lazarosantonios/pb4a7

PB4A7

📚 PB4A7: Quantitative Applications in Behavioural Science 📊 📅 Fall Semester | 🕘 Time: Tuesday 09:00-10:00

🎓 Instructor: Dr. George Melios 📧 E-mail: [email protected] 🏢 Room: CON 5.19 📚 Seminars: TBA 🗂 Office Hours: TBA

📚 Teaching Assistant: Lazaros Antonios Chatzilazarou 📧 E-mail: [email protected] 🗂 Office Hours: TBA 🤝 Help Sessions: TBA

📝 Course Description Quantitative data collection is the cornerstone of behavioural science. This course, Quantitative Applications in Behavioural Science, aims to equip you with the statistical tools and methodologies commonly used in psychology and economics. Unlike another core course—Experimental Design and Methods for Behavioural Science—which focuses on the design of experiments, this course dives into the statistical background essential for behavioural research.

🎯 Learning Objectives Understand the fundamentals of data science and its application in social sciences. Master statistical tools used by psychologists and economists. Conduct and report your own data analysis for journal publication. Recognize and address contemporary issues in data science analysis in psychology and economics.

🛠️ Requirements For students who have no prior experience with statistics/econometrics and/or STATA, the completion of the following Digital Skills class is highly recommended:

Introduction to STATA: https://moodle.lse.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=7882

Software: Download and install STATA or R and R Studio. Student Hours: Book office hours for Dr. Melios & Mr. Chatzilazarou via Student Hub. Class Participation: Active participation and punctuality are highly recommended.

📚 Recommended Materials Material Type Examples Books "The Effect Book" by Nick C. Huntington-Klein, "Introduction to Econometrics" by James H. Stock & Mark W. Watson Videos Various online tutorials and podcasts Cheat Sheets STATA and R coding cheat sheets

📊 Assessment The course assessment is divided into two parts: Data Analysis Report replicating an existing paper (70%) Poster Presentation summarizing the report (30%)

🗓️ Course Outline The course is structured into weekly sessions, each focusing on a specific topic such as Linear Regressions, Hypothesis Testing, and more. Required and optional readings are assigned to deepen your understanding.

🌟 Final Thoughts By the end of this course, you'll have a comprehensive understanding of the quantitative methods used in behavioural science. You'll be well-equipped to integrate research findings from psychology and economics, thereby contributing to the multidisciplinary field of behavioural science. 🎉

📅 Important Dates Deadline for Assessment: TBA So, are you ready to embark on this exciting journey into the world of Quantitative Applications in Behavioural Science? 🚀

Week	Topic	Description	Required Readings	Optional/Seminar Readings
0	Preparation	Introductory session on statistics for a uniform starting level.	- Chapters 1 & 2 from Introduction to Econometrics - Presessional lecture notes	N/A
1	Introduction	Introduction to applied quantitative research, course outline, and organizational issues.	- Chapters 1 & 2 from The Effect book	- The Credibility Revolution in Empirical Economics
2	Linear Regressions / OLS	Focus on using data to describe relationships between variables.	- Chapters 4 & 5 from Introduction to Econometrics - Chapters 3 & 4 from The Effect book	N/A
3	Hypothesis Testing	Exploration of formal procedures to examine opposing claims or hypotheses.	- Chapter 3 from Introduction to Econometrics - Chapter 5 from The Effect book	N/A
4	Linear Regressions with Multiple Regressors	Expansion of linear regressions using multiple regressors.	- Chapters 6, 7 & 8 from Introduction to Econometrics	N/A
5	Non-Linear Functions	Focus on non-linear functions and OLS violations.	- Chapter 8 from Introduction to Econometrics	N/A
6	Reading Week	No lectures and seminars this week.	N/A	N/A
7	Regressions with Binary Variables	Analysis and interpretation of binary independent variables.	- Chapter 11 from Introduction to Econometrics - Chapters 5, 10 & 11 from The Effect book	- Chapters 1 & 4 from Causal Inference Mixtape Book
8	Panel Regression Models	Approach and analysis of panel data, including Fixed Effects estimators.	- Chapter 16 from The Effect book - Chapter 10 from Introduction to Econometrics	- Ayres, I. and Donohue, J.J., 2002. Shooting down the more guns, less crime hypothesis.
9	Regression Discontinuity Design	Guest lecture on Regression Discontinuity Design.	- Chapter 20 from The Effect book - Chapter 6 from Causal Inference Mixtape Book	- Hansen, B., 2015. Punishment and deterrence: Evidence from drunk driving.
10	Instrumental Variables	Estimating causal parameters through Instrumental Variables.	- Chapters 6-8 & 19 from The Effect book - Chapter 7 from Causal Inference Mixtape Book	- Card, D., 1993. Using geographic variation in college proximity to estimate the return to schooling.
11	Difference in Difference Estimators	Focus on causal inference through Difference in Difference estimators.	- Chapter 18 from The Effect book - Chapter 9 from Causal Inference Mixtape Book	N/A

I hope this table makes the course outline clearer and more organized! 📚📊