Introductory psychology (Intro Psych) is one of the most popular and frequently taught courses on college campuses, yet educators in psychology have limited knowledge about what is covered in classes around the nation or the extent to which class content reflects the current scope of the discipline. There is no explicit model to guide course content selection for the intro course, which poses substantial challenges for instructors. This article proposes a new model for teaching the intro course that integrates (a) scientific foundations, (b) 5 major domains or pillars of knowledge (biological, cognitive, developmental, social and personality, and mental and physical health), and (c) cross-cutting themes relevant to all domains (cultural and social diversity, ethics, variations in human functioning, and applications; American Psychological Association, 2014). We advocate for national assessment of the course, a similar introductory course for majors and nonmajors, the inclusion of experiential or laboratory components, and additional training resources for instructors of the intro course. Given the exponential growth of psychological knowledge and applications during the past decades, we caution against attempting to provide exhaustive coverage of all topic areas of psychology in a one-semester course. We conclude by discussing the challenges that lie ahead for the discipline of psychology as it launches this new model for Intro Psych.
... Eating is a central activity in all of our lives and in one way or another every single one of us is influenced by it. Because of this, eating is also related to many psychological principles across the five domains in introductory psychology: biological, cognitive, developmental, social and personality, and mental and physical health (American Psychological Association [APA], 2011; APA 2013; Gurung et al., 2016) (see Table 1) 1 . Therefore, focusing on eating as a topic throughout introductory psychology courses can help students gain insight into many psychological concepts in a way that is incredibly relevant to them. ...
The introductory psychology (Intro Psych) course is the bedrock of the psychology major and the front face of our discipline. The class not only provides a foundation for students in the major but also provides a comprehensive portrait of the discipline for nonmajors.
The introductory psychology (Intro Psych) course is the bedrock of the psychology major and the front face of our discipline. The class not only provides a foundation for students in the major but also provides a comprehensive portrait of the discipline for nonmajors. Despite a sizable body of research focused on pedagogy related to the introductory class, there are many questions that remain unanswered. We provide a comprehensive review of scholarship related to the Intro Psych course and discuss current practices and concerns related to textbook options, as well as teaching methods, course design, assignments to help students learn, and students’ learning outcomes. Finally, we provide five major suggestions for future work. We charge researchers to identify major bottlenecks to learning, design multisite studies, measure moderators of learning, assess long-term retention, and design/assess different models of teaching Intro Psych.
The course is designed to be an introduction to the science and profession of psychology. The course will assist the student in the development of a foundation of basic knowledge in order to pursue further studies in specific areas of psychology. The course will survey introductory topics such as learning, memory, sensation and perception, personality, lifespan development, physiological basis of behavior, stress and health, psychological disorders, social psychology, and research methods. The topics of states of consciousness and psychotherapy will also be covered. Relevant case examples and stimulating learning activities will be employed to make the study of psychology come alive to help students better understand themselves and the people around them. Check out the results of an exit survey completed by students at the end of the fall 2012 semester to see what topics they found to be especially interesting.
Dan Grangaard, Ed.D., has 3 degrees from Baylor University, has been a professional psychologist since 1976, and has worked with all age groups. Dr. Grangaard was employed as a school psychologist for nearly a decade with the Austin I.S.D. and with the Education Service Center, Region XII in Waco. Mid-career he was Chief Psychologist, Director of Testing & Intern Training at the Minirth-Meier Tunnell & Wilson Clinic. In this position he also led group therapy with adolescents & adults at Shoal Creek & Charter Hospitals. For many years he was engaged in private practice in Austin. At ACC Dr. Grangaard has an extensive history as an advisor/counselor in Student Accessibility Services and has taught in the Psychology Department since 1995. Dr. Grangaard has also taught at St. Edward’s University and at Baylor University. More detailed biographies can be found in Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare, in Who’s Who in Science and Engineering,and at Dr. Grangaard’s web page:
687) suggested Intro Psych should have five goals: (a) teach facts and principles of psychology, (b) develop scientific methods or habits of critical thoughts, (c) provide better ability in making personal adjustments, (d) prepare students for later courses or interest them in psychology, and (e) teach what psychology is and is not or eliminate popular superstitions. Given the emer-gence of psychology as a hub science (Boyack et al., 2005), the goal of provid-ing nonmajors as well as majors an appreciation for the reach of psychological science into nearly every facet of human life could be added to this list. More recently, Smith and Fineburg (2006) drew attention to the lack of consistency in Intro Psych and suggested using the Standards and the Guidelines to help shape Intro Psych.
Martha BoenauRobin HailstorksAPA reports synthesize current psychological knowledge in a given area and may offer recommendations for future ac-tion. They do not constitute APA policy or commit APA to the activities described therein. This particular report originated with the APA Board of Educational Affairs.
In this table, the APA Board of Educational Affairs Working Group on Strengthening the Common Core of the Introductory Psychology Course sug-gests discussion topics and demonstrates how each satisfies one or more of the four cross-cut-ting themes recommended for coverage in the course . The working group recommends that instructors first cover the scientific method and then select at least two topics from each of five pillars (i.e., biological, cognitive, development, social and personality, and mental and physical health) based on instructor preference.
Intro Psych course should contain the same content and experiences for all students at a given institution regardless of why students are taking the course (Halpern, 2010). Although some psychology departments may be tempted to create an Intro Psych course specifically for psychology majors, there is no evidence in the literature that suggests having two courses is needed.