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For Teachers of Introductory Psychology
APA EDUCATION DIRECTORATE
November-December 1997•Volume 7 •Issue 5
PSYCHOLOGY TEACHER NETWORK
Undergrads Enjoy APA Summer
Science Institute
By Maggie Nelson, APA Science Directorate
Martin Seligman, PhD. of
the University of Pennsylvania, answers students’
questions after his
presentation on learned
optimism. Left to right
are Matthew Presley,
Jason Oraker, Sapna
Cheryan, Sarah Karlen,
Sarah Austin-Willis, and
Andrew Shannon.
PHOTO A
FPO
Inside:
Briefing . . . . . . . . . . . . .
What Works: Vision
Distorting Goggles . . . .
Nature vs. Nurture . . . . .
TOPSS Annual Essay
Contest . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
New TOPSS Members . .
Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dear Doctor . . . . . . . . . .
Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Announcments . . . . . . .
2
5
6
8
9
10
12
13
14
In June, 32 exceptional undergraduate students
convened at The Johns Hopkins University in
Baltimore, MD for the third APA Summer Science Institute (SSI). Hailing from the United
States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, students came
to SSI for 8 days of intensive study in psychological science.
The APA Summer Science Institute is an
8-day intensive program designed to engage students in the science of psychology, to model and
illustrate the intellectual processes of scientific inquiry, and to give students hands-on experience
in cutting-edge psychological research through
lectures, discussions, and laboratory visits.
Ludy T. Benjamin, Jr., PhD, Professor of
Psychology at Texas A&M University, led the Institute, as he did in 1996. Distinguished researchers and teachers came to SSI from univer-
sities around the country
to present and discuss
their work in the areas of
sensation and taste, clinical research, social psychology, developmental
psychology, and behavioral toxicology. The faculty included Linda Bartoshuk, PhD, Yale University; Charlotte Brown,
PhD, University of Pittsburgh; Robert Cialdini,
PhD, Arizona State University; Carol Dweck,
PhD, Columbia University; Jack Nation, PhD,
Texas A&M University; and Martin Seligman,
PhD, University of Pennsylvania. In addition,
faculty from Johns Hopkins led small groups of
students in a 3-day lab experience.
Students attending SSI were Spencer Allen,
Hendrix College; Sarah Austrin-Willis, Wake Forest University; Daniel Barry, Vanderbilt University; Jennifer Bryan, Acadia University; Emma
Buchtel, Yale University; Sapna Cheryan, Northwestern University; Mattie Gabston, Scripps College; Sharmin Ghaznavi, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology; Eric Hamako, Stanford University; Colleen Head, College of William and
Mary; Paul Johnson, University of Arizona; Erik
Johnston, University of Denver; Sarah Karlen,
University of Iowa; Jebby Lacey, Westminster
College; Heather Littleton, Clemson University;
See Undergrads, page 7
BRIEFING
The New Psychology of Men
By Ronald F. Levant, Ed.D., Nova Southeastern University
Dr. Levant is the cofounder and first President of
the Society for the Psychological Study of Men and
Masculinity, Division 51 of
APA. He is the co-author of
Masculinity Reconstructed
(Plume, 1996) and the coeditor of A New Psychology of Men (Basic Books,
1995) and of Men and
Sex: New Psychological
Perspectives (John Wiley &
Sons, 1997). This article is
adapted from an article that
appeared in Professional
Psychology: Research and
Practice.
2
Why Study the Psychology of Men?
Those not familiar with this new work sometimes ask:
"Why do we need a psychology of men? Isn't all psychology the psychology of men?" The answer is: Yes,
males have been the focal point of most psychological
research, but in studies which viewed males as representative of humanity as a whole. Feminist scholars
challenged this traditional viewpoint by arguing for a
gender-specific approach, and in the past quarter
century, have rewritten the canon on the psychology
of women. In the same spirit, men's studies scholars
over the past fifteen years have begun to examine
masculinity not as a normative referent, but rather as
a complex and problematic construct. In so doing,
they have provided a framework for a psychological
approach to men and masculinity that questions traditional norms of the male role, such as the emphasis
on competition, status, toughness, and emotional stoicism, and views certain male problems (such as aggression and violence, devaluation of women, fear and
hatred of homosexuals, detached fathering, and neglect of health needs) as unfortunate but predictable
results of the male role socialization process. They
have also provided a framework for creating positive
new definitions of masculinity that support the optimal
development of men, women, and children.
This new psychology of men is both overdue and
urgently needed. Men are disproportionately represented among many problem populations—substance
abusers, the homeless, perpetrators of family and interpersonal violence, parents estranged from their
children, sex addicts and sex offenders, victims of
homicide, suicide, and fatal automobile accidents, and
victims of life-style and stress-related fatal
illnesses. A new psychology of men might contribute
to the understanding and solution of some of these
male problems which have long impacted women,
men, children, and society in negative ways.
Moreover, due to long delays in dealing with
many of these problems, we are currently experiencing a "crisis of connection" between men and women
(Levant, 1996). As a result, the pressures on men to
behave in ways that conflict with various aspects of
traditional masculinity ideology have never been
greater. These new pressures—pressures to commit to
relationships, to communicate one's innermost feelings, to nurture children, to share in housework, to
integrate sexuality with love, and to curb aggression
and violence — have shaken traditional masculinity
ideology to such an extent there is now a "masculinity
Psychology Teacher Network November-December 1997
crisis" in which many feel bewildered and confused,
and the pride associated with being a man is lower
than at any time in the recent past (Levant, 1997).
Many such men are gravitating to organizations such
as the Promise Keepers (Promise Keepers, 1994) and
the Fatherhood Initiative (Blankenhorn, 1995), which
propose to return the male to his "rightful place" as
the "leader of his family" by rolling back the gains of
the women's movement. A new psychology of men
might help men find solutions to the masculinity crisis
and the crisis of connection that enhance rather than
inflame gender relations, and provide them with tools
for the reconstruction of the traditional male code
(Levant & Kopecky, 1996).
The purpose of this article is to introduce this
new field. We will cover the gender role strain paradigm, masculinity ideology, and the three varieties of
male gender role strain—discrepancy strain, dysfunction strain, and trauma strain.
The Gender Role Strain Paradigm
The new psychology of men views gender roles
not as biological or even social "givens", but rather as
psychologically and socially constructed entities that
bring certain advantages and disadvantages, and,
most importantly, can change. This perspective acknowledges the biological differences between men
and women, but argues that it is not the biological
differences of sex that make for "masculinity" and
"femininity". These notions are socially constructed
from bits and pieces of biological, psychological, and
social experience to serve particular purposes. Traditional constructions of gender serve patriarchal purposes; non-traditional constructions, such as Gilmore
(1990) described among the Tahitians and the Semai,
serve more equalitarian purposes.
The Gender Role Strain paradigm, originally formulated by Joseph Pleck in The Myth of Masculinity
(1981), is the forerunner, in the new psychology of
men, of social constructionism, and of modern critical
thinking about masculinity, having been formulated
before social constructionism emerged as a new perspective on masculinity (Pleck, 1995). It spawned a
number of major research programs that have produced important data which have deepened our understanding of the strain men experience when they
attempt to live up the impossibility of the male role.
Pleck demonstrated that the paradigm which had
dominated the research on masculinity for fifty years
(1930-1980)—the Gender Role Identity Paradigm—
not only poorly accounts for the observed data, but
also promotes the patriarchal bifurcation of society on
the basis of stereotyped gender roles. In its place,
Pleck proposed the Gender Role Strain Paradigm.
The older Gender Role Identity Paradigm assumed that people have an inner psychological need
to have a gender role identity, and that optimal personality development hinged on its formation. The
extent to which this "inherent" need is met is determined by how completely a person embraces their
traditional gender role. From such a perspective, the
development of appropriate gender role identity is
viewed as a failure-prone process; and, failure for
men to achieve a masculine gender role identity is
thought to result in homosexuality, negative attitudes
towards women, or defensive hypermasculinity. This
paradigm springs from the same philosophical roots
as the "essentialist" or "nativist" view of sex roles—
the notion that (in the case of men) there is a clear
masculine "essence" that is historically invariant.
In contrast, the Gender Role Strain Paradigm
proposes that contemporary gender roles are contradictory and inconsistent; that the proportion of persons who violate gender roles is high; that violation
of gender roles leads to condemnation and negative
psychological consequences; that actual or imagined
violation of gender roles leads people to overconform
to them; that violating gender roles have more severe
consequences for males than for females; and that
certain prescribed gender role traits (such as male
aggression) are often dysfunctional. In this paradigm,
appropriate gender roles are determined by the prevailing gender ideology (which is operationally
defined by gender role stereotypes and norms), and
are imposed on the developing child by parents,
teachers, and peers—the cultural transmitters who
subscribe to the prevailing gender ideology. As noted
above, this paradigm springs from the same philosophical roots as social constructionism—the perspective that notions of "masculinity" and femininity" are
relational, socially constructed, and subject to change.
Masculinity Ideology. Thompson and Pleck
(1995) proposed the term "masculinity ideology" to
characterize the core construct in the corpus of research assessing attitudes toward men and male roles.
Masculinity, or gender, ideology is a very different
construct from the older notion of gender orientation.
Gender orientation arises out of the Identity Paradigm, and "presumes that masculinity is rooted in actual differences between men and women" (Thompson & Pleck, 1995, p. 130). This approach has attempted to assess the personality traits more often associated with men than women. In contrast, studies of
masculinity ideology take a normative approach, in
which masculinity is viewed as a socially constructed
gender ideal for men. Whereas the masculine male in
the orientation/trait approach is one who possesses
particular personality traits, the traditional male in
the ideology/normative approach "is one who endorses the ideology that men should have sex-specific
characteristics (and women should not)" (Thompson
& Pleck, 1995, p. 131). Thompson and Pleck (1995)
adduced evidence to support the notion that gender
orientation and gender ideologies are independent
and have different correlates.
Masculinity ideologies. The Strain Paradigm
asserts that there is no single standard for masculinity
nor is there an unvarying masculinity ideology.
Rather, since masculinity is a social construction,
ideals of manhood may differ for men of different social classes, races, ethnic groups, sexual orientations,
life stages, and historical eras. Following Brod (1987)
we therefore prefer to speak of masculinity ideologies.
To illustrate, consider these brief descriptions of varying male codes among four ethnic-minority groups in
the contemporary United States:
African-American males have adopted distinctive
actions and attitudes known as cool pose ...Emphasizing honor, virility, and physical strength, the
Latino male adheres to a code of machismo...The
American-Indian male struggles to maintain contact with a way of life and the traditions of elders
while faced with economic castration and political
trauma... Asian-American men resolve uncertainty
privately in order to save face and surrender personal autonomy to family obligations and needs.
(Lazur & Majors, 1995, p. 338).
Traditional masculinity ideology. Despite
the diversity in masculinity ideology in the contemporary U.S., Pleck (1995, p. 20) points out that "there is
a particular constellation of standards and expectations that individually and jointly have various kinds
of negative concommitants." It is common to refer to
this as "traditional" masculinity ideology, since it was
the dominant view prior to the deconstruction of
gender that took place beginning in the 1970's.
Traditional masculinity ideology is thought to be
a multidimensional construct. Brannon (David &
Brannon, 1976) identified four components of traditional masculinity ideology: That men should not be
feminine (labeled by Brannon "no sissy stuff"); that
men should strive to be respected for successful
achievement ("the big wheel"); that men should never
show weakness ("the sturdy oak")' and that men
should seek adventure and risk, even accepting violence if necessary ("give 'em hell"). More recently,
Levant, Hirsch, Celentano, Cozza, Hill, MacEachern,
Marty, & Schnedeker (1992) defined traditional masculinity ideology in terms of seven dimensions: The
Psychology Teacher Network November-December 1997
3
requirement to avoid all things feminine; the injunction to restrict one's emotional life; the emphasis on
toughness and aggression; the injunction to be self-reliant; the emphasis on achieving status above all else;
non-relational, objectifying attitudes toward sexuality;
and fear and hatred of homosexuals.
Types of Male Gender Role Strain
Pleck (1995), in an update on the Gender Role
Strain Paradigm, pointed out that his original formulation of the paradigm stimulated research on three
varieties of male gender role strain, which he termed
"discrepancy-strain", "dysfunction strain", and
"trauma-strain". Discrepancy strain results when one
fails to live up to one's internalized manhood ideal,
which, among contemporary adult males, is often a
close approximation of the traditional code. Dysfunction strain results even when one fulfills the requirements of the male code, because many of the characteristics viewed as desirable in men can have negative
side effects on the men themselves and on those close
to them. Trauma strain results from the ordeal of the
male role socialization process, which is now recognized as inherently traumatic.
Discrepancy Strain
One approach to investigating discrepancy strain
used a version of the time-honored self/ideal-self research paradigm, in which participants were first
asked, using adjectival rating scales, to describe the
"ideal man," and then asked to describe themselves.
The discrepancy between the two ratings was used as
index of discrepancy strain, which was then studied in
terms of its correlations with other variables such as
self-esteem. This line of research has not been particularly productive.
Another approach has been more fruitful. This
approach does not ask participants whether discrepancy strain exists for them, but rather inquires as to
whether they would experience particular gender discrepancies as conflictual or stressful if they did exist.
Two major research programs have used this approach:
O'Neil's (O'Neil, Good, & Holmes, 1995) work on male
gender role conflict, and Eisler and Skidmore's (1995)
work on masculine gender role stress.
Dysfunction Strain
The second type of gender role strain is dysfunction strain. The notion behind dysfunction strain is
that the fulfillment of the requirements of the male
code can be dysfunctional because many of the characteristics viewed as desirable in men can have negative side effects on the men themselves and on those
close to them. Pleck (1995) reviewed some of the
research that documents the existence of dysfunction
strain, which includes studies that find negative
4
Psychology Teacher Network November-December 1997
outcomes associated with masculine gender-related
personality traits on the one hand, and lack of
involvement in family roles on the other hand.
Brooks and Silverstein (1995) in a far-reaching
discussion of the "dark side" of masculinity, provide a
taxonomy of the problems that result from dysfunction strain. These are significant social and public
health problems that Brooks and Silverstein (1995)
argue result, through one pathway or another, from
adherence to traditional masculinity ideology. These
problems include: (1) violence, including male violence against women in the family, rape and sexual
assault, and sexual harassment; (2) sexual excess, including promiscuity, involvement with pornography,
and sexual addiction; (3) socially irresponsible behaviors, including chemical dependence, risk-seeking behavior, physically self-abuse, absent fathering, and
homelessness/vagrancy; and, (4) relationship dysfunctions, including inadequate emotional partnering,
non-nurturing fathering, and non-participative
household partnering.
Trauma Strain
The concept of trauma-strain has been applied
to certain groups of men whose experiences with gender role strain are thought to be particularly harsh.
This includes professional athletes (Messner, 1992),
war veterans (Brooks, 1990), and survivors of child
abuse, including sexual abuse (Lisak, 1995). It is also
being recognized that gay and bisexual men are traumatized by male gender role strain by virtue of growing up in a heterosexist society (Harrison, 1995). But
above and beyond the recognition that certain classes
of men may experience trauma strain, a perspective
on the male role socialization process has emerged
which views socialization under traditional masculinity ideology as inherently traumatic (Levant &
Kopecky, 1996; Levant & Pollack, 1995).
Conclusion
This article introduced the new psychology of
men, reviewing the gender role strain paradigm,
masculinity ideology, and the three varieties of male
gender role strain. It is the author's hope that this new
work will open up new areas for assessment, intervention, and applied research, in order to provide
improved psychological services to men that might
contribute to the solution of both the contemporary
masculinity crisis and the crisis of connection between
men and women.
References
Available upon request to Psychology Teacher Network.
Note: This article was adapted from Levant, R.F.(1996).
The new psychology of men. Professional Psychology:
Research and Practice, 27, Washington, DC: American
Psychological Association, 259-265.
What Works: Vision Distorting Goggles
By Jim Matiya, Lockport, IL
Nearly one hundred years ago George Stratton, a
psychologist at the University of California, had a
most unusual idea. What would happen, he wondered, if we suddenly found ourselves in an upsidedown, wrong-way-around visual world? Would we
learn to adjust to this novel visual world, or would it
remain forever strange and distressing? Stratton
designed special glasses with lenses that both inverted
the visual field and reversed it, so that objects perceived on the left were actually on the right and
objects perceived at the top were actually on the
bottom. To test his idea he needed someone to wear
these glasses for an extended period of time. He was
unable to find a volunteer for the experiment, so
Stratton wore them himself (Stratton, 1897).
At first, he found this new upside-down, sides
reversed, visual world strange and disturbing. Objects
seemed to sweep and swing before his eyes; he
bumped into things as he moved around and could
not perform such simple tasks as eating a meal or
washing his face. As the days went by, however, Stratton adjusted to his distorted vision sensations. Finally,
he could move around with ease, eat his meals, and
wash his face without difficulty. But, when he took
the glasses off, the visual world again seemed strange
and he had difficulty readjusting to normal visual
sensations.
In 1928 Theodor Erismann of the University of
Innsbruck had subjects wear prism goggles similar to
those designed by Stratton. His subjects, too, had to
adjust to their distorted visual world. After several
weeks, one of them became so at ease wearing the
goggles that he rode a motorcycle through Innsbruck.
Erismann also found that subjects were able to adjust
to an even more elaborate device that allowed them
to see only directly to the rear as if they had eyes at
the back of their heads. In one of a series of later experiments, Ivan Kohler had subjects wear goggles in
which each lens was divided vertically into blue and
yellow halves. When the wearer looked to the left he
saw a blue-tinted world, and to the right a yellowtinted world. After several weeks Kohler's subjects
adapted to them and the color distortions disappeared (Kohler, 1962).
For each of our major senses-vision, hearing,
tasting, and smell, there is a relationship between the
physical properties of sensation and the interpretation
of these physical properties. This intimate relationship
between the sensation and the perception of what we
see, of what we hear, of what we taste, and of what
we smell is important for students to understand and
appreciate. For example, the sense of vision is composed of the sensations we receive and the interpretations of these sensations.
Transduction is the process by which sensory
systems transform physical energy into nerve impulses. At the most basic level, the eye works in the
following way: 1) light first enters the cornea;
2) behind the cornea is the iris, which opens and
closes and regulates the amount of light entering the
eye; 3) this light enters the pupil which is the hole in
the iris; 4) the light then passes through the lens;
5) the cilary muscle controls the thickness of the lens,
which allows for focusing on objects; 6) and then the
light goes to the retina, at the back of the eye. The
transduction occurs in the retina. It is here that the
sensation of light is converted into impulses that can
be interpreted by the brain. The retina has two kinds
of photoreceptor cells. They are called rods and cones
because of their shape. The rods and cones are sensitive to light and color. Because of the retina's round
shape, the image is received upside-down at the back
of the eye. The photoreceptor cells (rods and cones)
receive the light and send the signal via the optic
nerve to the brain. The information of what we see is
sent to the part of the brain called the visual cortex.
The visual cortex receives an upside-down picture of
what we see.
The next step in the process of vision is perception.
This area of psychology is concerned with how people
organize and comprehend these neural impulses.
Through parallel processing the brain breaks down the
image into different parts such as color and form. This
information is sent to other areas of the brain to further
interpret and make sense of what we see.
What would happen if we try to trick our eyes by
wearing special goggles? I've developed special goggles for my students to wear that demonstrate these
principles. The first pair of goggles I use is a glass
prism. This prism is designed to invert the image of
what we see before it enters the eye. These are called
"inverted-image goggles." The image is inverted before it travels to the retina. The brain is tricked by
seeing an image that is upside-down! The brain turns
this picture upside-down (as it would with any object), and thus we see the world in an upside down
fashion! We see the floor as the ceiling and the ceiling
as the floor! The first steps a person takes with these
goggles seem very strange and disorienting. I have
students wear the goggles and try to walk a crooked
line made of masking tape which is on the classroom
See Goggles, page 7
Psychology Teacher Network November-December 1997
5
Nature vs. Nurture:
The Invasion of the Mass Media
By Martha Ellis, Ph.D., Collin County Community College, Plano, TX
This update is provided
courtesy of APA's Community
College Working Group.
6
The beginning of the fall 1997 semester has been a
hay day for anyone who teaches the introductory psychology course and/or a developmental psychology
course. The mass media has provided diverse information in both print and television regarding the nature vs. nurture controversy. Beginning with John
Stossel's program on happiness, the issue of genetics
and environment was brought to the attention of the
public by focusing on a specific emotion that most
students are seeking to attain. In this program, Stossel showed various research techniques and interviewed Richard Davidson regarding his MRI studies,
David Myers regarding his happiness research, and
Thomas Bouchard, Jr. regarding his twin studies.
At the same time, the New York Academy of Sciences devoted the September/October issue of The
Sciences to the promise and peril of cloning. In this
issue, Thomas Bouchard, Jr. interprets his twin studies. The article, Whenever the Twain Shall Meet, includes the history and methodology of the studies at
the University of Minnesota. Bouchard summarizes,
on average, personality traits of identical twins have a
50 percent correlation, while fraternal twins have a 25
percent correlation, and non-twin siblings an 11 percent correlation (p. 54). He reports that EEGs (usually as distinct as fingerprints) of identical twins are
about as similar as two EEGs of the same person
plotted at different times (p. 54). Bouchard explains
that almost three quarters of a person's 100,000 genes
are identical in all humans with the remaining one
quarter defining the individual. He goes on to discuss
the study of intelligence as it relates to genetics including much of the information that most psychology teachers share with their students. The strength
of this article rests in Bouchard's discussion of the
weaknesses of his research and the application of the
research. With respect to the weakness, Bouchard
states "for all their striking findings, twin studies do
not explain how genes influence personality, intelligence, or social attitudes" (p. 56). He purports that
genes make a personality more likely to respond to
its environment in certain ways. Most psychological
variability is probably shaped by experiences, however, those experiences are largely self-selected and
that selection is guided by the pressure of the
genome (p. 56). Bouchard gives examples of applying this viewpoint to both education and to the
cloning issue. As he articulates, the twin studies
Psychology Teacher Network November-December 1997
underscore their subjects' individuality because despite having identical genomes and even being raised
together, identical twins still respond differently to
many of the items on his questionnaires. Bouchard
concludes by saying the twin studies refute both biological and environmental determinism. His results,
he believes, account for the uniqueness of the individual and "remind us that we are an integral part of
a complex biological world" (p. 57).
Lastly, the October issue of Discover hit the
newsstands about two weeks later with a special issue
on genetics. Robert Sapolsky's article, A Gene for
Nothing, provides an excellent overview of genetics
and the nature-nurture issue. As Sapolsky informally
states: "You've got nature-neurons, brain chemicals
...And then there's nurture, all those environmental
breezes...Again and again, behavior biologists insist
that you can't talk meaningfully about nature or nurture, only about their interaction" (p. 42). By
explaining genes, DNA, neurotransmitters, and chromosomes, Sapolsky delineates why there is more to
behavior than just genes. Examples about anxiety and
depression are given with the interaction between environment and genetic tendencies clearly discussed.
He concludes "genes modulate how one responds to
the environment" (p. 46). The writing style and
humor throughout the article provides readability for
students in high school and college.
With this influx of information from the mass
media, what's a psychology teacher to do!?!? Have a
wonderful time. By showing the first 15 minutes of the
Stossel program on happiness, students see and hear
about current research in a variety of settings. The article by Bouchard is a wonderful read because the author writes in the first person which provides a personable, interview feeling for students. The Bouchard and
Sapolsky articles are short and easily understandable
for high school and freshmen college students. Although these are not journal articles, they have a depth
not usually contained in the popular press.
This fall I combined all three of the above. On
the first day of class we did the usual "agree or disagree" opinion statements regarding several
nature/nurture questions. The next class period I
showed the first part of the Stossel program, we discussed research methodology, and I handed out the
Bouchard article. Students wrote a reaction paper to
the article discussing (1) what they learned, (2) their
opinion of the research processes including weaknesses and biases, and (3) any questions they had
that the article did not answer. The next class period
they broke into small groups and discussed their reactions. During the next week we discussed genetics
and the chapter on the brain and I gave them the article from Discover. This time they were to write a reaction paper discussing the nature/nurture issue
based upon what they had learned thus far in the
course. The process took about ten minutes in each
class session. The response I received from the students included an increased depth of understanding
on genetics, nature/nurture issue, and research
methodology. Also, the relevance of the topic was illuminated because it was in the mass media, not just in
their textbook. They found the information fascinating and continue to apply what they learned as we
approach new topics in the course.
Undergrads, from page 1
left the Institute encouraged that these students may
be among the future leaders in the field.
The next Summer Science Institute will be held
at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland from Sunday, June 14 through Monday, June 22,
1998. Eligible students for this program are limited to
those students who will have college sophomore or junior status following the end of the 1997-98 academic
year. This program has proven to be quite competitive. We can accommodate 32 students, and we expect to receive approximately 400-500 applications.
The criteria for selection include high school and college GPAs, college entrance exam scores, courses
taken, letters of reference, and responses to the short
essay questions. Applications are available on the Web
at http://www.apa.org/science/ssi98.html. For more
information, contact the Science Directorate at (202)
336-6000; (202) 336-6132 (TDD); science@apa.org.
Conswelia Livingston, Boston University; Brian
Loendorf, Oklahoma State University; Mildred
Maldonado-Molina, University of Puerto Rico; Jason
C. Oraker, Williams College; Matthew Presley, Austin
College; Michael Puma, Fordham University; Scott
Ritter, University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire; Kathryn
Ruddy, Harvard University; Aaron Sackett, St. Olaf
College; Emily Sadigh, Harvard University; Amanda
Saw, University of California, Los Angeles; Andrew
Shannon, Kenyon College; Ruth Shim, College
of William and Mary; Robyn Siperstein, Yale University; Deborah Small, University of Pennsylvania;
Stacey Storch, Duke University; and Amir Zarrinpar,
Harvard University.
By all accounts, SSI was a great success. The
students left with a greater appreciation and understanding of the science of psychology, and the faculty
Goggles, from page 5
floor, try to catch a ball thrown to
them, try to juggle a nerf ball, and
try to pour Styrofoam packing
from one container into another
one.
The second pair of goggles
are designed with a special flat
prism that changes the location of
objects. These are called “displacement” goggles because the
location of objects has been displaced or relocated. In this particular case, objects are displaced 40
degrees. The prism can be moved
around so that the forty degree
displacement relocate objects to
the left, to the right, and either up
or down! In this way, students
never know which way the displacement will occur! They can
only find objects if they see for
References
Bouchard, T.J., Jr. (1997). Whenever the twain shall
meet. The Sciences, 37, 5, 52-57.
Sapolsky, R. (1997). A gene for nothing. Discover, 18,
10, 40-46.
Stossel, J. (September, 1997). The mystery of happiness, ABC News.
themselves! Each person has to
adapt to a new field of vision! I
try to have students move objects
on a table, play a board game,
and play solitaire in order to give
them some experience with these
goggles. When they reach for objects they realize that the objects
are not where they think they
"should be!"
Both of these goggles challenge the students to know about
the structure of the eye, perception
of objects, and the ability to adapt
to changes in the environment.
Most students are unaware of the
way the eyes work. They seem unaware of the complexity of how we
see. What we see is a product of
organization, learning, and physical sensations. We rarely question
what we see, believing that our vi-
sion is accurate and truthful. We
see people who have eye problems
everyday. Some people have to
wear glasses to help them see. Yet,
we never think about how we
adapt to wearing glasses. The
above vignette is very challenging
and thought-provoking. What
would happen if we only saw the
world upside-down?
For more information you
may contact the author or TOPSS
c/o APA’s Education Directorate.
References:
Kohler, I. (1962, May). Experiments with
goggles. Scientific American, 206, 6272. Cited in Hothersall, D. (1985).
Psychology. Columbus, Ohio: Charles
Merrill Publishing.
Sratton, G. (1897). Vision without
inversion of the retinal image.
Psychological Review, 4, 463-481.
Cited in Hothersall, D. (1985).
Psychology. Columbus, Ohio:
Charles Merrill Publishing.
Psychology Teacher Network November-December 1997
7
NEWS FROM TOPSS
TOPSS Annual Essay Contest:
The APF Presidential Scholars
Competition
By Carol Dean, TOPSS Essay Chair
There are some exciting changes in the TOPSS
Essay Contest for this year. Dr. Martin E. P. Seligman and TOPSS, in conjunction with the American
Psychological Foundation (APF), has designed a
competition to identify the brightest and best high
school psychology students in America. There will
be three student winners. These winners, each with
one parent/guardian and one sponsoring teacher,
will receive funding to attend the APA Convention in
San Francisco in August 1998. Transportation, lodging, and convention expenses for these winners, parents/guardians, and teachers will be covered by APA
for up to $1,000 per person.
Dr. Seligman’s presidential theme for 1998,
“maximizing psychological strength, resilience, and
genius,” is reflected in the competition question
described below.
A variety of groups are working toward having
the first week of March identified as Psychology
Awareness Week. It is our intent to have the winners
announced on approximately March 4, 1998 to
coincide with that week’s festivities. Entries for
the contest must be postmarked by January
26, 1998.
To compete in the APF Presidential Scholars
competition a student must answer BOTH PARTS
of the stimulus item below. Winners will be selected
on the basis of a demonstrated ability to (1) complete a critical analysis and synthesis of empirical research and (2) generate a quality research proposal
that is a logical outgrowth of the review of the research literature.
Deadline: All essays must be postmarked
absolutely no later than January 26, 1998.
IMPORTANT NOTE: There should be
NO identification pertaining to the student
on any page of the paper. Violation of this
rule will result in disqualification. Numbering pages is permitted.
8
Psychology Teacher Network November-December 1997
THE QUESTION (complete both parts)
Part I:
Conduct and report a critical analysis of the literature on the following topic: Parental/caretaker behaviors can lead to the development and maintenance of optimism in children. Describe how psychologists measure optimism in children and the
positive outcomes of optimism from social and educational perspectives. Your report should include:
A. An operational definition of what psychologists
mean by optimism
B. An application of relevant psychological
findings from a minimum of three sources
C. An explanation of how psychologists know that
these parental/caretaker behaviors lead to
optimism
D. A resource list in APA style
Part II:
Based on your literature review, generate a research
design that addresses issues regarding early life
experiences. Your research proposal should reflect
the topic studied in Part I and should include:
A. A statement of the problem
B. An operationally defined hypothesis
C. A description of the methodology
1. Identification of proposed method
(experiment, survey, etc.)
2. Identification of population and subject pool
3. Identification of important variables (IV, DV,
confounding)
4. An explanation of efforts to control potential
confounding variables
5. An explanation of how data will be collected
6. An explanation of how data will be analyzed
D. A discussion of potential ethical issues
E. A prediction of results
RULES
Eligibility:
• Entrants must be high school students.
• Entrants must have been enrolled or be presently
See Competition, following page
New TOPSS Members
Arizona
Jean Schroeder-McClure,
Cibola HS, Yuma
California
Anthony Carsaro, Palmdale
Emmanuel Deligiannis, Orange
Verconica Perez-Marchese, Downey
Cat Rickets, Elk Grove
Marsha Robinson, Boulder Creek
Jennifer Tuck, San Francisco
District of Columbia
John Crane, International School
of Prague, US Embassy Prague
Olen Kalkus, International School
of Prague, US Embassy Prague
Florida
Maricel Castillo, Miami
Stefanie Scher, Boca Raton
Todd Sparger, Spruce Creek HS,
Port Orange
Jodie Weinstein, Miami
Northwestern HS, Miami
Georgia
James Watts, Smyrna
Idaho
Angela Bergman, Burley
Nikki Sayer, Moore
Illinois
Barbara Bonnet, East Dubuque
Matt Niehaus, LaSalle
Indiana
Kathy Lehe, Frontier HS, Chamlers
Iowa
Carolyn Clefisch, Guttenberg
Kansas
Timothy Adams, Hesston
North Dakota
Deborah S. Medlar, Dickinson
Maryland
Chris Kinworthey, College Park
Claudia Mowen, Annapolis
Ohio
Steven Boone, Covington
Parran Curry-Guy, Columbus
Massachusetts
Jack Merrill, W. Newton
Thomas Miller,
David Prouty HS, Spencer
Dennis Tavares, Kingston
Oregon
Laura Dale, Eugene
Michigan
Patricia Burnside, Siginaw
J. Gary Cockman,
Davison HS, Davison
Cherilyn Ross, Novi
Minnesota
Dan Elhard, Grand Rapids
Brett Joyce, LeCener
Montana
Joann DeBeaumont, Glendive
Nebraska
Jan Beeson, East HS, Lincoln
Rose Kastl, SE HS, Lincoln
Tim Shipman, Omaha
New Jersey
Jennifer Potschantek, Oakland
Mark Schweizer, Clementon
Jack Wilson, Towaco
New York
Cheryl Jordan, E Northport
Beth Pollatz, Brookville
Laura Sposato, Greenlawn
Douglas Weisman,
Eastchester HS, Eastchester
Competition, from previous page
enrolled in a high school psychology course.
• Entrants must be sponsored by a TOPSS member.
The Paper:
• Papers must be typed or word-processed.
• Papers must be no more than 3,000 words in
length. Papers exceeding this length will be
disqualified.
• Papers MUST use APA style.
• Papers must be submitted in triplicate.
• Papers that are word-processed should be
submitted with a computer disk. The wordprocessing program used must be identified.
The Procedure:
• No more than ONE paper per school may
Pennsylvania
Paul Cech, California
David Zimmerman,
Conestaga HS, Berwyn
South Dakota
Darcy Randle, Piedmont
Texas
Amy LeClair, Sugarland
Mary J. O'Brien, Katy
Virginia
Jean Ferguson, Centreville
Washington
Jeffrey Beha,
Franklin Pierce HS, Tacoma
International
Holly Drover, Ontario, Canada
Frederick Scott Galt,
The American Community School,
Cobham Surrey, England
Joelle Myszkowki, Colegio Americano
de Quito, Quito, Eucador
Gunter Schweiger, Univ. of
Economics-Vienna, Austria
be submitted.
• All entries must include a cover sheet with the
following information:
A. The student's name
B. The student's year in school (e.g., junior, senior)
C. The name, address, and phone number of
the TOPSS sponsor
D. The student's school name, address and
phone number.
E. Send the paper to:
Seligman Presidential Scholar Competition
c/o Peter Petrossian
Education Directorate
American Psychological Association
750 First Street, NE
Washington, DC, 20002
Psychology Teacher Network November-December 1997
9
ACTIVITY
Inquiries, Demonstrations, Experiments and Activities
An Exercise in Signal Detection Theory
By Alan Feldman, Perth Amboy High School, Perth Amboy, NJ
Concept:
Materials:
Signal detection theory can illustrate distortions in the measurement of perceptual detection by taking into account receiver operator characteristics such as mood, context and personal expectations. (This activity should
be used after absolute threshold theory has been discussed and after the section on signal detection has been
assigned to be read).
Overhead transparency of Chart A
Copy of Questions 1-3 for each student
Chart A
RESPONSE
Instructions:
SIGNAL
YES
NO
PRESENT
HIT
MISS
ABSENT
FALSE ALARM
CORRECT REJECTION
Discuss the following four outcomes in a game of poker.
A. Opponent has good hand - you think they do. (hit) You fold.
B. Opponent has good hand - you think they do. (miss) You fold.
C. Opponent has bad hand - you think its actually good. (false alarm) You've been bluffed.
D. Opponent has bad hand - you think it's bad. (correct rejection) Raise them.
Then show students Chart A on overhead and have them apply categories - hit, miss, false alarm, correct rejection to above situation.
Have students work individually or in small groups on questions 1 - 3.
I. Which outcome is exemplified by each of the following scenarios:
A. A stream has just been stocked with fish. A fisherman who has been unsuccessful at this location in
the past only tries for five minutes and then gives up.
B. He then travels to a nearby pond that has no fish in it. A minute after throwing his line in he snags
what he thinks is a big fish. It is actually a boot.
2.
A.
A babysitter detects frightening noises after watching a scary movie. The noise is the trees rustling in
the wind.
B. The next day the same babysitter is at soccer practice. She does not detect the trees nearby making
the same noise.
3.
A young male college student goes to a sorority dance hoping to meet a young woman. Discuss the 4 possible outcomes that could occur according to signal detection theory (e.g. A very attractive,
unattached young woman smiles at him and makes eye contact. He does not perceive she is interested in
him. This would be a miss - the signal is present but he does not respond to it.)
See Activity, page 13
Psychology Teacher Network is looking for good ideas, activities and experiments to share with our
readers. Please submit any activities to Psychology Teacher Network, Education Directorate.
10
Psychology Teacher Network November-December 1997
Division Two 1998 Teaching Awards Nominations
The Society for the Teaching of Psychology (Division
Two) of the American Psychological Association
announces its 1998 program of awards for outstanding teachers of psychology. Teaching awards of $500
and a plaque are bestowed for outstanding performance in each of four environments:
1.Four-year Colleges or Universities
(Robert S. Daniel Award)
2.Two-year Colleges
3.High Schools
(Moffett Memorial Teaching Award)
4.Graduate Student
(McKeachie Early Career Teaching Award)
Criteria
Nominations will be judged on the following criteria,
although nominees will not be expected to have
achieved recognition in all areas:
1. Demonstrated influence in interesting students in
the field of psychology. Documentation could
include papers or projects completed by students; evidence of students presenting papers at
professional meetings or of students subsequently
publishing their work done with this teacher;
actions by the teacher, both curricular and cocurricular, intended to increase student interest
and involvement in psychology.
2. Development of effective teaching methods,
courses, and/or teaching materials. Documentation could include description and sample of
methods, materials, course syllabi, and evidence
of their successful utilization.
3. Outstanding performance as a classroom teacher.
Documentation could include student evaluations, enrollment figures, evaluative observations
by colleagues, teaching awards, and other forms
of prior recognition.
4. Concerns with professional identity as a teacher
of psychology. This might be seen as professional
activity on or away from campus, including publication of articles on teaching, stimulation of
student research, attendance at professional
meetings or workshops relevant to the teaching
of psychology, or memberships in organizations
indicating such an identification.
Winners will be notified in advance. Awards will be
presented at a special Society for the Teaching of
Psychology program at the 1998 meeting of the
American Psychological Association in San Francisco.
If a winner cannot attend, the Society for the Teaching of Psychology will appoint a representative to
make the presentation at the winner's home campus
at a time convenient to the winner.
The nominator and nominee must compile all
documentation in support of the nomination. Responsibility for accumulating supporting documentation
cannot be assumed by the Awards Committee. Nominations are to be sent to the Chairperson of the
Awards Committee and must be received by January
5, 1998. Materials will not ordinarily be returned.
Persons nominated need not be members of The
Society for the Teaching of Psychology and renominations and self-nominations are acceptable. The Society for the Teaching of Psychology reserves the right
to not make an award in a particular category if the
Awards Committee believes no nominee is qualified in
a particular year.
Nomination Format
Cover Sheet
A cover sheet should accompany the nominator’s documentation. This sheet should include:
1. Nominee's name, address, and telephone number.
2. Category of award for which this person is
nominated.
3. Nominator's name, address, and telephone
number.
4. The name and address of who (Department
Head, Dean, President, etc.) and/or what officer
and organization (local, state, or regional
psychological association, etc.) should be informed if the nominee wins the Society for the
Teaching of Psychology Teaching Award.
Materials to be Submitted
* 5. Educational history of the nominee: degrees,
granting institutions, year(s) granted, major and
minor fields.
* 6. Nominee's professional work history.
* 7. Professional and honorary organizations in which
the nominee holds membership.
8. Letters of recommendation from at least three
(but not more than five) persons, each of whom
can speak to the qualifications of the nominee in
light of the criteria.
9. Narrative: A maximum of two pages (doublespaced) of documentation per criterion high
See Nominations, page 12
* These items may simply be
highlighted on the nominee's curriculum vitae if one is available.
Psychology Teacher Network November-December 1997
11
DEAR DOCTOR
Question: I saw a demonstration where a pound of feathers was perceived as lighter than a pound of lead. The
two should feel the same, but they did not. Can you explain this?
Submitted by: David Powers, Omaha, NE
PHOTO B
FPO
Clifford Fawl, Ph.D
Answered by: Clifford Fawl,
Ph.D., Nebraska Wesleyan
University
A panel of noted clinical, experimental and academic
psychologists has graciously
agreed to reply in this column to questions submitted
by teachers and students.
We invite you to send your
questions to:
DEAR DOCTOR, PTN,
Education Directorate, 750
First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242
Perhaps it will help if I relate the
illusion to which you refer to another illusion that may be more
familiar to you. You probably
have seen in a textbook a figure
(perhaps a medium gray rectangle) surrounded either by a light
gray ground or a dark gray
ground. Figure A (the one surrounded by light gray) will appear darker than Figure B (the
one surrounded by dark gray)
even though Figures A and B are
physically identical. It helps little,
if any, to know that they are
identical; they still are perceived
as different. This is because perception of the figure is affected by
the figure-ground relationship,
not just by the figure itself. We
perceive in terms of relationships.
In a sense, Figure A is darker than
Figure B: Figure A is darker in relationship to its ground than Figure B is to its ground, and this is
the way we perceive it.
The same idea pertains to
the illusion you ask about,
which is known as the sizeweight illusion. In this case we
can think of weight as the figure
and size (or volume) as the
ground. We can take two cans of
identical weight but different
height as our example, in which
case Can A (the smaller can of
higher density) will appear
heavier in weight when lifted
than Can B (the larger can of
lower density). As before, even if
we are told that the cans are
equal in weight they still don't
appear to be. Again, there is a
sense in which Can A is heavier
than Can B: Can A is heavier in
relationship to its size than Can
B is to its size. To test the effect
of size on perception of weight
you can have one group of students compare the perceived
weights with their eyes closed so
they cannot at any time see the
size of the cans and the other
group compare the cans with
their eyes open. You will find
that the group that judges the
weights with their eyes closed
will on average be more accurate.
The illusory effect of the
size-weight illusion is not as universal as that of the brightness
illusion discussed earlier. This is
because in the brightness illusion
it is virtually impossible to separate the ground from the figure
whereas in the size-weight illusion it can be done by closing
one's eyes or simply by not looking at the cans as they are being
judged for weight. But even
here, if the participant initially
looks at the cans and thus
knows their relative size, the size
will continue to have some effect, although not as much. Most
participants, however, look at
the cans as they judge them for
weight, in which case the size is
likely to have a major influence
on the perception of weight.
In my own demonstration I
present my students with a set of
small (film) canisters of equal
size but ranging in weight from
25 grams to 175 grams, in increments of 25 grams, and one
much larger can that weighs 150
grams. (I vary the weights of the
canisters by placing varying
amounts of metals in them.) I ask
the participant to pick out the
canister which weighs exactly
the same as the larger can.
Rarely does a student select the
canister that weighs 150 grams.
Most students will choose one
that weighs 75 grams (half the
weight of the larger can). A
smaller number will select either
the 100-gram canister or the 50gram canister as equal in weight
to the larger can of 150 grams. A
few will even pick the 25-gram
canister as equal to it! Clearly the
participants are responding to
density, which is a relationship
(weight in relation to volume),
rather than to weight alone.
Don’t Forget...Time to renew your TOPSS membership!
Nominations, from page 11
lighting the nominee's achievements with respect
to one or more of the criteria listed above.
10. Optional: Items 1-9 are the primary pieces
of information to be examined by the Awards
committee. However, nominators may submit
additional materials in support of the narrative
portion of the nomination. Optional items might
include teacher ratings, teaching devices, syllabi,
student papers, or newspaper articles.
12
Psychology Teacher Network November-December 1997
Send materials to:
Mary Kite, Ph.D., Chair,
The Society for the Teaching of Psychology
Teaching Awards Committee,
Department of Psychological Science
Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306-0520.
Dr. Kite can also be reached at
(765) 285-1702
or via email at mkite@wp.bsu.edu.
REVIEW
“Laughing Matters”
Edited by: Rebecca Hantin
Publisher: Baxley Media Group, 110 West Main,
Urbana IL 61801-2700, (217) 384-4838
The mentally ill in our society
seem to carry with them a badge
of dishonor. This stigma can affect
many aspects of their lives. Relationships with family, friends, and
co-workers may be strained. In
addition, the ability to obtain and
maintain employment is difficult.
How does an individual facing
such private and public reprisals
deal with such stigma?
For one group, laughter has
been found to be the best weapon
in destroying stigma. "The Project
Return Players" are an ensemble
of actors struggling with mental
illness and the resulting labels.
The video, Laughing Matters provides a stage allowing them to
demonstrate, through humor,
what the mentally ill must face.
Performance clips include a
"Psychiatric Fashion Show" where
one member of the troupe "models" the "31-Flavor Electric Shock
Mouthpiece" featuring "tutti-frutti
and strawberry...all your favorites." Actors also portray the
experiences of "Kelly", a teen experiencing auditory hallucina-
Date of Publication: 1995
Length: 32 minutes
Reviewed by: Kristin Whitlock, Bountiful, UT
tions. This is effectively done. As
Kelly tries to talk on the phone,
the "voices”, which are the rest of
the ensemble, speak nonsense,
drown out and take over her
thoughts, and render her immobile. Her "parents" emotional response to their daughter's psychotic episode rings true.
In addition to performance
clips, viewers are introduced to
the players through interviews.
The actors discuss their illnesses
and personal experiences with
prejudice and discrimination. I
found it interesting that many
actors reported negative experiences, not only with society, but
also among mental health professionals. As one actor states, "The
system wants to keep reminding
you that you are [mentally ill]."
Through
humor
and
glimpses into their personal experiences, the message the ensemble attempts to leave with its audiences, both live and in video, is
that despite their problems, "We
are children of the Universe" and
they encourage all of us to "take
a moment to remember those
hurting out there."
Overall, I found Laughing
Matters to be insightful. I enjoyed the performances and
found that the interviews provided an interesting glimpse into
the lives of these mentally ill
actors. However, the sound quality is poor and at some points it
is difficult to understand what is
being said.
I believe Laughing Matters
could be a teaching resource at
the high school level. My main
concern, however, is time. With
so much to discuss and do in a
year or semester, I believe there
are other sources I would prefer
to use to touch on these issues. In
a class focusing on the issue of labeling, this video may be appropriate. For example, in discussing
Rosenhan's research on labeling
("On Being Sane in Insane
Places," SCIENCE, Jan. 19,
1973, vol. 179, p. 250-58) this
would provide some additional
discussion as to how society
views those who are mentally ill.
Activity, from page 10
Discussion:
A.
Lead students in a discussion of how signal detection theory can measure
both sensitivity (sensory impressions) and response bias (decision
processes). Discuss how the receiver's attitudes, moods and momentary
emotional states could affect their outcome distribution.
B. Review type 1 and type 2 errors. Which outcome best typifies a type
1 error? A type 2 error?
C. Describe the advantage of signal detection theory as compared to threshold analyses in evaluating a hypothetical experiment in which an experimenter is asked to listen for a weak tone. (List the four possible outcomes
that can occur on each trial of the experiment according to signal detection
theory.)
For more information concerning signal detection theory, see the textbook
Sensation and Perception, 3rd edition, by Matlin and Foley, published by Allyn
and Bacon and Experimental Psychology: Understanding Psychological
Research, by Kantowitz, Roedigger and Elmes published by West.
Psychology Teacher Network November-December 1997
13
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Advanced Placement Workshops
The College Board, via its regional offices, is sponsoring one-day conferences on the psychology Advanced Placement course. For more information or to register, call or write your local College Board office. All workshops are
subject to cancellation due to inadequate registration.
Midwest Regional Office
Western Regional Office
APP, 1800 Sherman Avenue #401
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 866-1700
Suite 480, 2099 Gateway Place
San Jose, CA 95110-1017
(408) 452-1400
November 18, 1997
University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN
February 7, 1998
Aragaon High School, San Mateo, CA
March 10, 1998
Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI
January 21, 1998
Alhambra High School, Alhambra, CA
March 19, 1998
Triton Community College, River Grove, IL
March 28, 1998
UC Irvine, Irvine, CA
March 20, 1998
Triton Community College, River Grove, IL
November 8, 1997
Cherry Creek High School, Englewood, CO
March 26, 1998
University of Nebraska, Omaha, NE
February 14, 1998
Roosevelt High School, Portland, OR
April 27, 1998
Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, IL
Southern Regional Office
April 29, 1998
University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
2970 Clairmont Road, Suite 250
Atlanta, GA 30329-1639
(770) 908-9737
Middle States Regional Office
November 17, 1997
Holiday Inn, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Suite 410, 3440 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-3338
(215) 387-7600
December 12, 1997
Pace University, New York, NY
January 16, 1998
New York University, New York, NY
January 17, 1998
Upper Perkiomen High School, Pennsburg, PA
April 25, 1998
Montclair College, Montclair, NJ
January 8, 1998
Oglethorpe University, Atlanta, GA
Southwestern Regional Office
98 San Jacinto Boulevard, Suite 1050
Austin, TX 78701-4039
(512) 472-0231
January 16, 1998
Edward H. White Senior High School, Jacksonville, FL
Next Issue: • Briefing on Pediatric Psychology • TOPSS Election Results
14
Psychology Teacher Network November-December 1997
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Conferences for Teachers of Psychology
All conferences are designed to encourage academic
linkages between psychology faculty at the graduate,
four-year, two-year, and high school levels. These
conferences provide participants with an opportunity
to discuss issues and to share ideas relating to their
profession. The format consists of invited addresses,
concurrent sessions, and participant poster sessions.
Twentieth Annual National Institute
on the Teaching of Psychology
Contact: Doug Bernstein, Ph.D.
(217) 333-4731
Tradewinds Hotel
St. Petersburg Beach, FL
January 3-6, 1998
Tenth Annual Southeastern Conference
on the Teaching of Psychology
Contact: William Hill, Ph.D.
(770) 423-6225
fax (770) 423-6432
email:
BHILL@KSCMAIL.KENNESAW.EDU
Department of Psychology
Kennesaw State University
Marietta, Georgia
February 20-22, 1998
The registration fee for the conference is
$110.00 for the first participant from an institution
and $100.00 for each additional participant from
that institution; graduate students and high school
teachers $65.00. Deadline for registration is
February 6, 1998.
Fifth Annual Midwest Institute for
Teachers of Psychology
Contacts: David Shavalia, Ph.D.
or Patricia Puccio, Ph.D.
(630) 942-2187 or (630) 942-2325
fax (630) 858-5424
Department of Psychology
College of DuPage
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
February 27-28, 1998
Fee: $95 covers conference registration and
meals for both days; hotel accommodations available
at a reduced rate.
Eleventh Annual Conference on Undergraduate Teaching of Psychology
Contact: Dr. Gene Indenbaum
(516) 420-2725
fax: (516) 420-2452
email:
indenbea@snyfarva.cc.farmingdale.edu
Nevele Hotel
Ellenville, New York
March 18-20, 1998
Nebraska Wesleyan University
Psychology Teachers Institute
Please help us to make sure
that you continue receiving
Free Graduate Credit, Room and Board!
Outstanding National Speakers!
Psychology Teacher Network
Dates: June 21 - July 3, 1998
For application materials contact:
Ken Keith
Department of Psychology
Nebraska Wesleyan University
5000 Saint Paul Avenue
Lincoln, NE 68504-2796
email: kdk@NebrWesleyan.edu
are planning a move, don't
and other APA materials. If
you have recently moved or
forget to notify PTN of the
change of address so that
delivery will not be interrupted. The address for PTN
can be found on the back
cover of the newsletter.
Psychology Teacher Network November-December 1997
15