When a psychologist announces a new research finding, it is often based on a rejected null hypothesis. However, if that hypothesis is true, the claim is a false alarm. Many students mistakenly believe that the probability of committing a false alarm equals alpha, the criterion for statistical significance, which is typically set at 5%. Instructors…

Studies of the effects of class attendance on class performance typically are quasi-experimental because students choose whether or not to attend class; that is, the samples are self-selecting. The lack of random assignment prevents one from establishing a causal relationship between attendance and performance. Relating attendance to performance…

An analysis of research methods textbooks in psychology showed that little coverage is given to control issues in research, such as experimenter expectancies and subject bias. However, space and attention given to research ethics has increased considerably. This is probably due to imposition of controls from the government and the profession. (CS)

Describes an experiment where faculty at two universities integrated six case studies on research ethics into their introductory psychology curricula. Suggests that students who received the ethics modules were better able to identify and understand moral issues. Includes a statistical analysis of assessment and a brief discussion of instructional…

Provides an exercise for introducing research methods to undergraduates. The students view a graph revealing that left-handed people are underrepresented in older age groups. Small group discussions attempt to explain this phenomenon. A follow-up class discussion focuses on the different approaches and methods available for interpreting the data.…