Category: Psychology

Welcome to the world of statistics in psychology! While the study of statistics can be intimidating, it is an essential skill for any psychology professional. Statistics are all around you and are integral to the activities you will engage in throughout your career. Whether you venture into research, clinical practice, or another data-driven field, understanding statistics is crucial. In this course, you will learn about both descriptive and inferential statistics, which are fundamental tools in psychology. Whether youre aiming to become a therapist, researcher, sport psychologist, school psychologist, industrial-organizational psychologist, or any other professional where psychology plays a role, mastering these tools will help you make sense of data, uncover patterns, and make informed decisions that can significantly impact your work. Imagine youre working as a school psychologist, and you need to understand the academic performance of students in your school to provide the best support. You could use a graph to visually display your data and descriptive statistics to succinctly summarize your data. Measures of central tendency allow you to summarize test scores with measures like the mean, median, and mode, giving you a clear picture of overall performance. Standard deviation and variance help you understand the spread of scores, indicating how consistent the performance is across the student body. Standard scores can help you identify students who need extra support as well as those who are ahead of their peers. Statistics enable you to make informed decisions based on data. You might use them to assess an individual patient, evaluate your overall practices, or analyze trends in behavior. For instance, you may need to determine the impact of a specific treatment or evaluate the effectiveness of a new therapy. To get started, you are encouraged to download JASP early. This will allow you plenty of time to reach out to IT support if you have any challenges. JASP is an open-source (i.e., free) statistical software developed by the University of Amsterdam. You will be using JASP throughout this course to perform statistical analyses, construct graphs, and complete your assessments. Its a powerful tool that will help you gain practical experience with the statistical concepts youll be learning. In the first assessment, we will cover the basics of research design, including scales of measurement, reliability, validity, and experimental versus non-experimental design. Well also focus on descriptive statistics. Descriptive statistics include measures such as the mean, median, and mode, which help us identify central tendencies in our data. We will explore measures of variability, such as range, interquartile range, variance, and standard deviation, which provide insights into the spread and consistency of our data. Well also learn about skewness and kurtosis, which describe the shape of a distribution, and standard scores, which describe the location of a score in relation to all other scores. By mastering these concepts, you will be able to effectively summarize and interpret data, making it easier to identify patterns and trends. Overview Preparation Before you begin this assessment, complete the following: Download the Assessment 1 Worksheet [DOCX]. Obtain access to JASP Statistical Software. Download the GSS_30s.csv file. These data were extracted from the General Social Service (GSS). In this file, data were limited to individuals between the ages of 30 and 39 who completed the survey in 2022. Instructions Complete and submit the Assessment 1 worksheet. There are several questions that ask you to include a screenshot. This should be a screenshot taken directly from your computer. Photos taken with a phone or camera are not acceptable. How you will take a screenshot will depend on your operating system. For Mac Users On the keyboard, press Shift + Command () + 4. Your cursor will turn into a crosshair. Click and drag to select the area you want to capture. The screenshot will: Either be saved to your desktop (by default). Or be copied to your clipboard (if you also press Control key), which you can then paste directly into your assignment. For Windows Users Press Windows Key + Shift + S to open the Snipping Tool. Select the area you want to capture. The screenshot will be copied to your clipboard. You can then paste it into your assignment. If you’re unsure how to take a screenshot on your device, try searching online using the phrase: “How to take a screenshot on [your operating system]” (for example, “How to take a screenshot on Windows 11”). If you’re still having difficulty, reach out to Capella’s Technical Support. Competencies Measured By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and scoring guide criteria: Competency 3: Conduct statistical analyses to address research questions in the social sciences. Open a dataset in JASP. Select the correct variable types in JASP. Compute descriptive statistics for a variable in JASP. Compute descriptive statistics for a variable, with a split variable, in JASP. Competency 4: Determine the generalizability of specific findings based on parameters of the research design. Identify the population to which a studys results can be generalized. Determine whether a causal conclusion can be made from a given research studys design. Competency 5: Evaluate academic options and careers in the social sciences that use statistics. Identify a graduate program or job posting in the social sciences that uses statistics. Evaluate the statistical knowledge required for the selected graduate program or job. Competency 6: Explain why measurement of research variables must be reliable and valid. Explain how the measurement of a variable may impact the validity of the study. Competency 7: Explain the results of statistical analyses in common language. Write a sentence to report descriptive statistics that is consistent with APA standards.

Assignment Instructions

CNSL 3005 – Psychometric Assessment

Value: 10 %

Due: Friday March 6, 2026

Development of a Personality Measure: The Template

For this assignment, you will have the opportunity to develop a structured measure of personality, describe how you will test the reliability and validity of your instrument and develop a user manual that includes information about data collection, data analysis, and reporting. This assignment is divided into 2 parts: the template and the final project. The final project instructions will be reviewed during week 8.

Instructions:

• This assignment can be completed individually, in pairs, or in a group of 3 students.
• If working in a pair or a group, only one assignment needs to be submitted on Blackboard.
• You will use a Theoretical Strategy (Chapter 13, pp. 353-358) to develop your personality scale.
• Carefully read the instructions below and include all the information requested.

Phase 1: Conceptualizing the personality scale

1. First, select an existing theory or model of personality (e.g., Big-Five model, Eysencks biological-trait theory, Psychodynamic theory, Rogers/ Maslow self-actualization theory) (1 pt). Briefly describe why you selected that theory. (2 pts)
2. Since you have a limited amount of time, you need to pick one construct/trait/characteristic of the theory you selected (e.g., neuroticism). Define and describe the construct/trait/characteristic (2 pts) that you selected and explain why you selected it instead of others (1 pts).
3. List 5 peer-reviewed journal articles that you will use to help you develop your personality scale. Please make sure to use APA format when listing your peer-reviewed journal articles. When selecting your article, ensure that at least 3 out of 5 are less than 7 years old. You might also want to consider using articles where you can see the items for the scale that was used (10 pts).
4. Thinking about the different models of reliability, select 2 that you would like to use with your scale (2 pts) and describe what it measures (4 pts). For this answer, please use your own words and cite your textbook using APA format. Do not copy and paste the answers directly from your textbook.
5. Thinking about the types of validity, select 2 that you would like to use with your scale (2 pts) and describe what it measures (4 pts). For this answer, please use your own words and cite your textbook using APA format. Do not copy and paste the answers directly from your textbook.

Think of this phase as building the foundation for your final personality measure. You are not creating items yet, you are clarifying what you are measuring and how you would evaluate its quality.

Please respond to the following question:

Psychologists agree that it is important to choose an occupation that is compatible with our own personality, particularly our dominant traits and values. In thinking about your own personality characteristics, what kinds of jobs do you think you would be most satisfied with? Explain.

At least one citation from from the following:

(H) Psychology Applied to Modern Life: Adjustment in the 21st Century

Wayne Weiten, Dana S. Dunn, and Elizabeth Yost Hammer, 2018

Cengage Learning

ISBN.13: 978-1-305-96847-9

Please respond to the following question:

What does the expression opposites attract refer to? In light of the discussion in this unit of the importance of similarity in attraction, why do you think it is that opposites may be attracted to each other in some cases?

At least one citation from from the following:

(H) Psychology Applied to Modern Life: Adjustment in the 21st Century

Wayne Weiten, Dana S. Dunn, and Elizabeth Yost Hammer, 2018

Cengage Learning

ISBN.13: 978-1-305-96847-9

Please respond to the following question:

Research findings indicate that alcohol consumption is particularly prevalent on college campuses. What is it about the college experience that contributes to the high rates of alcohol abuse among students?

At least one citation from from the following:

(H) Psychology Applied to Modern Life: Adjustment in the 21st Century

Wayne Weiten, Dana S. Dunn, and Elizabeth Yost Hammer, 2018

Cengage Learning

ISBN.13: 978-1-305-96847-9

need a provided draft rewritten so that it shows 0% AI and similarity currently shows 60% Each written report is to be a brief discussion of a controversial issue that is relevant to a topic covered in this course. Each report should be based on at least 3 sources. One of these sources may be from the general media (e.g. magazines, newspaper, TV, internet). The remaining sources should be from a more substantive source such as a scientific book or journal. Each report should be 15 double spaced typed pages in length. Your title page and Reference page(s) does not count towards total page numbers. All work must be submitted to Turn it in within the canvas shell. All work must contain parenthetical notations. Please do original work. If I receive reports that are plagiarized, those reports will be given no credit. All work must be in APA format. Each report should contain the following information: Your sources of information Description of the issue How is the issue related to this course (remember the main focus of the course is the study of the relationship between the brain and behavior)? What is your position on the issue? How has the information that you have gathered from your sources influenced your position on the issue? Fifteen percent will be deducted for each of the five items above that are not in the paper. The 1st Paper: The paper will be due at the beginning of class. Fifteen percent will be deducted for each of the five items above that are not in the paper. All late work will be deducted 10% per week. After 2 weeks of being late your paper will not be accepted. Topics (TO HELP IF YOU CANNOT THINK OF ONE ON YOUR OWN, BUT YOU CAN DO YOUR OWN TOPIC) Should humans be cloned? Should ETC be used on Depressed patients? Parkinsons Disease is there a cure or is there a control? Is marijuana medicinal or just an addictive drug? Should fetal tissue be used for brain transplants in patients with Parkinsons Disease? Do therapies – both psychic and somatic — work? The Mind’s Eye” The Imagery Debate: Are there mental images? Or is it just your imagination? Is Prozac overprescribed? Is Ritalin harmful or helpful?

Background

By engaging in this exercise, you will gain a deeper understanding of how to select and implement different experimental designs in behavior analysis and how these designs can be used to evaluate and modify behavior effectively.

Instructions

Design an informative and engaging presentation that covers multiple baseline, reversal, changing criterion, multielement, and parametric designs.

• Introduction:
• Begin with an introduction to the importance of experimental designs in research and behavioral analysis.
• Provide a brief overview of the different designs you will be covering in your presentation.
• Multiple Baseline Design:
• Explain the concept and purpose of a multiple baseline design.
• Illustrate how it is implemented across subjects, behaviors, or settings.
• Discuss the advantages and limitations of this design.
• Include a visual example or case study to enhance understanding.
• Reversal (ABAB) Design:
• Define the reversal design and describe its phases (A-B-A-B).
• Explain how it is used to demonstrate the effects of an intervention.
• Highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the reversal design.
• Provide a visual representation or example of this design in action.
• Changing Criterion Design:
• Describe the changing criterion design and its application in research.
• Explain how the criteria for reinforcement are systematically altered.
• Discuss the benefits and challenges of using this design.
• Include a graphical example or case study to illustrate the concept.
• Multielement/Alternating Treatment Design:
• Describe the multielement/alternating treatment design and its application in research.
• Discuss the benefits and challenges of using this design.
• Include a graphical example or case study to illustrate the concept.
• Parametric Design:
• Define parametric design and explain how it investigates the effects of different levels of an independent variable.
• Discuss its use in determining the most effective intervention parameters.
• Outline the advantages and limitations of parametric designs.
• Present a visual example or case study to support your explanation.
• Comparative Analysis:
• Compare and contrast the four experimental designs.
• Discuss scenarios where each design would be most appropriately applied.
• Highlight key differences and similarities among the designs.
• Conclusion:
• Summarize the key points covered in your presentation.
• Emphasize the importance of selecting the appropriate experimental design for research objectives.

Expectations

Length: This assignment must be [10-15] slides (excluding the title and reference pages).

References: Include [3] scholarly resources.

• Presentation Requirements:
• The presentation should be between 10-15 slides, clearly organized and well-designed.
• Use visuals such as charts, graphs, and diagrams to enhance understanding.
• Ensure the content is accurate, concise, and engaging.

Review the strategies for assisting the group on pages 133-138. How might you use one or more of those skills in different group settings? When do you think they would be helpful for groups? attached is the textbook by Gladding (your only source)