Final Exam Timetable

Thurs 23 Oct.
Personality and Psychopathology / Patrick C. and Vinitha J. John Moffat – A4 09h00 – 12h00

Mon 27 Oct
Development Hand Out Kgamadi Kometsi
MBB Mike G and Mike P 9h00-12h00 U218


Tue 28 Oct
Development Hand In Kgamadi Kometsi Main Office

Thur 30 Oct
Psychological Assessment/ Psych Educational Assessment Sumayya Ebrahim and Yvonne B
9h00-12h00 U218

Mon 03 Nov
Psychological Interventions. Gavin & Gill E 9h00-12h00 U218

Wed 05 Nov Cognitive Neuroscience Enid and Yvonne 9h00-12h00 U218

Honours Research Report Hand In

Hi All,
Here are the details for the hand in of your research report.

You must hand in.

1.
3 Bound copies with the plagiarism declaration. The report declaration can be downloaded here.

2. A digital copy on a CD-Rom or DVD. If you have any problem with creating the digital copy please contact me. Furthermore on Tuesday the 14th I will be available in the lab from 10h00 to 12h00 to assist anyone who would like help in making the digital copy.

The copy must contain the following.


* The digital copy of the dissertation.
* A one page summary for the Blog.
* A digital copy of your data instruments where possible.
* The summary questionnaire in excel format.

Notes:

Research Report
In the root directory a copy of your dissertation. The filename should be called
Honours Report Surname Name Student Number .doc or
Honours Report Surname Name Student Number .pdf

The file may be stored in either Microsoft word or Searchable PDF formats.

One Page Summary.
This is to give feedback to interested parties. It should provide a brief outline of your aims, rationale, sample, results and conclusions. In essence an outline of the dissertation itself without the lit. review. This may be in Microsoft Word, PDF or HTML format. It must be a single file called

Brief Summary Surname Name.doc
Brief Summary Surname Name.pdf
Brief Summary Surname Name.html

Research Instruments
In a separate folder called instruments place a copy of your research instruments including biographical questionnaires and interview schedules for qualitative research. Each instrument should be in a separate file named.

Instrument Name Author Construct.doc

for example
Traumatic Stress Institue Scale TSI McCann and Pearlman Cognitve Disruption.Doc
Biographical Questionnaire Self Developed.Doc
Interview Schedule Self Developed Personal Identity.Doc


Research Questionnaire
The questionnaire can be downloaded here. Please fill it in and then attached it with the same name to your documents. I will add an internet site for completing the questionnaire as well.



Regards
Mike Greyling

MBB Thought Paper

Hi all

My apologies for being so late - undergraduate marking, prepping, teaching and test/exam setting have had me snowed under.

Here are two questions for your thought papers:

1. What does Searle regard as the central question/problem of consciousness?

2. In what way, if any, does Edelman's theory of consciousness address Searle's central question/problem?

Again, sorry this is so late.

Please note - I have been called to a School Executive meeting tomorrow at 12h30. Please can we therefore again start our seminar tomorrow at 13h30 - I will do my best to get there on time.

Also remember to come prepared with a topic area, if not a specific essay topic, for your first paper.

Thanks
Regards
Michael P

Faculty Workshops for Postgraduate Students

KINDLY CIRCULATE THE FOLLOWING UPCOMING WORKSHOPS TO YOUR POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS

WRITING WORKSHOPS FOR POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS
The Postgraduate Project Office invites you to the following free workshops for postgraduate students. Please access the full programme and booking form on www.wits.ac.za under "Postgraduate Resources"
Email Hildegard Chapman at hildegard.chapman@wits.ac.za for booking forms. You can book for any programme at any time.
1. A two hour workshop on Using RefWorks will be held by Paiki Muswazi on Monday 4 August 2008 from 10.00 to 12h00 in the Electronic Classroom (ECR), First Floor, Wartenweiler Library.
The University has a site license for Refworks a system for automatically including references in your research writing that simultaneously builds a reference list. This workshop will develop Refworks skills.
2. A four hour workshop on Organising, Analysing and Writing up Interview Data will be held by Dr Susan Van Zyl on Wednesday 6 August 2008 from 12.00 to 16.00 in the Conference Room, 4th Floor, Wartenweiler Library.
Writing up research based wholly or partly on the rich data arising from interview material can present problems. This workshop will take participants through a suggested method for writing up interview-based research using what could be described as language-sensitive Thematic Content Analysis. Some reference to how this approach might be adapted to suit Discourse Analytic methods of various kinds will be made.

3. A four hour workshop on Supervision Practices and Entitlements will be held by Professors Hilary Janks and Mary Scholes and Ms Jenny Hadingham on Thursday 7 August 2008 from 9.00 to 16.00 in the Conference Room, 4th Floor, Wartenweiler Library.
Based on the latest literature pertaining to Research Education, this workshop brings students up to date with best practice in the postgraduate supervision, the role of transference and identification in supervision, time management and research timetables, publication and conference attendance
AND FROM THE GRADUATE SCHOOL FOR HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
(email gradschool.humanities@wits.ac.za to book)
DOING ETHNOGRAPHY
Thursday, 7th August, 14:00 to 16:00 (Prof Robert Thornton)
Graduate School, Seminar Room
In the words of the title of a recent re-examination of ethnographic practice, ethnography is described as 'Writing Culture'. In other words, ethnography attempts to capture the 'unsaid' and to construct 'implicit meanings' that are present in both the everyday activities of people and in the extraordinary activities involved in ritual, ceremony and public performances of all kinds. The ethnographer does this through what is called 'participant observation', a method that requires the participation of the ethnographer in the life he/she attempts to describe, and a close reading of the activities, meanings and interpretations of those he/she observes. This seminar will examine in particular specific ethnographic techniques such as the non-directed open-ended interview, the use of visual records, note taking and coding.

Mind, Brain and Behaviour Thought Paper

Hi All,

Just a reminder for next week. Your thought paper for next week is one to two pages on.

Pick an area of Psychology you have studied before (e.g. Social, Development, Personality) and try to explicate how and Evolutionary Psychology approach would be different from other approaches you have studied.

This may include
What ways would EP theories about XXXX be different from other theories you have covered?
What kinds of questions would be asked in researching XXXX?
What kind of evidences would be appealed to (as opposed to those currently used)?

ref: http://www.psych.ucsb.edu/research/cep/primer.html

In general you should consider for next week

What is evolution?
What is Natural selection and how is this involved in Darwins theory of evolution?
What are the central claims / assumptions of evolutionary psychology?
What are the opposing views ?(it may be easier to think of the extremes first before thinking about realistic positions)
What kind of evidence do EPists appeal to?

Elective Marks Error

I have been informed that there have been changed not yet applied to the marks currently on display. I will notify you as soon as they are corrected.

Mike

Exam Questions Blog

Hi All,

I will be answering questions on the blog. Please post any Stats/RDA Questions here.

Regards

Mike

Consultation Times for Exam

Hi All Exam2004 has been updated.

My consultation times for the next weeks are as follows.

Thursday 22: 11h00-14h00
Friday 23: 9h00-11h00
Tuesday 27: Revision Lecture U3 9h00-12h00 Venue booked until 13h00
Wednesday 28: TBA arranging another meeting at the moment.

Mike

MACC Website

Dear Colleagues

Please find attached the link for the updated MACC website. Please could you forward to the 2008 Honours Class as background information for those who may be interested in applying for the programme, but also encourage them to surf and use the site if they find useful features. We would also welcome feedback on it.

http://web.wits.ac.za/Academic/Humanities/Umthombo/Psychology/vcop

Many thanks,
Garth.

Past Papers

Hi All, here are some past papers to sink your teeth into.


Paper 2002
Paper 2003
Paper 2004
Paper 2005
Paper 2006
Paper 2007
Paper 2008

Mike

Lecture on Thursday

The lecture on thursday will run on from 11h15 to 1h15 in WB2. The room is in the basement of the Wartenweiler library. The entrance is outside of the building between Umthombo and the Library on the lawns side.

Mike

Lecture on Thi\ursday

Course in Counselling

Hi All,

The school is offering a short course in counselling skills, particularly aimed at those interested in the professional training degrees. Details of the course can be found here.

Mike

Model Answers

Here are some approaches to answering the tutorials.
Download Word Document

Qualitative Lecture Slides

Download Here

Research Dates Revised

Hi All, I have receieved a revised outline from Tanya, for your edification.

The full document is downloadable from here

Mike


HONOURS IN PSYCHOLOGY

RESEARCH REPORT - PROGRESS MEETINGS, SUBMISSION DATES AND LECTURE SCHEDULE (REVISED 29/02/2008)

Time Slots:
Group 1: 9.00am-10.00am
Group 2: 10.00am-11.00am
Venue: Honours Common Room
Please note that lecture attendance and meetings with the research coordinator are compulsory.

CONTACT DETAILS:

Gillian Haiden-Mooney
U209
(011) 717-4514
Gillian.Haiden-Mooney@wits.ac.za

Tanya Swart
U329
(011) 717-4586
Tanya.Swart@wits.ac.za

Lists for Research Methods

Hi all, here are the lists. The last two room allocations are from memory so if i'm wrong let me know. If you are not on this list contact Michael P asap
Mike G

Group 1: Michael Pitman B121

Nadia Georgia Assimacopoulos
Adam Bloom
Tammy Dehn
Kym Edwards-Evans
Zaheerah Fakir
Yushika Govender
Dorit Israelsohn
Meegan May-Yeng Kay
Moranda Lam
Val-Lyn McQuade
Venessa Lopang Mogatusi
Patricia Mutsvunguma
Mikateko Nkuna
Richard Mark Parry
Maria Ramaahlo
Shawn Catherine Rogers
Romy Sarembock
Lauren Tracy Shearing
Natasha Snyman
Liesel Van Heerden
Kevin Doron Zar

Group 2 Nicky Israel Hons in Psych Room U346

Tamra Louise Barenbrug
Wing ka Chan
Tasneem Dawood
Gabriella Lauren Dennill
Janine Loy Erasmus
Katherine Gauld
Catherine Ashleigh Grose
Zakiyah Jamal
Raadhiyah Khan
Andrea Lawrence
Jacqueline Herculano Mendes
Zamswazi Msibi
Vladimir (Dr) Nedelkojkovic
Daniela Marina Nortje
Avni Patel
Maliile Ramashamole
Mellisa Rossouw
Ruvarashe Saungweme
Kasmeer Singh
Sarah Louise Stadler
Mo'aaza Wadvalla
Shani, Eve Zuk

Group 3: Brett Bowman Industrial Room U349

Warren Beder
Muchineyi Chimbetete
Boitumelo Chuma
Carla Samantha Garrido De Gouveia
Hayley, Kathryn Donaldson
Zakiyya Ismail Essa
Kerry Joan Gordon
Laura Alison Harris
Bradley Dean Kallenbach
Sherianne Kramer
Tarryn Shirley Leslie
Jarred Milner
Nicole Muskat
Despina Nicolopoulos
Lara Nossel
Tshadinyana Merriam Phetoe
Julie Robinson
Tanya Rachel Samouilhan
Stacy Kim Schneider
Sarah Joanne Smelting
Sarah Anne Uren
Jennifer Jayne Wynne

Test Issues

Here are some thoughts about the tut question with possible (not model answers)

Question 2.
Step 1 is to determine the scales of measure for the two variables.
School Type is clearly nominal, while the Mathematics performance (given our principle of how to treat instruments) can be assumed to be interval.

a) The simplest approach here merely to look at appropriate stats from the table and that for nominal scales you have to choose between mods and frequency tables, while interval scales have the whole gait of mean, std dev, etc..

This is what is expected for Monday.


A more sophisticated approach would be for example note that given the spread of school types, the mode would be less helpful and the frequency table a more complete description of school type.

A more thorough process for maths ability would reflect that means and std dev's would give a quick overview off differences, while the histogram/box plot would provide a good summary of the shape and the skewness and kurtosis would be useful alternatives if there was no space for graphs.

b) The key to this exercise to try and think about what you know about schools in SA and to try to describe that with your numbers.

For example SA schools have massive differences in perfromance from schools with 100% pass rates every year to those with 0%. As such the variance is likely to be high. Urban schools often perfrom better than rural schools (often due to resource issues) while private schools for similar reasons tend to be better performers than government schools. In particular there are many elite private schools which are massively resourced. Rural private schools include a number of farm schools which are very poorly resourced as well as number of religious schools which vary dramtically in quality. As such we may expect a higher variance here. Given that a table of means and SD's might look like.

Urban Private Mean=75, SD=10
Urban Government Mean = 60, SD=15
Rural Private Mean=56, SD=25
Rural Government Mean=45,SD=20

These number were made up simply to reflect what I had presumed to be true above. IF an exercise like this apeared in the text I would outline the patterns and then ask you to make up the numbers.
c) The most NB is not to be fooled by the word relationship in the title. If you use the IV/DV decision chart and note that the IV (School type) is Nominal and the DV (Maths perform..) is interval than the table telss you that your answer should be something like a t-test or an Anova.

A bit of thought would suggest that your are in essence comparing the different school types and thus your are in fact on the left hand side (Compare means) of the main decision tree. You then note that there are 4 school types (hence >2 samples) and thus analysis type is Anova. (there is nothing to suggest a non parametric or multivariate anlysis so stick with anova.)

For the purpose of the test you don't need to distinguish between 1 way or n-way.


d) If there was more than 1 mease of maths perf. then you would have multiple measures of the DV and thus the analysis would be multivariate. Hence using the third row for multivariate analyses you would get that MANOVA is appropriate.




Question 3.

Again note that all variables are interval.

a) Reread note for 2a above.
b) As everything is interval you are in the bottom right hand corner of the IV/DV table hence a choice between correlations and regression.
In the right hand side of the main table (relationships between vars) you should note that we have 1 DV (Turnover intentions) and several IV's (all the others). That suggests that the best analysis is regression. Note that prediction typically(but not exclusively) is associated with relationship analyses (regression the most common) , but most importantly identifies our IV's (the predictors) and the DV (the response - or what is predicted.)
c) In the case of non parametric data, we could either use CHAID as a nonparametric equivalent to regression or do a series of Spearman rank correlation coefficients.


These questions are a little harder (primarily in the lack of detail) than what will be in the test but cover the same sort of skills.

Registration Problems

I have spoken to the faculty again. They assure me that all registrations will be processed by the end of the week. I have asked all the lecturers to accomodate this as much as possible. I apologise for the frustration this is causing. We will certainly take this up with the faculty to ensure that this does not become the norm.

Regards
Mike G

Reserach Choices.

Don't forget your choices are due tomorrow (Wednesday) so get them in ASAP.

Mike

Timetable Update

The Venues for the research methods course are as follows.

Research Design: Wednesday 8h00. In Biology Room 121. The biology building is directly behind (South of) the Umthombo building. If you go in one of the doors on the umthombo side, head right to the end of the corridor. Go up one flight of stairs and it's one of the first doors on your left (North side).

Stats" Monday 10h30. Gate House rome 301. This building is buildings down from the biology building. Ie.e go through biology, keeep going between OLS and the physics and the next buiding on the left is Gate House. Go up three stories and turn left from the stairs or right from the lifts straight into 301.

Mike

Timetable

Dear All,

Apologies for the delay but there are still some outstanding venues to be allocated for the classes. I checked again this morning and attempted to light a few firecrackers and if all goes well I should have a final timetable by tomorrow. Please keep checking the blog as a number of NB messages have and will be posted in the next few days.

The Psychoanalytic Theory course has moved from thursday to wednesday. It will run from 10h15 to 12h15 for the first quarter.

Regards
Mike G

Library Orientation - Note update

Hi All, Nicky has arranged the library orientation for thursday(8 Feb) afternoon. Please note that this is essential to your study and is a such compulsory. Reading is the most important skill you will learn this year.

Quote
Gill has already sent round a list (see attached) dividing the class into two sessions. I would then ask for the first session to come in from 14h00 to 15h15 (meeting in the Wartenweiler Library foyer at 13h55) and the second session to come in from 15h15 (meeting in the Wartenweiler Library Foyer at 15h15) until 16h30. Students would need to bring with them the library handout (one page double-sided) they received at orientation, although I will make spare copies available.


Thanks and sorry for the short notice,
Honours Library Orientation
Thursday 7th February
14h00-16h30
All students should bring with the one page double-sided handout they received at the RDA Orientation.

1st group: 14h00 – 15h15 (meeting in Wartenweiler library foyer @ 13h55)
Students:
Nadia Assimacopoulos; Tamra Barenbrug; Tasneem Dawood; Carla de Gouveia; Gabriella Dennill; Doron Zar; Janine Erasmus; Catherine Grose; Dorit Israelsohn; Meegan Kay; Raadhiyah Khan; Vanessa Mogatsi; Nicole Muskat; Vladimir Nedezjkovic; Lara Nossel; Maria Ramaahlo; Melissa Rossouw; Tanya Samouihan; Lauren Shearing; Sarah Stadler; Chan Wing Ka; Jennifer Wynne; Shani Zuk

2nd group: 15h15 – 16h30 (meeting in Wartenweiler library foyer @ 15h15)
Students:
Hayley Donaldson; Kim Edwardes-Evans; Zakiyya Essa; Kerry Gordon; Yushika Govender; Laura Harris; Brad Kallenbach; Sheriame Kramer; Tarryn Leslie; Jacky Mendes; Val-Lyn McQuade; Desi Nicolopoulos; Daniela Nortje; Richard Parry; Tshadi Phetoe; Shawn Rogers; Romy Sarembock; Stacy Schneider; Sarah Smelting
Sarah Uren; Liesel van Heerden; Mo’ Wadvalla

Health Psychology Readings

Hi All, The readings for the first health psychology lecture are available in the main office U211. It is expected that you read them before the first lecture next week.

Mike

Message from Gill

Hi All

I’ve had some queries regarding our classes.
Our classes will start on Friday 8 February. When we spoke in class on Monday (28 January), I said that you would be going to the library on Friday 8 February. The electronic classroom in the library is not available on Friday mornings. Nicky Israel will schedule this workshop for one afternoon next week, and she will inform the class. Thus, we will meet in your Honours room next Friday, 8 February, at 9 and 10.
Secondly, a number of you have contacted me to discuss research topics and supervision. I will be available in Monday 4 February between 9:30 and 12:00 for consultation. Please send, via e-mail, a description of the project that you are interested in and confirm a time for Monday, before Friday 1 February. I would suggest, given how busy academic staff are at the beginning of the year, that you think about sending such e-mails to staff who you are interested in working with.
Thirdly, I have forwarded the responses of your classmates to my questions. This is one of the many ways in which you communicate with both your classmates and me. I encourage you to respond.
Thanks
Gill




Hi All

I hope that you have started to think a little more about your selections of research topics and supervisors?
Did you find yesterday’s workshop helpful in any way? If so, in what ways do you think that our workshop helped you to understand this process more?

As we agreed upon in class, I have divided the class for our workshops. See attached document.
Thus, half of you will attend class at 9 AM and the other at 10AM. Please note that this arrangement may change before proposals are due and during the course of the year, e.g. we may divide the class on the basis of methodological frameworks. The idea is that Fridays are research days and you will be spending an hour of the morning in class.

Please let me know if there are any problems with the list, i.e. your name does not appear, I have spelled your name incorrectly, or you would prefer to be called by a different name. Please could Doron give me a full name.

Have a good week of topic and supervisor shopping! Remember to assess the merchandise fully before you commit yourself such a large amount of time and very hard work.
Thanks and please feel free to comment in any way
Gill

Topic Choices

Hi All,

Here are the final topic choices for you info. If anyone who is registered for Psych Interventions, and is not deeply invested in it, please let me know asap as those bumped are keen to stay.

Regards

Mike G

Friday's Orientation.

Hi All, Fridays Orientation will start at 8h45 in the Auditorium at the Umthomjeni Centre.

For those not in the know this used be the old education building (before that it was probably just the education building.) To get their go out the back of the umthombo building (the side with the ramp.) Cross over the road and turn right. The building in front and slightly to the left is the umthonjeni centre. If you go in via the the parking lot between Jan Smusts House and the UC you will walk straight into the auditorium. This is usually locked but I will open it for the orientation. If you are early or late you will have to go in the other side.

Mike

Letter from registrar

Hi All, here is what was sent to me.

Regards
Mike G

Start of 2008

Hi All,

The new year is upon us. My email and computer are once again functioning and I will be flooding the airwaves for the next few days. The year starts very early in 2008, so I will provide a quick outline of key dates.

Firstly there will be an orientation to the research aspects of the course running from Tuesday 22/1 to Thurs 24/1. Details can be found here.

We will have an orientation to the course on Friday 25/1 which will complete on Monday 28/1.

We will finalise topic choices for students in preparation for registration on Tuesday 29/1.

The remainder of the week aside form the usual university wide festivities will be used to finalise some key administrative issues and to begin the research process.

The first week of term will start on the 4th of Feb.

Regards

Mike G