GPLS 632 EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN AND QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS
This course will introduce the fundamental concepts in biostatistics and how to apply these concepts using the R statistical programming language. This course will also provide the students with an opportunity to learn how statistical methods are used in neuroscience research. During this part of the course, the instructor would initially provide background information on the field of research and the types of data that are collected, and how the statistical test under study is suited to the analysis of these data. This can be followed by providing details about experimental design and how a specific dataset is analyzed. The students are then presented with the dataset(s) (mock or real) to analyze for significance or lack thereof using R. Finally, to allow the students to think about the next step in the experimental design and analysis, they can perform additional analyses to determine if a dataset is overpowered/underpowered or eliminate outliers, etc. Additionally, this course will
closely integrate with the Proseminar in Experimental Design course where students will apply the learned statistical skills to develop hypotheses and prepare their research plans.