New students have a whole lot of misconceptions about psychology.
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| Title: | New students have a whole lot of misconceptions about psychology. |
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| Authors: | YOUNG, EMMA (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Psychologist. May2026, p12-12. 1p. 1 Color Photograph. |
| Subjects: | Psychology, Eyewitness testimony, Discrimination against people with mental illness, Psychology of students, Astrology |
| Abstract: | The article focuses on a study examining the prevalence of psychology misconceptions among students who have completed an introductory psychology course. The study surveyed 933 students from eight diverse U.S. institutions and found that, on average, participants endorsed 55.2% of 40 common psychology myths, indicating widespread misunderstanding despite formal education. Misconceptions varied, with fewer students believing that memory functions like a video recorder, but notable proportions still endorsing inaccurate beliefs such as the reliability of eyewitness testimony, astrology’s validity in personality description, and the idea that mental disorders stem from character flaws. These findings suggest that introductory psychology courses may not fully dispel common myths about the field. [Extracted from the article] |
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| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| Abstract: | The article focuses on a study examining the prevalence of psychology misconceptions among students who have completed an introductory psychology course. The study surveyed 933 students from eight diverse U.S. institutions and found that, on average, participants endorsed 55.2% of 40 common psychology myths, indicating widespread misunderstanding despite formal education. Misconceptions varied, with fewer students believing that memory functions like a video recorder, but notable proportions still endorsing inaccurate beliefs such as the reliability of eyewitness testimony, astrology’s validity in personality description, and the idea that mental disorders stem from character flaws. These findings suggest that introductory psychology courses may not fully dispel common myths about the field. [Extracted from the article] |
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| ISSN: | 09528229 |
