APSY 331: Personality Assessment Lab (Spring 2006)

Professor: Dr. Laura N. May (LauraM@usca.edu)

Class Location: 211 Penland Administration Building

Meeting Time: Tuesday 1:40-4:20pm

Office: 237-O Penland Administration Building; 641-3217

Psych. Dept. Office: 226 Penland Admin. Building; 641-3579

Office Hours: MWF 11:00-11:50am; Thursday 12:30-2:00pm; or by appointment

Credit Hours: 1 Credit Hour

Course Structure

DEPARTMENTAL MISSION STATEMENT: The mission of the USCA Department of Psychology undergraduate program is to educate students in the knowledge, research techniques, basic and applied perspectives of the various subfields of psychology, and the appreciation of psychological values, in an individualized learning environment, involving classroom, laboratory, and applied experiences.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: (1) to become familiar with scale development as a tool for assessing personality; (2) to learn how to conduct a review of the literature on a specific personality construct and how to cite such research; (3) to develop the skills necessary to develop a personality scale/inventory; (4) to understand how research results are reported and interpreted; and (5) to be able to summarize research results and integrate them with the extant literature in a formal paper.

COURSE GRADING: Course grades are comprised of the following components:

(1) Class Attendance and Participation (100 points): Class attendance and participation is mandatory as you will serve as one another’s experimental subject pool. Everyone is responsible for his/her own attendance, participation (both as an experimenter and as a participant), writing, etc. *You may have one freebie day to miss class (with prior notification and ensuring that the required assignment is still turned in on the assigned date despite the absence); any absence thereafter will result in a ten-point deduction for every class missed.*

(2) Literature Review (75 points): You will conduct a review of the literature by: (1) finding psychological journal articles on the construct that you have selected for your scale development project (including at least one which contains an existent scale on the construct under investigation, which also will be included in the validation portion of the final project); and (2) incorporating articles into a summary of the literature. The literature review ought to be 2-5 pages in length, typed, double spaced, and written in APA format (including full citations of the articles).

(3) Paper Outline (25 points): The paper outline ought to include a full literature review (the introduction section), a detailed outline of the method employed, an outline of the experimental results, and an outline of the discussion of the results found in the study.

(4) Project Presentation (50 points): An oral presentation of the existing literature on the topic of the research project, a detailed account of the experiment conducted, the results found, and an overall discussion of the research findings in relation to the existing literature will be given by each class member. Presentations are expected to be 15-20 minutes in length and ought to include a Power Point presentation of the information presented. A copy of the Power Point presentation is to be turned in immediately following the in-class presentation.

(5) Final Paper (150 points): A 10-12 page research paper including a review of the literature/introduction, method, results, and discussion is due on the last day of lab, April 18th. It is to be typed, in APA-format, double-spaced, and in a 12-point standard font.

Final grade distribution will be as follows:

A = 358-400 points

B+ = 346-357 points

B = 318-345 points

C+ = 306-317 points

C = 278-305 points

D+ = 266-277 points

D = 238-265 points

F = 000-237 points

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Please take note of the following…

(1) Your instructor values good writing in this course. Please remember that the written work that you produce in this class can be included in your rising junior writing portfolio. For further information on the portfolio requirement, please consult your USCA Undergraduate and Graduate Studies Bulletin or visit Dr. Lynne Rhodes, Director of Writing Assessment, or Karl Fornes, Director of the Writing Room.

(2) Academic Responsibility: Note that the University Honor Code is in effect in this class (see the USCA Student Handbook for a full version) and all students must adhere to this honor code. Any breach of this code can result in a failing grade. It is the policy of the Psychology Department that work submitted for completion of the requirements of this course must not have been previously submitted for the completion of requirements in any other course. Simultaneous submissions are also disallowed.

· The following statement should appear on all major examinations and assignments:

"On my honor as a USCA student, I have neither given nor received any unauthorized aid on this assignment/exam. To the best of my knowledge, I am not in violation of academic honesty." __________________ Signature

(3) If you have a physical, psychological, and/or learning disability which might affect your performance in this class, please contact the Office of Disability Services, 126A B&E, (803) 641-3609, as soon as possible. The Disability Services Office will determine appropriate accommodations based on medical documentation.

Course Schedule

January 10^th & 17^th: Introduction to Scale Development & Researching Empirical Literature

January 17^th – In Class Research: in-class research instruction, research participation, April 18^th: data collection, data analysis, discussion of results, etc.

February 7^th: Literature Review Due [ Lit Review Grade: _____ ]

February 28^th: Paper Outline Due [ Paper Outline Grade: ____ ]

March 6-10^th: Spring Break (No Classes)

April 18^th: FINAL PAPER DUE (NO EXCEPTIONS…papers turned in late will be deducted one letter grade for each day it is late!) [ Paper Grade: _____ ]

April 27^th (2:00pm): RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS [ Presentation Grade: _____ ]