Background: Researchers suggest benefits for cooperative learning, but often fail to control for choosing to engage cooperatively, ACT scores or early course performance. Objective: To observe the effects of choosing cooperative work on exam performance in an Introduction to Psychology Course, while controlling for early exam performance and ACT.…

In this article, I describe a recent scandal involving collusion between officials at the American Psychological Association (APA) and the U.S. Department of Defense, which appears to have enabled the torture of detainees at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. The scandal is a relevant, complex, and engaging case that teachers can use in a…

In this article the authors argue that distinguishing between rationality and intelligence helps explain how people can be, at the same time, intelligent and irrational (Stanovich, 2009). As such, researchers need to study separately the individual differences in cognitive skills that underlie intelligence and the individual differences in…

Describes two classroom demonstrations, based on the prisoner's dilemma, which illustrate some elements of decision making. Examines how students either cooperate or take advantage of one another, and discusses the use of this activity as an introduction to various concepts in psychology and other social sciences. (GEA)

Discusses a study undertaken by faculty members in a university psychology department to help students bridge what is learned in psychology courses with possible job requirements. The study defined the environment of the psychology major, identified marketable skills learned in various psychology courses, matched specific skills and job…

High and low performance students were found to perceive effective teaching characteristics differently. Therefore, the intended use of evaluations, for feedback or administrative decisions, should dictate data analysis methods. For example, when evaluation data are to be used as feedback, consideration needs to be given to the student performance…

Describes a computer-assisted, interdisciplinary course in decision making developed to promote student participation and critical thinking. Students participate in 20 interactive exercises that utilize and illustrate psychological and economic concepts. Follow-up activities include receiving background information, group discussions, text…

Describes an assignment within a college course on thinking, reasoning, and decision-making skills. Discusses how students observe and describe the reasoning style of a partner on four different tasks. Maintains that the assignment illustrates course objectives on theories and models of reasoning in concrete ways. (CFR)