Dawn,
A few thoughts about teaching a methods course (based on my experiences, of course)
1. To promote interest and an appreciation for scientific thinking, start with good
questions. Pick class examples and lab assignments that are compelling or are likely
to be relevant to the students (there are so many). I have found the following to be
useful (sorry I don't have the references handy)...
-Dutton & Aron's studies on sexual attraction and anxiety
-Experimental studies on the effects of sugar intake (or lack of) on hyperactivity,
followed by studies of expectancy effects on mother-child interactions (Hoover &
Milich, 1994)
-Berkowitz & Lepage (1967) on effects of aggressive cues (firearms) on aggression
- experimental studies on factors affecting eyewitness testimony & jury behavior
-Milgram's obedience experiments
- Baumeister's experimental studies on self-esteem & violence
One thing I have found is that many contemporary studies are often too complex for
this type of class, perhaps TIPsters can suggest other "compelling" experimental
studies that are accessible to introductory students.
2. One of the greatest dangers in teaching a methods/stats course is that the students
see the content as detached and irrelevant. Sometimes curriculum structure fosters
this (e.g., methods and stats taught separately, and almost always taught outside the
context of "content" courses like abnormal, social developmental). SO, wherever
possible, I try to use examples that walk students through the whole process including
the original research question, summary of prior research, the design, analyses,
conclusions and most importantly the new questions generated by the research.
3. When things get bogged down, put control in the students' hands....require active
involvement and ask them to use the skills they are learning to solve a problem or
answer a question (I often play the role of a salesman or a healer and ask students to
empirically challenge the outlandish claims that I made).
Best of luck.
Mark
Mark J. Sciutto, Ph.D.
Dept. of Psychology
Westminster College
New Wilmington, PA 16172
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
