(Restriction: Not open to students who have taken PSYC 336.) The properties of measurements and techniques for the measurement of psychophysical variables such as brightness and loudness and of attitudinal variables such as similarity, preference, and utility. Data analysis tools of value to experimenters. Emphasis on current problems in experimental psychology.
 

Instructor: Yoshio Takane
Time: MWF 08:35-09:25
Location: STBIO W7/21

Objectives:  The students are expected to get familiar with some of the representative scaling techniques used in psychological research and to get some practical experiences in using them.

Content:  This course deals with a number of practical techniques for the measurement of a variety of psychological variables, such as similarity, dissimilarity, subjective length and area, utility, and preference.  Techniques discussed are Thurstonian scaling, metric and nonmetric multidimensional scaling, unfolding, and additivity analysis. A variety of problems involving the analysis of experimental data will illustrate the applications of these techniques. Assumptions underlying these techniques (both psychological and statistical) including possible violations of these assumptions will be discussed on a nontechnical basis.

This course is relevant to students who are interested in quantitative analyses of psychological data beyond those covered in 305 (Statistics for Experimental Design).