6 ECTS credits
180 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 1023415ANR for all students in the 2nd semester at a (A) Bachelor - preliminary level.

Semester
2nd semester
Enrollment based on exam contract
Impossible
Grading method
Grading (scale from 0 to 20)
Can retake in second session
Yes
Taught in
Dutch
Faculty
Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences
Department
Experimental and Applied Psychology
Educational team
Peter Theuns (course titular)
Alain Isaac
Jennifer De Cremer
Femke Legroux
Jeroen Frans
Activities and contact hours
26 contact hours Lecture
26 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals
Course Content

This course provides an introduction to and foundation for statistical analysis.
This course also introduces use of statistical software (students can individually opt for either SPSS or R).
Topics covered in the lectures and WPOs:
Probability theory
• Combinatorics
• Probability models: simulation and theoretical
• Classical definition of probability versus frequential definition
• Basic rules of probability theory
o Summation theorem
o Conditional probabilty
o Product rule
o Bayes' rule
Stochastic variables
• Discrete
• Continuous (area under the curve)
Sampling distributions
• Sampling distributions for numbers and proportions
o Sampling with and without replacement
o Binomial distributions
o Normal approximation of binomial distribution
o Continuity correction
• Sampling distribution of sample means
o Expected value and standard deviation of sample means
o Central limit theorem
Introduction to Statistical Inference
• Reliable estimation
o Point estimates
- Maximum Likelihood
Pure and impure estimators
o Confidence intervals
o Determining a required sample size
• Significance tests
o z test 

Statistical software:
Students choose either R or SPSS for themselves. Introduction to the software opted for largely consists of self-study using a instructive reader, supplemented with a number of classical exercises sessions and guided self-study.

Script or syntax-based data-analysis is instructed and required.

Course material
Handbook (Recommended) : Statistiek 1, Syllabus, Prof. Jan De Neve
Additional info

“Statistiek 1: syllabus van Prof. Jan De Neve, Universiteit Gent” (PDF will be available).

Learning Outcomes

General Competences

Apart from a very thorough knowledge of the theory, it is mainly expected that the student can independently apply the learned techniques to realistic data and use them to solve presented problems.

Explain examples of probability models

Apply the laws of probability

Explain a "sampling distribution"

Create and interpret confidence intervals

Explain and motivate the reasoning for significance tests

Performing and interpreting a z-test on sample means and reporting in APA style

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Written Exam determines 70% of the final mark.
Practical Exam determines 30% of the final mark.

Within the Written Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

  • Examen theorie + oefeningen with a relative weight of 70 which comprises 70% of the final mark.

Within the Practical Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

  • Examen software with a relative weight of 30 which comprises 30% of the final mark.

Additional info regarding evaluation

The exam includes 2 parts that make up next share of the final grade:

70% Written exam (multiple choice with increased caesura).
30% Software practical exam (open questions)
Both parts of the exam must be taken, otherwise the final grade will be "absent".

The multiple choice exam will be graded by positive scoring with Increased Cesura. Thus, no points will be deducted for a wrong answer. However, scoring by guessing is reflected in the final grade by increasing the pass mark (= caesura). For a multiple-choice exam with 20 five-choice questions the caesura is 12. So you will have to answer 12 of the 20 questions correctly to achieve a 10/20. Of course, if you answer all 20 questions correctly you will achieve 20/20. The exam strategy by this method is simple: Do your best on the entire exam, questions you don't know or partially know guess to the best of your ability, without worrying about possible point deductions.

If one fails overall, the grade of a section, for which at least 60% of the maximum grade was obtained, can be transferred from the first to the second sitting. Transfer of (partial) grades to a following academic year is not allowed. 

For each examination component, the last grade obtained on that component always counts.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark
The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context

This offer is part of the following study plans:
Bachelor of Psychology: Profile Profile Work and Organisational Psychology (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Psychology: Initial track (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Psychology: Profile Profile Clinical psychology (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Psychology: Profile Profile Work & Organisational Psychology (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Psychology: Profile Profile Clinical Psychology (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Adult Education: Profile Social Studies (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Adult Education: Profile Cultural Studies (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Adult Education: Initial track (only offered in Dutch)
Bridging Programme Master of Science in Psychology: Traject van 90 studiepunten met Profiel Arbeids- en Organisatiepsychologie (only offered in Dutch)
Bridging Programme Master of Science in Psychology: Profile Profile Clinical Psychology (only offered in Dutch)
Bridging Programme Master of Science in Psychology: Profile Profile Clinical Psychology (only offered in Dutch)
Bridging Programme Master of Science in Psychology: Profile Profile Work and Organisational Psychology (only offered in Dutch)
Bridging Programme Master of Teaching in Behavioural Sciences: Psychology (only offered in Dutch)
Preparatory Programme Master of Science in Psychology: Profile Profile Work and Organisational Psychology (only offered in Dutch)
Preparatory Programme Master of Science in Psychology: Profile Profile Clinical Psychology (only offered in Dutch)