This paper reports on two studies in which different adult populations who had not formally studied psychology completed multiple-choice tests derived from general psychology textbooks to evaluate specific knowledge of the discipline. The aim was to determine to what extent psychology was “common sense” and which personal characteristics, such as sex, education, and age, best predicted correct answers. In the first study, 114 students about to start a psychology degree, and 222 nonstudent adults, completed a 106-item questionnaire taken from a standard textbook. There was considerable variability in the extent to which participants checked the correct answer, with an overall average of only 56% (just above chance). There was no statistical difference between the two groups in knowledge overall or in any particular areas. A regression showed books read and belief in the scientific nature of psychology to be the best predictors of overall knowledge. In the second study, 94 first-year students at the beginning of their course and 136 student applicants completed a 114-item questionnaire derived from a different textbook, this time focusing on child development. There was no difference in the correct responses between a psychology-student and nonstudent group, with both groups getting around 53% of the answers correct. Interest in, and experience of, psychology did not predict total correct scores. Like previous studies in the area, the results failed to indicate any major variables that predict knowledge of psychological processes.

The present study sought to investigate whether the factors that affect the allocation of scarce medical resources vary across different types of treatment and whether participants prioritize hypothetical patients based on patients' marital status, annual income, history of mental illness, and smoking habits. Study participants (N = 114) made prioritization decisions that were found to be very different across treatments. Repeated‐measure ANOVAs showed that single patients were favored for rhinoplasty, while married patients were favored for in vitro fertilization (IVF) and kidney transplant treatment. Nonsmoking patients were preferred over their smoking counterparts. Low‐income patients were favored for rhinoplasty and kidney transplant operations, but not for IVF. Mentally healthy patients were generally preferred over mentally ill patients.

Black and White South Africans (n = 181) and Nigerians (n = 135) completed a questionnaire concerning the estimations of their own and their relatives' (father, mother, sister, brother) multiple intelligences as well as beliefs about the IQ concept. In contrast to previous results (A. Furnham, 2001), there were few gender differences in self-estimates. In a comparison of Black and White South Africans, it was clear the Whites gave higher estimates for self, parents, and brothers. However, overall IQ estimates for self and all relatives hovered around the mean of 100. When Black South Africans and Nigerians were compared, there were both gender and nationality differences on the self-estimates with men giving higher self-estimates than women and Nigerians higher self-estimates than South Africans. There were also gender and nationality differences in the answers to questions about IQ. The authors discuss possible reasons for the relatively few gender differences in this study compared with other studies as well as possible reasons for the cross-cultural difference.

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