Predicting Students' Performance in Introductory Psychology From Their Psychology Misconceptions

This study compared the performance of students in a televised introductory psychology course to that of students in a traditional introductory psychology course at a community college. All students had the same instructor and textbook. They took approximately the same tests. Students in the televised introductory course did significantly better than those in the traditional introductory course. These two groups were also compared on the basis of age, sex, and scores on the Sixteen Personality Factors Inventory. Students in the televised psychology course were more happy-go-lucky, conscientious, trusting, astute, controlled and less apprehensive. They were also considerably older. Students' evaluation of the TV course, text, and study guide were favorable. More students successfully completed the on-campus psychology course.

To envision the introductory psychology course as a foundational part of the major curriculum, priority should be placed on its relevance to the subsequent coursework in the major and its responsiveness to evolving regional, national, and global standards. In this article the authors describe their own strategy for gathering information from multiple sources to explore the foundational potential of the introductory psychology course taught in their department at a medium-sized public university in the USA. They administered surveys to their psychology faculty and students, considered department characteristics and resources, and reviewed national and international professional standards. They conclude that their strategy may be useful for psychology departments at other institutions interested in considering the role their introductory course plays within the context of their undergraduate major curriculum.

A 2-semester introductory course sequence in any discipline may be justified on the basis that there is too much material to cover in 1 semester and that more in-depth consideration of material will provide students with a better foundation from which to approach subsequent courses. This study took advantage of a natural situation to compare students who had taken a 1-semester introductory psychology course and those who had taken a 2-semester sequence. Analyses of student performance (grades) in upper level psychology courses indicated no advantage associated with a 2-semester introductory course. Students incur a 100% cost increase (the additional introductory course) for 0% benefit.

At least 1.5 million students take an introductory psychology class every year in the United States (Cush & Buskist, 1997; Griggs, Jackson, Christopher, & Marek, 1999; Miller & Gentile, 1998) and Perlman and McCann (1999) report that 97% of colleges and universities offered an introductory psychology course in 1997. Students who enroll in an introductory psychology course are not necessarily psychology majors. In fact, a 1973 study by Kulik noted that only 6% of students in introductory psychology courses were psychology majors. Students who were not psychology majors take introductory psychology to fulfill a prerequisite for another major, to complete a general education requirement in the social sciences, or simply as an elective. For most students, introductory psychology is the only course in the field of psychology they will take (Buskist, Miller, Ecott, & Critchfield, 1999). Since this is the only exposure to the field, the comprehensiveness, depth, and accuracy of the topics covered are of particular importance. Little or no representation of a particular section of psychology, substantial errors in describing the subfield, or an absence of recent research citations could indicate that a particular subfield is not accepted or respected in the psychological community (Herzog, 1986; Roig, Icochea, & Cuzzucoli, 1991). The combination of topics taught in an introductory psychology class can also shape the students’ impression of psychology. These early impressions often affect the students’ decision to major in psychology and the area of psychology that becomes the focus of their study (Buskist et al., 1999; Maynard, Bachiochi, & Luna, 2002). I-O psychology was established as Division 14 of the American Psychological Association (APA) in 1946 as industrial and business psychology (Koppes, n.d.). Since then, I-O psychology has been an officially recognized course of study within the psychological community. In a 1984 study, 25% of liberal arts colleges and 61% of universities offered I-O psychology classes (Carlson & Millard, 1984). In 1997, Perlman and McCann (1999) found that 44% of colleges and universities offered I-O psychology classes. Therefore, coverage of I-O psychology in introductory psychology textbooks should be expected. However, I-O psychology usually receives little or no coverage (Griggs & Jackson, 1996). In fact, Griggs and Jackson found that the percentage of applied psychology (including I-O psychology) represented in Hilgard et al.’s introductory psychology textbook decreased from 7% in the 1953 first edition, to 4% in the 1957 second edition, to 3% in the 1962 third edition, to 0% in the fourth thorough tenth editions spanning the years 1967 to 1990.

In reviewing the Cameron and Khanna project, we find much to be commended. The large diverse sample of researchers and the collection of widespread student misconceptions will help focus students and instructors in the introductory course on teaching and learning the science of psychology. The recommendations we make provide a guide for looking beyond student belief and recognizing factors potentially contributing to and supporting misconceptions. Because teaching psychological science in the introductory psychology course is challenging, it is likely that misconceptions result from misinterpretations of the evidence. Investigating how textbooks and instructors’ perceptions of claims perpetuate misconceptions would be an important contribution toward improving the teaching of psychology. Assessing student misconceptions about psychological science would document the prevalence of science misconceptions, would permit the investigation of change in knowledge and scientific attitudes with the introductory psychology course, and would provide a basis for studying links between misconceptions about psychology and misunderstanding (or lack of appreciation) of the very nature of science.

This study was an exploration of the effectiveness of a self-scoring punchboard device in a one semester intro ductory psychology course. Fifty-two Ss were used in four matched groups of 13 each. Group I used the device both for testing and review purposes, Group II for testing only, Group III for review only, while Group IV did not use the device at all. Comparison of the groups yielded significant differences between I and III on the mean amount of change taking place as measured by later performance on the test used for matching the groups, and on the mean cumulative course quiz scores between II and IV. It was noted that this difference could be accounted for by a dif ference in the things being measured by the test and the course quizzes. An inhibitory effect of the device when used for review purposes was also suggested. It was concluded that although this device's use for testing might be justi fied, its effectiveness otherwise remains unsupported. THE LAST few years have seen an increased interest in the use of various kinds of auto instructional devices. One line of such develop ment coming from Pressey's early work has been concerned with producing relatively inexpensive devices which provide immediate self-scoring for multiple-choice tests or review items. Among these are the devices reported by Angel? and Troyer (1), Pressey (4), Barlow (2), and Sa koda and Greenwood (5). Although Pressey and Angel? and Troyer indicated some early encourag ing results, little other evidence is available con cerning their effectiveness in classroom learning situations. Research by Jones and Sawyer (3) using the Angel? and Troyer punch boards indi cated that when quizzes were answered with this device instead of an answer sheet, there was a trend toward better scores on a final examination even though this trend did not reach significance (t reported as 1.68). The study reported here was an attempt to explore more fully the possible effectiveness of such a device used in various ways within the context of a one semester introductory course in psychology.

From 1984 to 1990, more than 400 students, taught by four different instructors, participated in psychology science fairs as part of their introductory psychology course. A sample of 110 students in upper level psychology courses responded anonymously to a questionnaire assessing their retrospective impressions about their introductory psychology course, current course selections and performance, and future academic plans. Students who had participated in a science fair (n = 30) gave significantly higher ratings than students in other introductory psychology courses (n = 80) to understanding basic principles and their application to everyday life, learning from the instructor and textbook, being prepared for other psychology courses, and having an opportunity to explore topics of interest. Science fair participants also reported exerting more effort in their coursework and being more likely to have taken another course from their introductory psychology instructor. Results suggested that a science fair can provide a unique, valuable, and memorable experience for students.

Background Introductory psychology courses provide a unique opportunity to educate students in ways that can inform how they will address major issues of the day. Objective We tested whether an integrative, last-day-of-class activity in which students applied pertinent psychological theories to climate change would empower students to address this issue. Method Across multiple introductory psychology courses, pre- and post-course assessments (Study 1) and a comparison to a control classroom condition (Study 2) were used to evaluate changes in students’ climate change efficacy beliefs and intentions to act. Results Students who experienced the activity were more likely to (1) believe their actions could make a difference in mitigating climate change and influence others to follow suit, (2) show increased intentions to adopt sustainable behaviors and take political action to address climate change, and (3) see psychology as relevant to solving societal issues like climate change. Conclusion Having students connect psychology to solving climate change led students to feel more empowered to address this global challenge. Teaching implications This classroom activity could readily be scaled up to thousands of introductory psychology courses around the world every year, connecting psychology to a major issue of our time and potentially mobilizing students to action.

In its traditional form, the introductory psychology course creates special challenges for both students and teachers. Its goals are lofty, its scope so broad that many of its seemingly disjointed topics lie outside the typical instructor's comfort zone and, especially when taught in a single term, allows little more than superficial content coverage. There is also uncertainty about its long-term impact. Introductory students may be learning valuable lessons about psychological science, but low scores on follow-up tests suggest that their new knowledge involves something other than facts, definitions, and vocabulary (e.g., Landrum & Gurung, 2013), and surveys show that the course fails to dislodge common misconceptions about human behavior and mental processes (e.g., Bernstein et al., 2023, 2025). In this article we trace the history of the course, summarize reformulation efforts designed to address its shortcomings, and describe the contours of an introductory course that could lead to more enduring and socially significant outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

The researchers investigated the relationship between social integration and persistence for high school students enrolled in an introductory psychology course. The researchers hypothesized that the social system interfered with the academic mission of the high school in this study. Persistence was operationalized as completion of an introductory psychology course with a grade of D or higher. Participants were 241 high school students in the southeastern United States. In support of the researchers’ initial expectations, students scoring higher on social integration were more likely to dropout. Based on the results of this investigation, secondary teachers should take a more active role in promoting interactions with their students. By employing a more collaborative learning environment, students may become more involved socially and academically. This could subsequently aid in reducing the high rate of attrition.

The high rate of attrition in introductory psychology courses at community colleges has led some institutions to require an introductory English course, focusing on reading and writing, as a prerequisite. The primary objective of this research was to assess whether successfully completing the introductory English course had any relation to successful completion of the introductory psychology course. Participants were 11,139 students enrolled over a 3-yr. period in introductory psychology courses at a large urban community college in the southwest. A simultaneous multiple regression analysis indicated a significant but not a practical increase in the variance of final grades.

The high rate of attrition in introductory psychology courses at community colleges has led some institutions to require an introductory English course, focusing on reading and writing, as a prerequisite. The primary objective of this research was to assess whether successfully completing the introductory English course had any relation to successful completion of the introductory psychology course. Participants were 11,139 students enrolled over a 3-yr. period in introductory psychology courses at a large urban community college in the southwest. A simultaneous multiple regression analysis indicated a significant but not a practical increase in the variance of final grades.

Cognitive Precursors to Science Comprehension Kimberly G. Cottrell (kcottrel@odu.edu) Danielle S. McNamara (dmcnamar@odu.edu) Department of Psychology, Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA 23529 USA Abstract This study examined the ability of cognitive factors (i.e., prior domain knowledge, reading ability, and metacognitive reading strategies) to predict students’ comprehension of science texts and students’ performance in an introductory psychology course. Both prior knowledge and reading ability reliably predicted comprehension of the science text (about sensory memory). Prior knowledge was the best predictor for exam performance. However, greater knowledge provided no benefit for students who did not use certain types of metacognitive reading strategies. Also, the tendency to use previewing strategies only benefited students if they possessed sufficient prior knowledge. Introduction What cognitive abilities are most important to a student entering a college level science course? If we assume that science course performance relies on factors related to science comprehension, then cognitive factors such as the students’ level of reading ability, their prior knowledge of the domain area, and students’ knowledge and use of metacognitive reading strategies should play key roles in students’ course performance. Hence, the purpose of this research was to establish whether these cognitive factors were predictive of students’ comprehension of science texts as well as their performance in a science course (in this case, introductory psychology). There is no doubt that better readers better comprehend text (Perfetti, 1985) – because, of course, that is the underlying definition of reading skill. Skilled readers also tend to experience the reading process as more automatic and effortless than less skilled readers (Underwood, 1997). Skilled readers tend to make reading process decisions below the level of consciousness, particularly when reading familiar material. Thus, skilled readers unconsciously, or with very little conscious effort, understand the thoughts communicated through the texts and are reminded of the knowledge they have regarding the topic covered within a text (Underwood, 1997). Furthermore, skilled readers approach confusing sentences or passages by incorporating their prior domain knowledge to help them better understand the text (Collins, 1994). Thus, it would be expected that not only reading skill, but also prior knowledge would provide considerable benefits to science text comprehension and by consequence to students’ course performance. Researchers have established that prior domain knowledge has a strong effect on text comprehension and memory. Bransford and Johnson (1972) first established that prior knowledge improves readers’ memory for written information. They showed that when readers were provided with a prior schema via a passage title or a picture, readers recalled twice as much from the passage compared to those who were not provided with prior schematic information. Essentially, the passage title activated the appropriate prior knowledge, or schema, that allows the reader to understand and thus remember the passage. Chiesi, Spilich, and Voss, (1979) demonstrated that readers with greater prior knowledge of baseball better understood and remembered a passage concerning baseball, regardless of the participants’ age or reading ability. Further research has demonstrated that prior knowledge has a pronounced effect on comprehension of difficult expository texts, such as those found in science textbooks. Readers with greater prior knowledge exhibit superior comprehension and thus enhanced learning compared to those with less prior knowledge (Alexander, Kulikowich, & Schulze, 1994; Chiesi et al., 1979; McNamara, 2001; McNamara & Kintsch, 1996; McNamara, Kintsch, Songer, & Kintsch, 1996). Therefore, we can expect that prior knowledge will have a substantial effect on science course performance, perhaps more so than reading skill. Whereas prior knowledge is certainly critical for successful text comprehension and course performance, students’ metacognitive knowledge, such as their knowledge of metacognitive reading strategies, may also play an important role. Generally, metacognition refers to an individual’s ability to think about thinking. More specifically, metacognition can be defined as an individuals’ ability to self-monitor, self-assess, and self-evaluate. These processes help a learner determine why a process such as reading a science textbook is difficult, and then potentially overcome the difficulty. Metacognition when applied to reading refers to the process of monitoring comprehension and the use of strategies to improve comprehension (Forget & Morgan, 1997). Reading strategies such as summarization, mental imagery, mnemonic imagery, question generation, answering self-generated questions, and look-backs have all been shown to enhance text comprehension (Pressley & Woloshyn, 1995). Chi and Bassok (1989) found that successful students tended to employ reading strategies such as generating elaborations and paraphrases, monitoring and creating statements, and producing self-explanations. In turn, these strategies enhanced their understanding of the

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a pedagogy designed to facilitate the development of critical thinking skills and promote student course engagement, yet it appears to be underutilized within psychology courses. The current study evaluated the impact of using a problem-based learning (PBL) approach within a small introductory psychology class on students’ critical thinking and course engagement. A total of 74 undergraduate students (38 experimental, 36 control) participated in the study. Students completed questionnaires assessing critical thinking and course engagement at the start (experimental only) and conclusion (both experimental and controls) of the semester. Repeated measures analyses revealed that students in the PBL introductory psychology course showed significant improvements on critical thinking and engagement from the beginning to the end of the course. Group comparisons at the end of the semester showed that students in the PBL course reported higher critical thinking skills, behavioral engagement, and global course engagement relative to the control students. It appears PBL may be an effective method for use within introductory courses to begin developing critical thinking skills and promoting student engagement in learning. Implications for teaching introductory psychology with PBL are discussed.

If We Build It Comparative Psychologists Will Come. Commentary: A Crisis in Comparative Psychology: Where Have All the Undergraduates Gone?