Background: Practice tests have been shown to be an effective means to foster long-term retention in higher education, at least compared to restudying (i.e., the testing effect). Objective: The present study replicated and extended prior research by examining whether and to what extent the positive effects of testing on long-term retention in a…

Because 98% of teachers use textbooks for the introductory psychology course and the majority of introductory teachers do not assign reading beyond the textbook, examining the topical coverage allocation pattern in introductory textbooks versus that in introductory course lectures is important for our understanding of how introductory students are…

We evaluated the effectiveness of the use of an electronic personal response system (or "clickers") during an introductory psychology lecture on perceptual constancy. We graphed and projected student responses to questions during the lecture onto a large-screen display in Microsoft PowerPoint. The distributions of answers corresponded…

The amount and kind of information included in the notes taken by undergraduate psychology students were found to be related to test performance. Most students included in their notes less than 25 percent of the propositions judged worthy of inclusion and only 50 percent of the targeted main ideas. (Author/RM)

Techniques to keep students interested include videotaped demonstrations and a self-paced, unit-mastery approach. When lecturing, teachers should use a microphone, maintain eye contact with students in all sections of the room, use an overhead projector and write clearly, talk about interesting topics, be dramatic, and share their experiences and…

Because the lecture format is usually an unsatisfactory teaching technique, this author uses an active experiential learning technique, the parts party which provides students of varied interpersonal sophistication with a working knowledge of personality theory and dynamics. (Author/JR)

Three components of instruction and withdrawal rates are compared between a traditional lecture and a Personalized Systems of Instruction (PSI) course. The results indicate a more favorable response to the PSI course. (DE)

Psychologists who teach psychology to medical students must develop relevant course content, practice lecture time management, select appropriate readings, synchronize lectures and readings, use audiovisual aids, and plan good examinations. (AM)

Presents a study that examined the effect of using a self-reference exercise to supplement a lecture on standard life expectancy in which general psychology students participated. Reports that students who completed the exercise had significantly higher test scores overall and also on the ten items involving longevity. (CMK)

We tested the hypothesis that students in psychology of women classes would perform better on materials covered by multiple-choice exams when the first author presented these materials with active learning versus lecture, autonomous readings, and video presentations alone. Across 3 classes, we coded exam items according to how the instructor…

Reports on the comparative effectiveness of demonstration and lecture formats for presenting physiological measures. Although demonstrations may improve retention of information concerning simple procedures, the lecture format is more effective for complex information. (CFR)

Offers instructors a model for presenting meta-analysis to students within an undergraduate experimental psychology course that can be covered in approximately 90 minutes. Discusses the prerequisites for teachers and students, outlines a lecture, and describes an in-class exercise that gives students practice in meta-analytic procedures. Offers an…

Evaluates an interactive, Web-based tutorial that helps students learn about sampling distribution. 111 students enrolled in statistics or research methods courses used either the tutorial or attended a lecture/demonstration. Indicates through pre- and post-test quizzes both groups learned comparable amounts and reveals students' ratings of both…

Investigates the interaction between teaching technique (multimedia versus traditional teaching approaches) and student learning styles (verbally- and visually-oriented students) to demonstrate that individual differences moderate the impact of multimedia approaches on student learning. Suggests that multimedia benefits students with a high visual…

Illustrates computer-based classroom demonstrations in perception and cognition that require no computer programming and can be delivered with standard lecture presentation software. Examples include apparent motion, anorthoscopic perception, illusory conjunctions, and the capacity of early visual memory. (CMK)