Replicates a classic psychology laboratory experiment where students either endorsed or refuted personal statements and estimated how other people would respond. Students always overestimated an affirmative response on the statements they endorsed, thus illustrating the false consensus effect. Includes a list of the statements and statistical…

Maintains that many psychologists employed outside of research institutions are unfamiliar with traditional career strategies utilized at smaller colleges. Offers representative strategies from the traditional areas of faculty performance and evaluation: teaching, scholarship, service, and working with students. (MJP)

Identifies the doctoral psychology programs producing the most mentors (identified as dissertation supervisors). Assesses the quality of these programs as rated in past research. Discovers a strong correlation between those programs assigning mentors and those rated highest in quality. (MJP)

Reports that since 1985 the number of psychology faculty has remained fairly constant, but the number of bachelor's degrees awarded has risen by 59%. The number of degrees granted to women has increased by 80%. Discusses possible reasons, long-range implications, and psychology departments' reactions to this trend. (MJP)

Describes the development and execution of a course entitled, "The Psychology of Sexual Orientation," the purpose of which is to examine the experiences of lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals in a thoughtful, scholarly, and informative manner. Course content addresses a broad range of issues including sexual norms, heterosexism, homophobia, and…

Reports on an in-class experiment where a lesbian assistant professor of counseling psychology disclosed her sexual orientation to two sections of an undergraduate class and did not disclose it to two comparable sections of the same course. Comparisons of teaching evaluations revealed no evidence of bias. (MJP)

Presents a student response to an undergraduate psychology assignment where students constructed a dialog from the discipline's history. The playlet consists of two actors in the roles of William James and Hugo Munsterberg. While they expound on their contradictory positions, two actors standing behind them examine the subtext. (MJP)

Provides a way to introduce students to the philosophical roots of psychology by surveying their assumptions on the nature of mind, emotions, and behavior. Describes and gives examples of a 50-item Likert-scale questionnaire concerning positions of the philosophers, biologists, and psychologists discussed in the class. (MJP)

Identifies an integral problem in most undergraduate psychology classes covering testing and ethical principles. The American Psychological Association's ethical code, rules, and test standards seem obtuse and irrelevant to many students. Recommends teaching the Test Takers' Bill of Rights. Includes a copy of this document. (MJP)

Investigates the efficiency of a novel addition to the routine of note taking, writing brief summaries of the lecture material during four-minute breaks within the lecture. A group of students wrote three sets of summaries during a 21-minute lecture and showed significant improvement in understanding over other groups. (MJP)

Reveals significant changes in the attitudes of female students toward the single lifestyle and careers outside the home after completing a psychology of women course. Results of the "Life Styles for Women Attitude Scale" showed the greatest change among students with moderate or conservative attitudes. (MJP)

Describes a project used in a sophomore-level psychological testing and measurement course. Students worked through the different phases of developing a test focused on item writing, reliability, and validity. Responses from both students and instructors have been consistently positive. (MJP)

Describes procedures used to establish, promote, and implement an undergraduate research experience that included financial sponsorship by local business and government agencies. This sponsorship allowed students to apply psychological theory and methods to problems outside of academia. Students produced reports and gave formal presentations to…

Describes the course content and structure of a one-credit, elective senior seminar designed to inform a college psychology department about the effectiveness of their instruction. Assessment measures included a faculty-generated multiple choice test, a student-generated multiple choice test, student surveys, focus groups, and a student essay on…

Reviews a content analysis of the presentation of women in 69 college textbooks published between 1970 and 1990. Specifically reviews this material in light of Carol Gilligan's moral theory that men favor an orientation towards justice while women are oriented towards care. Includes a brief literature review and critique of Gilligan's theory. (MJP)