[mgallant]

Intro stats course. Prelude to the more intensive 2RB3. Covers measures of central tendency and variability, hypothesis testing, central limit theorem, t-distributions, effect size, etc. Also explores fundamentals of conducting scientific research (ie. how to get ethics approval and funding). Weekly lab assignments worth 1% each. In these you learn to use SPSS, and in a few, you get to design your own experiment and make all the appropriate paperwork! Prof. Shedden is funny, engaging, and enthusiastic. I recommend this course. It's also one of the easier courses I took this year.

In response to mgallant's review, the course has changed a bit since that post. We no longer study fundamentals of conducting scientific research. There are weekly online assignments with an SPSS component but they are not very difficult if you have attended class and read the textbook. The tutorials are really helpful if you're having trouble with SPSS.

At the beginning, this course is very easy. But don't be fooled, it speeds up and gets more complicated. Surprisingly, the course is more theoretical than it is mathematical, so don't worry if you're not a math person.

Weekly assignments help to keep you on top of the course material. They are good practice questions and usually imitate what the midterm and final exams will be like - partly theoretical and partly mathematical.

The textbook explanations and sample problems are very helpful but there are very few applicable practice questions at the end of the chapters. I recommend keeping up with the textbook readings as it helps when studying for the final exam.

The material is really not that complicated. Everything builds up on the previous material so it's really important to go to class, do the assignments and keep up with the readings.

The midterms and final exam were very fair, although I have to say the final was more difficult than I had anticipated.

I had Dr. Beston for this class and he is absolutely amazing. He really wants you to do well in the class and he keeps his lectures interesting. I highly recommend this course with Dr. Beston.

Originally Posted by pmax

In response to mgallant's review, the course has changed a bit since that post. We no longer study fundamentals of conducting scientific research. There are weekly online assignments with an SPSS component but they are not very difficult if you have attended class and read the textbook. The tutorials are really helpful if you're having trouble with SPSS.

At the beginning, this course is very easy. But don't be fooled, it speeds up and gets more complicated. Surprisingly, the course is more theoretical than it is mathematical, so don't worry if you're not a math person.

Weekly assignments help to keep you on top of the course material. They are good practice questions and usually imitate what the midterm and final exams will be like - partly theoretical and partly mathematical.

The textbook explanations and sample problems are very helpful but there are very few applicable practice questions at the end of the chapters. I recommend keeping up with the textbook readings as it helps when studying for the final exam.

The material is really not that complicated. Everything builds up on the previous material so it's really important to go to class, do the assignments and keep up with the readings.

The midterms and final exam were very fair, although I have to say the final was more difficult than I had anticipated.

I had Dr. Beston for this class and he is absolutely amazing. He really wants you to do well in the class and he keeps his lectures interesting. I highly recommend this course with Dr. Beston.

You seem to be taking all the classes I might take. Are you in ling cog sci? Haha. Anyway, is this class really difficult? I don't have much of a math background, just grade 12 data management -- I was thinking of taking SocSci 2J03 instead. :/

Yup I'm in Ling Cog. Sci. I think we're both in phonetics right now actually... I saw your name on the discussion board!

This class really isn't that difficult. It certainly isn't a bird course though. You will do well as long as you go to class and read the textbook. The weekly assignments are also really helpful. The first half is pretty simple, you do mean, median, and mode. The class picks up near the middle when you move into hypothesis testing. It seems like a lot sometimes but when the semester is over and you're studying for the final, everything comes together. It makes a lot more sense when you have all the material in front of you.

I have a feeling that Soc Sci 2J03 is easier, but if you're interested in applying to Speech Language Pathology in Canada, you need to take a full year of stats. So, Psych 2RA3 and 2RB3.

Let me know if you have any more questions! I'm going back to studying for phonetics. Ugh.

Originally Posted by pmax

Yup I'm in Ling Cog. Sci. I think we're both in phonetics right now actually... I saw your name on the discussion board!

This class really isn't that difficult. It certainly isn't a bird course though. You will do well as long as you go to class and read the textbook. The weekly assignments are also really helpful. The first half is pretty simple, you do mean, median, and mode. The class picks up near the middle when you move into hypothesis testing. It seems like a lot sometimes but when the semester is over and you're studying for the final, everything comes together. It makes a lot more sense when you have all the material in front of you.

I have a feeling that Soc Sci 2J03 is easier, but if you're interested in applying to Speech Language Pathology in Canada, you need to take a full year of stats. So, Psych 2RA3 and 2RB3.

Let me know if you have any more questions! I'm going back to studying for phonetics. Ugh.

Oh awesome, it's cool to meet fellow ling cog sci students. :] Sighh I was hoping I could avoid taking Psych stats but guess I can't. :/ Are you also interested in SLP? Haha, good luck on the phonetics final... I have a feeling it won't be too difficult. :] What classes are you taking next term?

Is the text needed for this course? If so, is the textbook/software bundle necessary?

Originally Posted by Juicebox

Is the text needed for this course? If so, is the textbook/software bundle necessary?

I'm taking it right now, and according to the prof, you'll need the software to complete assignments and things like that. The textbook is apparently needed, and from what people who have taken the course before have said, it's becomes very useful throughout the course.

I didn't buy the textbook or the software. The textbook didn't seem that useful, since the material was so basic, and the notes so complete. I guess it might have been a decent source of sample problems, but the prof/TAs posted a fair amount of those, plus the assignments were a great study tool before tests.

The software is installed on computers in the Psych lab, and the second floor JHE lab. A lot of people just used those, since its rare that the SPSS parts of the assignment took more than half an hour.

I would generally skim the textbook a bit but didn't use it much, although a couple of my friends did quite a bit. I think it becomes a lot more useful as the course progresses and becomes more complicated (which i found to be after probability, which is right after the first midterm).
However the textbook + software is around 40 bucks more than just the textbook if I remember correctly, and a buddy of mine gave me a torrent to download the software, which worked perfectly .