PSY 101
Key Assessments and An Emphasis On Transparency

The Psychology and Counseling Department adopted two essential learning outcomes for PSY101.

The learning outcomes include,

Inquiry and Analysis

- Inquiry and analysis is the systematic process of refining our understanding of issues and works through a cycle of questions and evaluations.

Ethical Reasoning

- Ethical reasoning is thinking about the nuances of right and wrong human conduct.

Each learning outcome must be measured through a key assessment. Below are two key assessments you should consider using in your course either at the mid-term or final. If you have any questions on how to apply or adapt these key assessments to your PSY 101 course, please contact,

Dr. Pete Martini

Assistant Professor, Psychology

702-992-2670 | pete.martini@nevadastate.edu

An Emphasis on Transparency

When implementing these assessments or any assignment, it is important to ensure that instructions are transparent. Transparency is highly beneficial for first-year and first-generation students who may struggle to adapt to college coursework. Transparency in Teaching and Learning (TILT) provides a helpful approach to creating clear instructions and expectations for assignments. Consider watching the following videos to learn more about this framework as well as viewing two sample psychology 101 assignments (one is written using the TILT method while the other is not).

1. TILT: The Unwritten Rules for College Success

2. TILT: Transparency Framework 1 - Purpose

3. TILT: Transparency Framework 2 - Task

3. TILT - Transparency Framework 3 - Criteria

Inquiry and Analysis | Key Assessment

**This assessment is subject to change based on feedback from instructors. Please lookout for a survey. | (Updated on 7/29/2024)

Assessment Overview and Instructions

The key assessment for inquiry and analysis is a research project proposal that students will complete during the course. The project can be assigned at any point in time during the semester. The project proposal is 1-2 pages with the opportunity to expand it or use it as a part of a larger scaffolding project. The project will follow this structure:

Students will use course information on research methods and psychological research studies to design an experimental study testing a research question that is meaningful to the college student.
Students will write a two-page, double-spaced paper which addresses the following:

1.) Develop a research question that will test one of the following:

a) What will improve grades?

b) What will reduce stress?

c) What will improve sleep?

d) What will improve self-esteem?

2.) Develop a hypothesis.

3.) Find two (2) sources to support your hypothesis (e.g., from class, lecture, textbook, or approved source). Discuss previous research findings that suggest why your chosen variable will affect the outcome.

4.) Describe your study, which includes:

a) a description of who will sample (the participants),

b) a description of your experimental conditions (independent variable) and how you will manipulate your IV,

c) a description of how you will measure the outcome (dependent variable)

5.) Describe your expected results --that is, how participants will react or behave in each condition.

6.) Which groups or populations would be most interested to learn about your results and why?

A rubric for the proposed artifact is below. As this is a two-page assignment for college freshmen much of the ELO rubric falls in the Developing category (as one might expect of a college freshman). It should be noted that exemplary completion of the assignment (as shown in the Rubric) would land students in the predicted and highlighted category within the ELO rubric.

Rubric

	Exemplary	Proficient	Developing	Emerging
Research Design [I&A: Directed Questioning]	Creates a clear and concise research question. The question posed is experimental. The question posed is falsifiable.	One of the previous conditions is absent.	Two of the previous conditions are absent.	All three are missing but an attempt was made to complete the work.
Explanation: Why this question? [I&A: Information Gathering]	Provides a clear rationale for why this research is important to both the student and society. Includes an articulation of what we can learn from this research. Includes two (2) citations to information that aids their explanation.	States why this research is important beyond their curiosity. And Includes two citations to information that aids their explanation.	States why this research is important beyond their curiosity. Or Includes two citations to information that aids their explanation.	States why this research is important to them.
Variable Recognition [I&A: Recognition and Discussion of Components]	Identifies the Dependent Variable (DV). Measurably operationalizes the DV. Identifies the Independent Variable. Measurably operationalizes the IV.	The operational definition of one variable is missing. And/Or IV or DV are not identified.	Operational definitions of both variables are missing or unclear. Both variables are identified but labels are reversed.	Two topics were identified but they are not variables. No attempt was made to discuss how variables would be measured.
Research Design [I&A: Investigative Process]	Identified the (quasi)experimental and control group. Discusses inclusion/exclusion criteria and why they are important. Describes the rudimentary procedure of the (quasi)experiment.	One of the previous conditions is absent.	Two of the previous conditions are absent.	All three are missing but an attempt was made to complete the work.
Additional Sections Any paper components judged necessary by the instructor of record.

Ethical Reasoning | Key Assessment

Assessment Overview and Instructions

The key artifact for this ELO is an assessment of a historically relevant problematic research study that treated human subjects in an unethical way. Students will be asked to explain and evaluate the research from the perspective of the human subjects and the researchers who conducted the study. In doing so, they will wrestle with the arguments that researchers have used in the past to justify the unethical treatment of research participants.

An example might be,

Phillip Zimbardo and the Stanford Prison Experiment

Watch time is 26 minutes and 31 seconds

Finally, students will reflect on their responses to their chosen research project. The assignment will follow this structure.

Students will use course information on current research ethics and human protection protocols in the field of psychology.
Students will choose from a list of brief videos illustrating an unethical psychology study.
Students will write a 2-page, double-spaced paper which addresses the following:

1. Provide a summary of the research study or experiment.

2. Identify and describe at least two ethical issues and explain why they are unethical.

3. Identify and describe the harms that were incurred by the participants in the study.

4. Discuss the researcher's motivations for conducting this study and how this may have clouded their ethical judgment.

Part 2: Reflection

1. Discuss why you chose this study for your assignment and your initial reactions to the study.

2. How do you think your reaction to this study is affected by what you've learned in PSY 101?

3. Why do we, as psychologists, spend time talking about research ethics?