APS-David Myers Distinguished Lecture on the Science and Craft of Teaching Psychology

Debunking Pseudoneuroscience
Carol A. Tavris

For decades, psychology teachers have worried about getting psychobabble out of their students’ heads and good psychological science in. Now we have another challenge: getting students to think critically about neurosexism, pseudoneuroscience, and other forms of biobunk. I’ll try to show why this effort is crucial in a biomedical age marked by reductionism and corruption as well as by amazing scientific advances.

 
Who Do We Blame for Bad Behavior?
Douglas A. Bernstein

Classmates may not like him or her, but the teacher always appreciates the “teacher’s pet” — that one favorite student who pays attention, take notes diligently, and participates enthusiastically. Then there is the “slacker,” a teacher’s worst nightmare — the one who shows up to class a half-hour late, smacking gum loudly, cell in one hand, and music blaring loudly from an iPod. Who raised this kid? read more

 
Psychology and Education
Ludy T. Benjamin, Jr.

Psychologists should take charge of efforts to reform the failing American education system. That was the bold proposal at the heart of the APS David Myers Distinguished Lecture on the Science and Craft of Teaching Psychology delivered by APS Fellow and Charter Member Ludy T. Benjamin, Jr., Texas A&M University, at the APS 22nd Annual Convention. read more

 
Measuring Magnitude
Linda Bartoshuk

In an effort to categorize our sensory experiences, we use various adjectives, like “strong,” “sweet,” or “hot.” Take, for example, a woman who has just given birth. She describes her pain as “very strong.” She may also describe a cup of tea as “very strong” later that day. We know that she does not mean to suggest that the flavor of the tea was the same intensity as her pain. What she is really saying is that among all of the pain that she has experienced, childbirth was very strong, and among all of the tea she has had, that particular cup was very strong. read more

 
Serious Research on Happiness
Ed Diener

In the U.S. Declaration of Independence, the pursuit of happiness is protected as a fundamental human right, up there with life and liberty. But exactly what is happiness? How do you get and keep it? Why do some people always seem to be happy and some are never happy? Psychological scientists have uncovered some answers and along the way have even examined whether and why happiness matters. read more

 
David Myers on Teaching Psychological Science Through Writing
David Myers

David Myers, Hope College, was prevailed upon to deliver the inaugural APS Lecture on Teaching Psychology at the APS 18th Annual Convention. His address, “Teaching Psychological Science Through Writing,” focused on the sharing of psychological knowledge through forms of writing (“printed squiggles,” as he called them). A prolific author, Myers described writing as a powerful medium that is a form of agency and a way to effect change. read more