Annette Taylor asked for the source of an essay on Why Psychology is Hard. The Psychteacher Archives contain the following post by Patrick Cabe from 2003:
Subject: Re: Intro = Easy (NOT) (was "Score Improvement") From: Patrick Cabe <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: Society for Teaching of Psychology Discussion List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2003 15:56:05 -0500 Content-Type: text/plain This persistent problem of students underestimating the degree of difficulty posed by Intro Psych prompted me to write a brief essay about the topic, which I append to the syllabus. At the risk of being accused of self-promotion (risk? what risk?), it is inserted below. You all have my permission to reprint the material (with appropriate attribution, of course) as you see fit. Pat Cabe Patrick Cabe, Ph.D. Professor and Chair Department of Psychology and Counseling University of North Carolina at Pembroke Pembroke, NC 28372-1510 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (910) 521-6630 -- Voice/voice-mail (910) 521-6518 -- FAX **************************************************************************** ********************* FOREWARNED IS FOREARMED: WHY INTRO PSYCH IS A TOUGH COURSE Patrick A. Cabe Department of Psychology and Counseling The University of North Carolina at Pembroke Because the course is "introductory," some students imagine that Intro Psych ought to be a relatively easy course. Yet many students are shocked to discover that it is one of the most difficult courses they take, especially early in their college careers. There are several reasons why this happens, and listing some of them for you to think about--and maybe do something about--may save you some hassle, disappointment, and grief. In fact, most introductory level courses will be more difficult than many students imagine for these same reasons. The first reason Intro Psych is a tough course is that we will cover a very broad range of topics through the semester, from concepts and ideas that are very biological to others that are very "social," from topics that may sound like common sense to others that are challenging technical areas. Each of those topical areas will have its own vocabulary and concepts to learn, enough so that some observers claim that Intro Psych requires that a student learn more new terms than he or she would in a semester-long course in a foreign language! A second big reason that Intro Psych turns out to be extremely demanding for many students is that they have little or no existing knowledge to attach this new content to. Researchers who study memory and the acquisition of knowledge tell us that the more you know about a topic, the easier it is to learn even more (because you will have more things to "hook" the new ideas, facts, etc., onto in your memory--sort of a Velcro theory). Knowledge grows by becoming woven into the body of your existing knowledge. If you don't know much at the beginning, if you have trouble finding these "hooks," it is surely more difficult to make such connections. Take heart, though, if you work at it you can often find aspects of your own "real life" experience and previous study that do in fact "hook" into the material you will study in Intro Psych. And as time goes by, you should be able to find connections from new material you encounter to material you studied earlier in the term. Third, some students have to adjust (or learn for the first time!) the study habits needed to match the demands of college work. Some bring adequate or better skills, jump right in, and do just fine. Others, however, may never have had to work very hard at their studies in the past, and now discover that their study habits just don't work in college. Good questioning skills, good listening skills, good note-taking skills, good reading skills, good thinking skills, and--most importantly--good time management skills simply have to be there, if you are going to succeed in college. Confronted with the complexity of the material in a course like Intro Psych, a student may really struggle, if he or she has not developed those skills. If your academic skills are not good (or as good as you would like them to be), see your advisor for help and talk to your instructors (talk to me!) about how you might improve them. Then, as the commercials say, "JUST DO IT!": Nothing can replace individual effort. Exactly like athletes developing and honing their special skills by practicing all alone in the gym or on the field, those study skills require your individual dedication to improvement. Newly-developing skills can't, and won't, get better overnight. Similarly, developing knowledge can't, and won't, blossom overnight. Any decent athlete or musician knows that what pays off is a routine of daily effort, going over what is already well studied or practiced, spending extra time on things that are more difficult, and extending their study and practice to new material. Learning the material in Intro Psych can't be done overnight, either. So establishing a routine of daily study (which some students never seem catch on to) will be a key to success in this course, as well as others. Fourth, many students just find ways to mess up the simple stuff: They don't come to class, they don't read the textbook, they don't do the assignments or only do part of the assignment or don't follow the instructions for the assignment or they turn them in late (or any combination). So they throw away opportunities to earn what often is cheap credit toward their course grade. And of course they are also less well prepared for the tests. Can you see the lesson? Come to class, read the book, do the assignments (the whole thing, on time, following all the directions--and, yes, it does matter). Is that so hard? My old boss used to say, "You control two things, your activity and your attitude." Intro Psych will always be a hard course because the material is complex and broad, but it may be even more difficult for you because you may lack background and experience to tie all this new material to, and because your academic skills may be less-than-perfect. The material itself won't get any easier, but you yourself can improve in these other areas--IF you have the attitude that you CAN do it, and IF you put in the effort TO do it. Dr. Rick Froman, Chair Division of Humanities and Social Sciences Box 3055 x7295 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.jbu.edu/academics/hss/faculty/rfroman.asp Proverbs 14:15 "A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps." --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
