Weekly projects designed for an introductory psychology telecourse encourage student involvement in psychology. Each project consists of a set of instructions for a psychological study using family, friends, and other telecourse students as subjects, discussion partners, or coresearchers. All collaboration is done over the telephone. Examples of…

Described is an exercise that will help college-level psychology students learn abstract and relational thinking skills. The exercise will provide students with a new way to handle compare-and-contrast questions. (RM)

An exercise that can be used in a college-level psychology course to convey to students the key difference between the self and personality is described. (RM)

Described is a unit of study that helps psychology students develop job-entry skills. The students are given an overall perspective of the job application process, including the filling out of sample application forms, the construction of resumes, and the securing of references. Role playing and simulation are used. (RM)

The author describes how he developed a computer-assisted tutoring and testing program for his general psychology course using PILOT on the IBM personal computer. (RM)

Discusses the implications of Charles Darwin's personal and professional history for an academic career in psychology. Relationships between his theoretical position and the content of an introductory psychology course he might teach and how he might fare in a contemporary academic environment are sketched in this fictionalized account.…

Attempts to clarify the reality of the research situation from the student participant's perspective. Based on generally accepted ethical principles, and assuming that most psychological research is worthwhile, the author describes the roles that students might assume in research and their rights and responsibilities as research participants. (GEA)

Considers the origins and development of the textbook view of causality and experiment by examining the various editions of Woodworth's PSYCHOLOGY (1921-1947). Examining the gradual emergence of the experiment-causality relationship, Winston contends that introductory textbooks oversimplify the concept of causality and he explores possible…

Examined how the gender of instructors who taught gender-salient material influenced students' perceptions of the instructor and the course content. Results showed that a male instructor was viewed more positively than a female instructor. Implications for teaching are discussed. (Author/GEA)

Describes two studies which evaluated procedures supplemental to instructor-set and student-set deadlines in a self-paced psychology course. One procedure required students to report their progress on quizzes, while the other required them to meet all deadlines. Concludes that both measures reduced procrastination through increased pacing rates…

Describes an extra credit project which required students in child psychology courses to work with preschoolers and keep a journal which integrated lecture and text material with the practical experience. Discusses requirements and evaluation procedures, concluding that students, instructors, and the community benefited from the educational…

Discusses a computer demonstration of the word fragment completion effect which introduces students of cognitive psychology to the implicit memory paradigm. Describes effective use of the program in lecture, demonstration, and class discussion stating that it provides an interesting introduction to discussions of experimental procedures and…

Discusses hardware and software requirements and the physical layout of a computerized general psychology laboratory which provides students with direct experience in contemporary psychological research. Lists topics and assignments for the class as well as software used. Concludes that students overwhelmingly rate the class as helpful in learning…

Describes a case-study simulation program designed to assist instructors in teaching ethics in psychology. Concludes that the program is useful for teaching ethics as it reveals the difficulty of ethical decision-making and generates, through student work, discussions on the moral bases for different ethical decisions. (Author/GEA)

Based on observations made in an introductory psychology course, the author offers suggestions to instructors who use the lecture-textbook-test method of instruction. States that students should be taught appropriate study and note-taking skills and that they should be encouraged to ask questions when they encounter difficulty. (GEA)