Psychology Curriculum Research Articles

A re-introduction of the psychodynamic approach to the standard clinical psychology curriculum.

There is a strong evidence-base for a psychodynamic approach, supporting primary theoretical tenets as well as the treatment effectiveness. Additionally, there are increasing calls from the field for more individualized treatment for clients, and the lack of training in multiple orientations limits the ability of students in clinical psychology Ph.D. programs in the United States to personalize their treatments. The accumulated evidence-base for contemporary relational psychodynamic theory and therapy places it in good standing to return to the standard clinical psychology curriculum, along with other evidence-based approaches. We use data from the Insider's Guide (which describes clinical Ph.D. programs in the United States) from three time points over 20 years to document the waning psychodynamic approach in clinical psychology programs. We review the scientific evidence for four primary tenets of a contemporary psychodynamic approach: three related to development-from healthy to psychopathological: (1) unconscious processes; (2) internal representations of self and other; (3) dimensional model of psychopathology, and a fourth tenet that builds on these three and is the foundation for a contemporary psychodynamic approach to psychotherapy: (4) therapeutic relationship as a primary mechanism of change. Based on the review of the evidence, we make specific recommendations for clinical psychology training programs about how to include a psychodynamic approach in the curriculum.

Reflections as a programme leader of MSc forensic psychology: Decolonising the forensic psychology curriculum in higher education

The movement to decolonise the curriculum has gained momentum over recent years. Whilst in principle this is supported by many, knowing how to take forward this approach as applied to our own discipline and subject areas, can be challenging. This reflective piece provides an example of how a Higher Education institution in the UK is exploring ways of decolonising a post graduate qualification in forensic psychology.

TO WHAT EXTENT ARE GENDER STEREOTYPES PORTRAYED THROUGH ADVERTISEMENTS AND HOW CAN THEY INFLUENCE CONSUMER COGNITION?

The portrayal of genders in marketing, specifically advertising, can in many ways be demeaning, objectifying, and sexualizing. By repeatedly reaching consumers, advertisements can substantially influence their perceptions. While some advertisements may be educational, others reinforce gender norms by abiding by them. This research paper aims to address advertisements where such oppressive depictions are evident, to evaluate the psychological effect on consumer perception, and to explain what their perception may transform into. The selection of this topic finds root in the desire to advocate and promote Gender Equality. Applying the learnings from the AP Psychology curriculum, the aim is to evaluate gender depictions in product advertising and analyse how the sexes, male and female, are presented in two distinct manners and why this characterization is flawed. Advertisements for household products, perfumes, cars, and other products will be analysed. The gender stereotypes will not be analysed in terms of psychological manners. However, they will explain why and how consumers may perceive gender stereotypes by referring to a list of gender norms.

Promoting Positive Psychology in Senior High School

Nowadays, many high school students face massive pressure from studying and have less time for them to sleep, which causes them to have mental issues that need to be solved, such as depression or anxiety. Previous research has established that positive psychology is associated with broad attention, creative thinking, and holistic thinking, whereas negative emotions restrict focus on narrow attention in high school students. Based on positive psychology, this paper discusses an effective method of solving this issue. This paper takes 100 senior high school students as research samples through a questionnaire survey and observation method analysis. It is found that the positive psychology curriculum has played a positive role in the education of senior high school students. It proves that positive psychology is applicable in high school classrooms, although some improvements need to be made. This paper could help high schools and other institutions that educate students under 15 to above 18 to figure out a method for them to reduce the likelihood of high school students having mental problems through positive education.

The prevalence of diversity courses in the undergraduate psychology curriculum.

The prevalence of diversity courses in the undergraduate psychology curriculum.

Development of a Novel Behavioral Sleep Medicine Education Workshop Designed to Increase Trainee Psychologists’ Knowledge and Skills in Insomnia Management

ABSTRACT Objectives Despite the clear influence of poor sleep on mental health, sleep education has been neglected in psychology training programs. Here, we develop a novel behavioral sleep medicine (BSM) education workshop, the Sleep Psychology Workshop, designed for integration within graduate psychology programs. We also examined the potential efficacy and acceptability of the workshop to upskill trainee psychologists in sleep and insomnia management. Methods The Sleep Psychology Workshop was developed using a modified Delphi Method. Eleven trainee psychologists completing their Master of Psychology degrees (90% female, 24.4 ± 1.6 years old) attended the workshop, delivered as three, two-hour lectures (total of six hours). Sleep knowledge, attitudes, and practice assessments were completed pre-and post-intervention using the GradPsyKAPS Questionnaire. A focus group and 6-month follow-up survey captured feedback and qualitative data. Results Trainees’ sleep knowledge quiz scores (% correct) increased from 60% to 79% pre- to post-workshop (p = .002). Trainees’ self-efficacy to use common sleep-related assessment instruments and empirically supported interventions to manage sleep disturbances increased, along with their confidence to manage insomnia (all p < .02). Participant feedback was positive, with 91% of trainees rating the workshop as “excellent” and qualitative data highlighting trainees developing practical skills in BSM. Six months post-intervention, 100% of trainees endorsed routinely asking their clients about sleep, with 82% reporting improvements in their own sleep. Conclusions The Sleep Psychology Workshop is a potentially effective and acceptable introductory BSM education program for trainee psychologists, ready for integration within the graduate psychology curriculum.

Supplemental Material for Cultivating Collaborative Synergy to Promote Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Justice in the Psychology Curriculum

Supplemental Material for Cultivating Collaborative Synergy to Promote Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Justice in the Psychology Curriculum

A Developmental Approach for Infusing Career Issues in an Undergraduate Psychology Curriculum

A total of 306 students participated in a practicum/internship (P/I) program. Retention and employment outcomes suggest that students are likely to continue at the university after being exposed to career issues in beginning psychology courses and they are likely to obtain employment in ending psychology courses. Students also made improvements in their racial-cultural identity development, racial, cultural, and social justice attitudes, and problem-solving, civic responsibility, and community engagement skills from the beginning to the end of the program. Sixty-eight percent of students evaluated the course as challenging and 54% of them felt prepared to transition to the workforce or graduate school by the end of the program. Field supervisors also made favorable appraisals of student work performances. Implications for infusing career issues in beginning, middle, and ending courses in an undergraduate liberal arts curriculum are discussed.

O047 An online sleep education workshop for trainee psychologists improves sleep knowledge, skills, and confidence to treat insomnia: A waitlist comparison study

Abstract Introduction Despite the clear influence of poor sleep on mental health, nearly half of trainee psychologists receive no sleep education. This limits their ability to manage common sleep disorders, such as insomnia, that adversely impact mental health. This study examined the effectiveness of an online sleep education workshop for improving trainee psychologists’ sleep knowledge and their skills and confidence to deliver evidence-based interventions for insomnia. Methods Trainee psychologists enrolled in a six-hour online sleep education workshop (n=186, M age=32, 80% female) or waitlist comparison group (n=70, M age=32, 81% female) offered at their university as part of their postgraduate coursework or a voluntary workshop. Sleep education assessments were completed at pre-and post-intervention (2-4 weeks) and long-term follow-up (12 months). Results Workshop attendees demonstrated significant improvements in sleep knowledge post-intervention (pre: 55% vs. post: 80% correct) relative to the waitlist comparison group (pre: 52% vs. post: 51% correct; p&amp;lt;.001). Post-intervention, workshop attendees reported increased confidence in treating insomnia using an evidence-based approach compared to the waitlist group (p&amp;lt;.001). At 12 months post-intervention, 92% of trainees reported utilizing the knowledge and skills learned in the sleep education workshop in their clinical practice. Discussion Psychologists are front-line mental health service providers, yet sleep education is missing from the psychology curriculum. Online sleep education workshops provide trainee psychologists with the essential sleep knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to manage insomnia in clinical practice. Such online workshops can be scaled to deliver cost-effective training to psychologists nationally and successfully bridge the evidence-practice gap.

Indigenization in clinical and counselling psychology curriculum in Canada: A framework for enhancing Indigenous education.

Indigenization in clinical and counselling psychology curriculum in Canada: A framework for enhancing Indigenous education.

Tugging at the root of oppression: Infusing social justice across doctoral level clinical psychology curriculum

Most professional associations and accrediting bodies in psychology and counseling make the aspirational call to graduate training programs to integrate social justice throughout their curriculum. Although a laudable goal, there appear to be no clear guidelines or best practices for cultivating this aspiration in psychology trainees preparing for entry-level practice. This case study will summarize a comprehensive process of integrating social justice principles into a doctoral program in clinical psychology accredited by the American Psychological Association. This programmatic, descriptive case study will describe specific program revisions to internal curriculum components and reorganization of the program trajectory, which were implemented to assist students in the reconciliation process. Modified curriculum components included lecture topics, readings and empirical research, in-class activities, and assignments in the core classes. The result was a more coherent and sequential program that infuses social justice concepts across all aspects of learning and training. The goal of this investigation was to (1) inspire other programs to engage in the important work of moving the exploration of social justice from one mandatory class to a concept that permeates all training aspects, and (2) cultivate a new generation of psychologists that know not just how to effectively treat people from different cultural perspectives, but to dismantle the oppressive systems that cause psychological suffering.

Making Psychology’s Hidden Figures Visible Using Open Educational Resources: A Replication and Extension Study

Background Historically marginalized psychologists are underrepresented in history of psychology textbooks, which contributes to their poor recognition by psychology students. Open Educational Resources (OERs) offer a viable solution to inadequate pioneer representation. Objective This study sought to replicate and extend prior research by examining whether diverse and inclusive OERs related to students’ pioneer recognition and perceptions of course material identity representation (recognitive justice). Method Undergraduate students ( N = 50) enrolled in a History of Psychology course completed a pioneer recognition test at the beginning and end of the semester. Students’ perceptions of recognitive justice and the OERs were also assessed. Results Initial pioneer recognition benefitted white pioneers and pioneering men. Follow-up recognition significantly improved for all pioneer groups. Students reported positive perceptions of OERs, and feelings of recognitive justice were associated with final grades. Conclusion Undergraduate psychology students need exposure to marginalized pioneers prior to taking a history of psychology course. A more inclusive history of psychology curriculum improves students’ marginalized pioneer recognition and may benefit their course performance. Teaching Implications Given the absence of women and pioneers of color in commercial textbooks, teachers of the history of psychology should consider using OERs to achieve more diverse pioneer representation in their curricula.

Challenging the lack of BAME Authors in a Psychology Curriculum

Decolonising psychology curricula faces substantial anti-racist inertia and a history of ‘using data limitations as an excuse not to push ahead’ (NUS &amp; Universities UK, 2019; p.35). We report on a targeted curriculum decolonisation project at a British university. We quantitatively coded the identifiable ‘race’, gender and nationality of the authors set as reading at the beginning (in 2015–16) and three-years after the project began (in 2019–20). Our analysis revealed no significant change in the dominance of Globally Northern (95 per cent), white (95 per cent) and male (57 per cent) authors over time. Indeed, there were more White, male authors named John than BAME-female and male authors, of any name, collectively. We call on organisational bodies to promote decolonisation as part of course re-accreditation converging with staff’s interest.

COMPETENCY-BASED CLINICAL SUPERVISION: A VIEW TO THE FUTURE

Some recognition exists that clinical supervision is a distinct professional competence that requires specific education and training. However, it is all too often inadequately addressed in psychology curricula and training. What is required is a shift to the competence movement that has been instituted in United States psychology education, training, and regulation to embrace a systematic and intentional competence model. To achieve this, a major attitude shift must occur to acknowledge the systematic and intentional process of clinical supervision, value the process and components, and incorporate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that need to be systematically developed as a critical component of self-reflective competency-based education and supervision, portals to lifelong learning, internationally.

Reframing Psychological Research Methods Courses as Tools for Social Justice Education

Introduction APA’s 2017 Multicultural Guidelines ask teachers to integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) across the psychology curriculum. Statement of the Problem However, there are few resources outlining best practices for DEI instruction outside of diversity/multicultural courses. Moreover, instructors for skill-based courses such as Psychological Research Methods may view DEI as beyond their scope. Literature Review Building on the agentive pedagogical theories of Freire, Kegan and Stetsenko, I aim to outline the importance of integrating DEI into research methods courses and identify seven accessible ways in which to do so. Teaching Implications Teachers will find a comprehensive review of the theory and research related to seven DEI teaching practices: (1) Diverse Representation/Visibility, (2) Modeling Inclusive Language/Practices, (3) Addressing Social Issues and Inequities, (4) Broadening the Applied Topical Scope, (5) Meaning-Making, (6) Teaching from a Strengths-Based Perspective, and (7) Promoting Students’ Agency. Conclusion Diversity, equity, and inclusion research methods courses can provide students with a clear model of inclusive practices, opportunities to develop sociorelational skills, and the tools to agentively contribute to social justice research.

A Naturalistic Analysis of Mental Illness Stigma in Undergraduate Psychology Courses

Background Psychology coursework may include opportunities to reduce mental illness stigma attitudes among college students. However, some strategies are known to backfire, and little is known about how these attitudes evolve during psychology coursework. Objective The purpose of this study was to examine whether psychology students’ mental illness stigma attitudes change over the course of a semester. Method This research examined changes in mental illness stigma across four undergraduate psychology courses: Introductory Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Basic Helping Skills, and Internship. Students ( N = 400) completed two mental illness stigma measures at the beginning and end of the semester. Results Regardless of course, students showed slightly decreased anxiety-related stigma regarding individuals with mental illness and lower social distancing attitudes toward individuals with schizophrenia, as well as increased perceptions of the treatability of mental illness, over the course of the semester. Conclusion The findings suggest limited stigma reduction through the psychology curriculum. Teaching Implications Greater emphasis on systematic efforts for stigma reduction across the psychology curriculum is warranted and instructors may want to consider developing gender-related stigma reduction methods.

Values‐led curriculum co‐creation: A curriculum re‐innovation case study

AbstractPersonal values influence goals and motivate actions. The case study reported in this paper explored whether an understanding of values would provide a useful framework to guide the co‐creation of the undergraduate cognitive psychology curriculum at a UK University. A design team composed of staff and students ran two co‐creation workshops to explore underlying values. These values were translated into curriculum ideas which were then shared via an online survey to students and staff for feedback. The activities revealed a set of values that were salient when imagining future curriculum designs: feeling stimulated, choice and autonomy, developing competence, feeling safe and secure, community and fairness. In addition, a deeper value layer was visible which reflected participants' orientations to learning and education. We describe our process for eliciting values and the intertwined and iterative relationship between value elicitation and a co‐created curriculum. We also reflect on the position of co‐creation within the value landscape of higher education and the social dynamics of staff‐student partnerships. We argue that whilst using values to frame co‐creation allows for deeper insight into how to embed curriculum re‐innovation, it is important to attend to the value system of co‐creation and those who do not participate.

Interview with a Psychologist: Representing Marginalized Psychologists and Diversity Science in Psychology Coursework

Introduction Since the 1990’s, psychology has demonstrated a strong commitment to the full spectrum of human diversity (Vera &amp; Speight, 2003). Statement of the Problem However, psychologists from underrepresented backgrounds and diversity science (DS) remain marginalized in psychology (Syed &amp; Kathawalla, 2020), which affects the ease with which instructors can integrate diversity into psychology curricula and student learning. Literature Review Accordingly, this paper provides instructors with a potential solution for increasing the representation of marginalized psychologists (MP) and DS in psychology courses through the Interview with a Psychologist project. This project was informed by the interdisciplinary psychological literature highlighting the importance of representing marginalized communities and their experiences in the classroom. Teaching Implications The Interview with a Psychologist project is adaptable across academic settings. When implementing the project, instructors should be mindful of the minority tax on psychologists, avoid tokenism, and self-educate on diversity-related issues. Conclusions As psychology departments pursue institutional efforts to diversify the field of psychology, the Interview with a Psychologist project ensures MP and DS are well-represented in psychology courses.

Integrating Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation Into the Undergraduate Psychology Curriculum: An Upper-Level Laboratory Course Using Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

Background Psychology has seen a recent explosion in the use of non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) to understand cognition. The prevalence of techniques such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in published research has grown immensely in the past decade; however, there has been little effort to incorporate these techniques into the undergraduate curriculum through course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs). Objective To demonstrate the feasibility of creating a CURE focused on tDCS and to offer practical advice on how to create one at other institutions. Method I present a novel undergraduate CURE focused on tDCS, as well as practical advice on how to teach about and safely implement student-driven tDCS experiments. Results Undergraduate students learned about and engaged first-hand in their own non-invasive brain stimulation research in an upper-level psychology laboratory course. Conclusion An undergraduate laboratory course that focuses on non-invasive brain stimulation has a range of potential benefits for students and instructors alike. Furthermore, it allows undergraduates to gain experience using a rapidly growing neuroscientific methodology. Teaching Implications Given that tDCS is a safe and relatively inexpensive method of modulating brain function, the present course demonstrates the ease, and potential advantages, of incorporating NIBS into the undergraduate psychology curriculum.

Opportunities to Discuss Diversity-Related Topics in Neuroscience Courses.

Diversity is a foundational topic in psychology, and APA recommends that diversity is covered across the psychology curriculum. Neuroscience courses face challenges with incorporating diversity-related topics owing to the historical lack of neuroscience research that focuses on diversity and the restricted range of diversity-related topics that neuroscience is typically associated with (i.e., health and disability status). This may limit students' learning of neuroscience's contributions towards understanding diversity. We review some specific examples of diversity-related topics that can be incorporated into neuroscience courses. These examples have been selected to include topics across the three major content domains of neuroscience (cellular/molecular, neuroanatomy/systems, and cognitive/behavioral), as well as across multiple diversity-related topics. Neuroscience instructors can use these examples to incorporate greater coverage of diversity-related topics within their courses and/or as points of inspiration for their own curricular additions. Providing systematic coverage of diversity-related topics in neuroscience courses highlights the ways neuroscience advances our understanding of human diversity and contributes to the educational objectives of psychology and neuroscience programs.