It is important to assess periodically how introductory textbooks portray our discipline because introductory psychology is the most popular psychology course, almost all teachers use textbooks for it, and textbooks play a major role in defining the course for students. To do so, past studies have used textbook citation analyses. We analyzed…

Past studies of the treatment of Milgram's obedience experiments in social psychology textbooks from the 1960s to the 1990s discovered an evolving "Milgram-friendly" coverage style (dealing with criticisms of his experiments either summarily, in a pro-Milgram manner, or not at all). We examined 10 current social textbooks to determine…

Given the many inaccuracies in the original "New York Times" 38-witnesses version of the Kitty Genovese story, this study examined the accuracy of this story in current introductory psychology textbooks, 50 years later. Recent studies have shown that there is no evidence for the following three key features of the original story: (1)…

Asch's classic social pressure experiments are discussed in almost all introductory and social psychology textbooks. However, the results of these experiments have been shown to be misrepresented in textbooks. An analysis of textbooks from 1953 to 1984 revealed that although most of the responses on critical trials were independent correct ones,…

Most introductory textbooks discuss the story of Phineas Gage and his terrible accident in which he survived a three-and-a-half-foot-long tamping iron that weighed 13¼ pounds exploding through his head. Twenty-three current introductory textbooks were analyzed for the accuracy of their coverage of Gage's subsequent (post-accident) history and…

To determine how topical coverage in introductory textbooks may have changed from the 1980s to the present, the author examined topic coverage in full-length and brief introductory textbooks from this time period. Because 98% of the teachers use textbooks for the introductory course and the majority do not assign reading beyond the textbook, the…

This study examined the similarities and differences in the topics and references in selected chapters of eight introductory social psychology textbooks and six developmental psychology textbooks. We wanted to determine the extent to which there were core concepts and references presented in these chapters. We found a relatively small set of core…

Zimbardo's 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE), one of the most famous studies in psychology, is discussed in most introductory textbooks. The present study is concerned with the nature of this coverage, given that there have been myriad criticisms, especially recently, of the SPE. These criticisms concern both Zimbardo's situationist…

Because 98% of teachers use textbooks for the introductory psychology course and the majority of introductory teachers do not assign reading beyond the textbook, examining the topical coverage allocation pattern in introductory textbooks versus that in introductory course lectures is important for our understanding of how introductory students are…

We content analyzed 24 best-selling introductory psychology textbooks to assess the presence and nature of material addressing issues of disability. Content analyses assessed the frequency with which specific impairments are presented, the chapters and topics most likely to contain disability-related material, the context in which people with…

Uses an experience from a senior-level research design class to disprove textbook suggestions that the illusory movement of the autokinetic effect is susceptible to suggestion. Cautions instructors not to use these misleading textbook accounts simply because they are a "grabber." (Author/GEA)

Describes a set of exercises called Bringing Psychology to Life (BPL), which is designed to engage introductory psychology students in learning course and textbook content by having them develop psychological explanations for events in their lives. Maintains that BPL is an excellent icebreaker for graduate teaching assistants and a vehicle for…

Examines the coverage given to sociobiology in 37 introductory psychology textbooks. Results indicated that most books provided some discussion of sociobiology, but it was typically superficial and there were often significant errors in the interpretation of theory. (Author/JDH)

Introductory psychology textbooks were analyzed to determine what percentage of space they devoted to the following content areas: experimental/learning, physiological/biological, developmental, social/personality, cognitive, clinical, educational, industrial/organizational, tests and measurements, and other. Results showed a clear preponderance…

An content analysis of introductory psychology textbooks revealed that only 25 percent of the texts include a section on industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology and that another 25 percent fail to even mention the area. Such limited coverage of the I/O field may limit career alternatives that students consider. (RM)