Introduction to Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences

Psych 1900 — Fall 2015

Lecture Time: Tue & Thur 10–11am

Lecture Location: WJH B1
Lab Sections: Thur (12-1pm; 1-2pm), Fri (9-10am; 11am-12pm; 12-1pm)
Lab Location: Science Center B09

Lecturer: Dr. Patrick Mair (mair@fas.harvard.edu)

Office Hours: Tue 3:15–4:15pm (WJH 836, 8th floor, please RSVP)
Teaching Fellows:
Benedek Kurdi (kurdi@g.harvard.edu)
Steven Felix (steven.a.felix@gmail.com)

Course Description
This course will provide a conceptual and practical introduction to statistics used in psy-
chology and other behavioral sciences. An understanding of the fundamentals of statistics
is vital for a career in the behavioral sciences, as well as for other areas of work and study
involving the quantitative analysis of information. In this course, we will cover basic top-
ics in statistics including: data visualization, measures of central tendency and variability,
hypothesis testing, correlation and regression, t-tests, analysis of variance, and chi-squared
tests. You will learn and use the statistical software R to help you understand and perform
statistical analyses.

Course Objectives
The primary objective of this course is to acquaint you with the conceptual basis of statistics,
from the basics of how we describe data to the logic and importance of statistical testing. By
the end of the semester you should have a strong understanding of the statistical procedures
and tests used most often in psychological science. A secondary objective of this course is to
provide you with the practical skills to apply the statistical procedures and tests you learn.
By the end of the semester you should be able to use R to independently analyze data from
course assignments and from other activities in which you may be involved.

Course Website
We will use the course website extensively, so check it regularly. I will disseminate readings,
make weekly announcements, and post links to additional material online.

Course Structure, Requirements and Grading

• Three non-cumulative, in class exams (60%, 20 points each)

• Three non-cumulative, in class quizzes (15%, 5 points each)

• Final data analysis project including report and code (25%, 25 points)

General notes:
Lectures will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays. You will meet with your Teaching
Fellow for 10 computer labs throughout the semester. It is required to attend each lecture
and lab. The main concepts and procedures will be introduced and explained in lectures.
Applied aspects of each topic will be discussed in lab. Labs will also be used to introduce you
to R which you will use to perform statistical analyses. Your attendance and participation
are especially important early in the semester. Although the exams are not cumulative, the
information and skills you will learn are. That is, the more work you put in initially, the
easier time you will have later in the course. Please contact me or one of the TFs for office
hours to discuss any aspects of this course at any time.

Exams. There will be three, non-cumulative, in-class, closed-book exams during the semester.
The exams will include material that is covered in class lectures, from the assigned readings,
and in lab and each will take one class period.
Quizzes. There will be three non-cumulative, in-class, closed-book quizzes during the semester.
These will include material similar to exams, but will be shorter in length (approximately
15 minutes) and are designed to evaluate your understanding of the material on an ongoing
basis.
Lab work. The lab sections will focus primarily on providing instruction in the use of R
and to teach practical aspect of empirical social research. You will learn to perform basic
data analyses based on the procedures learned in class. In sections, you also will have the
opportunity to review and ask questions about material from the lectures or homework.
Further details about the scheduling and curriculum of lab sections will be provided by your
lab instructor (TF), to whom you will be assigned during the first week of the course.
Final project. There will be a final project due at the end of the semester. This will take
the place of a final exam and will provide an opportunity for you to put into practice the
statistical skills you learned over the course of the semester. More details on this later.
Grading. Your grade will be calculated as the sum of all points earned: maximum of 100.
(A = 100-92, A- = 91-82, B+ = 81-72, B = 71-66, B- = 65-61, C+ = 60-57,C = 56-53, C- = 52-49, D+ =
48-45, D = 44-41, E = 40-0)

Academic Honesty
You are expected to adhere to Harvard’s policy on academic honesty. Please note that while
I encourage you to collaborate with each other on the problem sets, you are not allowed to
collaborate with each other (in any sense) on the midterm or final examination.

Lecture Slides
I will post annotated lecture slides before each lecture. That said, these annotated slides are
not meant to stand alone: Some of the material will only become clear after reviewing the
readings, attending lecture, consulting online resources, or talking with your peers.

Textbooks
I strongly recommend that you purchase the following textbook:
Field, A., Miles, J., & Field, Z. (2012). Discovering Statistics Using R. London, UK: Sage
Publications.

Additional textbooks:
Vickers, A. J. (2009). What is a p-value anyway? New York: Pearson.
Wheelan, C. (2014). Naked Statistics: Stripping the Dread from the Data. New York:
Norton.

Readings
The recommended reading list can be found on the course website. As needed, I will upload
non-textbook readings on the website.

Additional Notes
Since the methodological concepts elaborated in the lecture units will be heavily supported
by the use of R, you are welcome to bring a laptop with you to class and Lab sections.

Email Policy
Emails relating to statistical questions will not be answered. Ask questions in (or after)
class or in the Lab sections! For more in depth conversations come to my office hours (pls
RSVP via email such that I can schedule students efficiently) or meet with your TF during
his office hourse. Before each quiz there will be an additional Q&A in class where students
can ask questions.

Academic Integrity
It is expected that all work submitted by you for this course is your own. You are free to
work with other students when reviewing course material, and when preparing for quizzes,
exams, and your final paper. However, each student should submit only their own work on
quizzes and exams. For the final Lab project students will work in groups of two.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Students needing academic adjustments or accommodations because of a documented dis-
ability should present their Faculty Letter from the Accessible Education Office (AEO) and
speak with Dr. Mair by the end of the second week of the term. Failure to do so may result
in the Course Head’s inability to respond in a timely manner. All discussions will remain
confidential, although the AEO invites Faculty to discuss appropriate implementation with
them.
Week Day Date Time Unit Topic
1 Thu 09/03/15 10-11am Unit 1 Course Introduction
2 Tue 09/08/15 10-11am Unit 2 Basic Concepts, Descriptive Statistics I
Thu 09/10/15 10-11am Unit 3 Basic Concepts, Descriptive Statistics II
3 Tue 09/15/15 10-11am Unit 4 Inferential Statistics I
Thu 09/17/15 10-11am Unit 5 Inferential Statistics II
4 Tue 09/22/15 10-11am Q&A, Quiz #1
Thu 09/24/15 10-11am Unit 6 1 Metric Variable
5 Tue 09/29/15 10-11am Unit 7 2 Metric Variables: Correlation
Thu 10/01/15 10-11am Exam #1
6 Tue 10/06/15 10-11am Unit 8 2 Metric Variables: Regression I
Thu 10/08/15 10-11am Unit 9 > 2 Metric Variables: Regression II
7 Tue 10/13/15 10-11am Q&A, Quiz #2
Thu 10/15/15 no class Midterm Project
8 Tue 10/20/15 10-11am Unit 10 2 Categorical Variables
Thu 10/22/15 10-11am Unit 11 1 Metric, 1 Categorical Variable I: t-test,
U-test
9 Tue 10/27/15 10-11am Unit 12 1 Metric, 1 Categorical Variable II:
Simple ANOVA I
Thu 10/29/15 10-11am Exam #2
10 Tue 11/03/15 10-11am Unit 13 1 Metric, 1 Categorical Variable II:
Simple ANOVA II
Thu 11/05/15 10-11am Unit 14 1 Metric, 1 Categorical Variable III:
Repeated Measurement ANOVA
11 Tue 11/10/15 10-11am Unit 15 1 Metric, 2 Categorical Variables I:
Factorial ANOVA I
Thu 11/12/15 10-11am Q&A, Quiz #3
12 Tue 11/17/15 10-11am Unit 16 1 Metric, 2 Categorical Variables II:
Factorial ANOVA II
Thu 11/19/15 10-11am Unit 17 Inferential Statistics III: Sample Size,
Power, Effect Size I
13 Tue 11/24/15 10-11am Unit 18 Inferential Statistics IV: Sample Size,
Power, Effect Size II
Thu 11/26/15 no class
14 Tue 12/01/15 10-11am Review
Thu 12/03/15 10-11am Exam #3
Tue 12/10/15 Final Project Due