This activity explores attitudinal beliefs and behavioral responses of obedience to an illegitimate authority figure in an ambiguous situation. In Experiment 1, students either self-reported the likelihood that they would obey a request made by a stranger to surrender their cell phone or were asked directly and in person by a confederate to…

Skill in statistical analysis and interpretation are key areas of expertise for psychology majors seeking graduate school admittance and future employment. However, students can be reluctant to engage in their statistics course and may struggle to find success. One possible way to increase engagement and student learning is to teach in a way that…

The prediction of dangerousness and the insanity defense are two areas where psychologists provide research-based expertise to the courts. Teachers of psychology can use these topics to capture the attention of students and to show how psychological research and theory can inform and influence the legal system. Specifically, teachers can use the…

This study describes the use of a collaborative learning approach in a psychological statistics course and examines the factors that predict which students benefit most from such an approach in terms of learning outcomes. In a course format with a substantial group work component, 166 students were surveyed on their preference for individual…

Rapport traditionally has been measured in therapy or in other one-on-one relationships such as with roommates. As yet, no scale is available to measure professor-student rapport. In this study, 51 undergraduates created items to measure professor-student rapport, and subsequently, 195 different college students rated their agreement with items…

Describes a classroom demonstration that uses a video clip of a robbery from the film "Robocop" to illustrate the fallibility of eyewitness testimony. Students view the clip and complete a multiple-choice test concerning the episode. The ubiquitous poor test performance can be used for an interesting and productive discussion. (MJP)

Identifies hindsight bias as the tendency to exaggerate one's ability to have foreseen the outcome of an event after learning the outcome. Describes a class project where students predicted the verdict of the O. J. Simpson trial one week before the verdict and hypothesized a jury response a month later. (MJP)

Describes a classroom demonstration called the Gambler's Fallacy where students in an introductory psychology statistics class participate in simulated gambling using weekly results from professional football game outcomes over a 10 week period. Explains that the demonstration illustrates that random processes do not self-correct and statistical…

Responds to the article "Students Do Not Overestimate their Life Expectancy: An Alternative Demonstration of Unique Invulnerability" suggesting that students will show optimistic biasing in regard to self-referential information. Discusses a class exercise that focuses on the age of death and is used to see if optimistic biasing occurs.…

College students resist required reading assignments. Likewise, faculty are reluctant to quiz on reading assignments for fear of evoking disapproval. Measurement of reading compliance allows instructors to demonstrate a connection between reading preparation and subsequent success on final exams. The first study suggested that self-reports of…

Investigates whether undergraduate psychology students will give optimistic estimates of their life expectancy if they receive either no information or correct information about the average life expectancy. Reveals that both men and women in each of the two conditions estimated their life span at approximately their actuarial age. (CMK)

This study examined whether offering daily extra credit quizzes predicted exam performance in an advanced psychology course (n = 36). Results revealed that extra credit performance was a strong predictor of exam performance, above and beyond gender, college grade point average, and ACT scores. In addition, results suggested that nearly half of the…

Describes a class experiment illustrating students' illusions about their own mortality (often referred to as "unique invulnerability"). The students received information, culled from actuarial tables, concerning age and mortality rates. The students consistently overestimated their own age of death even when told they would do so. (MJP)