Presents a demonstration for teaching psychology students to be wary of pseudoscientific treatment methods. Offers instructions for presenting the demonstration. Shows how a patently ridiculous treatment can be shown effective, in the same way that a fad treatment can sometimes appear valuable. Concludes that students learned from and enjoy the…

Describes a program in which undergraduate psychology students submitted questions about homosexuality prior to a panel discussion by a gay rights organization. Suggests that such a program helps students understand that discrimination and abuse are not justifiable responses to homosexuals. Includes questions about family relationships,…

Presents results of a study comparing student class size preferences among first-year college students and upper-division students. Reports that first-year students prefer small classes and upper division students prefer large classes. Concludes that experience in larger classes results in a stronger preference toward the large classes. Urges…

Reports on a study of 64 university faculty and 1,706 students on the relationship between teacher self-disclosure and student classroom participation. Finds that teacher self-disclosure is positively associated with students' willingness to participate in class discussions. Calls for further research. (CFR)

Presents an annotated bibliography of works in hopes of stimulating interest in and promoting scholarly activity about teaching history of psychology. Organizes 56 articles into 3 categories: projects, perspectives, and evaluations. Argues there is a serious need for thorough evaluative research. Includes departmental histories, role playing,…

Describes a college psychology course activity designed to help students define the parameters of cognitive psychology. Students selected a feature film and a journal article that represented some aspect of cognitive psychology. They then wrote a paper discussing the theoretical and empirical connections between the sources and the topic. (MJP)

Investigates the benefits of using a single personal computer and a projection system to teach undergraduate statistics. Identifies the required hardware and software, as well as the educational objectives and methods. Maintains that this method allows for immediate assessment and feedback. (MJP)

Describes a teaching activity that improves students' scientific reasoning by focusing attention on the causal, explanatory nature of psychological theories. Students learn and use an argument form called Inference to the Best Explanation (IBE). Includes examples of this technique and student responses to the course. (MJP)

Describes a non-graded, one-class-period activity that can help undergraduates understand and explore fundamental psychological concepts. Groups of three or four students perform short skits illustrating basic concepts (moral development, defense mechanisms, identity status) and the class tries to guess the concept. (MJP)

Utilizes the Psychology As Science (PAS) questionnaire to examine student's perceptions. PAS consists of a series of statements about Psychology followed by a strongly agree/disagree option. Reveals an overwhelming acceptance of psychology as a science among students. Includes a statistical breakdown of PAS statements and suggestions for future…

Presents an evaluation of a computer-aided personalized system of instruction program in two undergraduate psychology courses. The computer presented short essay tests and arranged for students who had completed various assignments satisfactorily to help evaluate other students' mastery of those assignments. Student response generally was…

Describes a writing assignment where students summarize and critique an empirical research article cited in their textbook. Students relate the article to course materials and compare it with the textbook's presentation of the research. Participants praise the assignment's efficacy in teaching about psychology research and encouraging critical…

Describes a six-week project culminating in a student-designed exit survey for graduating seniors. Exit surveys assess a department's strengths and weaknesses in curricula, instruction, and advising. Discusses the students' design and implementation of the survey. Students felt that the project enhanced their critical thinking and research skills.…

Discusses the results of a content analysis of student journals in which the students applied concepts from their social psychology course to their daily social experiences. Reveals that students applied each of four cognitive operations (labeling, explaining, reducing consequences, and self-assessing) to various aspects of the self. (MJP)

Presents the results of a study that tested students in a research methods and a developmental psychology class on methodological and statistical reasoning at the beginning and the end of the term. Reasoning scores of research methods students improved more than the scores of developmental psychology students. (MJP)