Topical Coverage in Introductory Psychology

Abstract

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 being educated about our discipline. We examined this relationship by comparing chapter topical allocation findings for textbooks with lecture allocation findings based upon analysis of introductory course syllabi. The two patterns of topical allocation were very similar, indicating that, for the most part, teachers teach the text (allocate lecture time to chapter topics in proportion to the space allocated to them in introductory texts). The implications for textbook selection are discussed.

Open Introductory Psychology Textbooks

“…In addition, on average, 12% of current introductory psychology textbooks are devoted to learning and memory and only 7% to social psychology (Griggs, 2014). Griggs and Bates (2014) found a similar pattern of coverage in introductory course lecture time devoted to these topics. Fourteen percent of lecture time was devoted to learning and memory but only 8% to social psychology.…”

“…In addition, 98% of introductory psychology teachers use textbooks for the introductory course and the majority of these teachers do not assign reading beyond the text (Miller & Gentile, 1998; Oldenburg, 2005). Griggs and Bates (2014), based on their analysis of 107 introductory psychology syllabi, found that teachers essentially teach the text in the sense that they allocate class lecture time to chapter topics in proportion to the space allocated to them in introductory psychology textbooks. In brief, textbooks are important to both introductory psychology teachers and students.…”

The Importance of Taking Psychology: A Comparison of Three Levels of Exposure

“…There are many other indicators that point to the relative importance of the introductory psychology course (Gurung & Hackathorn, 2018). For example, studying the textbooks used in introductory psychology has a long past (e.g., Weiten, 1988;Weiten & Wight, 1992), and this interest continues to be strong presently (e.g., Bartels, Milovich, & Moussier, 2016;Griggs & Bates, 2014;Griggs & Christopher, 2016;McCann, Immel, Kadah-Ammeter, & Adelson, 2016). Another fruitful line of research within the realm of introductory psychology involves the acknowledgment of undergraduate student misperceptions and myths about human behavior and the efforts to refute those misperceptions in the introductory psychology course (e.g., Amsel, Baird, & Ashley, 2011;Bensley & Lilienfeld, 2017;Kowalski & Taylor, 2009;McCarthy & Frantz, 2016).…”

Open Praxis vol. 9 issue 4

“…Typically, the course strategy includes presenting students with psychological phenomena and supporting the presentation with how researchers undertake its study under scientifically controlled conditions (e.g., Homa et al, 2013). A similar schema seems to be very often at work in the introductory psychology textbooks (Benjamin, 2005;Griggs & Bates, 2014). However, as Norcross et al (2016) have pointed out, only a 3% of undergraduate Psychology programs offered a lab for their introductory course.…”