Thinking Like a Psychologist Introductory Psychology Writing Assignments

Wentworth, Diane Keyser; Whitmarsh, Lona

doi:10.1177/0098628317727909

Cited by 7 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Student regard for the scientific nature of psychology is likewise low and does not improve with progression through the undergraduate career (Holmes & Beins, 2009). At the same time, endorsement of psychological myths is high (Hughes, Lyddy, & Lambe, 2013), and students struggle to think critically (Wentworth & Whitmarsh, 2017).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Research experience in recitation sections within introductory psychology courses: The effectiveness of a semester-long laboratory component.

Branch¹,

Dubow²

2021

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology

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Undergraduate psychology students struggle to think critically, are hesitant to endorse psychology as a scientific field, and believe scientifically disproven psychological myths. We asked if a semester-long laboratory component (small weekly recitation groups), embedded within a large introductory psychology course, could improve students' critical thinking, perceptions of psychology as a science, and ability to identify psychological myths. In the recitation groups (N ϭ 124), students researched a topic, designed a study, collected data, and presented findings. We compared this format to 2 control groups employing similar activities: one with a traditional recitation component of discussion of material presented within the large lecture (N ϭ 36) and one with a traditional recitation component coupled with a behavior modification project that students designed halfway through the semester (N ϭ 133). The 3 large courses were taught by separate instructors, and recitation groups were led by graduate teaching assistants; otherwise, the sections were structured to maximize equivalency. We administered a pretest at the beginning of the semester and a posttest at the end of the semester and found that our intervention was successful in increasing critical thinking ( p 2 ϭ .065); however, across all 3 conditions, at the posttest, students were less likely to view psychology as a science ( p 2 ϭ .035).

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

Research experience in recitation sections within introductory psychology courses: The effectiveness of a semester-long laboratory component.

Branch¹,

Dubow²

2021

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology

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“…Interventions aimed at supporting student thinking and writing can be found in most disciplines, e.g. psychology (Wentworth et al 2017). Divan et al (2015) found that most international students on a UK master's programme in biology agreed that writing assignments on the course were different from their previous studies.…”

Section: Inclusive Assessment: Practical Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment and Feedback in Higher Education

McConlogue¹

2020

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“…Bartels and Griggs (2019) discuss how recent reexaminations of the Stanford Prison Experiment archives provides opportunities for students to apply scientific inquiry and critical thinking skills to classic studies. Alternatively, as described below, instructors may work backward from summative assessments to build formative assessments that systematically encourage the necessary practice, feedback, and reflection (e.g., Wentworth & Whitmarsh, 2017).…”

Section: Authentic Goal 2 Assessmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Scientific Inquiry and Critical Thinking: Measuring APA Goal 2 Student Learning Outcomes

Mueller

Taylor

Brakke

et al. 2020

Teaching of Psychology

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Goal 2 of the APA Goals for Undergraduate Major in Psychology, Scientific Inquiry and Critical Thinking, addresses the development of scientific reasoning and problem-solving, including effective research methods, in undergraduate psychology students. These skills serve as the foundation of not only introductory courses but also the entire psychology curriculum. In this article, we address why these skills are critical to help students interpret information and assess claims and review the current practice of measuring student reasoning in this domain. The reach of Goal 2 is broad, including the application of scientific reasoning to interpret psychological phenomena, the demonstration of psychology information literacy, the interpretation and execution of basic psychological research, and an understanding of sociocultural influences in scientific inquiry. We discuss the value of both formative and summative assessments in this area, offer examples of assessment tools currently in use, and provide a list of nationally normed assessments in critical thinking and scientific reasoning. We conclude with a discussion of limitations in current assessment practices and suggest possible future directions.

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Thinking Like a Psychologist Introductory Psychology Writing Assignments

Cited by 7 publications

References 20 publications

Research experience in recitation sections within introductory psychology courses: The effectiveness of a semester-long laboratory component.

Research experience in recitation sections within introductory psychology courses: The effectiveness of a semester-long laboratory component.

Assessment and Feedback in Higher Education

Assessment of Scientific Inquiry and Critical Thinking: Measuring APA Goal 2 Student Learning Outcomes

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