Teaching of Psychology

To extend prior findings on the motivational value of tiny, nonfinancial incentives, we conducted two quasi-experiments on the relationship of extra credit micro-incentives (ECMIs, worth ≤1% of course grade) and response rates for online course evaluations. Study 1 involved two advanced undergraduate psychology courses taught by the same instructor for 14 semesters, the first 7 of which used paper-and-pencil evaluations and no incentives, with average response rates of 57%. After a switch to online evaluations with no incentives for two semesters, response rates fell to 30% or lower. Following introduction of ECMIs for several semesters, the response rates rose significantly, to 84%. In Study 2, we randomly assigned ECMIs or no incentives to eight sections of an introductory psychology course. Response-rates with ECMIs were significantly higher, 84% versus 51%. Favorability of ratings did not differ significantly. Higher response rates with EMCIs raise questions for research, educational policy, and classroom practice.

Undergraduate research participant pools play an essential role in facilitating research, and many universities rely on them for participant recruitment. There is an abundance of information about those who do elect to participate in research through these recruitment systems but very little about those who do not. The present study examines both undergraduate research pool participants and nonparticipants, and the objective is to explore how they differ in their views. A sample of 483 Canadian undergraduate students (n = 442 participants and n = 41 nonparticipants) completed measures of their impressions of participation, their perceived enjoyment, and their knowledge gained from participating in research and asked to compare this with their impressions of attending class and taking exams. Factorial analysis of variance and χ² results found support for both similarities and differences between both groups. Overall, the results suggest that nonparticipants do not have a good understanding of what is involved in participating in research activities and view it is a potentially aversive or negative experience.

In this article, we present the results of two studies that evaluated an experiential intersectionality awareness activity, C’est La Vie: The Game of Social Life. For Study 1 (N = 55), we content analyzed students’ short answer responses about inequality written before and after playing C’est La Vie. Study 2 compared a C’est La Vie treatment group (N = 179) to a lecture-as-usual control condition (N = 64). Across both studies, playing C’est La Vie was associated with an expanded awareness of privilege and structural inequality. Follow-up analyses with a subset of Study 2 control participants (N = 27) established that participants who were originally in the control group experienced gains in awareness of privilege and structural inequality (relative to pretest and the lecture-as-usual) only after being exposed to C’est La Vie. The results are interpreted within the context of an intersectionality framework.

In the present study, faculty who teach in clinical and counseling doctor of philosophy (PhD) or doctor of psychology (PsyD) programs completed surveys regarding preferences for prospective student preparations to graduate programs. Faculty expectations of minimum and ideal undergraduate training were highest for scientific methods, though expectations systematically varied among clinical PhD, counseling PhD, and clinical PsyD programs. Faculty preferences for applicants’ research and clinical “fit” within the program in which they are applying, as well as general interpersonal skills and intellect, also emerged as important admissions factors. These results describe the desirable undergraduate preparations and qualities of applicants for advanced study in clinical and counseling psychology. The findings have implications for prospective graduate students, faculty who train and mentor undergraduates, and faculty who serve on admissions committees.

This article details a classroom demonstration of how gender differences in cognitive schemas can result in men and women differentially interpreting the same information. Students heard a series of six homonyms (e.g., bow and nail) spoken aloud and wrote down the first word with which they free-associated each homonym. When hearing the words (e.g., bow), men were more likely to respond with a male-gendered word (e.g., arrow), whereas women were more likely to respond with a female-gendered word (e.g., hair). The demonstration is easy to administer, takes approximately 10 min, results in strong differences, and improves students’ understanding of gender differences in cognitive schemas.

We describe an exercise involving the power balance wristband (PBW) designed to enhance students’ ability to design scientific tests. An instructor demonstrated that the PBW improved a student’s balance, strength, and flexibility and invited students to design and conduct a brief scientific test of the PBW. Research methods students who participated in the exercise significantly improved their ability to design scientific tests of the PBW and another pseudoscientific practice (i.e., Healing Touch); students enrolled in the control sections of the course showed no improvement. Incorporating this single-class exercise into research methods courses has the potential to not only improve students’ critical thinking about pseudoscience but also improve their research-design skills.

Two studies explored properties of psychology assignments from an atypical perspective: students’ own perceptions of what they learned and their emotional reactions to the assignments, specifically feelings of pride in their work. Study 1 showed that assignments vary in their likelihood of generating prideful accomplishment and identified three assignment properties related to this outcome: students’ expended effort, self-relevance to the student, and instructor recognition. Study 2 examined whether assignments that produced pride were also perceived by students as contributing to their learning. Although time and effort associated with pride was positively correlated with course academic performance, most assignments produced either enhanced perceived learning or a feeling of prideful accomplishment, but not both. Internal analysis of the data suggested that different types of assignments are necessary to achieve these dual outcomes.

Research shows that a very small percentage of those who suffer from mental illness seek professional help and fear of stigma is a principal factor why individuals are reluctant to obtain assistance. This study evaluated whether using examples of celebrities’ experiences with mental illness as a form of “contact” with a mentally ill person would reduce public stigma toward mental illness as well as stigma toward obtaining psychological assistance. Data were collected using a pre–post design from 38 (experimental group) and 17 (control group) college undergraduate students enrolled in an abnormal psychology course. Compared to the control group, the use of celebrities as narratives to teach about mental illness resulted in reduced public stigma toward mental illness and reduced stigma toward seeking help.

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 Psychology instructors (N = 131) indicated that the majority of them regularly warned students to avoid course-specific behaviors such as stigmatizing mental illness, diagnosing people they know, and sharing personal information. In contrast, the majority of instructors did not provide regular warnings over the course topics that might trigger students, and most instructors had neutral or negative opinions about trigger warnings. Overall, the results suggest that most Abnormal Psychology instructors do not view trigger warnings as essential to the teaching of sensitive topics.

Although there have been many suggestions for incorporating cell phone use into classroom activities, there have been few suggestions for removing cell phone use from the classroom. This article presents an easy-to-implement method using positive reinforcement that effectively removes cell phones from the classroom in a way that is highly endorsed by students and that greatly fosters student engagement, class participation, and a focused and respectful classroom atmosphere. In a quasi-experiment, we found significant correlations between giving up cell phones and students’ test grades, overall grade point average (GPA), semester’s GPA, and attendance. Rate of improvement of higher and lower participators suggested that better students were more likely to give up their cell phones to earn an extra point toward their final course grade.

Life stress is a central construct in many models of human health and disease. The present article reviews research on stress and health, with a focus on (a) how life stress has been conceptualized and measured over time, (b) recent evidence linking stress and disease, and (c) mechanisms that might underlie these effects. Emerging from this body of work is evidence that stress is involved in the development, maintenance, or exacerbation of several mental and physical health conditions, including asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, anxiety disorders, depression, cardiovascular disease, chronic pain, human immunodeficiency virus/AIDS, stroke, and certain types of cancer. Stress has also been implicated in accelerated biological aging and premature mortality. These effects have been studied most commonly using self-report checklist measures of life stress exposure, although interview-based approaches provide a more comprehensive assessment of individuals’ exposure to stress. Most recently, online systems like the Stress and Adversity Inventory (STRAIN) have been developed for assessing lifetime stress exposure, and such systems may provide important new information to help advance our understanding of how stressors occurring over the life course get embedded in the brain and body to affect lifespan health.