Explores six methods for incorporating into courses published autobiographies written by individuals suffering from mental disorders: (1) outside readings; (2) examples for classroom lectures; (3) primary texts for discussion sections; (4) remedial or extra-credit assignments; (5) information resources; and (6) source books for topical seminars.…

I tested whether students' reported use and perceived helpfulness of textbook pedagogical aids and other instructional methods (e.g., group discussion) related to better exam performance. More than 200 undergraduates rated 10 commonly used pedagogical aids and instructional techniques. Students reported using boldface and italics terms and…

On the basis of the frequency of family-related concepts in 60 college psychology textbooks, the article recommends that psychology teaching and research concentrate on the interaction of an individual with his familial and environmental surroundings. (DB)

Describes a study which investigated whether students exposed to the opinions of peers regarding the instructional effectiveness of their professors would evaluate that professor's performance in accordance with these opinions. Negative opinions were found to be more effective than positive ones in producing a change in instructor ratings. (KC)

Describes a seminar on teaching techniques for graduate students and college faculty in terms of course design, teaching assumptions, content, format, and evaluation techniques. Initially designed for psychology graduates, the course recently has included participants from 11 other disciplines. The seminar stresses broad topic coverage, teaching…

A study tested the effectiveness of an undergraduate student as the principal instructor in a small-group psychology class. Students of the undergraduate instructor expressed positive attitudes about their course, whereas students in the larger control group were less positive about their course and instructor. Possible reasons for the differences…

Assesses the relationship between high school psychology and natural science classes and subsequent performance in a college introductory psychology course. Both high school courses were related to precourse psychology knowledge. Findings indicate students with strong backgrounds in high school natural sciences obtained higher final grades than…

Graduate psychology students were presented with statistical concepts and asked to rate their similarity-dissimilarity. Multidimensional scaling was used to judge how students organized the concepts. Results showed that the students were able to organize the materials into a meaningful structure only after the concepts were presented in an…

Students in an abnormal psychology course worked in teams to produce dramatizations of diagnostic interviews and then presented them in class. Positive and negative aspects of the activity are discussed. (RM)

A study of the effects of time formats on informational and attitudinal changes of students in college-level human sexuality courses indicates that the duration of the course is less important than the method of teaching it. (RM)

Describes method of analysis of textbook indexes and bibliographies. Data can be used for studying the discipline, teaching, evaluating textbooks, and making administrative/personnel decisions. (Author/KC)

Described is a course in which college senior psychology majors provide counseling for freshmen majors. The course was positively evaluated by freshmen for encouraging motivation and involvement and by seniors for allowing them to serve as paraprofessional psychologists. (Author/DB)

Focuses on the use of small, independent project lab groups in two different courses: (1) Introduction Methodology; and (2) Psychometrics. States that this type of group enables students to receive feedback from their peers, while also allowing them to explore an area of individual interest. (CMK)

Describes a stereotype measurement suitable for classroom demonstration. Illustrates C. McCauley and C. L. Stitt's diagnostic ratio measure and examines the validity of the "kernel of truth" hypothesis. Uses this as a starting point for class discussion. Reports results and gives suggestions for discussion of related concepts. (Author/NL)

Reports an assessment of the extent to which research findings in developmental psychology textbooks are known to students with limited psychology training. Concludes that many research results reported in textbooks may already be known to students. Attempts to explain this phenomenon, noting implications for developmental psychology teachers.…