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First . . .

LIS 397.1 Introduction to Research in Library and Information Science Summer, 2003 Randolph G. Bias, Ph.D., CHFP rbias@ischool.utexas.edu cell: 512-657-3924. First. There are two components of this and any class: Instruction and Evaluation. Let’s get the evaluation out of the way, early.

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First . . .

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  1. LIS 397.1Introduction to Research in Library and Information ScienceSummer, 2003Randolph G. Bias, Ph.D., CHFP rbias@ischool.utexas.educell: 512-657-3924

  2. First . . . • There are two components of this and any class: Instruction and Evaluation. • Let’s get the evaluation out of the way, early. • Need one volunteer.

  3. “Research shows . . .” • Finger length is a good (and quick!) indicator of intelligence. • One volunteer – measure your finger length in cm.

  4. Hmmmm . . . • Everyone in the class will get a grade of “C” • But still, we can continue with the “instruction” part of the course.

  5. Oh, so maybe . . . • Just THIS person isn’t too smart. • OK, everyone measure your right index finger. • From the top (last) crease in your hand, to the tip of the finger. • Write down the length, in cm.

  6. Bettin’ Time! • I’ll give everyone one penny. • You HAVE to wager it: • Turn it heads UP on your desk if you think that two people in this classroom share a birthday, and heads DOWN if you think that no two people share a birthday.

  7. Please go to the board . . . • . . . And complete the following columns: • Your first name and last initial. • Your birth month and day (I don’t care about the year). • The length of your finger, in cm. • The number of Major League Baseball games you’ve seen, in person. • One favorite hobby.

  8. Now, an experiment • I will hand you each a slip of paper. Please read it an do NOT let anyone else read it. • Women receive a pink slip of paper. • Men receive a blue slip of paper. • After everyone has read his/her slip of paper and refolded it, I’ll show some letters of the alphabet, one at a time, for one second each. • After the last one, I’ll say “Go,” and ask you to write down the letters, in order. • Any questions?

  9. OK, pencils down! J F M A M J J A S O N D

  10. Write down the letters. • In order!

  11. Answers J F M A M J J A S O N D

  12. Exp. 1 -- Data

  13. Who among you . . . • . . . is a statistical wizard? • . . . has experience conducting research?

  14. What are some things that you know?

  15. Many ways to learn new things • Method of Authority • trusted authority tells you something • Method of Reason • follow basic logical laws from philosophy • Modeling • Trial-and-error • Intuition • Scientific Method • belief on the basis of experience

  16. What are some decisions you made today?

  17. After this class . . . • You’ll know something about how scientists (information scientists) gather new information. • AND you’ll be good at evaluating information others offer you.

  18. Three Paths to “Belief” 1 – Naïve acceptance. 2 – Cynicism. 3 – Critical skepticism.

  19. Critical Skepticism! • Rabbit pie story.

  20. What you’ll learn: • Validity. (Finger length a good indicator of intelligence?) • Reliability. (“Oh, just measure it however.”) • Sampling – picking a representative sample and then generalizing to a larger population • Why larger samples are better

  21. What you’ll learn (cont’d.): • How to represent a group of numbers, meaningfully. • Frequency distributions • Measures of central tendency • Measures of dispersion (spread) • Graphing data • Operationalizing variables (“intelligence”) • Probability • Correlation

  22. What you’ll learn (cont’d.): • Different measurement scales • What makes a good research question? • Experimental design • Independent and dependent variables • Controls, counterbalancing, and confounds • Hypothesis testing • Inferential statistics (is THAT number really bigger than THIS number?)

  23. Professional History • B.S. in psych from FSU • Ph.D. in cognitive psych from UT-Austin • Bell Labs for 3 years • IBM-Austin for 11 years • BMC Software for 5 years • Co-founded Austin Usability 3 years ago • Previously adjunct faculty member at UT; Have taught at UT, Rutgers, Huston-Tillotson, SWTSU • Newly an assoc. prof. in the UT School of Information

  24. Objectives To arm you with a scientist’s skepticism, and a scientist’s tools to conduct research and evaluate others’ research. The student who successfully completes this course will understand: 1 – descriptive statistics, and how to represent a collection of numbers 2 – how to design a good experiment (and evaluate if someone else has) 3 – inferential statistics and hypothesis testing 4 – other techniques human beings use to gain new information, such as qualitative methods.

  25. Review syllabus

  26. What’s up with “Psychology”?

  27. Homework • Bring in one claim that you hear today or tomorrow. On the news, in your reading, in an ad, wherever. • Try to buy books. (Hinton book may not be in yet.) See you tomorrow.

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