Psychological Research Methodology IV (PSYC4050)

Course overview

Enrolment Note: This course has a delayed enrolment date and will open following the allocation of Honours streams. Students will be advised of the specific date each year when their Honours stream is confirmed and should contact the School of Psychology for further information.

This advanced methodology course builds on skills and knowledge developed in undergraduate psychology courses. We will first focus on preliminary data analyses, including missing data analysis; exploratory factor analysis; and confirmatory factor analysis. The next part of the course will focus on hypothesis-testing using advanced analytic techniques, including logistic regression; mediation analyses using bootstrapping; moderation analyses in regression and ANOVA; structural equation modeling; multi-level modeling; and multivariate analyses. Emphasis will be placed on conceptual understanding of analytic techniques; statistical decision-making; conducting and interpreting analyses using SPSS software; and critical evaluation of published empirical research reports.

Course requirements

Assumed background

A solid understanding of material taught in third-year methodology courses (i.e., PSYC3010 and PSYC3020) is essential for this course.

Restrictions

BPsySc(Hons), BSc(Hons) in Psychology, BArts(Hons) in Psychology

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Aims and outcomes

Building on material learned in third-year methodology courses, this course aims to:

1. Develop a conceptual understanding of preliminary data analyses and advanced analytic techniques.
2. Develop skills in statistical decision-making, such as choosing appropriate tests and outlining an analysis plan.
3. Develop skills in conducting analyses using SPSS software, interpreting these results, and communicating the findings.
4. Develop skills in critically evaluating results published in psychology journals.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment details

Missing Data Analysis, Assumption Checks

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

30%

Due date

4/04/2025 1:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04

Task description

Submission guidelines

All written work should be submitted online using Turnitin. Detailed instructions will be provided via the course Blackboard.

Assignments must consist of entirely original material that has been developed solely for the current course in the current semester (i.e., not previously submitted for another course or for this course in a previous semester). Electronic checks will be conducted to identify instances of plagiarism and collusion. Flagged assignments will be referred to the Integrity Officer for investigation, and if this concludes that plagiarism or collusion occurred then penalties will apply.

Every student must complete the University's Academic Integrity Module (which provides advice regarding plagiarism and ethical assignment behaviour) before completing any assessment. The module can be found at: https://www.uq.edu.au/integrity

ALWAYS download a copy of the Turnitin receipt from the Assignment Dashboard.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 14 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

For full details please review the School of Psychology Student Guidelines - Extensions and Deferred quiz/exam.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

EFA, logistic regression, and mediation

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

30%

Due date

2/05/2025 1:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04

Task description

Submission guidelines

All written work should be submitted online using Turnitin. Detailed instructions will be provided via the course Blackboard.

Assignments must consist of entirely original material that has been developed solely for the current course in the current semester (i.e., not previously submitted for another course or for this course in a previous semester). Electronic checks will be conducted to identify instances of plagiarism and collusion. Flagged assignments will be referred to the Integrity Officer for investigation, and if this concludes that plagiarism or collusion occurred then penalties will apply.

Every student must complete the University's Academic Integrity Module (which provides advice regarding plagiarism and ethical assignment behaviour) before completing any assessment. The module can be found at: https://www.uq.edu.au/integrity

ALWAYS download a copy of your Turnitin receipt via the Assignment Dashboard. You will not receive an emailed version.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 14 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

For full details please review the School of Psychology Student Guidelines - Extensions and Deferred quiz/exam.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

Final exam

Mode

Written

Category

Examination

Weight

40%

Due date

End of Semester Exam Period

7/06/2025 - 21/06/2025

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L05

Task description

Exam details

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Supplementary final exam, same details as the standard final exam

Additional assessment information

All assignments will be electronically screened for potential academic misconduct (e.g. plagiarism, collusion) using TurnitIn. Any assignments that are flagged by TurnitIn to have substantial overlap in content with other sources will then be manually examined by the course coordinator and the course tutor(s). If the nature of overlap is deemed to be of valid concern by course staff, then your assignment, along with the TurnitIn report and any other relevant documentation (e.g. overlapping sources) will be sent to the UQ School of Psychology's Academic Integrity Officer to be formally investigated for academic misconduct. You will not receive any marks for the criteria (based on the marking rubric) which contain work concluded as non-original. Further penalties may apply depending on the nature of the case.

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy
• Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Examinations Procedure
• Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.

School guidelines

Your school has additional guidelines you'll need to follow for this course:

• School of Psychology Student Guidelines