COURSE OBJECTIVES & POLICIES

The course is taught primarily as lecture and voluntary discussion. It is not really the sort of material that lends itself to general class discussions, but I heartily encourage discussion and the asking of questions in class. I do not require class attendance, but you may be assured that it will be difficult to perform well on the exams if you do not attend class regularly. The course has no pre-requisites and it is designed primarily for Psychology majors (though others may take the course). The next logical course in the core curriculum for Psychology majors is PY370, Research Design and Analysis II, and PY271 is aimed at preparing you for PY370, and, eventually for PY484, Advanced Research in Psychology.

The objective of the course is to provide you with a solid conceptual basis for inferential statistics. The emphasis is not on "number crunching" -- that is, learning a lot of formulas and learning to plug numbers into those formulas to get a correct answer. The emphasis is instead on understanding basic concepts, and the treatment of the subject is distinctly non-mathematical. Instead of relying upon mathematical derivations to get at an understanding, I will use non-mathematical, "common sense" explanations. The essay-oriented nature of the exams reflects this concern with understanding statistical concepts rather than crunching numbers. A secondary objective of the course is to familiarize you with computers for communication (E-MAIL & conferences) and statistical evaluation of data ( SPSS for Windows). One of the primary reasons for stressing concepts instead of problem solutions is that nearly all statistical analyses are now done with computers. It is relatively unimportant for you to learn how to calculate -- computers calculate well enough on their own. What is important is that you understand WHY the computer calculates the way that it does.

Your grade will be determined on the basis of 4 exams given in class, each of which will result in a letter grade. The approximate dates of these exams are listed in your Course Syllabus -- Condensed Sequence of Activities. The actual dates will each be announced no less than one week before the exam. You may take an exam at some time other than the scheduled times if you make arrangements with me PRIOR to the exam, even if that arrangement must be made by phone or e-mail. The exams will be comprised of both essay and problem-solving questions. If you do not have a calculator, you should obtain one. DO NOT use programmable calculators. Also, from time to time, I will make small assignments that are worth 5 or so points each. These assignments will have due dates. If you complete the assignment after the due date, it will not count. Your grade at the end of the semester will be based upon a simple average of 5 letter grades (4 for exams and 1 for the assignments). The grading technique that I use for exams is a combination of standard and relative grading that I will endeavor to explain fully to you as the semester progresses. You will be provided with a complete statistical breakdown of your scores in relation to the rest of the class.

My office is Scully 404 and my formal office hours are 10 to 11 a.m., M-F. If you need my help outside of class time, please feel at ease to stop by my office at those formal times or at any other time. My teaching methods rely heavily on individual consultation with students regarding their difficulties in understanding the concepts. It is very important to me that you take advantage of my time outside of class. If you prefer to make an appointment with me, that too would be fine. My office telephone number is 651-2133 (leave a message on the answering machine if I am not there to answer), and my home telephone number is 334-5230. Call me if you need me. As you will soon learn, my e-mail address is rburns@semovm.semo.edu . E-mail is an excellent way for you to communicate with me.

If you would feel more comfortable having a semi-formal study group meeting with me (as opposed to calling me, writing me on e-mail, talking with me in my office, etc.), I would be happy to set up a weekly session or sessions. Please let me know if you would like me to do that.

SUGGESTIONS FOR EXAM PREPARATION I have attached an example of the kind of exam that you will taking. If you look over that exam you should notice that several of the questions are essay questions. I know, you are saying, "Essay Questions?! In a statistics course?!" Believe me, there is more to statistics than knowing formulas. The course is full of ideas and concepts, and I must evaluate your understanding of those concepts by asking you to write about them. Now, writing about them takes a certain kind of effort that has little to do with just working problems. To prepare for an essay exam, it is essential that you write essays. From time to time, I will announce sample questions for you to write about, and major themes that you should be able to write about will become evident to you as the classes progress. Please take my advice. Write routinely! If you have essays written and would like me to comment on them for you while you are preparing for exams, please bring them to me. I would be happy to go over them with you. Because I do not "force" you to do this writing by making the writing an assignment in itself, the preparation of your essays is up to you. I will work with you on improving them, but the initiative must be yours.

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