designs (e.g., case studies, experiments, quasi-experiments, surveys, observational studies, and qualitative methods), and match methods and designs to appropriate research goals.
  5. Practice designing, conducting, and analyzing research projects.
  6. Write a research report using APA guidelines.
Textbook materials

Textbook(s) such as the following, the list to be updated periodically:

 

  • Cozby, Paul C. & Bates, S.C. (current edition) Methods in Behavioral Research. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Publishing
  • Stanovich, K.E. (current edition) How to Think Straight about Psychology. Pearson Ed.
  • Gravetter, F. J., & Forzano, L.-A. B. (current edition). Research Methods for the Behavioral Sciences. Stamford, USA: Cengage Learning.

 

Requisites

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Course Transfers to Other Institutions

Below are current transfer agreements from Douglas College to other institutions for the current course guidelines only. For a full list of transfer details and archived courses, please see the BC Transfer Guide.

Institution Transfer details for PSYC 2301
Alexander College (ALEX) ALEX PSYC 217 (3)
Camosun College (CAMO) CAMO PSYC 201 (3)
Capilano University (CAPU) CAPU PSYC 212 (3)
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) KPU PSYC 2400 (3)
Langara College (LANG) LANG PSYC 2320 (3)
Okanagan College (OC) OC PSYC 260 (3)
Simon Fraser University (SFU) SFU PSYC 201 (3)
Thompson Rivers University (TRU) TRU PSYC 2110 (3)
Trinity Western University (TWU) TWU PSYC 201 (3)
University of British Columbia - Okanagan (UBCO) UBCO PSYO_O 270 (3)
University of British Columbia - Vancouver (UBCV) UBCV PSYC_V 217 (3)
University of Northern BC (UNBC) UNBC PSYC 215 (3)
University of Victoria (UVIC) UVIC PSYC 201 (1.5)
Vancouver Community College (VCC) VCC PSYC 2320 (3)
Vancouver Island University (VIU) VIU PSYC 204 (3)

Course Offerings

Fall 2026

CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum seats
35
Currently enrolled
0
Remaining seats:
35
On waitlist
0
Building
New Westminster - North Bldg.
Room
N6105
Times:
Start Time
12:30
-
End Time
15:20
CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum seats
35
Currently enrolled
0
Remaining seats:
35
On waitlist
0
Building
New Westminster - North Bldg.
Room
N6105
Times:
Start Time
18:30
-
End Time
21:20
CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum seats
35
Currently enrolled
0
Remaining seats:
35
On waitlist
0
Building
New Westminster - North Bldg.
Room
N6105
Times:
Start Time
9:30
-
End Time
12:20
CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum seats
35
Currently enrolled
0
Remaining seats:
35
On waitlist
0
Building
New Westminster - North Bldg.
Room
N6105
Times:
Start Time
12:30
-
End Time
15:20