PC5058 - Quantitative Research Methods in Psychology (2024/25)
| Module specification | Module approved to run in 2024/25 | ||||||||||||
| Module title | Quantitative Research Methods in Psychology | ||||||||||||
| Module level | Intermediate (05) | ||||||||||||
| Credit rating for module | 15 | ||||||||||||
| School | School of Social Sciences and Professions | ||||||||||||
| Total study hours | 150 | ||||||||||||
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| Running in 2024/25(Please note that module timeslots are subject to change) |
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Module summary
This module is designed to provide you with the knowledge and skills required to conduct quantitative research in psychology in line with the principles of open science. Using active learning methods, you will learn how to formulate a research question and a hypothesis and how to translate these into a research design. You will learn how to gather, conduct, interpret, and present data in accordance with professional publication standards and the principles of open science. You will develop your understanding of core concepts in statistical theory (e.g., null hypotheses significance testing; sampling distributions) and your ability to conduct a wide range of descriptive and inferential statistical analyses (e.g., correlation, linear regression, t-tests, analysis of variance). You will be able to put the skills you develop in this and other modules into practice by designing and conducting a quantitative study on a topic of your choice and presenting the results in a research report. The module will thus equip you with a range of skills that are essential for further study in psychology and highly valued in different employment contexts.
Syllabus
Topics will be drawn from: key concepts in quantitative research in psychology (e.g., independent and dependent variables; reliability and validity); research ethics; open science; research design (e.g., within and between participants designs; longitudinal and cross-sectional designs); sampling methods; descriptive and inferential analyses (e.g., correlation, regression, t-test, analysis of variance); non-parametric analyses (e.g., Spearman rank, Mann-Whitney); displaying and presenting data.
Balance of independent study and scheduled teaching activity
The learning objectives will be achieved through a combination of lectures, workshops, supervised laboratory sessions, supplementary guided web-based learning, and self-managed independent study. You will be encouraged to reflect on your learning throughout the module, particularly using formative assessments.
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this module, you will:
1. Have the confidence and competence to think critically about published psychological research.
2. Understand and be able to explain the key features of quantitative research in psychology, including formulating research questions and translating them into quantitative research designs.
3. Be able to design and conduct a quantitative empirical study—from data collection, through data analysis using statistical software, to writing up the results in accordance with professional publication standards and the principles of open science.