RE: Doctoral Preliminary Exams
Doug, As a fellow alum from Kansas State you probably know my answer to both questions. I, myself, feel as though the preliminary exams are ridiculous! Not having taken them too long ago ( a couple of years) this is probably a sore subject for me. :) I think the idea of preliminary exams should be abolished all together. I always thought a better idea would be to have students write a grant proposal and actually send it in. This is the experience they will need after graduation, not who wrote which articles on what date. Nina -Original Message- From: Peterson, Douglas [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wed 3/3/2004 10:27 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences Cc: Subject: Doctoral Preliminary Exams We are currently struggling with revising the dreaded prelims (doctoral preliminary examinations) process. It seems that our number one problem is lacking ideas for alternatives to the status quo. So far the only thing the faculty are unanimous on is that the current system needs to change, but all suggested changes have failed to meet the required vote (2/3). I'm appealing to Tipsters in hopes of getting some fresh ideas and thoughts on what prelims should be and why? Question #1: Is the purpose of prelims to test competency in a solid knowledge base (i.e., content exam) prior to doctoral work or in a general skill set (i.e. stats and methods)? Question #2: If it is content based should the content be broad (e.g., any topic from PSYC 101) or narrow (in the test takers specialization). Feel free to respond off list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or on list - I'm curious to see if the differences of opinion on this list are as great as they are in our department. Doug Doug Peterson Associate Professor of Psychology The University of South Dakota Vermillion SD 57069 (605) 677-5295 [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] y+.n+bj!i+:.m zf%y*lY,w[ v
Kamin
On 3rd February Mike Scholes wrote: Kamin returned to give a presentation to the medical school at McMaster, during the time I was there as a postdoctoral fellow in Shep Siegel's lab (a lab that was supposedly made to Kamin's specs before he left). His presentation to the medical school was an attack on the research related to heritability of schizophrenia--parallel to some of his work in the area of intelligence. Mike, do you have any more information about Kamins views on schizophrenia? Did he publish anything on the subject, to your knowledge? Allen Esterson Former lecturer, Science Department Southwark College, London [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.human-nature.com/esterson/index.html http://www.butterfliesandwheels.com/articleprint.php?num=10 --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
RE: Echoes of Leon Kamin
Stephen Black wrote: ...[...]An important aspect of how science operates is that it isn't who you are that counts; it's what you have to say. And this leads to an interesting game, if anyone cares to play it. Can you name individuals who are noted for their contributions in fields other than the one in which they have formal qualifications? Off the top of my head, I can think of three: [...] 2. A clerk in the patent office in Bern, Switzerland, who had failed the entrance examination to a technical university. Albert Einstein. Need I say more? I hope not, since you have (uncharactistically) managed to get this one wrong! Einsteins higher education qualification was in physics -- he obtained a physics diploma at the Swiss Federal Polytechnic at Zurich. This was a rather more impressive Institute than its name might indicate, providing a thorough education in classical physics, as well as astronomy and astrophysics and one of his teachers was the world-renowned mathematician Hermann Minkowski. He was not a very diligent student (Minkowsky later recalled Einstein as a lazy dog!), tending to neglect his college work to follow up his own interests at home, e.g., the electromagnet theories of Clark Maxwell that were to have a great influence on his development of Special Relativity a few years later. He achieved a moderately good diploma, but failed to obtain the teaching post at the Polytechnic for which he applied, probably because he was not on good terms with the professor of physics Heinrich Weber, a conservative type who did not take kindly to Einsteins lack of respect for authority. After a short period in a temporary teaching post in a school, he obtained the position in a patent office during which period he worked on several disparate problems in physics, including relativity and the photoelectric effect (for which he was later awarded the Nobel Prize). [Einstein] failed the entrance examination to a technical university. This is true, but gives a highly misleading impression. 1. Einstein had no formal schooling for more than a year prior to taking the exam. He left Germany at the age of 15 to follow his parents to Italy, and never got round to enrolling in a school. 2. He was tutored for a short period before taking the Zurich Polytechnic entrance exam, which he failed. But two things need to be taken into account here. First, he was some 18 months short of the normal age at which students took the entrance exam. Second, the exams he failed were biology, chemistry and French, but his results in physics and maths were so exceptional that the Principal of the Polytechnic recommended to Einsteins parents a Swiss secondary school where their son could get his other subjects up to scratch. There is a myth that Einstein was educationally mediocre in his early years. Nothing could be further from the truth. When Einstein was only 12 a medical student lodger in his parents house, Max Talmey, started introducing the precocious boy to books on maths and physics, which he worked at on his own. Talmey recalls that at the age of 13 Einstein was also reading Kant, while working his way through a book on Euclids geometry, and that in mathematics he had soon gone beyond the level at which Talmey could follow. The relatively recent release of letters in the Einstein Archive reveals a letter from Einsteins mother to his grandmother when the boy was 7 reporting that once again he was ranked first [in his class], he got a splendid report card, which rather knocks on the head the commonly-held belief that Einstein was backward in his early years. Allen Esterson Former lecturer, Science Department Southwark College, London [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.human-nature.com/esterson/index.html http://www.butterfliesandwheels.com/articleprint.php?num=10 --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Kamin
Mike, do you have any more information about Kamin's views on schizophrenia? Did he publish anything on the subject, to your knowledge? Allen Esterson Former lecturer, Science Department Southwark College, London [EMAIL PROTECTED] Kamin co-authored a book called Not in our Genes - If I remember correctly, the authorship goes Lewontin, Rose, and Kamin in that order. It is an *interesting* treatise, with claims that almost every claim of genetic determinism out there is simply an attempt by the ruling class to subjugate the masses. As I remember, there is a chapter on schizophrenia. An interesting read for a very extreme position on the nature/nurture controversy. -- Jim --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
RE: Doctoral Preliminary Exams
I have gotten a couple of emails from the list today (in response to a message I sent last night) that have no body, only an attachment that doesn't really have a name but appears to be a .dat file. Am I not getting something or is there a virus loose? Erin K. * Erin A. Kennedy Department of Psychology Saint Louis University 3511 Laclede Avenue St. Louis, MO 63103 (314) 977-2262 [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
RE: Echoes of Leon Kamin
At 04:38 PM 3/3/2004, you wrote: Mike Scoles wrote (regarding Kamin): I have wondered how a rat-runner interested in basic conditioning phenomena can pass himself off as an expert in these other areas! And Jim Dougan concurred: Likewise, I have always wondered how a pigeon runner like Richard Herrnstein could pass himself as an expert in the same field of discourse - though obviously at the extreme opposite end of the spectrum from Kamin. To which Stephen responds Both comments carry the implication that only those with formal credentials in a particular field are entitled to contribute to it. I have to disagree. Actually, that isn't exactly what I meant to imply - a lack of expertise in the field - though in Herrnstein's case statistical impropriety has certainly been claimed by some. I have just always been fascinated that two of the major contributors the animal learning literature had similar side careers in the field of genetic determinism, albeit with drastically different views. I have learned something new in this thread, though - I had always thought that Kamin was much younger - but apparently he received his Ph.D. at Harvard in about 1954? Curiously, that would put him there at about the same time as Herrnstein was in graduate school. Given their very different views, I wonder if they clashed on this issue in grad school? It might even explain some of their later conflicts on this issue - which were anything but friendly. Does anyone have any firm information on this? -- Jim --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Chicanos, Latinos, Hispanics?
Just some thoughts A quick check of the internet and my own understanding of the term Chicano leads me to believe that the term means an individual of Mexican extraction born and currently living in the US. However, it seems that others view the term differently to include all Mexican-Americans, whether born in the US or in Mexico, living in the US, or perhaps living in the Southwest US. I also understand that, for a variety of reasons, not all Mexican-Americans appreciate the label Chicano. Chicanos are considered Latinos but, obviously, not all Latinos are Chicanos. I suppose that the attitudes, values, etc. of Chicanos can be quite diverse and I can see how an entire course can be devoted to Chicanos just as an entire course can be devoted to any subgroup of Latinos. If I were to consider taking a course titled The Psychology of Chicanos/Latinos in the U.S, I would expect the bulk of the course to be devoted to an overview of the customs, attitudes, culture, etc., of Latinos of Mexican extraction. Thus, one issue to consider is the nationality diversity of your student population. I imagine that some non Mexican Latinos considering taking the course might not be interested because it may not cover their nationality. To double check the above, I suggest that you consult a Cultural Anthropologist or Ethnologist who has done some work with Latinos in general or with Chicanos in particular. Miguel (Cuban-born) At 10:05 PM 3/2/2004 -0500, you wrote: We are developing a course focusing on the behavior patterns and psychological experiences of Chicanos,Latinos; their attitudes, values, customs, and modes of interaction within their own culture and with other cultures. The current title of the course is The Psychology of Chicanos/Latinos in the U.S. We would like some feedback if the term Chicanos should remain as it is or be changed in some way..perhaps to just Latinos or possibly some other culturally relevant term. In particular we are wondering what meaning the term Chicano might have to the students looking through the course catalog. Mark Eastman Diablo Valley College Pleasant Hill, CA --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ Miguel Roig, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Psychology Notre Dame Division of St. John's College St. John's University 300 Howard Avenue Staten Island, New York 10301 Voice: (718) 390-4513 Fax: (718) 390-4347 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Http://facpub.stjohns.edu/~roigm On plagiarism and ethical writing: http://facpub.stjohns.edu/~roigm/plagiarism/ ___ --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Doctoral Preliminary Exams
Interesting reply because it suggests a trend that has developed after I finished my grad training. We actually sat, for 4 3-hour time blocks and took EXAMS This business of writing papers is a new deal--I think not stressful enough at all!! Annette :-) Quoting Erin A. Kennedy [EMAIL PROTECTED]: Question #1: Is the purpose of prelims to test competency in a solid knowledge base (i.e., content exam) prior to doctoral work or in a general skill set (i.e. stats and methods)?o:p/o:p/span/font/p In my department, the answer is the latter. We must show competence in 6 areas: specialty (e.g., Developmental), non-specialty (e.g., Social), stats/methods, history and systems, ethics, and diverity. We develop and write 3 large scale papers that show our knowledge in these area while also demonstrating the generation of novel ideas and information. p class=MsoNormalfont size=2 color=navy face=Arialspan style='font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'o:p /o:p/span/font/p p class=MsoNormalfont size=2 color=navy face=Arialspan style='font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'Question #2: If it is content based should the content be broad (e.g., any topic from PSYC 101) or narrow (in the test takers specialization? As above, the specialization is a part of it. For what it's worth, I think this format is pretty good. My advisor wrote a very specific paper in a very specific area for her prelims and basically never wants to think about that subject matter again. By making the exam broader, we (I am still a student and did this last spring) are able to demonstrate our breadth of knowledge and to demonstrate our ability to add to the field. Erin K. * Erin A. Kennedy Department of Psychology Saint Louis University 3511 Laclede Avenue St. Louis, MO 63103 (314) 977-2262 [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph. D. Department of Psychology University of San Diego 5998 Alcala Park San Diego, CA 92110 [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
RE: Doctoral Preliminary Exams
I just graduated in 2001 and we had 3 4-hour blocks for three days straight with nothing but a computer in front of us! I believe the point about causing stress is just another hoop to jump through. Afterwards, I couldn't think or write any sort of paper for a good month. How does that prepare me for life after grad school? I told I was still bitter. :) Nina Nina L. Tarner, Ph.D. Department of Psychology Gettysburg College Box 407 Gettysburg, PA. 17325 -Original Message- From: Annette Taylor, Ph. D. [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, March 04, 2004 10:31 AM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences Subject: Re: Doctoral Preliminary Exams Interesting reply because it suggests a trend that has developed after I finished my grad training. We actually sat, for 4 3-hour time blocks and took EXAMS This business of writing papers is a new deal--I think not stressful enough at all!! Annette :-) Quoting Erin A. Kennedy [EMAIL PROTECTED]: Question #1: Is the purpose of prelims to test competency in a solid knowledge base (i.e., content exam) prior to doctoral work or in a general skill set (i.e. stats and methods)?o:p/o:p/span/font/p In my department, the answer is the latter. We must show competence in 6 areas: specialty (e.g., Developmental), non-specialty (e.g., Social), stats/methods, history and systems, ethics, and diverity. We develop and write 3 large scale papers that show our knowledge in these area while also demonstrating the generation of novel ideas and information. p class=MsoNormalfont size=2 color=navy face=Arialspan style='font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'o:p /o:p/span/font/p p class=MsoNormalfont size=2 color=navy face=Arialspan style='font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'Question #2: If it is content based should the content be broad (e.g., any topic from PSYC 101) or narrow (in the test takers specialization? As above, the specialization is a part of it. For what it's worth, I think this format is pretty good. My advisor wrote a very specific paper in a very specific area for her prelims and basically never wants to think about that subject matter again. By making the exam broader, we (I am still a student and did this last spring) are able to demonstrate our breadth of knowledge and to demonstrate our ability to add to the field. Erin K. * Erin A. Kennedy Department of Psychology Saint Louis University 3511 Laclede Avenue St. Louis, MO 63103 (314) 977-2262 [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph. D. Department of Psychology University of San Diego 5998 Alcala Park San Diego, CA 92110 [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
RE: Doctoral Preliminary Exams
Gee, I'm going to use up my quota here.
But that's exactly the point of having the sit-down exams, I believe, that we
really had to KNOW the stuff; we didn't know exactly what would be asked of us
so we had to know it all for each exam. As I recall, mine were in my
concentration, outside my concentration, in statistics, and one more I must
have repressed from my memory!
The one in my concentration, however, was unique in that I was handed a
manuscript which my major prof had received for review for JEP and was asked to
review it. It was a great way to challenge everything I knew that was done in
the field but I suspect also helped him along with his review :-)
Either way, though, while more stressful, I think I was forced to know more
than I would have in just writing a paper..maybe
Annette
Quoting Nina Tarner [EMAIL PROTECTED]:
Doug,
As a fellow alum from Kansas State you probably know my answer to both
questions. I, myself, feel as though the preliminary exams are ridiculous!
Not having taken them too long ago ( a couple of years) this is probably a
sore subject for me. :) I think the idea of preliminary exams should be
abolished all together. I always thought a better idea would be to have
students write a grant proposal and actually send it in. This is the
experience they will need after graduation, not who wrote which articles on
what date.
Nina
-Original Message-
From: Peterson, Douglas [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Wed 3/3/2004 10:27 PM
To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences
Cc:
Subject: Doctoral Preliminary Exams
We are currently struggling with revising the dreaded prelims (doctoral
preliminary examinations) process. It seems that our number one problem is
lacking ideas for alternatives to the status quo. So far the only thing the
faculty are unanimous on is that the current system needs to change, but all
suggested changes have failed to meet the required vote (2/3). I'm appealing
to Tipsters in hopes of getting some fresh ideas and thoughts on what prelims
should be and why?
Question #1: Is the purpose of prelims to test competency in a solid
knowledge base (i.e., content exam) prior to doctoral work or in a general
skill set (i.e. stats and methods)?
Question #2: If it is content based should the content be broad (e.g.,
any
topic from PSYC 101) or narrow (in the test takers specialization).
Feel free to respond off list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or on list - I'm
curious
to see if the differences of opinion on this list are as great as they are in
our department.
Doug
Doug Peterson
Associate Professor of Psychology
The University of South Dakota
Vermillion SD 57069
(605) 677-5295
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
---
You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-tips-
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
b¨.®¨§¨\¬¨¨ ®¨v¨-¨¨¨¨jwbz
v¨¨¨{.n¨+¨¬zwZnV§¨[h¨¯z|¨¨¨¨®-n¨¨y¨
Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph. D.
Department of Psychology
University of San Diego
5998 Alcala Park
San Diego, CA 92110
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
---
You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Doctoral Preliminary Exams
My prelims involved a week of writing in-depth responses to a number of questions (5 or 6, IIRC) that covered quite a bit of the breadth of my field (educational psychology). It wasn't very stressful - sorry - but it was a very helpful exercise in integrating several years' of coursework. A couple of the questions were very directly related to my dissertation interest, and a couple were the kind of thing I'd have ignored completely had I not been required to write about them. There was no requirement that I do any statistical analyses as part of the prelim, though if I remember correctly I did a few correlations on data taken from the literature to support some points I wanted to make. It struck me as an excellent way to make sure that I had really learned something in a general sense about the field rather than having simply picked out some little narrow topic and eked my way through a bunch of courses without ever really learning about the field as a whole. I think that there probably is a general problem to be addressed there, of students finding ways to avoid learning about their fields while still managing to complete their coursework (for example, by writing about essentially the same topic in each course, padded out with some questionable arguments for the relevance of that topic to the subject matter of the course). I certainly could have written a passable prelim exam in a 4 hour block in front of a computer, and in fact the norm in my department looked like that. When it came time to schedule my prelims, I suggested to my committee that I write a much more extensive exam over a week at home, and they agreed without any real argument, because they knew it would be more useful. It may have helped quite a bit though that they knew me well already because I spent a lot of time in class challenging (rather than just repeating) the things we were reading. Through all of my coursework I probably talked in class as much as the instructor did, so they all had a pretty good idea about what I did and did not know by that point. Paul Smith Alverno College Milwaukee - Original Message - From: Annette Taylor, Ph. D. [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, March 04, 2004 9:31 AM Subject: Re: Doctoral Preliminary Exams Interesting reply because it suggests a trend that has developed after I finished my grad training. We actually sat, for 4 3-hour time blocks and took EXAMS This business of writing papers is a new deal--I think not stressful enough at all!! Annette :-) Quoting Erin A. Kennedy [EMAIL PROTECTED]: Question #1: Is the purpose of prelims to test competency in a solid knowledge base (i.e., content exam) prior to doctoral work or in a general skill set (i.e. stats and methods)?o:p/o:p/span/font/p In my department, the answer is the latter. We must show competence in 6 areas: specialty (e.g., Developmental), non-specialty (e.g., Social), stats/methods, history and systems, ethics, and diverity. We develop and write 3 large scale papers that show our knowledge in these area while also demonstrating the generation of novel ideas and information. p class=MsoNormalfont size=2 color=navy face=Arialspan style='font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'o:p /o:p/span/font/p p class=MsoNormalfont size=2 color=navy face=Arialspan style='font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'Question #2: If it is content based should the content be broad (e.g., any topic from PSYC 101) or narrow (in the test takers specialization? As above, the specialization is a part of it. For what it's worth, I think this format is pretty good. My advisor wrote a very specific paper in a very specific area for her prelims and basically never wants to think about that subject matter again. By making the exam broader, we (I am still a student and did this last spring) are able to demonstrate our breadth of knowledge and to demonstrate our ability to add to the field. Erin K. * Erin A. Kennedy Department of Psychology Saint Louis University 3511 Laclede Avenue St. Louis, MO 63103 (314) 977-2262 [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph. D. Department of Psychology University of San Diego 5998 Alcala Park San Diego, CA 92110 [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Doctoral Preliminary Exams
Hmm. I had no prelims at NYU and wish I had (10 years ago I may have had a different opinion :). I witnessed students at Washington University in St. Louis prepare for their prelims (I think it was an oral exam) and, echoing what Annette said, I think they benefited greatly from the experience. Colleagues at other universities who had to write a comprehensive review of their area of study have succeeded in turning it into a Psych. Bulletin publication which isn't too shabby either.I think I like the oral exam over hours locked in a room taking exams though. Patrick ** Patrick O. Dolan, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Psychology Drew University Madison, NJ 07940 973-408-3558 [EMAIL PROTECTED] ** - Original Message - From: Annette Taylor, Ph. D. [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, March 04, 2004 10:37 AM Subject: RE: Doctoral Preliminary Exams Gee, I'm going to use up my quota here. But that's exactly the point of having the sit-down exams, I believe, that we really had to KNOW the stuff; we didn't know exactly what would be asked of us so we had to know it all for each exam. As I recall, mine were in my concentration, outside my concentration, in statistics, and one more I must have repressed from my memory! The one in my concentration, however, was unique in that I was handed a manuscript which my major prof had received for review for JEP and was asked to review it. It was a great way to challenge everything I knew that was done in the field but I suspect also helped him along with his review :-) Either way, though, while more stressful, I think I was forced to know more than I would have in just writing a paper..maybe Annette Quoting Nina Tarner [EMAIL PROTECTED]: Doug, As a fellow alum from Kansas State you probably know my answer to both questions. I, myself, feel as though the preliminary exams are ridiculous! Not having taken them too long ago ( a couple of years) this is probably a sore subject for me. :) I think the idea of preliminary exams should be abolished all together. I always thought a better idea would be to have students write a grant proposal and actually send it in. This is the experience they will need after graduation, not who wrote which articles on what date. Nina -Original Message- From: Peterson, Douglas [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wed 3/3/2004 10:27 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences Cc: Subject: Doctoral Preliminary Exams We are currently struggling with revising the dreaded prelims (doctoral preliminary examinations) process. It seems that our number one problem is lacking ideas for alternatives to the status quo. So far the only thing the faculty are unanimous on is that the current system needs to change, but all suggested changes have failed to meet the required vote (2/3). I'm appealing to Tipsters in hopes of getting some fresh ideas and thoughts on what prelims should be and why? Question #1: Is the purpose of prelims to test competency in a solid knowledge base (i.e., content exam) prior to doctoral work or in a general skill set (i.e. stats and methods)? Question #2: If it is content based should the content be broad (e.g., any topic from PSYC 101) or narrow (in the test takers specialization). Feel free to respond off list at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or on list - I'm curious to see if the differences of opinion on this list are as great as they are in our department. Doug Doug Peterson Associate Professor of Psychology The University of South Dakota Vermillion SD 57069 (605) 677-5295 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph. D. Department of Psychology University of San Diego 5998 Alcala Park San Diego, CA 92110 [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Doctoral Preliminary Exams
Annette Taylor, Ph. D. wrote: But that's exactly the point of having the sit-down exams, I believe, that we really had to KNOW the stuff;... Students generally favor a take-home exam of some kind, like a review paper or grant proposal. They find this less stressful, I guess. But the type of preparation and study is not the same as that involved in a sit-down exam. I had the latter and the result was that I knew more about psychology than I ever had in the past. (Info ready for talking about psyc issues, thinking about research plans, general feeling of confidence in my knowledge, etc.) This would not have been the case if I had done a review paper. In fact, I never would have tried to commit psyc info to memory. (Sure, there would have been some incidental learning.) And the idea that study for retention results in complete loss of all that was learned shortly after the exam?--a myth. --Dave -- ___ David E. Campbell, Ph.D.[EMAIL PROTECTED] Department of PsychologyPhone: 707-826-3721 Humboldt State University FAX: 707-826-4993 Arcata, CA 95521-8299 www.humboldt.edu/~campbell/psyc.htm --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Doctoral Preliminary Exams
Annette Taylor, Ph. D. wrote: But that's exactly the point of having the sit-down exams, I believe, that we really had to KNOW the stuff; we didn't know exactly what would be asked of us so we had to know it all for each exam. I should add that in addition to the 15-week prelim papers, we have a 2 hour oral exam shortly following the written section. The oral exam takes care of the stressing out and thinking on one's feet and knowing the material part. You have a 5-person committee and, although they give you some idea of what they might ask you in advance, pretty much anything from graduate school is fair game. Something interesting about the orals is that it does have a point--it's good practice for job talks and it allows faculty to judge you on your ability to maintain a conversation with a colleague. So it's not necessarily a grill session, but more of a dialogue (or the comparable word for a group of 6...conversation, I suppose) about psychology. Erin -- * * * * * * * * Erin A. Kennedy, M.S. Saint Louis University Department of Psychology 3511 Laclede Avenue St. Louis, MO 63103 (314) 977-2262 [EMAIL PROTECTED] pages.slu.edu/faculty/kennedea/ * * * * * * * * --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
RE: Doctoral Preliminary Exams
Dave Campbell wrote; I had the latter and the result was that I knew more about psychology than I ever had in the past. Dave and Tipsters; The general point you make is sound. But what did you know more than (pardon the grammar)? If we each only did one style of prelim exam (sit-down or review paper) then how do we know what was learned for the opposite style. My own preparation and that of my peers was exactly the same for the sit-downs as it was for the prep to write papers (our program did review style). It was slightly more intense for the review papers but they had to be in areas outside our focus so I found that experience to be among the best learning experiences of my training. In the main, the reading in cogent areas to one's focus actually required roughly the same levels of preparation for the experience as was done by those who underwent the sit-down prelims. I know this may not be a popular thing to say, and I still think prelims was a terribly stressful time, but in looking back I can only see two times in my academic career that have been more productive for me as a learner. First and most helpful would be sabbatical (assuming wise use!). I suspect that is due to the prepared state of one's mind- not to mention that one is not quite so concerned if there will be food or heat! The second would be publishing (which I, regrettably, do not have time or resources to pursue at the moment). In summary, I'd have to say that I'm not willing to commit to the notion that one or the other style is superior. My suspicion is that there ARE differences in what is learned and retained. But I doubt that there is a quantitative difference in terms of how much is learned or how long it is retained. Tim _ Timothy O. Shearon, PhD Albertson College of Idaho 2112 Cleveland Blvd. Caldwell, ID 83605 [EMAIL PROTECTED] teaching: History and systems; Intro to Neuropsychology; Child Development; Physiological Psychology; Psychology and Cinema -Original Message- From: David Campbell [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, March 04, 2004 8:55 AM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences Subject: Re: Doctoral Preliminary Exams Students generally favor a take-home exam of some kind, like a review paper or grant proposal. They find this less stressful, I guess. But the type of preparation and study is not the same as that involved in a sit-down exam. I had the latter and the result was that I knew more about psychology than I ever had in the past. (Info ready for talking about psyc issues, thinking about research plans, general feeling of confidence in my knowledge, etc.) This would not have been the case if I had done a review paper. In fact, I never would have tried to commit psyc info to memory. (Sure, there would have been some incidental learning.) And the idea that study for retention results in complete loss of all that was learned shortly after the exam?--a myth. --Dave -- ___ David E. Campbell, Ph.D.[EMAIL PROTECTED] Department of PsychologyPhone: 707-826-3721 Humboldt State University FAX: 707-826-4993 Arcata, CA 95521-8299 www.humboldt.edu/~campbell/psyc.htm --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Echoes of Leon Kamin
James D.Dougan wrote: I have learned something new in this thread, though - I had always thought that Kamin was much younger - but apparently he received his Ph.D. at Harvard in about 1954? Curiously, that would put him there at about the same time as Herrnstein was in graduate school. Given their very different views, I wonder if they clashed on this issue in grad school? It might even explain some of their later conflicts on this issue - which were anything but friendly. Does anyone have any firm information on this? According to Catania (2002, JEAB), the various labs scattered around Harvard had been all relocated to the basement of Memorial Hall during 1946-47. So it would seem that Kamin and Herrnstein would have had contact during graduate school. At the least, Herrnstein would have known about Kamin's troubles with the House Committee on Unamerican Activities. Here is a link to the original article. http://seab.envmed.rochester.edu/jeab/articles/2002/jeab-77-03-0327.pdf Ken --- Kenneth M. Steele, Ph.D. [EMAIL PROTECTED] Department of Psychology http://www.psych.appstate.edu Appalachian State University Boone, NC 28608 USA --- --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
RE: Doctoral Preliminary Exams
Annette Taylor wrote: (and I recognize it was in the spirit of fun!) Interesting reply because it suggests a trend that has developed after I finished my grad training. We actually sat, for 4 3-hour time blocks and took EXAMS This business of writing papers is a new deal--I think not stressful enough at all!! Annette: Then you must be getting kind of old! :) Personally I prefer Emo Phillips' definition of, Born a more comfortable distance from the apocalypse. No, seriously it is me who is getting old, me thinks! I know that the practice of writing reviews was adopted by our program (rather than being a new idea) and I recollect that it had been around for 10 years or so when I took them in 1982. It is hard for me to recognize something as recent that is at least 30 - 35 years old. (Truth be told it is getting way TOO easy to see 30 year old ideas etc as recent!) :) But let me also give you a little info about doing review papers. We were given a topic and three weeks - the universal solution was to a) lock yourself in the library 10 - 15 hours per day for 14 days Xeroxing and reading everything you could consume. Then b) sit for 7 days in front of a terminal pounding out everything you could put down till your eyes exploded or your wrists locked up(also 10 - 12 hours per day). This was usually preceded by six months to a year of reading in the same style as preparing for traditional sit-down exams. Talking about STRESS! Our program was ripe with anecdote of bizarre post prelim behavior. I know that I personally could not read serious material for at least a month- Mostly I read detective novels and played the guitar. Fortunately, our prelims took us directly into summer break! Tim _ Timothy O. Shearon, PhD Albertson College of Idaho 2112 Cleveland Blvd. Caldwell, ID 83605 [EMAIL PROTECTED] teaching: History and systems; Intro to Neuropsychology; Child Development; Physiological Psychology; Psychology and Cinema --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Doctoral Preliminary Exams
In the UBC psychology dept. Preliminary exams (what we call comprehensive exams) vary from subdiscipline to subdiscipline. In clinical psychology, we had 2 days of written exams, divided into four 2 hour sections and an oral examination. I must admit although I didn't enjoy the examinations, I did enjoy the reading leading up to them. Our exams were the everything you ever might want to know abour clinincal psychology sort, so I ended up doing a lot of reading in novel areas for me. My favourite doctoral preliminary exams, however, are what I heard was done in another discipline on campus (biochemistry). What they do is they set up an comprehensive group for each student and then they sit down with each student and discuss biochemistry. This is done, according to students who have gone through the process, in a vey relaxed, collegial environment with the profs sharing a lot of their understanding of the topics. The comprehensive group then gives ideas and direction for what the student might want to learn more about. The students goes out to read and then comes back for another talk. This process continues until the comprehensive group is comfortable with teh depth and breadth of the student's knowledge. I would have loved to go through this process!!! Cheers. Martha --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: help finding a statistic...
David Epstein wrote: On Wed, 3 Mar 2004, Beth Benoit went: Didn't we conclude that Hite's data had all kinds of statistical problems. (Particularly her lack of random sampling?) I've seen comments to that effect; I can't remember whether they were on TIPS. (I search the archives for hite and didn't find much.) I think you're right--Hite's findings probably can't be generalized beyond the relatively elite population from which she sampled. As I recall, its a lot worse than that! It cant be generalized *for* the population she surveyed (not sampled). If I remember correctly, her survey was a textbook example of how not to conduct a study. Not only did she contact specific groups and magazines for her subjects, they were self-selecting! Some study! Some statistics! Unfortunately some people (especially the kind of literary types who review books like those of Sherry Hite) are impressed by lots and lots of figures and the trappings of statistical procedures. (Theres nothing wrong, of course, with being a literary type. I just wish more of them would get to know a bit about scientific methods and logical fallacies before pontificating about the results of dubious surveys.) Allen Esterson Former lecturer, Science Department Southwark College, London [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.human-nature.com/esterson/index.html http://www.butterfliesandwheels.com/articleprint.php?num=10 --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: help finding a statistic...
On Thu, 4 Mar 2004, Allen Esterson went: As I recall, it's a lot worse than that! It can't be generalized *for* the population she surveyed (not sampled). If I remember correctly, her survey was a textbook example of how not to conduct a study. Not only did she contact specific groups and magazines for her subjects, they were self-selecting! Some study! Some statistics! Serves me right for recommending books I read in 1986, one year before I morphed from an English major into a biopsych student. I'll, er, take another look at them. --David Epstein [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
perception activities
I discovered that I am quite caught up in my sensation and perception class (unusual) and I need to fill some time tomorrow with something useful. Tomorrow is the Friday before spring break, so it will be difficult to sustain their attention. The topic du jour is depth perception. Do any of you have any ideas for activities I could use with them to illustrate depth perception? Thanks for any help you can give me. Carol --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: perception activities
http://www2.iicm.edu/0x811bc833_0x000dacca http://www.cquest.toronto.edu/psych/psy280f/ch7/chapter7.html http://www.magiceye.com Try these websites for ideas; the magic eye is not really a depth perception activity but on the day before spring break? hey, students will love it. I have been able to put these up on the overhead screen just from a weblink to the computer and those can, do get them. have fun :-) Annette Quoting DeVolder Carol L [EMAIL PROTECTED]: I discovered that I am quite caught up in my sensation and perception class (unusual) and I need to fill some time tomorrow with something useful. Tomorrow is the Friday before spring break, so it will be difficult to sustain their attention. The topic du jour is depth perception. Do any of you have any ideas for activities I could use with them to illustrate depth perception? Thanks for any help you can give me. Carol --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph. D. Department of Psychology University of San Diego 5998 Alcala Park San Diego, CA 92110 [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
