Johnna,
I am very much in support of the points you make. I too am an experimental
psychologist and have used the *subject pool* on many occasions. I have also
taught large introductory sections where there was a research requirement. I
think those professors teaching these large introductory classes have an
obligation to convey this message. Unfortunately, some may knowingly or
unknowingly convey the message that this is a burden, a hurdle that the students
need to overcome to pass the class. I have heard professors exclaim to a class
that the subject pool is in place to collect data....no mention was made of the
potential educational benefits. This could potentially turn-off students to
psychology because of this *burden* that they have to endure. If students'
perceive this requirement as a hurdle to the successful completion of the course,
then I think the professor has failed to convey the true meaning of these
exercises.
Just my .02 cents :-)
Mike Hulsizer
"Johnna K. Shapiro" wrote:
> One very good argument for the "educational" aspect of research
> participation is that students see firsthand that scientific psychology is
> based *on empirical research*. As an experimental psychologist myself, I
> know all too well that many students (perhaps especially those in intro
> courses) look at psychology as giving labels to common sense ideas that
> everyone knows already. One of the things I want my intro students to leave
> my class with is that psychology is a science *precisely because* it does
> not rely on something as slippery as "common sense" for its conclusions
> about human thought and behavior. This is the very thing that separates
> psychology from philosophy and the other humanities. Not an unimportant
> point to make in my book. (Actually, I don't have a book yet. Maybe when I
> make full professor... :)
>
> Johnna
>
> At 10:56 AM -0600 3/1/99, Michael Hulsizer wrote:
> >Jim,
> >
> >Requiring students to participate in research is still considered by many
> >to be
> >a gray area. Is the primary purpose to enlighten students about the research
> >process or is it to get a group of subjects for professors' personal research
> >projects. <snip>...
>
> Johnna K. Shapiro, Ph.D.
> Assistant Professor of Psychology
> Illinois Wesleyan University "Thousands of years ago,
> Bloomington, IL 61702 cats were worshipped as
> gods.
> 309/556-3164 or 556-3803 Cats have never forgotten
> this."
> e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> website: http://titan.iwu.edu/~jshapiro =^..^= -Anonymous
--
Michael Hulsizer
Webster University
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
