This article gives a reflective account of lessons learned from the experiences of three cognitive developmental scientists conducting psychological research in educational settings. First, we describe and analyze four key cultural distinctions between traditional approaches to research in psychology and education: 1) different structures, 2)…

This paper describes the novel use of parallel student teams from a research methods course to perform a replication study, and suggests that this approach offers pedagogical benefits for both students and teachers, as well as potentially contributing to a resolution of the replication crisis in psychology today. Four teams, of five undergraduates…

In this survey of the research on psychological approaches to play, the author outlines its various focuses on the similarities and differences in the thinking and behavior of individuals and groups in relation to play and on the environmental factors that influence these. She notes that although psychologists often use standard experimental…

This article provides an overview of the available evidence on psychological misconceptions, including key findings, current directions and emerging issues for investigation. We begin by defining misconceptions and then examine their prevalence and persistence, discuss their implications for student learning and highlight potential strategies to…

In this chapter, the authors outline an approach to assessing complex constructs supported by psychological science and research. This approach is informed by their background as psychologists but is general enough to incorporate other disciplinary approaches as well. They identify this approach as TAIM (Theory, Activities, Indicators, Multiple…

What are the common pitfalls experienced by school researchers and how can they be avoided? Edited by Lisa M. Dinella of Monmouth University, "Conducting Science-Based Psychology Research in Schools" includes the collective knowledge of both established and emerging names in the field, providing an unparalleled resource for those interested in…

This article discusses, from various vantages, Ryan Tweney's (this issue) pedagogical technique of employing historical replications of psychological experiments with graduate students in psychology. A "prima facie" perspective suggests great promise for this sort of academic "ancestor analysis," particularly given the enthusiasm and skill…

Investigates what type of study (information processing) is sufficient for transfer of information to long-term memory and demonstrates that the influence of a fixed set of study instructions on long-term recall may vary as a function of the locus of the time available to study a list for prior short-term recall. (Author/RK)

Included herein is the conference proceedings of the 27th Annual Conference on the Teaching of Psychology: Ideas and Innovations, sponsored by the Psychology Department of the State University of New York at Farmingdale. The conference theme for 2013 was: The Science of Learning. The Conference featured a keynote address by Victor Benassi, Ph.D.…

Teaching procedures designed to improve children's divergent thinking abilities were administered to two classes of 9- and 10-year-old children, one formal and one informal. Results suggest that appropriate teaching procedures can play a significant part in enhancing children's divergent thinking abilities, particularly verbal abilities.…

Evaluates the effects of Zen meditation on personality and values, casts serious doubts on certain studies that report astonishingly positive results after only a few weeks of meditation, and offers some suggestions to improve research methodology with regard to a most important contemporary phenomenon. (Author/RK)

This document is an English-language abstract (approximately 1,500 words) of a monograph summarizing the theoretical and experimental psychological research done to determine the mathematical aptitudes of schoolchildren. The author constructs a general picture of the mathematical aptitudes of students; he identifies nine components, to be…

An investigation of how secondary students coped when taught binary arithmetic through a computer assisted instruction program used four treatment groups: learner control, learner control with advice; random program control, and adaptive program control. The random group performed less well, but no differences were found between learner and…

This article presents a case study where students examine an advertisement claiming that listening to classical music in an advertised CD set will enhance their cognitive skills and creativity. Students evaluate the claims and evidence cited to support them and then determine how they might independently verify the claims. The author states that…

This handbook of research findings and practical suggestions is written for teachers, educators, and psychologists who are concerned about computer literacy for adults. Based on a federally funded research project, the handbook focuses on the computer needs of non-traditional adult learners over 25 years of age. The first section examines…