Hi folks. I've encountered a recent phenomenon in my classes and am curious
if others have experienced it and what they have done to counter it. I have
my students visit different psychology web sites that I've linked on my
on-line syllabus, and I have them critically evaluate the content of the
site. (I spent one class session in the first week on what to look for). I
now find that many students are commenting on how old many of the cited
studies are that are provided to back up various claims, as if the age of
the citation is indicative of the quality of the research. It's gotten so
bad that anything over about 5-6 years is considered "old." On the one
hand, I guess I should be pleased that the students are thinking about the
implications of older research. On the other hand, though, I'm not sure how
to counteract this bias. As a quick example, one of the sites many of the
students evaluated was the tutorial on positive reinforcement at Athabasca
University. Many of the studies cited in support of their concepts were
conducted in the 70s and 80s, and the students really rebel at this. How
should I counter this? Suggestions welcome.
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Mark A. Casteel, Ph.D.
Penn State York
1031 Edgecomb Ave.
York, PA 17403
Work: (717) 771-4028
Fax: (717) 771-8404
http://www.yk.psu.edu/~mac13/index.htm
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