Statistics for Psychology I

Summary

1. Class and course introduction

2. What is statistics? Why is it important?
3. Cycle of statistical research: introduction
 1st Session Readings

• Chance & Rossman (2021)

• Sarty (2020) Chapters 1, 2 and 3
• Foster et al., (2018) Chapters 1, 2 and 3
• Gavin (2008) Research Cycle
assignment (29th Jan)
Breaking the ice…
Introduction
• Name and were I came from?
• A word that describes me?
• Why did I choose to study Psychology?
• What do I expect to learn in this module.
 Key content of the module
1. The statistical research cycle: literature review, research problem, study
design (procedures, measures, and sampling), collecting, analysing,and
theoretical and practical implications.
2. Data collection: types of measures and variables measurement levels
3. Descriptive statistics analysis and representation: central tendency
measures (mean, median, and mode); dispersion measures (standard
deviation and variance).
4. Data manipulation: inputting data, reversing items, overall scores, and
recoding variables.
5. Internal consistency: Cronbach alpha
6. Pearson correlation
7. Chi-square test
8. t-student tests

Managing people in public organizations- 2016-2017 Maria Rita Silva- [email protected]

 Evaluation
Participation – 10%
Midterm exam: 25% - 23 Mar
Final exam: 25% - 27 April
Assignments – 40%
• Research cycle assignment - 29 January
• Sociodemographic, descriptive, consistency, and correlation
assignment - 25 February
• chi-square test application - 11 March
• t-student test assignment - 1 April

Managing people in public organizations- 2016-2017 Maria Rita Silva- [email protected]

 Module materials and norms
• All materials and assignments submission are in the
HUB
• Students are expected to prepare for class in advance
• Assignments expected to be completed in class can not
be submitted if the student misses the class for
unjustified reasons.
• Other late assignments will be penalised 0.5 points on
the first day and 1 point per day after that.

Managing people in public organizations- 2016-2017 Maria Rita Silva- [email protected]

 For session 5: Collect 5 paper
questionnaires, advertise on-line version on
social media/e-mail
Working at home and taking notes
in class is necessary to pass this
module
Today’s topics

1. What is statistics? Why is it important?

2. Research cycle: introduction (Saunders, et. al, 2009)
• literature review,
• elaboration of a research problem
• study design
 1. What is statistics?
Why is it important?

Managing people in public organizations- 2016-2017 Maria Rita Silva- [email protected]

 What is statistics?

“Statistics is the fun of finding patterns in data; the pleasure

of making discoveries; the import of deep philosophical
questions; the power to shed light on important decisions,
and the ability to guide decisions in business, science,
government, medicine, industry...”

(Smith, 2018)

MaMannaagginingg ppeeoopplele inin ppuubblilicc oorgrgaannizizaatitioonnss-- 20162016--20172017

 What is statistics?

Branch of mathematics concerned with collection, classification,

analysis, interpretation and reporting of information that has been
sampled from the world around us.

MaMannaagginingg ppeeoopplele inin ppuubblilicc oorgrgaannizizaatitioonnss-- 20162016--20172017

 Why is it important?

Statistical research is how a large portion of Psychological knowledge

is built.
Even if you do not conduct research, as a Psychologist you need to
understand it, so you can understand and evaluate what you read, and
have a critical approach when you apply it to your work.

MaMannaagginingg ppeeoopplele inin ppuubblilicc oorgrgaannizizaatitioonnss-- 20162016--20172017

Maria Rita Silva- [email protected]
 Why is it important?

It is a toll - like other sciences, Psychology relies on the scientific

method to describe, predict, control and understand.
To do that, we need a systematic process to gather and process
data.
When we use quantitative data that process is statistics.

MaMannaagginingg ppeeoopplele inin ppuubblilicc oorgrgaannizizaatitioonnss-- 20162016--20172017

Maria Rita Silva- [email protected]
 2. Research cycle: general
overview

Managing people in public organizations- 2016-2017 Maria Rita Silva- [email protected]

What is research?
• What distinguishes scientific
knowledge from other types
of knowledge?
• How to distinguish good vs.
bad research?
 What is research?

Definition:
‘Process that people undertake in order to find things out in
a systematic way, thereby increasing their knowledge’
Saunders et al. (2009)

Characteristics:
• There is a clear purpose to find things out

• Data are collected and interpreted systematically (no bias)

• Rigorous, reproducible and transparent

 What is research?

• Science produces data-based conclusions

• Science produces tentative conclusions
• Science asks answerable questions
• Science develops theories that can be disproven
 Research cycle

Research Develop
problem hypothesis

Theoretical & Literature Design

practical implications Review methodology

Analyze Collect
data data

Maria Rita Silva- [email protected]

 Next we will do this exercise

Conceptualizing a research problem

Think about a problem that you would like to investigate:

• Formulate a question related to your area of study and

interests.
• What are the main variables?
• How can you collect the data?
• What would you expect to find?
 Research cycle

Research Develop
problem hypothesis

Theoretical & Literature Design

practical implications Review methodology

Analyze Collect
data data

Maria Rita Silva- [email protected]

What is a literature review?
What is a literature review?
Search and evaluation of the available literature in a given
subject
Documents the state of the art with respect to the subject or
topic you are writing about.
• surveys the literature (scientific journal, handbooks, dissertations…)
• synthesises the information
• critically analyses identifying gaps in current knowledge,
limitations of theories, and areas for further research
• presents the literature in an organised way
Why is reading important?

Science is a dialogue by means of the

written word.
If you want to be part of the dialogue you
need to be familiar with the
conversation.
Why is the literature review at
the centre of the research
cycle?
Reviewing the literature is important in every stage!
 Research cycle

Research Develop
problem hypothesis

Theoretical & Literature Design

practical implications Review methodology

Analyze Collect
data data

Maria Rita Silva- [email protected]

1. Defining the research problem

• Generate ideas that help you select a suitable topic.

• What are the main concepts/variables I am investigating? What
are the concepts used and how are they defined in the
literature?
• What has already been studied about those variables (what do
we already know), and what has not?
• Turn ideas into clear research questions and objectives.

(Sauders, et. al., 2009)

1. Defining the research problem

Broad Narrow
topic question
Define the variables and
develop hypothesis
about the relationship
between them

Maria Rita Silva- [email protected]

 Research cycle

Research Develop
problem hypothesis

Theoretical & Literature Design

practical implications Review methodology

Analyze Collect
data data

Maria Rita Silva- [email protected]

Role of Variables
Examples?

Independent Dependent
variable variable

Cause Effect
2. Developing hypothesis
2. Developing hypothesis

What are the expected relationships between the

variables?
Confirmatory: When we know what to expect.
The most usual in psyc. research. By reviewing the literature -
previous empirical studies and theories - we predict the
relationships between variables.
Exploratory: When we don’t know what to expect.
Sometimes used when studying something that has not been
studied before – rare – or in qualitative research.
3. Design methodology
• How are we going to define and measure variables?
• How, where and when are we going to collect the data?
• What is our sample?

Transparent, rigorous and reproducible

Maria Rita Silva- [email protected]

 3. Design methodology
Methods

The techniques and procedures used to obtain data

Methodology

The theory of how research should be undertaken

“there is no one best way for undertaking all research”

Saunders et al. (2009)
3. Types of study design

Or longitudinal

“there is no one best way for undertaking all research”

Saunders et al. (2009)
3. Types of study design

Also caled
correlational or
cross-sectional

Both predictor (independente) variable and

outcome (dependente) variable are only
observed, not manipulated.

Independent variable is manipulated and the

effect on dependent variable is observed
(e.g., use of fertilizer and plant growth).
 3. Types of study design
Original
hypothesis

Exposure to light
reduces the risk of
depression

Experimental Correlational
Decreasing the light There should be a
in a college higher depression
dormitory should rate in winter (less
increase depression sun) than in summer
rate of students (more sun)
3. Types of study design

Also called
correlational or
cross-sectional

Does not allow to test for cause and effect.

It is conducted in a natural context so we can
not control for interfering variables.

It allows for the test of cause and effect.

Because it is conducted in a controlled
environment- laboratory or with control group –
we can control for interfering variables
 Practical Class activity

Managing people in public organizations- 2016-2017 Maria Rita Silva- [email protected]

 Conceptualizing a research
problem
Formulate a question related to your area of study and interests.

• What are the main variables? (Dependent(s), Independent(s))

• How would you collect the data? (Sample, instrument, and procedure)
• What would you expect to find? (Hypotheses)

 About one page, bullet points, upload to Moodle

today
 You are expected to present next class (about 2
min)
 Home assignment

Managing people in public organizations- 2016-2017 Maria Rita Silva- [email protected]

 Research cycle assignment
(29th Jan)
• Minimum 3 pages (excluding cover and
references), Times New Roman, size 12, doble
spaced.
• Instructions, template, and materials available in
the Moodle.
• Submission deadline – 29th January
 Today we talked about
1. Class and course introduction
2. What is statistics? Why is it important?
3. Cycle of statistical research: introduction
 Session Readings
• Chance & Rossman (2021)
• Sarty (2020) Chapters 1, 2 and 3
• Foster et al., (2018) Chapters 1, 2 and 3