Schedule and readings

Course calendar

Monday (Lecture) Wednesday (Lab)
9/9
Intro to course: Linking data and justice
9/14
Research ethics, data misuse
Syllabus quiz due		 9/16
Coding basics
9/21
Finding a research question, crafting a hypothesis
Reading quiz #1 in class		 9/23
Data manipulation
9/28
Variables and experimental design
Reading quiz #2 in class		 9/30
Data cleaning
Lab assignment #1 due
10/5
Non-experimental methods
Reading quiz #3 in class		 10/7
Data visualization
10/12
Validity, reliability, and measurement
Reading quiz #4 in class		 10/14
Geospatial data and maps
Lab assignment #2 due
10/19
Interventions and quasi-experiments
Participation reflection due		 10/21
Text data
Lab assignment #3 due
10/26
Making sense of results
Reading quiz #5 in class		 10/28
Web scraping
Lab assignment #4 due
11/2
Making sense of results
Reading quiz #6 in class		 11/4
Data analysis
Lab assignment #5 due
11/9
Fall break		 11/11
Advanced analysis and visualization
Lab assignment #6 due
11/16
Qualitative methods		 11/18
Advanced analysis and visualization
Final project outline due
11/23
Research replicability, bias in data		 11/25
Thanksgiving break
11/30
Science communication, data journalism		 12/2
Work on projects
12/7
Work on projects		 12/9
Policy presentations
Policy presentation due
12/14
Policy presentations
12/21
Final paper due

Readings

We’ll be using two textbooks throughout this course.

Jhangiani, R. S., Cuttler, C., & Leighton, D. C. (2019). Research methods in psychology. (4th ed.) Kwantlen Polytechnic University. https://kpu.pressbooks.pub/psychmethods4e/

Frank, M. C., Braginsky, M., Cachia, J., Coles, N. A., Hardwicke, T. E., Hawkins, R. D., Mathur, M. B., & Williams, R. 2025. Experimentology: An Open Science Approach to Experimental Psychology Methods. Stanford University. https://doi.org/10.25936/3JP6-5M50.

Both textbooks are open-source, meaning they’re freely available. You can download them or read them online.

All readings are to be completed by the date listed. Readings are subject to change.

9/14: Research ethics and data misuse

  • Jhangiani, Ch. 3
  • Herington, J., Li, K., & Pisani, A. R. (2024). Expanding the role of justice in secondary research using digital psychological data. American Psychologist, 79(1), 123–136. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0001190
  • Kosinski, M., Stillwell, D., & Graepel, T. (2013). Private traits and attributes are predictable from digital records of human behavior. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 110(15), 5802–5805. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1218772110

9/21: Finding a research question

  • Jhangiani, Ch. 2.9, Ch. 2.10, Ch. 2.11
  • Frank, Ch. 2
  • P. Sharkey. (2010). The acute effect of local homicides on children’s cognitive performance. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 107 (26) 11733-11738, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1000690107

9/28: Variables and experimental design

  • Jhangiani, Ch. 5
  • Frank, Ch. 1
  • J.P. Goyer, J. Garcia, V. Purdie-Vaughns, K.R. Binning, J.E. Cook, S.L. Reeves, N. Apfel, S. Taborsky-Barba, D.K. Sherman, & G.L. Cohen. (2017). Self-affirmation facilitates minority middle schoolers’ progress along college trajectories. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 114 (29) 7594-7599, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1617923114.

10/5: Non-experimental methods

  • Jhangiani, Ch. 6
  • Richmond-Rakerd, L. S., Dent, K. R., Andersen, S. H., D’Souza, S., & Milne, B. J. (2024). Population-Level Administrative Data: A Resource to Advance Psychological Science. Current Directions in Psychological Science. 33(6), 361-370.
  • Legewie J, Fagan J (2019). Aggressive policing and the educational performance of minority youth. American Sociological Review 84(2): 220-247. https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122419826020

10/12: Validity, reliability, and measurement

  • Jhangiani, Ch. 4
  • Frank, Ch. 8
  • Holder, J., Calaff, I., Maricque, B., & Tran, V. C. (2022). Concentrated incarceration and the public-housing-to-prison pipeline in New York City neighborhoods. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(36). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2123201119

10/19: Interventions and quasi-experiments

  • Jhangiani, Ch. 7 and Ch. 8
  • Matthay, E. C., Farkas, K., Rudolph, K. E., Zimmerman, S., Barragan, M., Goin, D. E., & Ahern, J. (2019). Firearm and nonfirearm violence after operation peacemaker fellowship in Richmond, California, 1996–2016. American Journal of Public Health, 109(11), 1605-1611. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2019.305288
  • Voigt, R., Camp, N. P., Prabhakaran, V., Hamilton, W. L., Hetey, R. C., Griffiths, C. M., Jurgens, D., Jurafsky, D., & Eberhardt, J. L. (2017). Language from police body camera footage shows racial disparities in officer respect. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(25), 6521–6526. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1702413114

10/26: Making sense of results

  • Jhangiani, Ch. 9
  • Frank, Ch. 6
  • De Choudhury, M., & De, S. (2014). Mental Health Discourse on reddit: Self-Disclosure, Social Support, and Anonymity. Proceedings of the International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media, 8(1), 71–80. https://doi.org/10.1609/icwsm.v8i1.14526

11/2: Making sense of results

  • Jhangiani, Ch. 12, Ch. 13
  • Frank, Ch. 7
  • Reddan, M. C., Garcia, S. B., Golarai, G., Eberhardt, J. L., & Zaki, J. (2024). Film intervention increases empathic understanding of formerly incarcerated people and support for criminal justice reform. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(44). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2322819121

11/9: FALL BREAK

11/16: Qualitative methods

11/23: Research replicability and bias in data

  • Frank, Ch. 3
  • Cathy O’Neil, Weapons of Math Destruction (2016). Intro, Ch. 5. (uploaded on Canvas)
  • Hannah Fry, Hello World (2018). Justice. (uploaded on Canvas)

11/30: Science communication and data journalism

  • Frank, Ch. 14 and Ch. 15
  • Lewis Jr., N. A., & Wai, J. (2021). Communicating What We Know and What Isn’t So: Science Communication in Psychology. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 16(6), 1242–1254. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691620964062