College students have been increasingly demanding warnings and accommodations in relation to course topics they believe will elicit strong, negative emotions. These "trigger warnings" are highly relevant to Abnormal Psychology because of the sensitive topics covered in the course (e.g., suicide, trauma, sex). A survey of Abnormal…

Student response systems have received much attention over the past few years. This easy-to-use technology has been marketed as a great way to enhance the student experience in the classroom through increased engagement and improved course performance. This aim of this study was to demonstrate that the simple addition of a student response system…

This study addressed how trait levels of classroom shyness can influence conformity when students answer opinion questions in different ways. "We recruited 128 introductory psychology students to indicate their opinion on 50 controversial questions by raising their hand or anonymously pressing a button on a keypad ("clicker")". Compared to…

This study examined three methods of responding to in-class multiple-choice concept questions in an Introduction to Psychology course. Specifically, this study compared exam performance and student reactions using three methods of responding to concept questions: (a) a technology-based network system, (b) hand-held flashcards, and (c) hand…

Previous research on the effectiveness of clickers has found their use to be positively associated with exam scores but not without methodological issues that hinder the conclusions that can be drawn. To address these limitations, the current studies isolated the effects of clickers from the effects of questions presented with clickers. Study 1…

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…

Undergraduate psychology students were asked to write about peak experiences that they have had as a way of helping them understand Maslow's theoretical construct. Student evaluations confirmed that the learning activity was successful. (Author/RM)

To enhance student interest in research methods, tests and measurement, and statistics classes, we describe how teachers may use resources from economic psychology to illustrate key concepts in these courses. Because of their applied nature and relevance to student experiences, topics covered by these resources may capture student attention and…

At the beginning of an introductory social psychology course, students were asked to rate their professor on a semantic differential scale. The results were compiled and used to generate questions about interpersonal perceptions, stereotypes, data collection, and the characteristics and limitations of social psychological research in general. (AM)

Psychology recognizes the importance of educating students regarding cross-cultural issues. We designed a classroom exercise to give students a firsthand appreciation of a specific cross-cultural issue, that of acculturation. After a brief lecture on acculturation, we divided students in the class into 2 groups and helped each group to develop a…

In this article we describe an in-class case-conference exercise designed to enhance the teaching of paradigms in abnormal psychology courses. The primary pedagogical goals are to increase awareness of how paradigms are applied in real-life settings; better distinguish between paradigms; and recognize how paradigms influence understanding of…

I describe a career research project designed to increase students' knowledge of careers in psychology. Following a detailed outline, undergraduates enrolled in a senior seminar conducted research on a career of their choice, prepared a written summary of the career information, and presented the summary orally to their classmates. Reactions to…

How classroom debates can be used in a developmental psychology course to teach students about controversial issues and to help them improve their thinking and oral communications skills is described. Evaluations indicate that students consider debates to be a positive learning experience. (Author/RM)

Reports on a study of 64 university faculty and 1,706 students on the relationship between teacher self-disclosure and student classroom participation. Finds that teacher self-disclosure is positively associated with students' willingness to participate in class discussions. Calls for further research. (CFR)

Presents an annotated bibliography of works in hopes of stimulating interest in and promoting scholarly activity about teaching history of psychology. Organizes 56 articles into 3 categories: projects, perspectives, and evaluations. Argues there is a serious need for thorough evaluative research. Includes departmental histories, role playing,…