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Statistics with R Course at TUM 2024

The Summer 2024 course 'Introduction to Statistics Using R' at the Technical University of Munich aims to familiarize students with the replication crisis in psychology, basic statistics, and the R programming language. The course includes weekly assignments and an exam, covering topics such as data preparation, statistical inference, and causal inference. Classes are not mandatory, but attendance is encouraged for discussions on applying course materials to research.

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Felipe Navarro
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
14 views2 pages

Statistics with R Course at TUM 2024

The Summer 2024 course 'Introduction to Statistics Using R' at the Technical University of Munich aims to familiarize students with the replication crisis in psychology, basic statistics, and the R programming language. The course includes weekly assignments and an exam, covering topics such as data preparation, statistical inference, and causal inference. Classes are not mandatory, but attendance is encouraged for discussions on applying course materials to research.

Uploaded by

Felipe Navarro
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Summer 2024

Introduction to Statistics Using R


Start date: Thursday, April 18, 2024
Technical University of Munich
TUM School of Management, Chair of Psychology

Course Description

This course will introduce students to the scholarly discussions around replication crisis and
reproducibility, to the R programing language and R Markdown as a tool for the reproducibility of
science, to basic statistics, to linear models, and to causal inferences. The main objectives of this course
are to familiarize students with the replication crisis in psychology (crisis in science in general), ways put
forward to ‘solve’ these problems, and to develop a firm grasp of the tools available (e.g. pre-registration,
R, R Markdown), including an understanding of how to apply these to research settings. Furthermore, this
course aims to provide students with an in-depth understanding of basic statistics so that they are able to
apply such statistical methods to their research/studies and jobs. Basic statistics taught in this course
include correlations, linear models such as simple/multiple regressions, moderation, mediation and
multilevel linear models. Lastly, this course captures the recent advances in research methods for making
causal inferences from observational data.

Topics to be covered include, but are not limited to, how science works (different approaches to statistical
inferences), replication crisis in science, transparency of the research process and the replicability of
research findings, validity and reliability, R programming language, R Markdown and Quarto, data pre-
preparation, data visualization, correlation, linear regression, multilevel linear models and causal
inference.

Course Information

Instructor: Dr. Cafer Bakac


Rm. 0505.02.563
Email: [Link]@[Link]
Office Hours: by appointment

Grading

~45% - Weekly assignments


~55% - Exam

Course Requirements

(1) There is no required textbook for this class (however, you are most welcome to use the textbooks
specified on TUM Online). Instead, I have put together a number of readings designed to address each
weekly topic. You are expected to read these materials before coming to the class and discuss them during
the class.

(2) Class attendance is not mandatory. However, if you want to take the most out of this class, you are
encouraged to attend each course as the most important topics are discussed during the class. Further, we
will have class discussions about the topics we cover each week and we will have discussions on how to
use the materials covered in the class in our own research.
(3) Students are expected to complete and submit their weekly assignments. These assignments will be
allocated after five classes specified by the instructor and they weigh ~45% (10% each week) of the final
grade.

(4) Students will, at the end of the seminar, have to take an exam to pass the course. The exam date and
place (online or present) are yet to be determined. The exam will include questions regarding applications
of what students learnt throughout the course.

Course Schedule – Summer 2024


Date Topic

Week 1: Introduction to the Course


April 18

Week 2: An Introduction to R programming language


April 25 An Introduction to R Markdown
An Introduction to Quarto

Week 3: Data Preparation


May 02 Data Visualization

Week 4: Basic Concepts


May 16

Week 5: Statistical Inference


May 23 Approaches to Statistical Inference

Week 6: Replication Crisis in Science


June 06 Open Science
Reproducibility of Science

Week 7: Measurement
June 13 EFA & CFA

Week 8: Exploratory Data Analysis


June 20 Correlation

Week 9: Simple Regression


June 27 Multiple Regression

Week 10: Mediations


July 04 Moderations

Week 11: Casual Inference


July 11

Week 12: Multilevel or Structural Equation Modelling


July 18

Common questions

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The use of multilevel or structural equation modelling in the course provides benefits such as the ability to analyze complex data structures and relationships, including those across different hierarchical levels and latent constructs. These models enhance the capacity for detailed statistical analysis critical for advanced research, as taught in Week 12 .

Student performance in the course is evaluated based on weekly assignments, which account for approximately 45% of the final grade, and a final exam, which accounts for 55%. Assignments are designed to apply course materials, while the exam will test both understanding and application of students' learning .

Open science plays a significant role in the course curriculum by supporting the principle of transparency and reproducibility in research. It is covered in Week 6 as part of the discussions on the replication crisis in science, promoting practices that lead to more reliable research outputs .

The course prepares students for making causal inferences from observational data by teaching recent advances in research methods specific to causal inference. It provides a thorough understanding of statistical models and frameworks that facilitate the derivation of causative insights from non-experimental data, which are discussed in depth in Week 11 .

Class attendance is not mandatory to provide flexibility for students, but attending is beneficial as it allows participation in discussions on key topics, enabling deeper understanding through interaction with peers and the instructor. Attending helps students gain insights into practical applications of course content and engage in dynamic learning .

Learning R Markdown is important because it serves as a tool for ensuring the reproducibility of scientific research. The course emphasizes reproducibility as a means to address the replication crisis in science, and R Markdown facilitates this by allowing researchers to combine code, output, and descriptive text into a cohesive document that can be shared and reproduced .

Moderation and mediation are differentiated in the course by focusing on their roles in statistical modeling. Moderation involves interactions between variables where the effect of one variable depends on another, while mediation explores how one variable influences other variables through an intermediary. These concepts are specifically addressed in Week 10 .

The course addresses the replication crisis in psychology by familiarizing students with the ongoing discussions around the crisis and exploring solutions such as pre-registration and the use of R programming language to enhance reproducibility. This topic is specifically covered in Week 6 and aims to provide students with an understanding of the importance of transparency and reproducibility in research, which are key issues in the replication crisis .

Students are expected to complete the assigned readings before class to facilitate participation in discussions. Engaging in discussions helps them understand and apply the material effectively. The readings provide foundational knowledge required for in-class debates and the practical application of statistical concepts .

By the end of the course, students are expected to understand basic statistical models including correlations, linear models such as simple and multiple regressions, moderation, mediation, multilevel linear models, and causal inference models .

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