Undergraduate Psychology Programs Research Articles

Diversity in the Psychology Curriculum: The Development of a Toolkit to Audit, Monitor and Enhance Responsiveness to Diversity in an Inclusive Curriculum

The recent implementation of the UK Equality Act should guarantee that all students have equality of opportunity within higher education (HE), and that HE institutions are responsive towards diversity in its broadest sense. This report describes the development of a diversity toolkit for auditing and monitoring academic departments' responsiveness to diversity, with a particular focus on undergraduate psychology programmes. The toolkit was the culmination of a two-year action research project conducted within one school of psychology in the United Kingdom, which was partly funded by the Higher Education Academy Psychology Network Departmental Teaching Enhancement Scheme.

For Better or for Worse: Using an Objective Program Assessment Measure to Enhance an Undergraduate Psychology Program

We describe how an objective form of measurement can be used to promote curriculum review, resulting in enhancements to curriculum and pedagogy. During a 4-year period, senior psychology majors took the ETS Major Field Test, and we systematically compared these results to SAT scores, grade point averages, and credits completed. Although diligent, honest, and sometimes frustrating analysis of the comparative results of our students' performance was necessary, the positive outcomes included a more structured curriculum within the psychology major, increased collaboration among faculty, and enhanced student learning experiences.

Best practices for teaching beginnings and endings in the psychology major: research, cases, and recommendations

Introductory and capstone experiences in the undergraduate psychology program are crucial ways to engage students in their major and psychology department, impart realistic expectations, and prepare them for life beyond college. Providing the right orientation and capstone courses in psychology education is increasingly a concern of instructors, department chairs, program directors, and deans, and both types of courses have become important sources for gathering pre- and post-coursework assessment data for degree learning outcomes. The strategies presented here have been designed to help educators examine issues around teaching the introductory or careers course and developing a psychology-specific orientation program. The authors also provide concrete suggestions for building capstone experiences designed to fit the needs of a department, its pedagogical philosophy, or the educational agenda of the college or university. Undergraduate psychology curriculum designers and instructors can benefit from learning innovative and effective strategies for introducing the major to first-year students and, at graduation, for bringing closure, reinforcing the overall departmental learning outcomes, and helping students apply their disciplinary knowledge in capstone experiences and post-graduate life. In this collection of articles, psychology instructors involved in the improvement of teaching and learning review the research and share their own successes and challenges in the classroom. Discussions include effective practices for helping students become acclimated to and engaged in the psychology major, application of developmental knowledge and learning communities to course design, and use of quality benchmarks to improve introductory and capstone courses. Other chapters describe innovations in the design of stand-alone courses and offer concrete advice on counseling psychology graduates about how to use what they have learned beyond their higher education experiences.

Graduate attributes of the 4-year Australian undergraduate psychology program

This paper outlines the background, process and outcomes for a project that delineated a set of graduate attributes of the 4-year Australian undergraduate psychology program. The nature of the current undergraduate psychology program and its quality assurance system is described, followed by a consideration of current issues in psychology education and training. The processes involved in delineating the six graduate attributes (i.e., knowledge and understanding, research methods, critical thinking, values, communication, and application) are then described. Some issues and suggestions related to their implementation are then outlined. Finally, the authors summarise what has been accomplished in delineating the graduate attributes, and what still needs to be achieved.

Out of the ghetto: Integrating Catholics into mainstream psychology in the United States after World War II.

The American Catholic Psychological Association (ACPA) was a voluntary association that formed and then transformed itself during a distinctive period of American history. Socially, American Catholics were primed to emerge from what they called their "ghetto," as this formerly largely immigrant group began to enter the economic and social mainstream. Institutions of higher education and psychology were recipients, moreover, of federal funding in the wake of World War II, and some of this money flowed to Catholic institutions. The ACPA began in 1947 as a way to bring Catholics in greater numbers into psychology and also to bring a Catholic perspective to bear on psychology. This article describes and analyzes the major initiatives of the ACPA: the establishment of undergraduate and graduate programs in psychology at Catholic colleges; placement services for members; and the development of psychological assessment programs for candidates for the religious life. In these ways, empirical psychological categories became part of Catholic discourses about psychological life. The ACPA voluntarily restructured itself in the late 1960s in response to a changed social environment and to a consensus that its first aim had been achieved. New issues were surfacing, making a denominational group irrelevant. The ACPA became Psychologists Interested in Religious Issues (PIRI) in 1970.

Effects of Music on Memory for Text

Previous research has suggested that the use of song can facilitate recall of text. This study examined the effect of repetition of a melody across verses, familiarity with the melody, rhythm, and other structural processing hypotheses to explain this phenomenon. Two experiments were conducted, each with 100 participants recruited from undergraduate Psychology programs (44 men, 156 women, M age = 28.5 yr., SD = 9.4). In Exp. 1, participants learned a four-verse ballad in one of five encoding conditions (familiar melody, unfamiliar melody, unknown rhythm, known rhythm, and spoken). Exp. 2 assessed the effect of familiarity in rhythm-only conditions and of pre-exposure with a previously unfamiliar melody. Measures taken were number of verbatim words recalled and number of lines produced with correct syllabic structure. Analysis indicated that rhythm, with or without musical accompaniment, can facilitate recall of text, suggesting that rhythm may provide a schematic frame to which text can be attached. Similarly, familiarity with the rhythm or melody facilitated recall. Findings are discussed in terms of integration and dual-processing theories.

Positive Psychology: The Case of Uganda

The application of positive psychology concepts in professional psychology in Uganda is in its infancy. Both undergraduate and postgraduate psychology programmes in Ugandan universities have very limited emphasis on positive psychology concepts. Some applications are apparent in HIV/AIDS and disability counseling issues. Other practice areas with use of positive psychology concepts include the counseling of war victims, orphans and street children. There is potential for a greater infusion of positive psychology concepts in professional psychology in Uganda.

Mental health teaching to UK psychology undergraduates: report of a survey

AbstractOne of the limitations on developing more progressive applied psychology training is the teaching received by students at undergraduate level. In this study, we focus on the provision of teaching about mental health or its equivalents (e.g. abnormal psychology and clinical psychology) on UK undergraduate psychology programmes. Most students who go on to train as clinical psychologists will have received teaching on modules like these. A survey questionnaire was sent to 109 university departments which might offer a module in mental health mental health module and 348 individuals who might be involved in such modules. The majority of programmes responding offered a mental health module, which was available each year as an optional subject. A number of findings on the content and delivery of the modules are reported and a number of recommendations are made including more involvement from practitioners and service users. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Learning Against the Grain: Reflections on the Challenges and Revelations of Studying Qualitative Research Methods in an Undergraduate Psychology Course

Undergraduate programs in psychology in Canada rarely, if ever, teach qualitative methods as an integral part of the undergraduate curriculum. When programs do offer qualitative methods courses, they are often single stand-alone courses without adequate institutional support. Given the scientific traditions of training within psychology, it is important to consider the epistemological and infrastructural challenges faced by undergraduate students in psychology when they are first introduced to qualitative methods. Three psychology students reflect, with their professor, on their experiences of learning qualitative methods in their senior years as undergraduates. The students reflect on the many challenges, both intellectual and practical, of learning against the grain within a discipline that is firmly rooted in positivism. The authors reflect on these challenges and insights gained from exercises, which position them as both the knower and known when conducting life history studies in which they participate as both interviewer and interviewee. The authors conclude with practical suggestions for incorporating qualitative research methods into the undergraduate curriculum and advocate for increased methodological pluralism within psychology programs.

Improved Advising Ratings in an Undergraduate Psychology Program

During the late 1990s, the psychology department of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis made investments in its undergraduate advising program in terms of additional professional personnel, a new orientation course, an experimental intrusive advising track, innovative peer activities, and expanded physical facilities. Against this backdrop of innovations, from 1995 to 2001 an exit survey of graduating seniors (N=311) showed improved evaluations of departmental counseling services. Ratings of the obtainability of advising on courses and the quality of course and career advising all showed significant upward shifts over the seven years of study. Regarding a specific innovation, students who completed a 1-hr. orientation course gave higher mean counseling ratings than those not enrolled.

Quality benchmarks in undergraduate psychology programs.

Performance benchmarks are proposed to assist undergraduate psychology programs in defining their missions and goals as well as documenting their effectiveness. Experienced academic program reviewers compared their experiences to formulate a developmental framework of attributes of undergraduate programs focusing on activity in 8 domains: curriculum, assessment issues, student learning outcomes, program resources, student development, faculty characteristics, program climate, and administrative support. A continuum of performance was conceptualized for each attribute in each of the domains to characterize underdeveloped, developing, effective, and distinguished achievement for undergraduate programs. The authors hope to inspire a national conversation about program benchmarks in psychology in order to improve program quality, encourage more effective program reviews, and help optimally functioning programs compete more successfully for resources on the basis of their distinguished achievements.

Introduction: Fostering Aging Research in Undergraduate Psychology Programs

Faculty at 4-year colleges and other universities that have teaching as their primary focus are an important potential resource for conducting research on the psychology of aging and for training undergraduates who can fill the ranks as the next generation of researchers. This special-theme issue presents 9 articles that describe the components of a successful training program for faculty at these institutions; examples of student involvement in National Institute on Aging (NIA)-funded research being carried out at 6 institutions; the reflections of distinguished scholars who served as program faculty; and information on applying for the NIA's R15 Academic Research Enhancement Award.

Teaching undergraduate psychology in the Philippines: A summary of current programs, policies, and instruction

Undergraduate psychology programs in the Philippines have grown from 44 institutions 20 years ago to 170 colleges and universities at present. It is not clear when psychology was first taught in the Philippines, however in 1926 psychology was offered as a course separate from philosophy. Then the department of psychology was established at the University of the Philippines, attached to the school of education. Other psychology departments were created during the early 1930s. The BS degree in Psychology was first offered in 1948 at the University of Santo Tomas. This university also offered the first Master's and Doctoral degrees in the discipline. After its separation from philosophy, psychology was closely identified with education until the 1960s. The teaching of the discipline emphasized education courses, specifically on guidance and counselling, which served as supporting courses in the psychology curriculum. Now, students are required to have a minimum of 63 units in general education, 45 units in major courses and 18 units in other courses to be determined by the institution, for a total of 126 units. These required courses are similar to many undergraduate psychology program courses in the USA. Philippine undergraduate psychology programs are of two general types, the AB and BS degrees. Both are 4‐year single major degree programs. Areas of emphasis commonly offered in AB or BS psychology in addition to general and educational emphasis include industrial psychology, clinical psychology, guidance and counselling, special education, and child development. Psychology programs anchor on the mission statement of the Psychological Association of the Philippines, “to be a world‐class community of psychologists committed to personal and professional growth, human service and social transformation.” Faculty members use a variety of modern teaching methods, including experiential learning, fieldwork, discussion, peer tutoring, and cooperative group work as well as lectures and reading material to help students reach this goal.

Teaching of undergraduate psychology in Russia

Psychology instruction in Russia began at Moscow University in the mid‐18th century. Independent degree programs in psychology have only existed for about the last half‐century. More than 100 new psychology departments and faculties in universities that run psychology degree undergraduate programs have been established in the last decade. Many students wish to become psychologists or at least study psychology. Currently, both 4‐year and 5‐year undergraduate degree programs are offered in Russian universities. These programs are regulated by the Ministry of Education, but several local and regional differences exist among the programs. New guidelines are established every 5 years. In all institutions of higher education, two types of undergraduate programs in psychology are currently offered: Specialist degree (5 years) and Bachelor's degree (4 years). Specialist programs are designed to allow students to pursue both educational and professional goals, while Bachelor programs aim only at educational goals and do not seek to prepare professional psychologists. Psychology degree programs include many required psychology courses covering basic, applied, and methodological topics. The undergraduate programs in Russia are run according to national standards endorsed by a Ministry of Education Agency. These contain required topics for every degree. Each university then develops its curriculum, taking into account these requirements. Teaching methodology varies widely from course to course and among instructors. Small group and individual discussion and consultation, lecture, applied activities, reading, writing, and written and oral exams are utilized, as are other types of instruction. Students also complete cumulative final exams over their coursework at the end of each semester. Russian education is currently undergoing many changes, and these changes influence psychology education as well as other programs. Overall, though, programs are comparable to their European and US counterparts, with additional unique features. Psychology continues to develop as an important discipline in Russian education.

Teaching undergraduate psychology in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Psychology was first included in curricula at some Iranian universities beginning in the 1920s. Since then, teaching psychology has developed rapidly, and undergraduate psychology programs are offered at 19 universities in Iran. Psychology has been available as a major since the mid‐1960s. The Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in psychology is awarded after 4 years study. Courses follow the credit‐hour and semester system and psychology programs leading to the BS require 130–135 credit hours of study, completed over about eight semesters. Credit hours refer to the number of hours each course meets per week during a semester. There are about 34,000 psychology students at the BS level in Iran now. These students study in four main fields: general, clinical, exceptional children, and industrial psychology. All courses are divided into general, basic, special, and selective categories. Psychology teachers in Iran have different approaches to the teaching‐learning process in psychology and use various methods appropriate for specific topics, although lectures are the most common. Different methods for assessing student learning are also used, but multiple‐choice exams are the most common method. Students can also continue their studies in psychology towards the MS and PhD degrees. There has been considerable growth of universities in the regional areas of Iran in recent years, and this trend has coincided with the development of distance‐education methods. Recently, in 2003, a law pertaining to psychology and counselling services was passed by the Islamic Iranian parliament. This law grants equal status to medical and psychological counselling services. This will be likely to increase the demand for psychologists in the workplace and result in additional programs oriented toward counselling services. Although there are several psychological associations in Iran, they do not participate in the preparation and administration of the curriculum.

Teaching of psychology in Brazil

Psychology programs were first recognized in Brazilian universities during the mid‐20th century. Prior to that, psychology had been taught in conjunction with other programs such as medicine, law, and education. The growth of psychology programs has been rapid in the last 25 years. From the time the Brazilian government first established a 5‐year degree program in 1962, the number of psychology programs regulated by the Ministry of Education has increased to about 150. Graduate programs, established in 1965 and 1968, are also rapidly expanding. Psychology teaching draws on both European and US traditions in content and teaching methodology. A sociocultural psychological orientation is emphasized. Psychologists are prepared in 5‐year undergraduate programs including 2 years of internship and extensive coursework in all areas of the discipline, including neurophysiology, psychobiology, social psychology, clinical psychology, developmental psychology, health psychology, and organizational psychology. Programs must follow national curriculum guidelines. There is no consensus as to which textbooks to use in particular courses and these decisions are generally left to the discretion of the professors. The preference is for use of customized collections of readings rather than books. Textbooks are thought to provide one‐sided perspectives and to discourage library research. The increasing availability of on‐line journals and e‐books has revolutionized information access in Brazil, as in the rest of the world, and these are often used. The goals of undergraduate psychology programs are to prepare capable psychologists to work in a variety of capacities to benefit Brazilian society as a whole. The majority of psychologists practice in urban areas. Community organizations and social movements operating in rural areas may also have psychologists on staff. The optimism, respect for diversity, and dedication to democratic principles that are leading Brazil quickly into strong economic and social prominence in the 21st century are reflected in the teaching of psychology.

Undergraduate education in psychology: United States

Until the last quarter of the 19th century, many colleges and universities in the USA did not have separate departments of psychology. Now, psychology undergraduate degrees are among the most popular and frequently awarded in US higher education. Undergraduate psychology programs appeal to students for many reasons, including self‐understanding as well as their relatedness to other career paths of interest. Unlike undergraduate programs in most of the world, which are 5 years in length and designed to prepare professional psychologists, programs in the US are 4 years in length and do not prepare professional psychologists. Licensed psychologists in the US are generally required to hold doctoral degrees. Graduate programs to prepare psychologists are accredited by the American Psychological Association, but undergraduate programs vary widely and are evaluated by state and regional accrediting entities. Teaching methods, materials, and forms of student assessment also differ widely. Providing specific information about program and course requirements, because of this variation, is impossible. The majority of programs include a combination of general studies and psychology courses. Required psychology courses include general, developmental, social, history, learning, experimental, research, and statistics courses as well as seminars on other topics and require approximately 130 credit hours of total coursework. Lecture, discussion, peer‐tutoring, reading, written reports, and exams are common teaching methods. Most instructors require textbooks and supplemental readings as well. Since 1950, numerous groups have studied the undergraduate psychology curriculum. Recent efforts to clarify learning goals and outcomes for high school psychology courses and courses taught within the undergraduate psychology major have focused on establishing objectives, competencies, and content guidelines. Important work on assessing academic outcomes is ongoing, as are activities designed to internationalize the curriculum. Considering the dramatic achievements of the past decade, the future appears bright for the teaching of undergraduate psychology within US universities.

Undergraduate and Graduate Students' Attitudes Toward Addiction Treatment Manuals

ABSTRACT A pilot survey of 36 undergraduate (n = 10) and graduate (n = 26) students employed as counselors was used to explore students' attitudes toward empirically supported treatment (EST) manuals for chemical abuse and dependence. There were no significant differences in attitudes toward ESTs between undergraduates and graduates; however, undergraduates reported that the type of manual, supervision and client characteristics influence their views of ESTs' usefulness. In addition, non-recovering students reported that supervision, training, financial incentives and organization influence their views of ESTs' usefulness. Supervision was related to students' acceptance of ESTs, but research expectations and skills were linked to their comprehension of manual usefulness. Implications for undergraduate psychology and graduate counseling programs are discussed.

The Roots and Evolution of Child Psychology: An Interview with Lewis P. Lipsitt

Ted Bosack is professor of psychology and chair of the department at Providence College. His teaching is in the areas of child development and experimental child psychology, and his areas of particular interest are children's memory and suggestibility and learned helplessness. He participated in founding the Council of Undergraduate Psychology Programs in 1988, was president of the New England Psychological Association (NEPA), and continues to work toward the goals of the National Forum on Psychology Partnerships Project in which he took part. Many years ago, as a graduate student, he worked with Lew Lipsitt gathering data from some of the newborns who are participants in Lipsitt's long-term longitudinal study. Lewis P. Lipsitt is professor emeritus of psychology, medical science, and human development at Brown University where he continues as research professor, directing a long-term longitudinal study begun at Brown in 1959. He was the founding director of Brown's Child Study Center from 1966 to 1991. He is the founder of the journal, Infant Behavior and Development, and of the Advances in Child Behavior and Development series. He currently coedits Advances in Infancy Research . Professor Lipsitt was chair of the steering committee, for 5 years, of the well-known National Child Care Project sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. He is codirector of the Lee Salk Center of KidsPeace, a national communications helpline for wayward and needy youth. A few of his many organizational honors include the presidencies of Eastern Psychological Association and of two American Psychological Association (APA) divisions, Developmental Psychology and General Psychology; Fellow status in APA and American Psychological Society; three terms on the APA Council of Representatives; chair of the APA Board of Scientific Affairs; and executive director of the Science Directorate. He has won the Nicholas Hobbs Award for “science in the service of children,” the American Association for the Advancement of Science Lifetime achievement Award, and the Distinguished Contribution Award of NEPA.

The Major Field Test as an Assessment Tool for an Undergraduate Psychology Program

Senior psychology majors completed the Major Field Test in Psychology (MFT) produced by the Educational Testing Service as a component of program assessment at James Madison University. We related MFT performance to student characteristics including academic success indicators and specific psychology courses completed. MFT performance strongly correlated with other measures of academic success such as Scholastic Assessment Test scores and grade point average. There was a weak but significant positive correlation between number of psychology courses completed and MFT score. Only 4 content courses appeared to improve MFT subtest scores: Abnormal Psychology, Social Psychology, Biopsychology, and Counseling Psychology. We discuss the use and interpretation of MFT scores for program assessment and the implications of these findings for curriculum design, academic advising, and preparation of students for the Graduate Record Examination Advanced Psychology Test.