Teaching Activities for a
History of Psychology Course
David Zehr
Plymouth State University
First Day of Class
I dare say
none of
you can
think…
I dare say
none of
you can
write…
If you
learn
anything
in this
class…
It will be
how to
think and
how to
write…
You are
having a
final exam
in two
weeks.
You will
all flunk
it.
Your job…
Is to flunk
it
admirably.
Second Day of Class
"Normal
children often
pass through
stages of
passionate
cruelty,
laziness, lying
and thievery.''
I loved your
paper about
Ebbinghaus,
Kulpe, and
Brentano—one
psychologist and
two imposters!
1892
1913
And that’s
what I’d do
with a
dozen
healthy
infants!
The Course at Plymouth State
Upper level (juniors/seniors)
Required for all psychology majors
Enrollment/semester: 16-36
Course Goals
Engagement
Writing
Collaboration
Relevance
Day 1: Passing Notes
Fancher, R. E. (1987). Henry Goddard and
the Kallikak family photographs:
“Conscious skulduggery” or Whig history?
American Psychologist, 42, 585-590.
Presentism
Writing
Weekly in-class writing
assignments
Two-three questions to choose from
Open note/open book
How would a Kuhnian explain the following
two statements:
– Kulpe’s psychology: the revolution that never
was
– Gestalt psychology: the revolution that failed
John Dewey never did a single experiment
worth remembering. How could one
therefore argue he’s more important to
psychology’s history than the
experimentalist, Edward Titchener?
Active Learning Exercises
Speed Dating and Applied
Psychology
He’s nice,
but I bet
those
thoughts
aren’t
imageless
Every cell I
have is
yours,
individually
and
collectively
Turn-ons:
eugenics,
statistics,
fingerprinting
Think not my
confession of
admiration to
be a false
one.
If you have a high
IQ, I’d like a
chance to speak
with you.
You should
be efficient,
mechanically
inclined, and
fond of
postage
stamps.
Mental
testers
measure
up
I love
you
guys!
Chomsky
Skinner
Would You Hire This
Candidate?
Fostering Class Discussion
Great Hero of Legend
Tyrannosaurus: A dinosaur whose
time has passed
“…the most stupendous intellectual confidence
trick of the 20th century” (P. Medawar)
Research Projects
Team based
Content analysis
Formal research
reports
Where’s Harry?
“If you had never heard of Harry Harlow
before you opened this book…if you
wonder how a psychologist…can seem so
invisible only twenty years after his
death…”
Feeblemindedness in America
Tracing the usage of a descriptive label
The Myers-Briggs and Academic
Psychology
“The indicator has also been embraced by
academia (at least outside of psychology
departments).”
Dependent measures
Collecting/interpreting data
Writing in the discipline
“in the end, the only sure criterion is to
have fun. And I have had fun.”