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  burtthompson.net

Psy 222 Research Methods
Spring 2026


Dr. Thompson's Office Hours (DePaul Hall, room 107)
  • Monday: 3:00-4:30
  • Wednesday: 3:00-4:30
  • Other days/times by appointment​
Exam schedule and due dates (subject to change)
  • September 14: Exam 1, chapters 1-2 (plus other info.)
  • October 5: Exam 2, chapters 3, 11, 14 (plus ...)
  • October 23: Exam 3, chapters 4-5 (plus ...)
  • November 11, APA paper due
    • bring one printed copy to class
    • email paper: PDF only, no links!
  • November 16: Exam 4, chapters 6-8 (plus ...)
  • December 7: Poster presentations
    • email a PDF of your poster to me by December 6
  • December 14 at 12:10: Final exam
    • chapter 9-10 and all previous information
Study tips
  • Using the study guide, study information in the textbook before we discuss it in class
  • Practice what you will do during the exam (NOT highlighting and re-reading your notes over and over)
  • Self-quizzing is a very effective study technique
Study reminders
  • Avoid simple rereading and cramming
  • Practice what you will do on the exam
  • Use spaced retrieval practice: study—wait—practice test—repeat
  • Keep studying material, even if you think you know it
  • Here are more details about effective study methods
Course Material​​​​​​​
  • Syllabus
  • ​Exam 1 study guide (chapters 1-2)
  • ​How to study for quizzes and exams
  • Willingham (2016) Study tips for college students​
  • Songs about science and research
  • Videos
    • Class videos and statistics videos (R, JASP, making CSV files)​​
  • Additional readings
    • Sagan (1995) pages 2-7
    • Sagan (1995) Chapter 2
    • Matthews (2016) Tell me straight doc
    • Amrhein et al. (2019) Retire statistical significance​
    • ASA statement on p-values
  • odds and probability conversion chart​
PictureHow to study: Emphasize spaced retrieval practice. Don't just reread and highlight. Practice what you will have to do on the exam. Rereading and highlighting will not be part of the exam. Also see "Study tips for college students" by Willingham (2016), linked under Course Material.



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General research information​
  • APS open science badges
  • AsPredicted research study preregistration site
  • Preregistration is becoming the norm (Nosek & Lindsay, March 2018)
  • The Preregistration Challenge
  • Information about predatory journals
  • Psychotherapy's Image Problem
  • Dowsing for bodies (Steven Novella)
  • Why debunked pseudoscientific therapies persist (Lilienfeld et al. 2014)
  • Psychological treatments that cause harm (Lilienfeld, 2007)
  • Whatever happened to actual behavior? (Baumeister et al. 2007)
  • Homeopathy: There's nothing in it
  • James Randi on dowsing and the ideomotor effect (YouTube)
  • Do IRBs actually protect research participants? (Grady, 2010)
Writing research papers and posters
  • How to avoid term paper procrastination
  • APA research paper checklist
  • APA paper templates:   Pages    Word
  • Team research proposal form
  • Write results that make sense
  • PsycINFO information on the APA web site
  • APA style blog
  • Better graphs to show your data (Hehman & Xie, 2022)
  • Basics of APA style
  • Word processing tips (for Word, Pages, etc.)
  • Sample APA papers (from the APA style website)
  • Poster templates (24 x 36 inches):   Keynote     PowerPoint
  • Tips for making posters
  • Poster checklist​
  • What is BF and p-value? PDF graphic for posters
  • NU Psychology research guide​​
JASP and R for data analysis
  • Download R
  • Download JASP
  • JASP tutorials
  • Quick-R: Info. on using R​
Other information on data analysis
  • American Statistical Association statement on p values​
  • p values are misunderstood (Goodman 2008)
  • When Turing met Bayes (Matthews)
  • Make use of what you already know (Matthews)
  • Bayes Factor calculators (U of Missouri, Perception and Cog. lab)
  • Bayesian estimation for two groups (online version by Bååth)
  • Bayesian updater for discrete proportions
  • Activity: Alpha is not the false alarm rate
  • Activity: Bayes factors and prior by posterior graphs
  • Activity: Graphs for factorial designs​
  • Visual introduction to probability and statistics (Brown Univ)
  • Interactive visualizations of statistical concepts from Magnusson
    • confidence intervals
    • correlation
    • Cohen's effect size d
    • Bayesian inference​