Introductory Psychology Course Research Articles

“I Felt More Mentally Present”: Examining Student Metacognitive Skills, Perceived Stress, and Academic Resilience Before and After a Classroom Mindfulness Intervention

Mindfulness interventions continue to be a recommendation for improving student well-being, particularly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise in student-reported mental health challenges. However, in the abundance of research supporting these recommendations, fewer studies have integrated mindfulness into college classrooms. This study reports on a 6-week classroom mindfulness intervention in an introductory psychology course. Students (N = 91) completed pre- and post-intervention measures of mindfulness, metacognitive ability, perceived stress, and academic resilience, as well as open-ended items about their perceptions of the intervention. Mindfulness and metacognitive ability were significantly higher post-intervention, but not perceived stress and academic resilience. More frequent in-class practice predicted greater post-intervention changes in mindfulness, metacognitive ability, and perceived stress. Perceptions of the intervention were mixed, consistent with prior research showing mindfulness interventions are not universally well-received. Implications and recommendations for classroom use are discussed.

Explore, Plan, Succeed!: A Career Development Study

This experiment aligns with the career construction theory, which emphasizes the importance of adaptability in navigating career transitions (Savickas, 2005). Data from 297 students enrolled in introductory psychology courses at Carleton University were assessed using hierarchical regression analyses to explore the effects of demographics (i.e., job number, job status, GPA, year of study), parental career-related behaviors (i.e., support, interference, and non-engagement) and participation in a brief planning intervention on career curiosity, career adaptability, career anxiety, and decision-making self-efficacy. This study further explored the relationship between these career attitudinal outcomes. Results indicated a significant role of specific parental career-related behaviors in developing confidence in decision-making. The development of career adaptability resources also explained variance in students' career decision-making self-efficacy and career anxiety. Our findings contribute to the career development literature and provide insights for academics and career professionals.

Personality, Parents, & Planning: Predicting Career Attitudinal Outcomes in Undergraduate Students

Personality, parental career-related behaviors, and career construction-based interventions have been shown to impact career adaptability. This study examined the influence of these factors on career concern, an understudied but important dimension of career adaptability, and career anxiety. Data from 297 students enrolled in introductory psychology courses were assessed using hierarchical regression analyses to explore the effects of personality factors (i.e., conscientiousness and neuroticism), parental career-related behaviors (i.e., support, interference, and non-engagement), and participation in a brief planning intervention on career concern and career anxiety. This study further explored the relationship between these career attitudinal outcomes and life satisfaction. Results indicated a significant role of personality factors and specific parental career-related behaviors in career concern and career anxiety. Career concern and conscientiousness also played significant predictive roles in life satisfaction. Our findings contribute to the career development literature and provide insights for both academics and career professionals.

The Efficacy of GenAI Tools in Postsecondary Education

In postsecondary education institutions, where innovative technologies continually reshape research and pedagogical approaches, the integration of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools presents promising avenues for enhancing student learning experiences. This study assesses the efficacy of integrating GenAI tools, specifically chatbots, to ameliorate learning outcomes and mitigate test anxiety among postsecondary students. Within the context of an introductory psychology course, 40 participants engaged with chatbots as supplementary “study confidantes” for exam preparation and as facilitators for an essay grading task. The results from surveys administered to the participants indicated that most students found the chatbots helpful in aiding comprehension of course materials. Moreover, a substantial proportion of respondents reported an enhanced understanding of how to structure an academic paper because of their essay grading activity. Despite the favourable perception of chatbot assistance with learning course material and fostering insights into structuring scholarly essays, no discernible alterations in the levels of test anxiety among students were observed. Overall, this research underscores the latent potential of chatbots as pedagogical adjuncts, furnishing instructive insights for educators aiming to innovate instructional methodologies and optimize student learning paradigms within the domain of postsecondary education. Keywords: GenAI tools, assessments, learning outcomes

Self-Compassion is Associated with Improved Well-Being and Healthier Cortisol Profiles in Undergraduate Students

ObjectivesStress is highly prevalent in college students. Self-compassion, the tendency to respond in a caring manner to one’s own suffering or failures, reduces psychological distress and promotes mental health. Self-compassion may also influence physiological manifestations of stress; however, research is limited. Among undergraduate students over the course of an academic semester, we explored the associations of self-compassion with stress-related psychological variables including measures of affect, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. We also examined daily patterns of salivary cortisol over four days: diurnal slope, mean, and day-to-day cortisol rhythm stability.MethodThis sample of undergraduate students from introductory psychology courses in a large United States Midwestern university was predominantly non-Hispanic White (71.2%) and female (86.4%). All data were collected prior to final exams. After providing baseline psychosocial data, participants engaged in a 2-week mindfulness intervention: They were provided an iPod loaded with audio tracks based on the well-known Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction intervention, but received no face-to-face instruction. Fifty-nine participants provided self-report demographic and medical data and completed the saliva sampling regimen over the first 4 days of the intervention. Diurnal salivary cortisol was assessed immediately after waking and again at bedtime over four consecutive days.ResultsHierarchical multiple regressions replicated previous findings showing that self-compassion is associated with higher positive and lower negative affect, lower perceived stress, and fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression. Regression models controlling for oral contraception and tobacco use revealed a positive association of self-compassion with healthy cortisol profiles marked by steeper diurnal cortisol slopes and increased regularity of the inter-daily cortisol slope.ConclusionsThese results confirm that self-compassion may be protective against the psychological and physiological manifestations of stress in college. Kind and compassionate responses to one’s own struggles may shield students from the adverse effects of stress. The potential mechanisms underlying these associations are worthy of future research.PreregistrationThis study is not preregistered.

Mapping the Memory Structure of High-Knowledge Students: A Longitudinal Semantic Network Analysis.

Standard learning assessments like multiple-choice questions measure what students know but not how their knowledge is organized. Recent advances in cognitive network science provide quantitative tools for modeling the structure of semantic memory, revealing key learning mechanisms. In two studies, we examined the semantic memory networks of undergraduate students enrolled in an introductory psychology course. In Study 1, we administered a cumulative multiple-choice test of psychology knowledge, the Intro Psych Test, at the end of the course. To estimate semantic memory networks, we administered two verbal fluency tasks: domain-specific fluency (naming psychology concepts) and domain-general fluency (naming animals). Based on their performance on the Intro Psych Test, we categorized students into a high-knowledge or low-knowledge group, and compared their semantic memory networks. Study 1 (N = 213) found that the high-knowledge group had semantic memory networks that were more clustered, with shorter distances between concepts-across both the domain-specific (psychology) and domain-general (animal) categories-compared to the low-knowledge group. In Study 2 (N = 145), we replicated and extended these findings in a longitudinal study, collecting data near the start and end of the semester. In addition to replicating Study 1, we found the semantic memory networks of high-knowledge students became more interconnected over time, across both domain-general and domain-specific categories. These findings suggest that successful learners show a distinct semantic memory organization-characterized by high connectivity and short path distances between concepts-highlighting the utility of cognitive network science for studying variation in student learning.

Redesigning the introductory psychology course to support statistical literacy at an open-admissions college.

Redesigning the introductory psychology course to support statistical literacy at an open-admissions college.

Male Students in Female-Dominated Study Programs: Perceived Diversity Climate in Gender-Mixed Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning

Background: Male students’ achievements in female-dominated study programs have garnered limited research attention. This study investigates the relationship between psychology students’ perceived diversity climate and their learning outcomes in a gender-mixed computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) course in introductory psychology. Our main hypotheses were that the diversity climate—learning outcome relationships would be stronger for male (gender minority) than for female students (gender majority). Methods: This study used data from a large sample of university first-year students at a blended learning university ( n = 1,172, 75% female) with three points of measurement in a 9-week CSCL assignment. Findings: Moderated-mediation regression analyses confirmed that students’ perceptions of the diversity climate in their CSCL group were significantly related to gains in online learning self-efficacy among male, but not female students. Furthermore, by increasing gains in self-efficacy, climate perceptions also translated into better quiz performance among male students. Contributions: This study shows that for men perceived diversity climate is a significant determinant of their individual learning outcomes. This calls for paying more attention to the minority perspectives of males in female-dominated psychological programs to better understand why this is the case.

Denial, Attention-Seeking, and Posting Online While Intoxicated: Three Key Predictors of Collegiate Sadfishing.

Sadfishing, or the exaggeration of one's emotional state online to generate sympathy, is a maladaptive behavior that can negatively affect mental health. A better understanding of the characteristics of individuals who sadfish could inform tailored interventions to decrease sadfishing and improve quality of life. However, to date, the phenomenon of sadfishing remains understudied. Thus, the current project was designed to identify some of the key psychological and behavioral characteristics that may be associated with sadfishing. Undergraduate college students (N = 374) recruited from introductory psychology courses at a large, Hispanic-serving institution completed an anonymous online survey assessing sadfishing and other online behaviors, psychological characteristics (coping, stress, resilience, and social support), and alcohol use. Both univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were conducted. Results of the binary logistic regression analysis found that students who reported using denial as a coping strategy (p = 0.005), who endorsed the attention-seeking behaviors associated with histrionic personality disorder (p = 0.021), and who used social media while intoxicated (p = 0.017) were most likely to report sadfishing. This study furthers our knowledge of the maladaptive online behavior of sadfishing and identifies several key predictors that could become targets for tailored interventions. In particular, our results highlight the importance of coping skills training for individuals who sadfish.

Hearing voices, but whose? Constructions of schizophrenia in introductory psychology textbooks

Introductory psychology courses have a broad reach; their textbooks are instrumental in disseminating information about mental distress. In this study, we present the theoretical implications of a Foucauldian discourse analysis of constructions of schizophrenia in six introductory psychology textbooks assigned in Aotearoa/New Zealand and Australia. We identify three interconnected discursive constructions within the textbooks: object-for-study, social problem, and unrecoverable illness. These constructions converge to position people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia (PWDS) as sites for biomedical intervention and generate biomedical treatment as necessary but non-curative. Notably, the voices of PWDS are absent from the texts. We contend that amplifying counter discourses and the voices of PWDS is essential to provide the context, meaning, and hope that is missing from these textbooks, and broader society. We work with Mad Studies to present potential ways of theorising otherwise around these experiences—and leveraging this theory in textbook writing.

Experiential Avoidance, Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms, and Academic Impairment.

The ways in which Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms lead to impairments in functioning, including academic performance, are not well understood. The present study sought to examine the role of a common maladaptive coping strategy, experiential avoidance, as a moderator of the relationship between posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and academic achievement. Participants (N = 326) were undergraduate students enrolled in introductory psychology courses at a large university in the Midwestern United States who reported at least one event potentially meeting Criterion A for PTSD. The prospective association of PTSS with current and subsequent semester GPAs, and with experiential avoidance as the moderator, were examined. The interaction between PTSS and experiential avoidance significantly predicted both current semester GPA and subsequent semester GPA, with stronger associations between PTSS and GPA being observed at higher levels of experiential avoidance. These results were not fully explained by control variables of high school performance, standardized test scores, and general negative affect. This study found that experiential avoidance significantly moderates the relationship between PTSS and academic performance. These results suggest that interventions that target PTSS and/or experiential avoidance may increase GPA. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

The identity group as a source of social influence for individuals with concealable stigmatized identities.

Many people who are stigmatized along concealable features (e.g., sexual minorities or people with mental illness) anticipate social rejection due to their features and associated labels, and these beliefs are a prominent predictor of psychological distress. While ecological approaches to stigma research have highlighted the social basis of these two related outcomes, it typically has focused on the impact of non-stigmatized counterparts. Also embedded in the social environment are similarly-stigmatized others who, in concealing, may be less accessible to the individual. Given the centrality of psychological distress and rejection concerns as a relational self-conception in attachment theories, we tested if identity-based rejection sensitivity and distress may emerge from diminished access to similarly-stigmatized others as identity group members. Leveraging the University as a partially-controlled, naturalistic setting, we collected measures of concealment, identity-based rejection sensitivity, and psychological distress from undergraduate students in introductory psychology courses who reported a concealable stigmatized identity (N = 355; k = 15 identity groups). With concealment aggregated to the level of the identity group, multi-level modeling showed that concealment by similarly-stigmatized students was positively associated with both individuals' identity-based rejection sensitivity and their psychological distress. Moreover, rejection sensitivity mediated the association of group-level concealment and distress. Findings suggest that rejection concerns and distress may emerge from identity group inaccessibility in the social environment, with the association of concerns and distress possibly contextualized by underlying group attachment dynamics. Results reveal the identity group as a novel source of social influence in the lives of individuals with concealable stigmatized identities.

How to deliver an effective course: A student's perspective

Certain course features, such as engaging delivery, can benefit student learning. This essay presents one student’s opinion of what made for an effective introductory psychology course. The student provides his perspective on various features of the recently completed psychology course and how those elements supported his learning. The elements he identified included various ongoing knowledge checks, test reviews, tests, in-class engagement, personalized touchpoints, scaffolding, and student feedback. For each, the course instructor explains the pedagogical underpinnings of her choices. Faculty may find a student’s perspective on courses valuable as they consider their pedagogical decisions in terms of course design and delivery.

Does Fan Feel and Visibility During Thermostat Interaction Affect Temperature Selection in Warm Ambient Conditions?

Abstract A vicious cycle exists when higher global temperatures increase the demand for indoor air-conditioning, which consumes significant energy while heating the outdoors. These higher outdoor temperatures then prompt more air-conditioning use. This unsustainable cycle motivated us to develop an intervention to encourage more energy-efficient temperature adjustments during warm ambient conditions. We explored whether an experimental thermostat interface, which incorporated mechanical fans, affected individual thermostat-setting behavior. Experimental parameters were (1) feel versus don't-feel fans and (2) high- versus low-visibility fans. Participants were 23 university students, including 20 enrolled in an introductory psychology course. When prompted to make temperature adjustments, we found that participants who felt the fans selected higher (more energy-efficient) temperatures in warm ambient conditions. This effect held regardless of whether participants could clearly see the fans or not. These results inform how products can be designed to increase energy-conscious behaviors.

Improving Information Literacy in Introductory Psychology Through Short, Adaptive Interventions

Background The American Psychological Association has identified information literacy as a crucial component to undergraduate education. One major barrier to comprehensive information literacy instruction has been a lack of guidance integrating this into survey courses, particularly with reduced pedagogical resources available. Objective This research evaluates the effectiveness of a scaffolded information literacy curriculum that may be integrated into psychology courses. Method Students in introductory psychology courses were taught with either an information literacy curriculum or the typical science-focused curriculum. Information literacy knowledge was evaluated using a multiple-choice test. Results Students who received the specialized curriculum demonstrated significant improvements on an objective information literacy test by the end of the course, while students in the control group did not. Conclusion Evidence suggests that this easily adaptable information literacy curriculum is effective in meeting psychology information literacy goals, more so than the traditional science-focused curriculum taught in introductory psychology classes. Teaching Implications Instructors and faculty should be encouraged to utilize this adaptive curriculum, available on Open Science Framework, as a way of improving information literacy. Other implications, including feasibility and content, are discussed.

What do other people think he deserves? Social influence on utilization of mitigating information regarding a violent offender's unfortunate life history.

The blameworthiness of an offender is often discussed in groups. Yet, the research literature overwhelmingly examines individuals assessing blameworthiness in isolation. To address this gap in the literature, the present study examines group deliberations about blameworthiness, with a particular focus on how group deliberations impact utilization of mitigating information about an offender's unfortunate life history. Participants from introductory psychology courses at a U.S. university were placed in groups of two or three and each group also included a confederate who followed a script. Groups were randomly assigned to one of four conditions. In one condition (deed only), groups learned only about the offender's heinous crimes. In the three remaining conditions, participants also received a historicist narrative regarding how the offender's unfortunate history deformed his moral character. These conditions differed in terms of the confederate's arguments: Neutral arguments, arguments to ignore the narrative, or arguments to give great weight to the narrative. Results showed that the historicist narrative was particularly effective at reducing outrage and increasing compassion when the confederate argued for its utilization. The reduction in outrage mediated a reduction in spiteful punitiveness toward the offender. Interestingly, the confederate who urged fellow deliberators to ignore the historicist narrative had no impact on outrage or compassion. We also examined mediation of the impact of historicist narratives on outrage and compassion. We found that when the confederate remained neutral the impact of historicist narratives on outrage and compassion was mediated via diminished perceptions of the offender's control of self-formation. This mirrors what is typically found in prior work focused on individual judgments. In contrast, when the confederate argued that great weight should be given to the narrative, reductions in outrage were mediated via diminished perceptions of offender freedom of action. This pattern of mediation is not typically found but has been found in one previous study where participants received social encouragement to mitigate blame. Results are discussed in terms of how social influence might alter the inferences draw from historicist narratives. Suggestions for future research on social influence in the context of blame are presented.

Using Debriefing as a Tool to Enhance the Educational Value of Undergraduate Research Participation

Background Limited research exists on enhancing the educational value of research participation among undergraduate research participants. Objective The aim of the current studies was to examine the impact of extended debriefings and incentives on actual learning and perceptions of research participation. Method Three undergraduate samples were recruited from introductory psychology courses. A total of 943 students participated across the three studies by completing a series of assessments online. Results Findings from this series of studies suggest that extended video debriefings, especially when combined with instructions that incentivize attending to debriefing content, may be an effective tool to increase the educational value of undergraduate research participation. Conclusion Extended debriefings and incentives may enhance learning associated with research participation among undergraduates. Teaching Implications Psychology departments could consider using extended debriefings and incentives to enhance learning and quizzes to assess learning outcomes associated with research participation.

Improving Student Learning in Introductory Psychology Courses with Peer Mentors and Supplemental Instruction

Research suggests that the presence of peer mentors in Introductory Psychology classes can improve student performance by raising course completion rates, promoting achievement of student learning outcomes (SLOs), and elevating overall grades (Asgari & Carter, 2016). Accordingly, Psi Beta student researchers brought honors psychology students into Introductory Psychology classrooms to serve as peer mentors. These mentors delivered three online lessons through Zoom, which covered scientific reasoning, biopsychology, and antidepressant therapy. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of these peer-presented lessons through a 64-item post-presentation assessment pertaining to Introductory Psychology. A total of 73 undergraduate psychology students from Irvine Valley College completed the assessment, with a control group of 64 participants and a treatment group of 9 students who participated in the supplemental Zoom lessons for extra credit. It was hypothesized that students who completed the supplemental lessons would score higher on the assessment than students who did not complete the supplemental lessons. A subset of hypotheses was posed that the treatment group would score higher on three individual SLO’s compared to the control group. These SLO outcomes encompassed the following abilities: First, recall of various fundamental concepts presented in Introductory Psychology, second, the application of critical thinking to differentiate between psychological misconceptions and truth, and third, the ability to recognize different research designs, and formulate conclusions based on data. Results indicated no significant differences between the groups on the overall assessment nor the individual student learning outcomes. Limitations include group sizes, potential bias in the treatment group, and reduced impact of online learning compared to in-person instruction. Future research should compare the relative effectiveness of live in-person lesson delivery, live Zoom sessions, on-demand pre-recorded lectures. Results from this study can be used to further enhance psychology instruction and ensure that students comprehend course content while simultaneously providing growth opportunities for peer mentors.

Honor Students Serve as Peer-Teachers to Implement the Introductory Psychology Initiative

Our department has developed a unique way to support APA’s Introductory Psychology Initiative (IPI) (Rudmann et al., 2022). Advanced students, all Psi Beta honor students, train and deliver supplemental instruction to introductory psychology students. Supplemental instruction includes lessons covering evidence-based study skills and applications of basic scientific concepts to topics of interest to students. The scientific concepts align with material presented in most introductory psychology courses (Becker-Blease et al., 2021; Stevens et al., 2016). Several forms of instructional delivery are used: In class presentations, live presentations via Zoom, or on-demand interactive web presentations using the PlayPosit platform. A comprehensive assessment plan gauges the supplemental instruction’s impact on student outcomes: Course SLOs, a pre- and post-presentation assessment battery, and longitudinal tracking of the academic progress of the introductory psychology students. In addition, our Psi Beta student presenters benefit from participating in a combined service and research project. Preliminary results indicate improved learning, but more comprehensive evaluation research is planned to overcome limitations of the current study.

Attitude and peer norm predict how students use lecture recordings

The impact of lecture recordings on university students' learning often depends on whether the recordings are used as a substitute for attending live lectures (watching instead of attending; usually undesirable) or as a supplement to attending (watching in addition to attending; usually desirable). However, little is known about the predictors of how students use the recordings. This study examined the demographic and psychological variables associated with attending live lectures, and with the use of lecture recordings as a substitute or supplement. In particular, we characterised the students' own opinions about attending live lectures and using lecture recordings (attitude), students' beliefs about what their classmates thought about these behaviours (peer norm), and students' beliefs about what their lecturers thought about these behaviours (lecturer norm). Using data gathered in a large introductory psychology course (n = 212), we found that attending live lectures, using recordings as a supplement and using recordings as a substitute were all viewed favourably and perceived to be accepted by peers. The perception of lecturer norm was more nuanced, with substitution perceived as the least acceptable to lecturers. Generally, the more positive the students’ own attitude and the perceived peer norm towards engaging with lectures in a particular way (attending live, using recordings as a supplement, or using recordings as a substitute), the more likely students were to engage with lectures in that way. These findings suggest that attitudes and peer norms may be valuable targets for educational interventions in this area.