Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Spring Semester 2026

Research Design (Face-to-Face)

PSY 3410-01

Course: PSY 3410-01
Credits: 3
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Department: PSY
CRN: 12321

Course Description

A consideration of issues in the design and interpretation of research in psychology. Topics include research ethics; validity and reliability; internal and external validity, within and between subject designs; single and multifactor experiments; correlational; and survey designs. This course is strongly recommended for students who plan to enroll in PSY 4930 and later intend to pursue graduate studies. (Fall, Spring) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Co-requisite(s): PSY 3415 Prerequisite(s): PSY 1010 and PSY 2010 and PSY 3010 and 3015 - Prerequisite Min. Grade: C- Registration Restriction(s): None

Required Texts

Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches, Creswell & Creswell, 5th Ed

American Psychological Association (2009). Publication Manual (7th ed.)

Learning Outcomes

     Bibliography &

                                                           Quizzes &Exams       APA Quiz           Paper

 | Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Physical and Natural World | X |   |  X
 | Inquiry & Analysis | X | X | X
 | Critical Thinking | X | X | X
 | Communication  | X | X | X
 | Ethical Reasoning | X |   | X
 

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: 
•       Use critical thinking to raise questions about real-world psychological issues and to evaluate studies that examine those issues  

•       Compare and contrast different types of research methods and recognize the applications of these methods to different types of research questions  

•       Debate ethical guidelines in psychological research and discuss the role of institutional review boards  
These skills will be useful for your careers in two ways. First, research skills are widely used and needed in psychology (and many other social sciences). For those of you who pursue academic careers, your research skills will influence your admissions to and performances in graduate programs as well as your research potentials. Second, research skills also have practical value for non-academic careers, because some jobs require experiences in research methods (e.g., international organizations, government jobs). Therefore, mastering the materials in this course will make you an attractive job candidate.

Course Requirements

This is a fast-paced course with an emphasis on discussion, practical applications, and group collaboration. It is important to demonstrate participation in class and be an active contributor to the group project. You may not make up any assignment unless prior arrangements have been made with the instructor (e.g., team sport away game) or you provide documentation of an emergency (e.g., doctor’s note).
 

Midterm Exam (1 @ 80 points); Quizzes (1 @ 100 points; 1 @ 55 points) 

The midterm exam and quizzes will be a mix of multiple choice, matching, short answer, labeling. I emphasize that you should keep up with the reading assignments on a weekly basis. Cramming multiple chapters just before exams would most likely result in poor grades in this course. It is important to note that lectures and in class activities may differ from the content of the book chapters, and exams will cover material from all aspects of the course (readings, lectures, class activities, etc.).  

 

Annotated Bibliography (1 @ 50 points)

You will find 5 key peer-reviewed articles pertaining to your research topic. You must provide the complete citation in APA style; summarize the article in your own words; explain the relevance of the article to your group’s research project.
 

APA Quiz (1 @ 50 points)

You will be given a take home quiz that requires you to know the basics of APA style. 

 

Paper (1 @ 100 points) See sample papers in the SUU Student Journal for guidelines                      

* grading rubric is at the end of the syllabus; this must be the cover page of your paper

Introduction. This is a minimum 6 paragraph double-spaced synthesis of the literature that introduces the topic of your research and provides the argument for your research question or hypothesis.  
MethodThis is an approximately 2 page section that summarizes the methods you used to conduct the study. This includes descriptions of the a) Participants, b) Measures or instruments, c) Procedures of how you collected the data; and d) type of statistical analyses that you will do. A complete copy of any Measures used (for example, all the items in a survey that you used, should be added to an appendix. 
ResultsThis an approximately 2 page section will be the statistical data analysis procedures used, and a summary of the results of these analyses. You must include at least one table and one figure in APA style as part of this section. You must relate the outcome/results back to the original hypotheses/research questions that you stated in your Introduction by stating whether or not your hypotheses were supported.
Discussion. This is approximately a 6 paragraph section that elaborates on the Results by restating them in language without using numbers and then relating them to the literature that you presented in your Introduction, as well as any unforeseen conclusions of the study, limitations of the study, or implications for future research.  
Other components: These will include the title page, author note, abstract (separate page), references (minimum 15 sources), and appendices (copy of surveys used). 

Course Outline

Week/ Month                         Monday                      Wednesday                Friday

 

 | 1    / January   | 5th      | 7th  Class: Syllabus LAB: Discuss the theme of the projects and surveys; form groups |  9th     PP “The Scientific Method” 
|  |  12th   Chapt. 1 Selection of a Research Approach |  14th     Class and LAB: Work on research project ideas | 16th       Chapt. 2 Review of the Literature; Discuss annotated bibliography
| 3 | 19th     No class MLK holiday     |  21st     Class and LAB: Chapt. 6 The Purpose Statement   | 23rd       IRB work day LAB 1 due (CITI)
| 4    | 26th      IRB work day; Qualtrics with the TA    | 28th       Class and LAB: IRB work day |  30th      LAB 2 due (IRB)  Turn in printed in class
| 5  / February  | 2nd      Quiz 1-No class    | 4th       Class and LAB: Revise and submit IRBs | 6th     No class- Celebrate submitting your IRBs!
| 6    |  9th    PP “Basic Experimental Designs”   | 11th     Class and LAB: PP “Basic Experimental Designs Annotated Bibliography is due | 13th     Midterm Exam No class  
 | 7    | 16th       President’s day- No class | 18th        Class and LAB: PP “Analyzing Complex Data” |  20th      LAB 3 (Method) is due  No class
|  Data collection | 23rd      Chapt. 9 Qualitative Methods   | 25th        Class and LAB: PP Repeated Measures ANOVAs PP “Mixed Design ANOVAs” | 27th       Chapt. 10 Mixed Methods
| 9  / March  Data collection | 2nd       APA take home quiz is due  No class | 4th      Class and LAB: Project work day (set up data files); Qualtrics to SPSS with TA   | 6th       Quiz 2 No class
| 10    Data collection |  9th     No class Spring Break    | 11th     No class Spring Break    |  13th    No class Spring Break  
 | 11    |  16th       Analyze data | 18th      Class and LAB: Analyze data | 20th      Analyze data
| 12 |  23rd     Analyze data | 25th       Class and LAB: Analyze data; work on Results | 27th      LAB 4 (Results) is due printed in my box by 4:00pmNo class  
 | 13 / April   |  30th      Feedback on Results | 1st        Class and LAB: Chapt. 5 The Introduction and the Discussion section   | 3rd       Work on presentations
| 14 | 6th      Work on presentations | 8th     Work on presentations | 10th     No class; work on your paper
| 15   |  13th    Presentations 1 and 2 | 15th     Presentations 3 and 4   |  17th     Presentation 5

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Late assignments are not accepted.

Attendance Policy

Attendance is required.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.