Azusa Pacific University

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Department of Psychology

Psychology 299-01
Applied Statistics
Fall 2014 (3 units) Th 7:40-10:40pm Wynn 10
Professor
David R. Dunaetz, M.S., M.A., M.Div., Th.M., Magistre, Ph.D.
O-626-804-3533
E-mail: DDunaetz@apu.edu
Office Hours:

By appointment, however I am very available by email.

Mission Statement: Azusa Pacific University is an evangelical Christian community of disciples and scholars who
seek to advance the work of God in the world through academic excellence in liberal arts and professional programs
of higher education that encourage students to develop a Christian perspective of truth and life.
Course Description: This is an elementary course in basic statistical concepts. Students are introduced to the
understanding and use of necessary computational procedures to attain the basic skills in the following: frequency
distributions, graphs, central tendency, variability, normal curve, probabilities, correlation, hypothesis testing, and chi
square. Understanding and use of the above statistics are stressed over mathematical development.
Course Goals
Course goal/objectives

Department goals

1. Demonstrate
proficiency in
comprehension and
applications of basic
statistical concepts.

SLO13: Research and Writing 1- Students

demonstrate skill in conducting research in
psychology including statistics and research
methodologies.

2. Correctly interpret
common statistics used
in the social sciences.

SLO13: Research and Writing 1- Students

demonstrate skill in conducting research in
psychology including statistics and research
methodologies.
SLO13: Research and Writing 1- Students
demonstrate skill in conducting research in
psychology including statistics and research
methodologies.

3. Determine which
statistics are relevant to
a given situation.

IDEA
objective
s
IDEA 1, 3

Student Outcomes
(Related assignments/
assessments)
Textbook readings,
Homework assignments,
Quizzes, Tests

IDEA 1, 3,
4

Textbook readings,
Homework assignments,
Quizzes, Tests

IDEA 1, 3,
4

Textbook readings,
Homework assignments,
Quizzes, Tests

The Professors Goals for the Course

1. Help you understand yourself and others better so that you can use your unique gifting and capacities to better
serve God.
2. Prepare you for grad school or the real world.
3. Make courses like Research Methods, Marketing Research, Econometrics, Testing & Measurements, and Case
Management a lot more meaningful, more interesting, and easier.
Required Textbook
Understanding Statistics in the Behavioral Sciences by Robert R. Pagano (8th, 9th or 10th edition, ThomsonWadsworth, ISBN: 0-495-09638-5)
Other Material
Youll want to have some type of calculator. Some have statistical functions (usually the ones with lots of buttons)
that you might find very useful. But on the other hand, you might want to use just a simple one and not worry about
how to use the special functions. For this class you wont need to do more than add, subtract, multiply, divide,
square, and take the square root.

You can use Microsoft Excel for many statistical computations. You can use it for both the homework and the tests
if you so desire. For the homework, youll need to put the Excel table into a Word document. For the tests, youll
need to send me a copy of the Excel file by e-mail before the test is over. If you wish to use Excel for the tests, let me
know beforehand.
SPSS is the standard in statistical software in the social sciences because it is so powerful; however the student
edition costs about $100/year and it is somewhat difficult to use. We might look at it a little in class, but youre not
expected to get your own copy.

Assignments
Work Expectations. Following the APU Credit Hour Policy, to meet the identified student learning outcomes of this
course, this 3 unit course will require approximately:
-3 hours / week of classroom time.
-6 hours / week of reading, homework, and test preparation.
Reading. We will cover approximately 1 chapter of the textbook (except at the beginning, when well cover 2).
Homework. Every week you will have a homework packet due. There will be both Questions and Problems in each
homework assignment.
Questions: Keep the answers short. These will provide you with an excellent set of notes for preparing for
the tests and the final. Put the answers in outline form if appropriate.
Problems: Show all your work; explain your reasoning; be clear enough that your grandmother can
understand it. Its not enough to get the right answers (which are usually found in the back of the book).
You need to explain your reasoning.
Homework will be graded on a scale of 0-5 points. Youll get a 5 if you have done all of them perfectly, 4.5 with one or
two small mistakes, 4 if there are more mistakes, and a 3.5 or lower if the assignment is not completed or if work is
not shown on how the answers were obtained. Sometimes a 6th point will be available for difficult problems for
students aiming for an A.
Class Participation. This is a big part of your grade. Come to every class. Have fun. Tell jokes. Bring food.
example, everyone likes chocolate chip cookies.

For

Quizzes. On days that homework is due, be prepared for quizzes covering material from the previous week. The
Questions on the homework might very well be used for a quiz. We will not have quizzes every week, but you always
need to be prepared. If you miss a class, you will not be able to make up a quiz.
Tests and the Final exam. There will be one 1 hour test and a 2 hour final exam. You must do the work individually.
For each test will you will be allowed one-page of notes which may include formulas, definitions, and descriptions of
processes (but not names or examples). Full credit will be awarded to problems only if they include both the correct
answer and a demonstration of how the answer was obtained. Partial credit will awarded for answers that are less
than perfect. No credit will be awarded to problems when only an answer is presented with no explanation.
Major Project. Theres no major project to do. Hurray!
Group Presentation. Theres no group presentation to do. Hurray!

Grading
The final grade will be based on:
Homework
30%
Midterm
25%
Participation and Quizzes 20%
Final Exam
25%
Total
100%

This will probably be curved at the end of the semester.

This will be curved.
This will be curved.

Mid-Term Exam, Final Exam and Final Grade Scale:

94.00-100%
A
90.00-93.99% A87.00-89.99% B+
84.00-86.99% B
80.00-83.99% B77.00-79.99% C+
74.00-76.99% C
70.00-73.99% C67.00-69.99% D+
64.00-66.99% D
60.00-63.99% D59.9% or Below F

Grading Criteria
All assignments and tests will be
graded based on the clarity of your
explanations and the correctness of
your responses. You must use complete
sentences to explain your responses to
the problems.

There are many things in life more important than your grade in statistics (like loving God and loving people).
However, if you do well in statistics, hopefully youll be able to love others better. But doing well in statistics doesnt
mean that you will automatically do better in loving people. Statistics is simply a tool. Always concentrate on whats
most important in life.
Class Attendance and Make Up Work.
It is very important to arrive promptly and participate fully in every aspect of the class. Try not to miss any class
sessions. Each student will be allowed one excused class absence (either partial or complete). Each additional
absence (partial or complete) will reduce your class grade by 2%. If you miss more than one class, you can get credit
for the class you missed by submitting a 4 page (min. 3 page, 1 line) single-spaced outline of the textbook chapter
that was covered in the missed class. No other makeup work will be assigned.
Late Assignments.
Hard copies of all homework assignments need to be stapled before class begins and submitted at the beginning of
the class period. Any unstapled assignments will be penalized with a 10% reduction in grade. Late assignments will
be accepted with only a 10% penalty, because I really want you to get them in, up to the date of the midterm which
covers the appropriate chapter. After that, there will be a 50% reduction in grade.
The final deadline for submitting all homework is the last day of class before final exam week.
Help from the Office of Academic Retention
This class can be a bit scary and sometimes you might be distracted by various things happening in your life. I want
to do everything I can to help you succeed. If you prefer talking to someone else, in order to help you get the
encouragement that you need, I may refer you to the Office of Academic Retention if:
1) You miss two classes.
2) You miss two homework assignments or a midterm.
3) You dont seem to be adjusting to the APU community.
Withdrawal, Incompletes, and Re-taking the Course.
See the APU Undergraduate Catalog for these and all policies relating to academic records and registration.
APUs Academic Integrity Policy
The mission of Azusa Pacific University includes cultivating in each student not only the academic skills that are
required for a university degree, but also the characteristics of academic integrity that are integral to a sound
Christian education. It is therefore part of the mission of the university to nurture in each student a sense of moral
responsibility consistent with the biblical teachings of honesty and accountability. Furthermore, a breach of academic
integrity is viewed not merely as a private matter between the student and an instructor but rather as an act which is
fundamentally inconsistent with the purpose and mission of the entire university. A complete copy of the Academic
Integrity Policy is available in the Office of Student Life, the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Programs,
and online.
Note: Cheating includes (but is not limited to):
-copying from another student on a test
-copying answers from the back of the book or the internet.

Nasty, Horrible Sanctions

If you cheat, expect to suffer. You will realize that you did something worse than failing; you will break the trust of
people who have confidence in you. You, your friends, and especially your family will be disappointed in you. You
will bring shame on yourself and on your family. You will receive a 0 on whatever you cheated on; this might very well
cause you to fail the course. Cheating in anyway will be reported to the Office of the Provost.
University and Departmental Policies
All University and departmental policies affecting student work, appeals, and grievances, as outlined in the
Undergraduate Catalog and/or Department Handbook will apply, unless otherwise indicated in this syllabus.
Support Services for Students with Disabilities
Students in this course who have a disability that might prevent them from fully demonstrating their abilities should
meet with an advisor in the Learning Enrichment Center (ext. 3849) as soon as possible to initiate disability
verification and discuss accommodations that may be necessary to ensure full participation in the successful
completion of course requirements.
Sources
All text in italics in this syllabus come from Faculty Guidelines for Undergraduate Course Syllabi
(www.apu.edu/provost/downloads/UG%20Syllabus%20Guide.doc) or from Psychology Department documents.
Copyright Responsibilities
Students and faculty are both authors and users of copyrighted materials. As a student you must know the rights of
both authors and users with respect to copyrighted works to ensure compliance. It is equally important to be
knowledgeable about legally permitted uses of copyrighted materials. Information about copyright compliance, fair
use and websites for downloading information legally can be found at http://apu.libguides.com/content.php?
pid=241554&search_terms=copyright
Information Literacy and Use of the Library
Information literacy is defined as a set of abilities requiring individuals to recognize when information is needed and
have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information (American Library Association, 1989).
In this course, teaching and learning processes will employ the following information literacy standards, as endorsed
by the American Association for Higher Education (1999), the Association of College and Research Libraries (2000),
and the Council of Independent Colleges (2004). The students in this course will:
-determine the nature and extent of the information needed.
-access needed information effectively and efficiently.
This course does not require students to complete course assignments using resources available from the University
Libraries. However, research assistance for this course is available at apu.edu/library/.
Bibliography
The following are useful texts to go further into statistics. However, I encourage you to concentrate on our textbook.
You might find the companion website to be very useful (http://www.wadsworth.com/cgiwadsworth/course_products_wp.pl?fid=M20b&product_isbn_issn=9780495596523).
Field, A. (2009). Discovering Statistics Using SPSS. 3rd edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Howell, D. C. (2013). Statistical Methods for Psychology. 8th edition. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth. (This is a
popular graduate level textbook used by psychology students.)
Huff, D. (1993). How to Lie with Statistics. New York, NY: Norton. (This is a classic book originally published in
1954. The author does not recommend lying with statistics; his goal is to illustrate how dishonest people can use
statistics to deceive people.)
Martin, J. L. (2000). The relation of aggregate statistics on beliefs to culture and cognition. Poetics, 28, 5-20. (This
article discusses how different cultures understand statistics.)
Seife, C. (2010). Proofiness: The dark arts of mathematical deception. New York, NY: Viking Press. (This book is in
the same tradition as Huffs How to Lie with Statistics.)
Schram, C. M. (1996). A meta-analysis of gender differences in applied statistics achievement. Journal of Educational
and Behavioral Statistics, 21, 55-70. (This article discusses how gender affects ones approach to statistics.)

Psyc 299-02 Applied Statistics

Schedule Fall 2014
We
ek

Dates

Sep 4

2
3

Sep 11
Sep 18

4
5
6
7

Sep 25
Oct 2
Oct 9
Oct 16

Chapter
s to
Read
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

Oct 23

9
10
11
12

Oct 30
Nov 6
Nov 13
Nov 20

13

Nov 27
Thanksgivi
ng
Dec 4

14

9
10
11
12
13
14

Class Content

Intro
Measurement
Frequency Distributions
Central Tendency and
Variability
The Normal Curve
Correlation
Regression & Midterm Rev.
Midterm
Probability
Probability
Binomial Distribution
Hypothesis Testing
Power
Sampling Distrib. & z-Tests
Single Sample t-Tests
Two Sample t-Tests

17
Chi Square
15
ANOVA, Final Review
Final Exam: (Date to be confirmed, Chapter 17 will be due)

Homewor
k Packet
Due

Tests

1-2
3
4
5
6-7
(8)
8 and 9
10
11
12

13-14

Course schedule, topics, tests, and assignments may be changed at the instructors
discretion.