With regard to the nol. 2 point...is there evidence that the undergrad population has really been that much of a problem? Or is this more a reflection of the political / historical context of psych? Gary Gerald L. (Gary) Peterson, Ph.D. Professor, Psychology Saginaw Valley State University University Center, MI 48710 989-964-4491 [email protected]
>>> "Mike Palij" <[email protected]> 3/27/2009 9:48 AM >>> On Thu, 26 Mar 2009 20:33:56 -0700, Bill Southerly wrote: >We need to get back to discussing issues more directly related to >the teaching of psychology. > >Those of you that have been on this list for awhile know that I >don't often make statements like this but it looks like we are starting >to get into a topic(s) that may lead to a lengthy discussion that has >little or no application to the teaching of psychology. Indeed, I wholeheartedly agree with Bill's Southerly's recommendation. I would hasten to add that when we teach psychology to our students we might keep the following points in mind and, prehaps, even convey them to our students: (1) Psychology, conceived as a scientific discipline that attempts to understand behavior, cognition, affect, and related topics, does not exist in vacuum, it is influenced by the social, cultural, economic, and intellectual context in which it finds itself. Psychologists ignore these contextual factors at their own peril because doing so may lead students to perceive psychology as being irrelevant to the "real world" (in contrast, say, to understanding how these factors affect the conduct of psychology). Students, under pressure to get gainful employment after their school experience (in order to pay back student loans, etc), will recognize that certain fields allow them to succeed (i.e., at the very least get a job, at best make fabulous amonts of money and living a very comfortable lifestyle) and others fields, not so much. Hopefully, psychology is not one of those "not so much" fields. (2) Psychology will attempt to provide insights into human behavior but this depends upon which people we have access to and can use in our research. We might point out that much psychological research relies upon college undergraduates and that limits what we can say about why people behave in the ways they do. We might have to admit that there are subcultures that we have very limited access to, very little research on, and most of what we have to say about them is pure speculation (e.g., stock brokers, investment bankers, the "business elite") though they may influence all of us in direct and indirect ways. And given the power and influence some of these subcultures have, psychologists are unlikely to gain access to them. So, perhaps psychologists should avoid the issue of what role does "executive compensation" in business decision-making because we actually know and understand very little about this and the context in which it operates. Far better for us to discuss something we are familiar with, such as how to use clickers in class (that is, for those instructors who have clicker systems at their institutions). (3) As teachers we need to focus on psychology as a science even though this is not the perception of most people in the larger cultural context. We need to be persistent in cultivating critical thinking, honesty, and sincerity even though the larger social context demonstrates that one can easily succeed without them while making fabulous amounts of money, and get great fame by engaging in sloppy thinking, being an effective liar (indeed, learning how to lie effectively is a much prized skill as represented by those who have reached the highest levels of achievement in business and government), and being smarmy and hypocritical. We need to point out that mere material success is not as important as knowing that one is being true to one's principles even if such a belief makes us poor and powerless. So, which intro psych textbook do people think is "best" and why? -Mike Palij New York University [email protected] --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected]) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
