- Docente: Sara Giovagnoli
- Credits: 8
- SSD: M-PSI/03
- Language: Italian
- Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
- Campus: Cesena
- Corso: First cycle degree programme (L) in Psychological sciences and techniques (cod. 8774)
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course, the student a) has sufficient knowledge of the methodology and scientific research procedures; b) is able to project and realize a scientific research; c) knows and can critically use the psychological measure instruments.
Course contents
The course will take place during the first semester (from September to December) at the Cesena Campus of the School of Psychology and Education (address: piazza A. Moro, 90).
The contents will be:
1. Scientific methods and False Hypothesis Significance Testing
- Science: between demonstrative and descriptive concept
- The Popper’s critical rationalism
2. Measure in Psychology
- From the constructs to the variables
- Quantitative and qualitative measures
- Scales of measurement
3. Measure evaluation
- Validity of psychological measure
- Reliability of psychological measure
4. Experimental, non experimental and quasi-experimental research design
- Correlational relationship and a causal relationship
- Experimental methods and descriptive methods
5. Research methods
- Hypothesis of research
- Experimental design
- Data collection
- Statistical analysis and results interpretation
- Communication of results
6. Ethic in research
- Ethic code and research implications
7. Sampling methods
- Probability and nonprobability sampling
- Simple random sampling
- Stratified sampling
- Cluster sampling
- Systematic sampling
8. Validity in research
- Internal validity
- External validity
- Content validity
- Construct validity
- Statistical validity
- Ecological validity
7. How to control the bias in psychological research
- Bias in psychological research
- Bias control strategies
8. Research designs
- Independent sample design
- Repeated measure design
- Factorial design
9. Advanced statistical techniques
- Factorial Analysis
- Meta-analysis
- Discriminant Analysis and ROC curve
Readings/Bibliography
Pedon A., Gnisci A. (2004) Metodologia della Ricerca Psicologica. Il Mulino, Bologna
Howitt D. Cramer D. (2014) Introduzione alla Statistica per Psicologia (a cura di Bolzani, Benassi, Rossi). Pearson, Milano-Torino.
Teaching methods
Frontal lectures
E-learning activities
Assessment methods
The test exam is aimed to verify the achievement of the following learning objectives:
-Knowledge of the methodologies and the procedures of scientific research
-The ability to design and to implement a scientific research
-Critical knowledge and ability to use the psychological measured instruments
The exam consists of a research paper and a written test.
The research paper: the student has to realize a scientific research under the teacher supervision. The different steps of the research will be described in the paper, that it has to follow the scientific article standards. Maximum length 6 word pages. The maximum mark is 15 points (range 0 to 15).
The written exam consists of 16 multiple choice questions, the maximum mark is 16 points: range 0 to 16 (correct answer: 1 point; wrong answer: -0.5 points; no answer given: 0 points)
The sum of the two marks will be the student final mark (eg. 15/15 + 16/16 = 30/30 cum laude).
Teaching tools
Scientific articles
E-learning materials
Office hours
See the website of Sara Giovagnoli