Psychological Research Study Notes

PYC3704-- 2011

PYC3704 (2011)

Psychological
Research
Study Notes
IMPORTANT: Read through your UNISA study guide first!
 Get an overview of the module and then study each Topic individually
 Use this guide in conjunction with the UNISA guide- it is NOT a substitute
 If you have previous question papers- PLEASE DON‟T RELY ON THESE, you need to UNDERSTAND the content of this module if you want to pass and carry on to complete your Honours!

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PYC3704-- 2011

Table of Contents
1. What to memorise for the exam……………………………………………….…………………… P. 3

2. Table of symbols……………………………………………………………….……………………… P. 4

3. Basic overview of the steps taken in research………………………….……………………….. P. 5

4. Topic 1: THEORY, HYPOTHESIS AND RESEARCH DESIGNS………………………………… P. 6

5. Topic 2: PROBABILITY.…………………………………………………….………………………… P. 10

6. Topic 3: GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF HYPOTHESIS TESTING……….………………………… P. 22

7. Topic 4: STATISTICAL HYPOTHESIS TESTING: SINGLE SAMPLE GROUPS DESIGN.…… P. 29

8. Topic 5: STATISTICAL HYPOTHESIS TESTING: TWO SAMPLE GROUPS DESIGN………… P. 31

9. Topic 6: STATISTICAL HYPOTHESIS TESTING: CORRELATION DESIGNS………….……… P. 33

10. APPENDIX A: List of formula….……………………………………………………………………… P. 34
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Dear UNISA Student
I know this is a difficult module and many students close their study guides about half way through the second topic!
However, I know that if you work through this guide and dedicate the time and energy to this module not only will you pass but if you put in the hours you can achieve a DISTINCTION! Not an easy task for a third year module…
So take a depth breath and work systematically throughout the semester so you don‟t end up trying to come to terms with tricky concepts a week before you write your exam.
The UNISA guide can be very confusing and the language used is quite complex- so I am going to try to relate all the difficult concepts back to things you would use in your daily life so you can