To apply several principles of memory covered in a first-year university memory course, I developed a series of one-page self-reflection papers on memory that require students to engage with the material in a meaningful way. These short papers cover topics related to memory, and the assignment itself applies these same principles, reinforcing…

This article describes the design and implementation of a 1-credit-hour seminar in comparative psychology as a supplement to an introductory biopsychology course. The purpose of the course was to introduce students to the ecological and evolutionary aspects of animal behavior by building on topics that are introduced in many biopsychology courses.…

Internal and external validity are key concepts in understanding the scientific method and fostering critical thinking. This article describes a class demonstration of a "botched" experiment to teach validity to undergraduates. Psychology students (N = 75) completed assessments at the beginning of the semester, prior to and immediately following…

We designed a classroom activity to foster students' understanding of what schemas are and how they function. We used a video of the instructor as an infant to illustrate how schemas influence gender stereotyping. Before the video, we told students that the baby was either a boy or a girl. After the video, students rated whether the baby would…

This article describes research conducted to evaluate the impact of service learning on exam scores and emotional empathy in a life-span development course. Service learning was 1 of 3 project options offered in the course; others included an interview project and a research paper. With the exception of the first exam, scores were significantly…

This article describes an activity that can help students (a) understand how the research process influences the outcomes of that research and (b) appreciate the media's limitations of reporting research findings. Students read about research reported in an online newspaper and in a scholarly journal and responded to questions that guided their…

It is valuable for psychology students to look at their discipline from a different cultural perspective. Described is a course, developed by the psychology department of Chapman College (California), in which students live in Mexico City for one month and immerse themselves in Mexican culture and psychology. (CS)

Reports on a content analysis of data graphs in introductory level and upper level psychology textbooks. Explains that upper level and introductory textbooks did not differ on the frequency and variability of data graph presentation. Presents the results and discusses implications for teachers of psychology. (CMK)

Despite its apparent simplicity, random assignment is an abstract concept for many students. This article describes a classroom demonstration that uses a standard deck of playing cards. In small groups, students randomly assign playing cards (i.e., participants) to 2 treatment groups. Following randomization, students compare the relative…

Describes the use of daily essay quizzes to encourage thorough preparation for class and higher level thinking. Explains a study assessing student reaction to daily quizzes, which compared anonymous student questionnaire responses from two classes: (1) a test-based class and (2) a daily quiz-based class. (CMK)

Presents results of a study that evaluated using popular movie clips, shown in the first class meeting of an abnormal psychology course, in relation to student enthusiasm. Compares two classes of female juniors, one using clips and one class not using them. States that the films portrayed psychological disorders. (CMK)

Describes an activity in which students engage in a size comparison task that replicates the symbolic distance effect: when comparing two imagined objects it takes longer to determine which one is larger if the objects have a small size difference. States that the activity can be used to introduce imagery research. (CMK)

Examines the content of introductory psychology books by performing a content analysis on texts from the 1970s and 1990s to determine whether the books incorporated recent historical scholarship in discussions of Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Titchener. Finds that some texts still misrepresent the relation between Wundt and Titchener. (CMK)

Provides an overview of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Psychology test focusing on the scoring system for the GRE Psychology test, who prepares the test and how the test is prepared, and the usefulness of the GRE Psychology test. Explores some future directions for the test. (CMK)

Examines and compares student and faculty attitudes towards students missing classes and class attendance. Surveys undergraduate students (n=231) in lower and upper level psychology courses and psychology faculty. Reports that students found more reasons acceptable for missing classes and that the amount of in-class material on the examinations…