2 September 2003

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2 September 2003
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• Statistics
• for Behavioral Scientists
• Psychology W1610x

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Statistics for Behavioral Scientists

• PROFESSOR John Daws
• johndaws_at_psych.columbia.edu
• LECTURES Mondays, 610 to 800
• 614 Schermerhorn
• OFFICE HOURS Mondays, 430 to 600
• 366 Schermerhorn

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Labs

• SECTION 1 Tuesdays 210 to 400 pm
• 200B Schermerhorn
• SECTION 2 Tuesdays 410 to 600 pm
• 200B Schermerhorn
• SECTION 3 Tuesdays 610 to 800 pm
• 200B Schermerhorn

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Textbook

• David Moore and George McCabe,
• Introduction to the Practice of Statistics (4th
  ed.)
• You should read the assigned section(s) of the
  text before each lecture. I recommend that you
  read the text twice, once before lecture and
  again after. The first time, read quickly to
  familiarize yourself with the topics. Expect the
  lecture to help you understand the material. Ask
  questions in class if it doesn't. After lecture,
  read the chapter again to strengthen your grasp
  of the material. If you still have questions, ask
  them at the beginning of the next lecture or in
  lab.

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Grading Lecture Participation

• 5 points
• I expect you to attend the lectures and the
  labs, to take part in class discussions, and to
  ask questions. The students who speak up during
  lecture help set the pace.

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Grading Lab Participation

• 5 points
• You are also expected to attend and participate
  in a lab section. In lab, you will be using Excel
  and SPSS to help you understand the basic
  concepts of statistics and to apply these
  concepts to data-analysis projects. The lab will
  also be a time when you can ask questions about
  the homework, or about something you've read in
  the textbook or heard in lecture. (In addition to
  the scheduled lab session, you will be able to
  work on your own during Open Lab Hours.)

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Grading Homework

• 20 points
• There are 12 sets of homework problems to be
  worked. Each set is worth two points. Because the
  primary purpose of the homework is to help you
  stay abreast of topics as we cover them, each
  homework must be turned in no later than the
  beginning of the lecture (Mondays at 610) on the
  assigned date. No late homework will be accepted,
  so keep in mind that it's much better to turn in
  something rather than nothing. Note that you can
  still earn all 20 points even if you fail to turn
  in one or two of the homeworks.
• You will need a calculator or a computer on some
  of the homework problems.
• I encourage you to form study groups. Working
  together on homework is a good idea outright
  copying is not. The work you turn in should
  indicate your own ability to work the problems.

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Grading Quizzes

• 45 points
• There are three quizzes, each worth 15 points.
  Questions may come from the lectures, the labs,
  or the text. Bring your calculator.
• The quizzes will be given during lab times
  (Tuesdays at 210, 410, or 610) on 7 October,
  28 October, and 2 December. If you know that you
  will have to be absent on any of these days,
  please speak to me as soon as possible.
  Otherwise, if you miss a quiz because you are
  sick or for some other non-trivial reason, please
  notify me as soon afterward as possible and
  arrange to take a make-up quiz. You may be asked
  to bring a note from a physician or a dean.
• If you believe that an error is made in grading
  a quiz, please give your teaching assistant or me
  a written explanation of what you believe the
  error to be, along with a photocopy of the quiz.
  Oral requests for re-grading will be ignored.

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Grading Final Exam

• 25 points
• The final exam will cover all of the material of
  the course. It will be given on Monday, 15
  December. A single alternative date might be
  arranged, if necessary.

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Final Grades

• A 90 to 100
• B 80 to 90
• C 70 to 80
• It is possible that these thresholds could be
  lowered (for example, a grade of 89 might be an
  A-minus), but they will not be raised. Students
  with fewer than 50 points should not expect to
  pass.

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Descriptive Statistics
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Probability and Sampling
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Hypothesis Testing
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Finishing Up