Positive Psychology Course and Its Relationship to Well-Being, Depression, and Stress
The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of a positive psychology course on student well-being, depressive symptoms, and stress in a repeated measure, nonequivalent control design. As hypothesized, the positive psychology students reported higher overall happiness, life satisfaction, routes to happiness, and lower depressive symptoms and stress compared to students in the control course. These findings replicate previous research on the benefits of positive psychology courses on well-being and extend previous research by showing that the benefits generalize to other reliable and multidimensional measures of...
Source: Teaching of Psychology - June 7, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Goodmon, L. B., Middleditch, A. M., Childs, B., Pietrasiuk, S. E. Tags: Faculty Forum Source Type: research
Diagnosing Cartman: Psychology Students Use of Symptoms and Traits to Assess Child Antisocial Behavior
In this study, we examined how students in an advanced psychopathology course used symptom-based and trait-based methods to conceptualize child antisocial behavior in a case study format. Results indicated that students perceived symptom-based and trait-based methods as providing complementary information that students found useful for diagnosis. Implications and future directions are also discussed. (Source: Teaching of Psychology)
Source: Teaching of Psychology - June 7, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Yalch, M. M., Vitale, E. M., Ford, J. K. Tags: Faculty Forum Source Type: research
Teaching Statistics in APA-Accredited Doctoral Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology: A Syllabi Review
Although statistical methods and research design are crucial areas of competency for psychologists, few studies explore how statistics are taught across doctoral programs in psychology in the United States. The present study examined 153 American Psychological Association–accredited doctoral programs in clinical and counseling psychology and aimed at identifying specific aspects of statistics instruction within these programs. We conducted a comprehensive review of statistics syllabi to clarify how much emphasis and time were spent on each topic, and whether different types of programs differed significantly in their...
Source: Teaching of Psychology - June 7, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Ord, A. S., Ripley, J. S., Hook, J., Erspamer, T. Tags: Faculty Forum Source Type: research
The Importance and Interest of Introductory Psychology Textbook Topics: Student Opinions at Technical College, 2-, and 4-Year Institutions
Introductory psychology students at a technical college, 2-year community college, and a regional university rated how important textbook chapters or topics were to them now and in the future and how interesting they were. Importance and interest ratings were highly correlated, and the whole course was rated of greater importance and interest than was any individual topic. Most topics were ranked between important and quite important both currently and for the future, and university students typically rated both topic importance and interest higher. Males rated statistics of greater interest than did females; females rated...
Source: Teaching of Psychology - June 7, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: McCann, L. I., Immel, K. R., Kadah-Ammeter, T. L., Adelson, S. K. Tags: Faculty Forum Source Type: research
Challenging the Status Quo: Evidence That Introductory Psychology Can Dispel Myths
Student beliefs in common psychological misperceptions were assessed at the beginning of an introductory psychology course, the end of the course, and again 1 year later. At the end of the course, students’ previously held misperceptions of psychological phenomena shifted toward more accurate perceptions, and 1 year later, students reported that they had not reverted to the original misconceptions for the majority of the myths evaluated. Results of this study suggest that the introductory psychology course can be effective in correcting common misperceptions of psychological phenomena. (Source: Teaching of Psychology)
Source: Teaching of Psychology - June 7, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: McCarthy, M. A., Frantz, S. Tags: Faculty Forum Source Type: research
Effects of a Risk and Resilience Course on Stress, Coping Skills, and Cognitive Strategies in College Students
This study tested the impact of the skills-building component of a two-semester risk and resilience (R&R) course on the stress, coping skills, and cognitive style of 36 undergraduates compared to 62 students enrolled in a child and adolescent psychopathology course. In the fall, students learned about risk taking and decision-making as well as coping skills and positive cognitive styles. In the spring, students taught these skills to ninth graders. Upon completion of the fall semester, R&R students reported improvements in stress, coping, and dysfunctional attitudes. Although maintained, these gains did not increas...
Source: Teaching of Psychology - June 7, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Shatkin, J. P., Diamond, U., Zhao, Y., DiMeglio, J., Chodaczek, M., Bruzzese, J.-M. Tags: Methods and Techniques Source Type: research
The State of Multiculturalism and Diversity in Undergraduate Psychology Training
Over the past few decades, diversity and multiculturalism have received considerable attention in the field of psychology. While there have been notable efforts to ensure these important areas are addressed in undergraduate psychology training, little is known about this undertaking. The present study examined how diversity and multiculturalism were addressed in the course titles and course descriptions of 200 undergraduate, psychology programs across North America and their corresponding general education programs. Analyses revealed that while most undergraduate psychology programs offered diversity or multicultural cours...
Source: Teaching of Psychology - June 7, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Fuentes, M. A., Shannon, C. R. Tags: Topical Articles Source Type: research
An Effective Intervention in Research Methods That Reduces Psychology Majors Sexist Prejudices
We tested the effectiveness of a course-long intervention in an undergraduate Research Methods course aimed toward reducing students’ endorsement of hostile sexism (HS) and benevolent sexism (BS). Reading assignments illustrating diverse research methodologies, lecture examples, and a hands-on research project designed by student teams focused on ambivalent sexism—a topic that has personal relevance for students as well as research findings documenting its harmful individual, interpersonal, and sociopolitical effects. Of the 101 students across three Methods courses taught at a U.S. Midwestern comprehensive uni...
Source: Teaching of Psychology - June 7, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Yoder, J. D., Mills, A. S., Raffa, E. R. Tags: Topical Articles Source Type: research
The Impact of Participating in a Peer Assessment Activity on Subsequent Academic Performance
The present study investigates the impact of participation in a peer assessment activity on subsequent academic performance. Students in two sections of an introductory psychology course completed a practice quiz 1 week prior to each of three course exams. Students in the experimental group participated in a five-step double-blind peer assessment activity immediately following the practice quiz, whereas those in the control group participated in the identical activity 1 week after the exam. Results show that participation in the peer assessment activity enhanced subsequent exam performance in all three cases, even after ac...
Source: Teaching of Psychology - June 7, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Jhangiani, R. S. Tags: Topical Articles Source Type: research
Excellent Teachers Perspectives on Excellent Teaching
Studies of master teaching have investigated a set of qualities that define excellent teaching. However, few studies have investigated master teachers’ perspectives on excellent teaching and how it may differ from other faculty or students. The current study investigated award-winning teachers’ (N = 50) ratings of the 28 qualities on the teacher behavior checklist. There was substantial overlap in the importance placed upon various teaching qualities among award-winning teachers and other faculty. However, excellent teachers placed more value upon being prepared and forming rapport with students. Full professor...
Source: Teaching of Psychology - June 7, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Keeley, J. W., Ismail, E., Buskist, W. Tags: Topical Articles Source Type: research
Historical and Contemporary Attitudes Toward Homosexuality
Over the past several decades, the shifting social climate has led to a steady increase in legal rights, social acceptance, and visibility for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. However, there are still marked individual differences in levels of sexual prejudice as well as varying levels of comfort and exposure to the LGBT community. Moreover, the rapid shift in attitudes may lead students to conclude incorrectly that sexual prejudice is a thing of the past. The focus of this article is threefold. First, we emphasize the benefits of teaching about the history of the gay rights movement; when students le...
Source: Teaching of Psychology - March 15, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Kite, M. E., Bryant-Lees, K. B. Tags: The Generalist ' s Corner Source Type: research
Personalitys Top 40: An Assignment to Motivate Students to Apply Personality Concepts to Their Favorite Songs
We created an activity in an upper-level personality psychology course in which interested students created an "entry" for a contest in which they chose a popular song that illustrated a course concept. The class evaluated these entries and voted on their favorites in a tournament-style bracket system; winners received extra credit. Students enjoyed the activity regardless of whether they created an entry or simply voted for their favorite entry. For example, they indicated the activity helped clarify course concepts, encouraged them to think about the concepts in novel ways, and increased their appreciation for psychology...
Source: Teaching of Psychology - March 15, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Wesselmann, E. D., P. Kassner, M., Graziano, W. G. Tags: Faculty Forum Source Type: research
Using Content Acquisition Podcasts to Increase Student Knowledge and to Reduce Perceived Cognitive Load
The use of multimedia-driven instruction in college courses is an emerging practice designed to increase students’ knowledge. However, limited research has validated the effectiveness of using multimedia to teach students about functional behavioral assessments (FBAs). To test the effectiveness of a multimedia tool called Content Acquisition Podcasts (CAPs), this study utilized a pretest–posttest design across two groups of students. One group received instruction on FBAs in the form of a CAP, whereas the other group received a typical lecture (control comparison). Results revealed that members of the CAP group...
Source: Teaching of Psychology - March 15, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Kennedy, M. J., Hirsch, S. E., Dillon, S. E., Rabideaux, L., Alves, K. D., Driver, M. K. Tags: Faculty Forum Source Type: research
How to Create Automatically Graded Spreadsheets for Statistics Courses
Instructors often use spreadsheet software (e.g., Microsoft Excel) in their statistics courses so that students can gain experience conducting computerized analyses. Unfortunately, students tend to make several predictable errors when programming spreadsheets. Without immediate feedback, programming errors are likely to go undetected, and as a result, students will likely encounter difficulty mastering this new skill. In this article, I share techniques for creating spreadsheets that grade themselves either by providing immediate feedback or by delaying feedback until instructors have completed necessary evaluations of stu...
Source: Teaching of Psychology - March 15, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: LoSchiavo, F. M. Tags: Faculty Forum Source Type: research
Using Data Mining to Teach Applied Statistics and Correlation
This article describes two class activities that introduce the concept of data mining and very basic data mining analyses. Assessment data suggest that students learned some of the conceptual basics of data mining, understood some of the ethical concerns related to the practice, and were able to perform correlations via the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS, Version 20). (Source: Teaching of Psychology)
Source: Teaching of Psychology - March 15, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Hartnett, J. L. Tags: Faculty Forum Source Type: research
