Methods in Behavioral Research

An important emphasis in this course is the development of research skills. Research (in any field), never has been, nor ever will be, a realistically solitary pursuit. Therefore, you should know up front that this is not a "memorization" course. You cannot expect to do well simply by reading the texts and keeping a seat warm in class. To firmly ensconce the material into your mindset, you must become actively involved.

1. Be able to generate testable hypotheses about any topic.
2. Be well versed in the vocabulary of research methods.
3. Recognize the common pitfalls in conducting research with humans, and how to avoid them.
4. Be able to generate and conduct good research based on having analyzed, interpreted, and presented data throughout the course.
5. Be able to write research proposals for multiple types of designs.
6. Be able to think more critically about any research result, including the many commercial claims encountered from day-to-day.

1. Attendance: Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes. Specific absence policies are determined by each academic department and faculty member, announced at the beginning of each course, and presented in the course syllabus. Students whose absence exceeds the announced departmental or faculty policy may receive academic sanctions up to and including a course grade of "F." Such students are permitted to attend the remaining classes but are not permitted to take any examinations. In this course, attendance is strongly recommended, but your final grade will not be directly tied to attendance.

2. Academic Integrity: Academic Integrity is one of this university's highest ethical values. All students are expected to understand and adhere to the standards of Academic Integrity as stated in the RMU Academic Integrity Policy, which can be found on the RMU website at www.rmu.edu/ai. Any student who violates the Academic Integrity Policy is subject to possible judicial proceedings that may result in sanctions, as indicated in the Policy. Depending on the severity of the violation, sanctions may range from receiving a zero on an assignment, to being dismissed from the university. If you have any questions about the Policy, please consult your course instructor.

   NOTE: The use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology for the completion of coursework is not allowed unless expressly permitted by the instructor for the course.

   Excerpt from Robert Morris University Academic Integrity Policy document (rev. Jan 6, 2025, Section B.6) - Violation of "Fair Use:"

   "Fair Use in copyright law is a doctrine that allows one to use brief excerpts of copyrighted materials for teaching or research without permission of or payment to the copyright holder. In particular, students featuring original works of others, including images, videos, etc., in their own works must ensure that they comply with the legal and artistic implications of such use. This includes knowledge of the concepts of licensing, copyright, fair use, and public domain."
   
   Improper use of any such work or similar authored by other people is a violation of academic integrity as is the failure to comply with "fair-use" requirements. In many cases, written permission from the artist is required for use in a student's project. Students who feature the original artistic media works of others in their projects should ensure that they have complied with the legal and artistic implications of this use. This includes knowledge of the concepts of "licensing," "copyright," "fair use" and "public domain." (See www.fairusenetwork.com)

3. Accessibility Accommodations for Students: Robert Morris University welcomes students with disabilities into all of the University's educational programs. If you have, or think you may have, a disability that would impact your educational experience in this class, please contact Student Accessibility Services (SAS) to schedule a meeting with the SAS Coordinator and Assistant Director Molly Hill. She will confidentially discuss your needs, review your documentation, and engage with you in the interactive process to determine your eligibility for reasonable accommodations. To learn more about academic accommodations, please visit http://rmu.edu/sas, email sas@rmu.edu, or call 412.397.6884.

4. Masking: You may elect to wear face masks in the classroom. Please respect individual decisions about whether to mask. Any negative response to an individual who elects to wear a mask will be reported to Student Conduct. If you are feeling ill but well enough to attend class, we strongly encourage the use of a face mask until you are feeling well.

5. In an Emergency: RMU Police emergency response telephone number is: 412-397-2424. From campus telephones dial only: 2424.

6. RMU Alert: All students are urged to sign up for the RMU emergency alert notifications at www.rmu.edu/rmualert. Always check with RMU to see if classes are in session during inclement weather.

7. Lectures & Readings: I expect that you will have read each chapter before we meet in class to discuss it. When you read, take note of portions that you don't understand well, or that you might have questions about. In this way you will arrive prepared for class to discuss the material like a true scholar. NOTE that I do not provide lecture notes or slides to students (i.e., as files that could be downloaded or emailed). I've tried this multiple times in the past and then watched students' grades plummet. It isn't a good idea (especially for this class).

8. Use of Personal Technologies During Classtime: The use of laptops, cell phones, MP3 players, or any technology that distracts you (and/or your neighbors) from course content and delivery are prohibited. If you are caught using ANY technologies during class time, you will be marked absent for that class. If the instructor deems your electronic addiction to be disruptive you may be asked (or required) to leave. Exception: Audio recording is allowed.

   Why am I inflicting such a "torture" upon you? It was shown back in 2014 (and replicated since then) that notes taken by hand result in superior memory/learning compared with notes taken on computer/laptop. The classic demonstration of this is: Mueller, P. A., & Oppenheimer, D. M. (2014). The Pen Is Mightier Than the Keyboard: Advantages of Longhand Over Laptop Note Taking. Psychological Science, 25(6), 1159-1168.

9. Missed Assignments: In the event that you miss a graded assignment (exam, activity, etc.) due to an excused absence, you have one week (or until the last day of classes; whichever comes first) from the date of the missed assignment to make arrangements with me to complete that missed assignment. If the original assignment cannot be completed, a replacement activity may be assigned. If you fail to make arrangements with me to make up any missed assignment by the deadline, you will receive a zero for that assignment.