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PSYCH 291Basic Research Methods

Units
0.50
Faculty
Arts
Subject
Psychology

When it runs

  1. F24
  2. W25
  3. S25
  4. F25
  5. W26
  6. S26
  7. F26
  8. W27
  9. S27

Ran in 5 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 2 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.

This course introduces the methods used to observe, quantify, summarize, and describe behaviour in empirical psychological science. Students will learn how to apply basic methodologies across the subfields of psychology, preparing them to design studies and experiments that can generate meaningful data to answer key questions in psychological science.

Prerequisites

Antirequisites

  • Complete all of the following
    • Not completed nor concurrently enrolled in any of the following:
      • HLTH333 - Principles of Epidemiology (0.50)
      • KIN232 - Research Design and Statistics (0.50)
      • SDS251R - Social Research (0.50)
    • Not completed any of the following:

Leads to

Fall 2026 sections

Enrolment from UW Open Data, which can trail Quest by up to two days. Instructors and rooms: Schedule of Classes.
SectionClassEnrolledMeets
LEC 0013156216 / 300TTh 16:00–17:20

Winter 2027 sections

Enrolment from UW Open Data, which can trail Quest by up to two days. Instructors and rooms: Schedule of Classes.
SectionClassEnrolledMeets
LEC 08135380 / 80Online or by arrangement
LEC 701132123 / 9999Online or by arrangement

Reviewed on UW Flow

69% liked it69% easy94% useful

From 105 ratings and 23 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.

  • I really enjoyed this course, this is mandatory for psych students so I understand how others would not like it as much. I had Annika Hillbrandt and she is an AMAZING professor. I love the way she teaches as she really engages with her students. She also makes it super worth it to attend lectures as most of the learning happens in class. In each lecture she ensures she has practice questions or goes through many examples with us so you can really apply the information she is teaching (active recall!!!). There were 2 midterms, 1 article assignment, and 1 final exam. All of which were straight forward and as long as you keep up with lecture content you can definitely do well. There is a…

    Dec 2025 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Very foundational content for future courses. Not too much effort is needed either. Although it took some bit of time to distinguish concepts properly, by the end of the term they will become clear to you. Caitlin was extremely supportive too!

    May 2026 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • I took this online; as long as you stay on top of the weekly tasks and modules, it is easy to do well. Prof was lovely and class was engaging.

    Jun 2025 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Honestly I found this class decently interesting. All the content was basically just types of experiments and the different parts that you must pay attention to when conducting a study. There are a few tests, all MC (with a few short answer) and non-culminating. Tests are VERY straight forward just pay attention in class and study a bit beforehand. Textbook is not really necessary for this course, i found it overlapped almost exactly with the lectures. Hillebrandt is a very kind and engaging prof, I found the lectures to be very satisfying as they were very straight to the point, there were some videos to give you a little break/chill, and a couple of practice questions to work through…

    Jan 2025 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • If you read the textbook it's free. Also most of the info is already known if you have done science, otherwise I can totally see it being hard

    Nov 2024 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

Discussed on r/uwaterloo

25 posts and comments in 21 threads mention PSYCH 291, May 2017 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.

Fall 2024

Spring 2024

PSYCH 291 + PSYCH 292 3 points, 1 comment

u/Substantial-Till171: “im going into second yr and majoring in psych and i need to take math 103 in the same term as psych 291 then psych 292 the following term. …”

u/hunterballard44: “… Psych 291 isn’t a math course so you don’t need to worry too much about that. It’s also super easy. For 292 in the spring, you should check with your advisor. I’m pretty sure you’ll be allowed to though. Are you in the psych discord. …”

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Winter 2024

Math 103 grade? 1 point, 0 comments

u/Creative-Ad2222: “Hi there! I am trying to calculate what I need on my final for Math 103 to proceed to psych 291/2. I was under the impression that I only needed the credit but someone had told me I actually need a 60%. I am in psychology if that is any help. Thanks!”

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Fall 2022

Spring 2022

ARBUS SCHEDULE ADVICE: Not sure if I should drop PSCI 231 or ARBUS 200. ARBUS 200 is almost a 3 hr class which I could take in another term but also not sure if I’m up for taking PSCI 231 this term anymore? Any advice from people who’ve taken this course? Is ARBUS 200 lecture mandatory? 1 point, 6 comments

u/Radiant_Influence448: “… I would not recommend taking psych 291, arbus 200, and psci 231 in the same semester. While arbus 200 has a lot to do, psych 291 and psci 231 has a lot of content to learn so it can get overwhelming. …”

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Winter 2022

Fall 2021

Winter 2021

A UR? 0 points, 13 comments

“Hey guys so I want to go check my mark on quest and I noticed that I had a UR and I’m just really confused because all my final grades for the class are on learn. …”

u/mywaterlooaccount: “Yes, you're being investigated The UR is intentional, but that doesn't mean they've come to a conclusion How wrong are we talking?”

u/StrikingSir3485: “Psych 291”

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Fall 2020

ARTS280 UR GRADE 4 points, 8 comments

u/StrikingSir3485: “Hey trust me the same thing is happening to me my final marks are all updated for psych 291 even my exam mark is there, but for some reason on quest its a UR i haven’t received anything either. …”

u/bigbobas: “hey I’m in psych291 and mine is UR too, did they say anything about that? like if the whole class is like that I kinda don’t want to be another person emailing the prof idk”

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Winter 2020

Psychology in Waterloo 0 points, 13 comments

“how competitive is psychology undergrad in waterloo? i am an ib student btw”

u/Low-monthly-payments: “Admissions are not compeptive. Low 80s. Maybe mid 80s for coop.”

u/Tarlax: “… Advisor, will be required to take MATH 103 (Introductory Algebra) concurrently with PSYCH 291 (Basic Research Methods) in the Fall term before taking PSYCH 292 (Basic Data Analysis) in the Winter term.”

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Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026

Calendar versions

Undergraduate Calendar