PSK 308 - Experimental Psychology

The primary aim of this course is to introduce students to the fundamental principles of experimental psychology through both theoretical instruction and hands-on application. The course is designed to enhance students' understanding of psychological research by focusing on experimental design, hypothesis formulation, variable identification, data collection, and statistical analysis. By engaging in classic and contemporary psychological experiments, students will develop the skills necessary to critically evaluate scientific studies and conduct their own experimental research. 

Experimental Psychology is a hands-on course designed to teach how psychological theories are tested using the scientific method. Throughout the course, students learn and apply all stages of the experimental research process. These stages include identifying a research question, formulating a hypothesis, designing an experiment, collecting data, conducting statistical analyses, and reporting the findings.

The course focuses on the following areas:

Scientific Research Methods:
Covering the methodology underlying the experimental approach in psychology, including the definition of variables, the use of control groups, and experimental manipulation techniques.

Types of Experimental Design:
Exploring within-subjects and between-subjects designs, discussing their advantages, disadvantages, and appropriate contexts for use.

Experiments Across Subfields of Psychology:
Examining experiments in areas such as perception, attention, memory, learning, emotion, motivation, and social interaction. Students also conduct small-scale experimental applications.

Conducting Applied Experiments:
Students design, implement, and analyze their own experimental studies, presenting their findings in class. 

Statistical Evaluation:
Focusing on how to analyze experimental data, including concepts such as statistical significance, effect size, and rules for reporting results.

Scientific Reporting and Presentation:
Teaching how to write findings in APA format, use graphs and tables effectively, and develop academic presentation skills.

By the end of this course, students will have learned how to investigate a psychological phenomenon using scientific methods, designed and conducted their own experimental study, and reported the results in an academic format.