Identifying impediments to learning can help both instructors and students. In this study students (N = 222) from across the nation listed concepts from research methods they found the most challenging--"potholes" or impediments to learning, and also rated the difficulty of various concepts from the class. We also measured student…

Research methods and statistics are core courses in the undergraduate psychology major. To assess learning outcomes, it would be useful to have a measure that assesses research methods and statistical literacy beyond course grades. In two studies, we developed and provided initial validation results for a research methods and statistical knowledge…

Assesses students' concepts of aging at the beginning, middle, and end of a psychology of aging course. Results show students' knowledge reflected stereotypes in the beginning, but during the course, new concepts appeared. Claims instructors can benefit from using this technique to plan and assess success of course goals. (Author/NL)

Psychology students studied one of two versions of a passage that explained several concepts. One version included definitions of concepts and examples; the other included definitions only. A major finding was that the increased performance of students who received examples was obtained on applied questions but not on literal questions. (Author/RM)

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…

On the basis of the frequency of family-related concepts in 60 college psychology textbooks, the article recommends that psychology teaching and research concentrate on the interaction of an individual with his familial and environmental surroundings. (DB)

Graduate psychology students were presented with statistical concepts and asked to rate their similarity-dissimilarity. Multidimensional scaling was used to judge how students organized the concepts. Results showed that the students were able to organize the materials into a meaningful structure only after the concepts were presented in an…

Profiles a class exercise that teaches the importance of developing an accurate definition of a psychological construct (guilt, control, altruism). The more precise the definition, the easier it is to choose an appropriate technique to measure that construct. Discusses the Health and Psychosocial Instrument File, a recent measurement database.…