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Introduction & Good Research Practices

Title: Introduction & Good Research Practice
Teaching staff: Prof. Dr. Cees Midden, Prof. Dr. Wijnand IJsselsteijn, and Dr. D. Lakens
Date: September 27th 2012
Type of course: Basic Course
Duration: One-day meeting
Language: English

Content
This meeting will consist of two parts. First, the J. F. Schouten Graduate School is introduced, and there will be some time for students and several teachers to introduce themselves to get to know one another. The rest of the meeting will focus on Good Research Practices. Following published research about pre-cognition (Bem, 2011), fraud cases, and questionable research practices (Simmons, Nelson, & Simonsohn, 2011), the social sciences, and especially psychologists, are reflecting on what Good Research Practices are. In this workshop, we aim to let students develop their own set of good research practices in accordance with APA regulations and ethical considerations. What do the APA ethical regulations say about how participants should be treated? How do you store and share your data and experiments with other researchers? When can research findings be considered robust enough for publication, and what is the difference between exploratory and confirmatory research? Students will read papers related to Good Research Practices and discuss the contents with fellow students. They will develop their own set of Good Research Practices that they will adhere to while pursuing their PhD.

Literature

 

Asking Statistical Questions

Title: Asking Statistical Questions
Teaching staff: Dr. Antal Haans
Date: October 4, 2012
Type of course: Methodology Course 
Duration: One-day meeting
Language: English

Content What is the purpose of the statistical analysis of data? Trivial as this question may seem, its answer has a profound impact on the data analytical process. In experimental psychology, the purpose of data analysis is to ask questions about the population of interest on the basis of a sample. Being skilled in data analysis does not only imply being able to perform complex analyses, but also to transform one’s research question in to the proper statistical one. Relying on textbook methods, for example for analysing a 2 by 3 experimental design, may put one at risk of committing a so-called Type III error: Getting the correct answer to the wrong question. The focus of this course is threefold: It covers the basics of statistical inference-making (e.g., how can we answer questions about a population of which the relevant parameters are unknown?), what constitutes good data-analysis (e.g., with respect to sample size, robustness, and the selection of appropriate techniques), and offers training in common and advanced parametric methods, including analysis of (co)variance, interactions in ANOVA and regression, contrast analysis, and mediation analysis.

Literature

  • Cohen, J. (1990). Things I have learned (so far). American Psychologist, 45, 1304-1312.
  • Haans, A. (2008). What does it mean to be average? The gallons per mile versus miles per gallon paradox revisited. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 13(3). Available online: http://pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v=13&n=3
  • Nester, M. R. (1996). An applied statistician’s creed. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society. Series C: Applied Statistics, 45, 401-410.
  • Rosnow, R. L., & Rosenthal, R. (1995). “Some things you learn aren’t so”: Cohen’s paradox, Asch’s paradigm, and the interpretation of interaction. Psychological Science, 6, 3-9.
  • Zhao, X., Lynch, J. G., Chen, Q. (2010). Reconsidering Baron and Kenny: Myths and Truths about Mediation Analysis. Journal of Consumer Research, 37, 197-206.

 

How to Publish and Review

Title: How to Publish and Review
Teaching staff: Dr. Sonja Rispens, Ir. Ivo Jongsma
Date: November 13th, 2012
Type of course: Workshop
Duration: One-day meeting
Language: English

Content

In the morning program the all important aspects of the process of getting one’s work published in international refereed journals is discussed. Issues such as manuscript preparation, style, choice of journal, editorial letters, and responses to reviews are discussed. In the afternoon program, the focus will lie on how to review articles. When do you accept or reject a manuscript? How do you write a structured review? Participants will review a paper that has recently been submitted for publication to a journal. During the meeting there will be opportunity to ask questions and discuss experiences.

In the end of the afternoon, the Science Information Officer of the TU/e, ir Ivo Jongsma, will inform you about the different ways in which you can share your work with a wider audience. How do you write a press release? How can the university helps you to reach out to the media? There will be a lot of room for questions and sharing experiences.

Literature

  • None.

 

Interference Effects

The date of this workshop has changed to the 6th of December in order to not overlap with the Dutch ASPO conference. 

Title: Interference Effects
Teaching staff: Dr. Daniël Lakens
Date: December 6th 2012
Type of course: Theoretical Workshop
Duration: One-day meeting
Language: English

Content:
When people process information, the speed with which they are able to do so depends on the way this information is presented. Psychological research has revealed many examples of when and how congruent information is processed faster than incongruent information. These findings are known as interference effects, and give many insights into the ways people process all types of information, such as visual characteristics of stimuli, words, emotions, or social cues. 

Interference effects are commonly used in experimental paradigms to examine human cognition. During the workshop five widely used experimental paradigms will be discussed. Participants will experience several of the interference effects in the lab, followed by an explanation of the underlying processes and scientific applications of the paradigms. In the morning the Stroop effect, Simon effect, and Size-Congruency effect will be discussed. In the afternoon the workshop will focus on affective priming paradigms and the Implicit Association Test. Participants will be asked to give short research presentations at the end of the afternoon where they used interference effects. Throughout the workshop, examples will be provided of the practical application of interference effects to examine human-technology interaction.

Literature

  • TBA.

 

Bottom-Up and Top-Down Processes in Perception

Title: Bottom-Up and Top-Down Processes in Perception
Teaching staff: Dr. Dik Hermes
Date: January 10th 2013
Type of course: Theoretical Workshop
Duration: One-day meeting
Language: English

Content
Perception is a complex process in which information coming from the senses is processed and combined with information structures that represent past experience. Functionally, these processes must guarantee that perceivers acquire a meaningful "image" of what happens around them. The processes that process the incoming information are indicated with primitive or bottom-up processes. The processes that fit this new information into the existing information structures and interpret it, are indicated with schema-driven or top-down processes. In this workshop, various examples from visual and hearing research will be presented illustrating these processes. Pitch perception in hearing and colour perception in vision will be discussed as an example of a primitive process; speech perception and reading as examples of a schema-driven processes. Experimental ways to decide whether primitive or schema-driven processes play a role in a perceptual phenomenon will be discussed. The state of the art in modelling there processes will shortly be indicated.

Literature

  • TBA.

 

J. F. Schouten Graduate School PhD Conference

Title: J. F. Schouten Graduate School PhD Conference
Teaching staff: All J. F. Schouten Teachers
Date: February 21st 2013
Type of course: Basic Course
Duration: One-day meeting
Language: English

Content
This day will provide an opportunity for J. F. Schouten PhD Students to present their own research and get to know each other. The day will start with a keynote speaker, followed by 12 presentations by PhD students. The day will be closed with drinks. Students can provide suggestions for a key-note speakers at the J. F. Schouten Graduate School Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/groups/J.F.Schouten/

Literature

  • None

 

Hacking your social network

Title: Hacking your social network
Teaching staff: Prof. Dr. Chris Snijders & Dr. Gerrit Rooks
Date: March 21st 2013
Type of course: Basic Course
Duration: One-day meeting
Language: English

Content
The term "social network" has been around since the 1950s, but the meteoric rise of social-networking Web sites like MySpace, Facebook and Linkedin has turned a dusty sociological phrase into the hottest buzzword of the Internet age. A social network is a structure that maps out the relationships between individuals. In principle we all belong to one giant social network, but we also belong to smaller, tighter social networks defined by our families, our friends, where we live, where we work, where we went to school, our hobbies and interests and much more. One of the interesting features of networks is that, technically, networks can be represented as a graph that looks like a group of dots with lines in between them. What the dots represent (people, chicken, cities, countries) and what the lines represent ("A likes B", "A has the same color as B", "A talks about B") can be anything you are interested in, but the underlying logic remains the same.

In this course we consider the basic principles of social network theory, and then apply these principles to your own social network. By measuring and mapping your own social network, you can analyze for yourself how the connections you have can be improved, and how the relationships between your connections shape your possibilities and restrictions. Social networks are the relationships that tie us together and that give us access to resources we do not have ourselves. You better make sure that yours is working well for you!

Literature

  • TBA

 

Persuasive Communication

Title: Persuasive Communication
Teaching staff: Dr. Annemarike Lokhorst & Dr. Reint Jan Renes
Date: April 18th 2013
Type of course: Theoretical Workshops
Duration: One-day meeting
Language: English

Content
Across contexts and disciplines, many research projects deal to some extent with persuasion and social influence. How can we get people to eat healthy? How can we increase the use of hybrid cars? How can we encourage sustainable waste management? These are questions that both scientists and field practitioners are asking. In this workshop, we will discuss the current scientific insights in persuasive communication. Students will be expected to present their own work and/or theoretical concepts. In the afternoon, special attention will be paid to how these theoretical insights can be used in actual campaigns. We will discuss which steps need to be taken to go from our theories to useful tools, and what we as scientists have to offer practitioners who design these real-life campaigns. Expect a day full of brainstorming, discussion and lively debate!

Reint Jan Renes is part-time Associate Professor Health Communication at Wageningen University and Applied Professor Crossmedia Communication in the Public Domain at the University of Applied Sciences in Utrecht. As such, Reint Jan Renes is interested in a variety of issues related to crossmedia communication and persuasion. More specifically, he is interested in understanding human (intrinsic) motivation and intention - behaviour relations, isolating basic social psychological processes and testing their application to a variety of prosocial behaviours in the public domain.

Anne Marike is an Assistant Professor in Persuasive Communication at Wageningen University. In general she's interested in ways to improve environmental behaviors - especially in ways that tap into social processes. Examples are for instance public commitment making and group discussions. Are they effective in promoting environmentally significant behaviors, and more importantly, how are they effective? Her research is mainly quantitative, using questionnaires, experiments in both field and lab, and scenario studies.

Literature

  • TBA.

 

Self-Regulation

Title: Self-Regulation
Teaching staff: Dr. Yvonne de Kort
Date: May, TBA, 2013
Type of course: Theoretical Workshop
Duration: One-day meeting
Language: English

Content
Self-regulation is the ability to control one's emotions, behavior, and desires in order to obtain a goal, or avoid negative outcomes. Nevertheless, people often find it difficult to regulate their behavior, for example to stop smoking. In this workshop, several experts in the field of self-regulation will present a theoretical overview of the field, discuss recent studies and insights, with a special focus on the application of these insights to design succesful intervention strategies to help people regulate their behavior. Several research topics will be discussed in detail, such as resource-depletion, emotion regulation, and behavior interventions.

Literature

  • TBA.