Course content
PSYC 242 will cover methods and statistical approaches used to design, conduct, analyse, and report on psychology experiments.
Course learning objectives
Students who pass this course should be able to:
Distinguish between common experimental designs and identify the strengths and weaknesses of each.
Evaluate the validity of experimental research, including open science and Kaupapa Māori principles.
Design and conduct ethical, culturally responsive, and valid psychology experiments.
Analyse and interpret research findings using descriptive and inferential statistics.
Communicate research findings using APA standards of writing.
Available offerings
Please select an offering from the list below to view more details about this course.
There was a problem with the offering you entered in the URL, please select one from the list above
Sorry, there was a bad response in the offering data. Try selecting another offering or reloading the page. If the problem persists contact servicedesk@vuw.ac.nz
Offering CRN 33248
This course outline is provisional and subject to change until the course commences.
Duration
7 July 2025 - 9 November 2025
Starts
Trimester 2
Campus
Kelburn
Lecture start times
Tuesday - 13:10, 13:10
Thursday - 13:10, 13:10
Schedule
Teaching plan
Timeline
- 7 July 2025
- Course begins
- 7 July 2025 to 10 October 2025
- Teaching
- 18 August 2025 to 31 August 2025
- Break
- 13 October 2025 to 16 October 2025
- Study period
- 17 October 2025 to 8 November 2025
- Exam period
- 9 November 2025
- Course ends
Timetable
7 July 2025 - 17 August 2025
Tuesday
- 13:10 - 14:00 – LT303, New Kirk, Kelburn
Thursday
- 13:10 - 14:00 – LT303, New Kirk, Kelburn
1 September 2025 - 12 October 2025
Tuesday
- 13:10 - 14:00 – LT303, New Kirk, Kelburn
Thursday
- 13:10 - 14:00 – LT303, New Kirk, Kelburn
Teaching format
This course is designed for in-person study, and students are strongly recommended to attend lectures and labs on campus. Depending on the teaching week, students will do some or all of the following:
- Complete an online self-paced lecture consisting of pre-recorded videos with follow-up exercises (e.g., quizzes, conducting statistical analyses on data, readings).
- Attend two live lectures on-campus that describe the procedures of research design and data analysis as applied to experiments in psychology. Recordings of lectures will be available after the lecture date for preparation for assessment.
- Attend one lab on-campus that will guide students through all steps of the research process (reviewing the literature, framing a hypothesis, designing and implementing an experiment, collecting and analysing and interpreting data, presenting results in a final written report). When you sign-up for labs at the start of the trimester, you will have the option of selecting from several on-campus labs across the week and you will be able to swap lab times during the trimester. There are no online alternatives for labs and they are not recorded - if you miss your usual lab time, you will need to either join any other lab that is still running that week or go through the material on your own and bring your questions to your tutor in the following lab.
Workload
A total of 150 hours of work is expected from students consisting of approximately 42 hours of lectures and labs, approximately 8 hours per week outside classes during teaching weeks spent studying, preparing for labs and completing assignments (96 hours), and approximately 12 hours preparing and revising during mid-trimester break.
Texts
Required
REQUIRED: Research Methods in Psychology (NZ Edition)
- This is the required text for the course. And good news - it's free and written for NZ students! Each week, we'll let you know which chapters/pages of the text are assigned. Any assigned readings from the text can appear on tests. The content will also help you in preparing your research report.
- Price, P. C. & Jhangiani, R. S. (2018). Research Methods in Psychology (NZ Edition). Saylor Foundation.
- Price, P. C. & Jhangiani, R. S. (2018). Research Methods in Psychology (NZ Edition). Saylor Foundation. Available from open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/research-methods-in-psychology-new-zealand-edition
There are no required texts for this offering.
Recommended
SUPPLEMENTARY: Learning statistics with Jamovi: a tutorial for psychology students and other beginners
- This is not a required reading, but it is an excellent way to familiarize yourself with the statistical tool we will use to work with our data.
- Navarro, D. J. & Foxcroft, D. R. (2022). Learning statistics with Jamovi: a tutorial for psychology students and other beginners. (Version 0.75). DOI: 10.24384/hgc3-7p15
Required materials and equipment
Students will perform data analyses for their written assignment and laboratory exercises using a statistical programme called Jamovi, which is provided on the laboratory computers and can be downloaded for free. Please note that all students will need to make sure they have access to Jamovi, either by attending our on-campus labs or downloading it on their own computer.
All users will be expected to have access to Zoom and be able to join Zoom sessions.
Assessment
Test 1 - in-person on-campus during regular lecture time
CLO:
- 1,
- 2,
- 4,
Mark: 25%
Research Report Part 1 (1500 words; introduction, method) - submit online
CLO:
- 3,
- 4,
- 5,
Mark: 15%
Research Report Part 2 (3000 words total; revised Part 1 + results and discussion) - submit online
CLO:
- 3,
- 4,
- 5,
Mark: 20%
Test 2 - in-person on-campus during the exam period
CLO:
- 1,
- 2,
- 4,
Mark: 30%
Online module quizzes and exercises (10 x 1%)
CLO:
- 1,
- 2,
- 3,
- 4,
- 5,
Mark: 10%
Mandatory requirements
In addition to achieving an overall pass mark of at least 50%, students must:
- Complete 7 of 10 online modules. Completion of online modules ensures that students meet important milestones in the completion of the lab programme and research reports.
If you believe that exceptional circumstances may prevent you from meeting the mandatory course requirements, contact the Course Coordinator for advice as soon as possible.
Class representative
The class representative provides a useful way to communicate feedback to the teaching staff during the course. They also work with the VUWSA Education Office on any academic issues that arise in their course. Reps are elected by students by the third week of classes every trimester. Being a rep requires a weekly commitment.
The Use of Te Reo Māori for Assessment Policy
Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington values te reo Māori. Students who wish to submit any of their assessments in te reo Māori must refer to The Use of Te Reo Māori for Assessment Policy - PDF 134kb
He mea nui te reo Māori ki Te Herenga Waka. Ki te pīrangi koe ki te tuhituhi i ō aro matawai i roto i te reo Māori, tēnā me mātua whakapā atu ki te kaupapa here, The Use of Te Reo Māori for Assessment Policy - PDF 134kb
Course additions and withdrawals
If you want to add or drop a course you need to make sure you follow the correct process.
Important information
Keep your uni experience running smoothly—find out how to manage your studies from enrolment through to graduation.
Find out more:
- Enrolment and course advice
- Student conduct and feedback
- Examinations and assessments