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)

Watson and Rayner's study of Little Albert and conditioned emotional reactions is unquestionably a classic in psychology. Observations are made on what authors of 27 college textbooks in abnormal psychology have to say or not to say about Little Albert. (RM)

An evaluation of introductory college level psychology textbooks showed that Alfred Adler's psychology is either neglected or seriously distorted by most texts. (RM)

Undergraduate students enrolled in a Principles of Psychology II course were asked to rate selections from introductory psychology texts for reading ease. These student ratings were then compared with the ratings obtained using the Flesch readability formula. Student ratings did not agree very well with the Flesch scores. (RM)

An analysis of research methods textbooks in psychology showed that little coverage is given to control issues in research, such as experimenter expectancies and subject bias. However, space and attention given to research ethics has increased considerably. This is probably due to imposition of controls from the government and the profession. (CS)

Pictures in introductory college level psychology textbooks are remembered and retained at significant levels for substantial time periods. (AM)

Discusses a study to evaluate student understanding of and interest in general psychology textbooks in college level introductory psychology course. Findings indicate that students generally found a high correlation between readability and human interest. (DB)

Asserts that current animal research enables students to understand basic developmental principles. Presents results from a study that evaluated the content of 24 developmental textbooks published between 1995 and 2000, demonstrating that older studies are typically used. (CMK)

Examines whether there was a common vocabulary present within introductory psychology textbooks during the 1950s and if a classic core vocabulary exists. Reports that no common core existed in the textbooks during the 1950s, but there is a set of 100 classic vocabulary terms. (CMK)

Examines the extent to which industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology is covered within introductory psychology textbooks (n=54). Determined whether I/O psychology was in a section, appendix, or chapter; and also compiled the number of pages that contained I/O psychology. Reports that only one-fourth of the textbooks had an overview. (CMK)

Presents a study that reviewed introductory psychology textbooks to examine the perception of extensive similarity. Focuses on six dimensions: (1) chapter topics, organization, and extent of topic coverage; (2) core concepts and key terms; (3) pedagogical aids and data graphs; (4) critical-thinking programs; (5) reference citations; and (6) level…

Presents an analysis of undergraduate methods course textbooks (n=26) published in the United States with copyright dates from 1995-1999. Examines aspects of the textbooks, such as demographic qualities, use of pedagogical aids and illustrative material, and topic coverage. Includes the results in detail. (CMK)

Reports on two studies that assessed the interchangeability of logical and empirical estimates of readability and human interest for college-level introductory psychology texts published between 1977 and 1988. Uses Flesch's procedures to obtain logical scores and student ratings to obtain empirical scores. Finds that correlations are too low to…

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.…