Universität Wien

200083 SE Bachelor’s Thesis (2023W)

10.00 ECTS (3.00 SWS), SPL 20 - Psychologie
Continuous assessment of course work

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 25 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

In-person sessions will be displayed on Moodle.

  • Wednesday 04.10. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal C Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0618
  • Wednesday 11.10. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal C Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0618
  • Wednesday 18.10. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal C Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0618
  • Wednesday 25.10. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal C Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0618
  • Wednesday 08.11. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal C Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0618
  • Wednesday 15.11. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal C Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0618
  • Wednesday 22.11. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal C Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0618
  • Wednesday 29.11. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal C Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0618
  • Wednesday 06.12. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal C Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0618
  • Wednesday 13.12. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal C Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0618
  • Wednesday 10.01. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal C Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0618
  • Wednesday 17.01. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal C Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0618
  • Wednesday 24.01. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal C Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0618
  • Wednesday 31.01. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal C Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0618

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

NOTE: This course takes place entirely in ENGLISH!
All sessions will be in person, max. two sessions can be missed.
Aims:
Upon completion of the seminar, students will be able to summarise independently the current state of research in a certain domain of interest within the field of developmental or social psychology in writing (in a format of a registered report that accounts for a bachelor thesis). The aims are to develop a simple research question, translate it into appropriate research operationalisation, plan a suitable scientific investigation, apply the standard methods of psychological research, present a data analysis plan, and discuss the potential outcomes of the investigation while considering future perspectives and limitations. In connection with this, students will acquire skills in presenting their own ideas, planning and organizing scientific work, time management, and providing and responding to feedback.
Contents:
The topics of the previous semester's Scientific Readings seminar will be further developed.
Methods:
The course takes place in person (max. two sessions can be missed). Units will be based on a close exchange among students and the lecturer and involve the discussion of open questions about the bachelor thesis. The earlier units will focus on formulating hypotheses and study design. The later units will deal with methodology, data analysis planning, and evaluation and interpretation of the study outcomes. Note that conducting a study with data collection is not included in this course as the thesis has a registered report format (introduction, methods, proposed analyses, interpretation).
The thesis specifies the research question(s) and provides a literature review (Part 1: already prepared at the Scientific Readings seminar). Further, it outlines the hypotheses, analysis plan, and provides an interpretation (and discussion) of hypothetical results (Part 2: prepared over the course of this seminar). The deadline for the submission of the bachelor thesis (4000 to 6000 words) is 31.01.2024.
Each student (in group) will hold a short presentation and exchange with other students and the lecturer about the thesis. During the semester, there will be meetings on individual topics related to study design, data analysis, and interpretation of hypothetical results. Towards the end of the semester, students will receive feedback from the lecturer and provide peer feedback on one preliminary bachelor thesis paper of another student. In addition, students are encouraged to contribute to the course through active collaboration and taking part in interactive discussions.

Assessment and permitted materials

The overall grade of the seminar is the sum of the below partial performances:
• Attendance and participation (10%)
• Presentation (10%)
• Preliminary version of the bachelor thesis (10%)
• Peer feedback (10%)
• Bachelor thesis (60%)

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

The prerequisite for a positive graduation is the positively evaluated (at least 60%) submission of the bachelor thesis by the deadline.
1 (very good): 90-100%
2 (good): 80-89 %
3 (satisfactory): 70-79 %
4 (sufficient): 60-69 %
5 (insufficient = negative performance): 0-59 %

Criteria:
- Comprehensive evaluation of the literature
- Scientific, critical reading skills
- Formulation of an individual research question
- Outlining a scientific paper
- Planning the writing process
- Providing, receiving & implementing feedback from lecturer and peers
- Submitting a scientific report/paper (registered report format)

Examination topics

Exam: N/A

Partial performances presentation, preliminary version of thesis, peer feedback, thesis:
- To be submitted by the deadline
- Complying with criteria regarding format and content

Partial performances attendance and participation:
- Max. two sessions can be missed
- Active participation in discussions, group work and peer feedback

Reading list

Chambers, C. D. (2023, May 18). Template – Preregistration. Retrieved from https://osf.io/93znh

Haeffel, G. J. (2022) Psychology needs to get tired of winning. Royal Society Open Science, 9, Article 220099. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.220099

Kiyonaga, A., & Scimeca, J. M. (2019). Practical considerations for navigating registered reports. Trends in Neurosciences, 42(9), 568–572. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2019.07.003

Lehrer, J. (2010, December 5). The truth wears off. Is there something wrong with the scientific method? The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/12/13/the-truth-wears-off

Pritchard, V. E., Malone, S. A., Burgoyne, K., Heron-Delaney, M., Bishop, D. V. M., & Hulme, C. (2019). Stage 1 Registered Report: The relationship between handedness and language ability in children. Wellcome Open Research, 4(30), https://doi.org/10.12688%2Fwellcomeopenres.15077.1

Optional:
Amrhein, V., Greenland, S., & McShane, B. (2019, March 21). Retire statistical significance. Nature. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-00857-9

Chambers, C. D., Feredoes, E., Muthukumaraswamy, S. D., Etchells, P. J. (2014). Instead of “playing the game” it is time to change the rules: Registered Reports at AIMS Neuroscience and beyond. AIMS Neuroscience, 1(1), 4–17. https://doi.org/10.3934/Neuroscience.2014.1.4

de Cheveigné, A. (2022). Preregistration: the good, the bad, and the confusing. PsyArXiv. https//doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/bcd9t

Field, A. (2017). Discovering Statistics Using IBM SPSS Statistics. SAGE.

Goldin-Meadow, S. (2016, August 31). Why Preregistration Makes Me Nervous. APS Observer, 29(7). https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/why-preregistration-makes-me-nervous/comment-page-1

Goldin-Meadow, S. (2016, September 9). Preregistration, Replication, and Nonexperimental Studies. APS Observer, 29(8). https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/preregistration-replication-and-nonexperimental-studies

Nosek, B. A., & Lakens, D. (2014). Registered reports: A method to increase the credibility of published results [Editorial]. Social Psychology, 45(3), 137–141. https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-9335/a000192

Poldrack, R. A. (2019). Statistical Thinking for the 21st Century. https://statsthinking21.github.io/statsthinking21-core-site/

Sani, F., & Todman, J. (2008). Experimental Design and Statistics for Psychology: A First Course. John Wiley & Sons.

Steegen, S., Tuerlinckx, F., Gelman, A., & Vanpaemel, W. (2016). Increasing Transparency Through a Multiverse Analysis. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 11(5), 702–712. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691616658637

Van ’t Veer, A., & Giner-Sorolla, R. (2016). Pre-registration in social psychology—A discussion and suggested template. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 67, 2–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2016.03.004

Wasserstein, R. L., Schirm, A. L., & Lazar, N. A. (2019). Moving to a World Beyond “p < 0.05.” The American Statistician, 73(sup1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/00031305.2019.1583913

Yamada, Y. (2018). How to Crack Pre-registration: Toward Transparent and Open Science. Frontiers in Psychology, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01831

Further readings may be uploaded to Moodle.

Association in the course directory

Last modified: We 29.11.2023 09:27