Because the lecture format is usually an unsatisfactory teaching technique, this author uses an active experiential learning technique, the parts party which provides students of varied interpersonal sophistication with a working knowledge of personality theory and dynamics. (Author/JR)

Brief descriptions are offered of activities relevant to teaching the history of psychology. Suggestions range from simple demonstrations requiring no materials to more extensive projects. Reconstruction of early laboratory instruments such as the projection lantern, demonstrations of psychological concepts, and studies of associative processes…

Suggests use of the planarian D. Dorotocephala, an animal 20 mm in size, in order to provide inexpensive lab experiences for students in large introductory psychology courses. The animal can be used to study perception, memory, behavior modification, and group processes. (Author/AV)

Describes a full-time clinical practicum for undergraduates, stressing planning and operation so that other instructors may replicate the program. Emphasis is placed on close faculty supervision, continued student academic responsibilities, and full staff cooperation. (Author/AV)

An issue-oriented approach to the teaching of personality involved students from one class in formal debates with students from another class. Evaluation of student attitudes and achievement in the course showed that high motivation and sharpened critical thinking resulted from the course design. (Author/AV)

A course option in abnormal psychology involves students in interviewing and observing the activities of individuals in the off-campus community who are concerned with some aspect of abnormal psychology. The technique generates student interest in the field when they interview people about topics such as drug abuse, transsexualism, and abuse of…

Introductory psychology students discuss the definition of aggression and related issues of causation and control. Students are exposed to the many issues involved in defining aggression and develop an understanding of the complexity of such a construct and, thus, the reasons why there is much disagreement about its meaning. (Author/RM)

The purpose of this class exercise is to increase undergraduate psychology students' awareness of common persuasion techniques used in advertising, including the appeal to or creation of needs, social and prestige suggestion, and the use of emotionally loaded words and images. Television commercials and magazine advertisements are used as…

Two procedures--a consensual procedure and an independent procedure--for measuring personality, and a demonstration designed to help students understand which is more accurate and why, are described. Independent ratings are found to be more valid than group consensus. (RM)

A classroom exercise that involves college students in portraying individuals studied in a history of psychology course is described. Working in teams, students develop a presentation allowing figures from different time periods to discuss and debate psychological issues. Students also prepare a bibliography and position summary of the individual…

A simulation exercise of a labor-management dispute is used to teach psychology students some of the basics of descriptive statistics. Using comparable data sets generated by the instructor, students work in small groups to develop a statistical presentation that supports their particular position in the dispute. (Author/RM)

Described are practical ways in which writing can be used to help students learn the concepts and methods of social psychology. These include keeping a course log (a type of journal), writing analyses of published articles, doing an observational study, and writing a formal research report. (Author/RM)

The portfolio writing assignment given to students in a life span developmental psychology course required that they complete 10-15 typewritten pages of writing for the course. Students were allowed to choose their own projects; for example, they might write about an interview they had conducted, or discuss an outside reading. (RM)

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)