Too often, students find the content and methods of their introductory psychology course to be very different
from what they expected. Partly this is because few of them have studied psychology in high school, but the ones
who have studied it seem equally alienated by the course, if not more so. After teaching introductory psychology
for more than thirty years, I have come to realize that students have many misconceptions about science, and psychology
in particular, that serve as impediments to understanding psychology.
As a consequence of this realization, I spend much of the class time dealing with these misconceptions. One
mechanism for doing this is to have students turn in written questions at the beginning of class for me to answer.
This gives me the opportunity to deal with some issues that may seem peripheral to the course but pose significant
stumbling blocks to understanding what we think of as the material of the course.
This book answers some of the most common questions asked by my students. In so doing, it seeks to motivate
students by dealing directly with their real concerns. The answers to their questions illuminate principles of
psychology and philosophy of science that present stumbling blocks to students' understanding of psychology.
Another stimulus for this book comes from the current interest in teaching critical thinking skills. Too many
books, and too many students, appear to treat science in general, and introductory science courses in particular,
as a collection of facts to be mastered for an exam. To be sure, one of the essential tasks of an introductory
psychology course is to introduce students to a wide variety of technical terms, research paradigms, and empirical
data. But the main goal of a psychology course should be to get students to think like psychologists; to apply
the same critical skills to human behavior that scientists do.
Critical thinking is a very large umbrella for a number of skills and attitudes that educators attempt to instill
in their students (e.g., Brookfield, 1987). Instructors have had these same goals from time immemorial. Recently,
however, research in cognitive psychology applied to the learning process (Resnick, 1987) demonstrates two principles
that are significant to teaching critical thinking in psychology: (1) Critical thinking is not learned in the abstract,
but in the specific subject matters of the various disciplines; and (2) the skills needed for critical thinking
vary from discipline to discipline:
One cannot reason in the abstract; one must reason about something .... Each discipline has characteristic ways
of thinking and reasoning .... Reasoning and problem solving in the physical sciences, for example, are shaped
by particular combinations of inductive and deductive reasoning, by appeal to mathematical tests, and by an extensive
body of agreed upon fact for which new theories must account. In the social sciences, good reasoning and problem
solving are much more heavily influenced by traditions of rhetorical argument, of weighing alternatives, and of
"building a case" for a proposed solution .... Only if higher order skills are taught within each discipline
are they likely to be learned. (p. 36)
I believe that the answers to the questions posed in this book provide a highly motivating way to help students
develop the skills necessary to think like psychologists.
This book takes a different approach to critical thinking than most others do. The principles covered do not
map especially well onto the list of skills generally promulgated as characterizing critical thinking, which tends
to be less domain specific. Rather, the book models the process of critical thinking and encourages the student
to engage in it. John McPeck (1990) says:
I think that the phrase "critical thinking" refers to a certain combination of what we might
think of as a willingness, or disposition (call it an "attitude," if you like), together with the appropriate
knowledge and skills, to engage in an activity or problem with reflective skepticism. (p. 42) (emphasis
in the original)
The attitude of reflective skepticism is one that is insufficiently encouraged in our educational system, for
reasons that I discuss in the introduction to this book.
The book takes strong positions on certain controversial issues, such as the paranormal. I believe that the
principles stated and positions taken are well within the mainstream of academic, research based psychology. Thus,
the book should be compatible with the viewpoints of the typical introductory psychology text and instructors of
psychology courses. Psychology, however, is a heterogeneous field, and I do not pretend to reflect all points of
view, some of which are mutually contradictory.
I try to strike a balance between critical thinking and open mindedness. Paul and Nosich (1991) list the following
as part of critical thinking: "fair-mindedness, intellectual humility, . . . willingness to see objections,
enter sympathetically into another's point of view, and to recognize one's own egocentricity or ethnocentricity"
(p. 5). Even when I inevitably fail to meet these ideals, it is my experience that students appreciate finding
out where I stand on an issue. They are sophisticated enough not to swallow whole what I say.
The book attempts to represent the common philosophical tradition within which psychologists work. I have not,
in general, tried to reflect the latest developments in philosophy of science. This is a book for beginners in
psychology; I leave the finer points to later study.
The organization of the topics is designed to follow the most common order of chapters in an introductory psychology
book. The material could be assigned along with the text and dealt with in class or in recitation sections. Exercises
at the end of each section invite the reader to apply the principle just discussed. The book is intended also to
be helpful for students of research methods, history and systems, and other later courses in psychology.
A number of people have contributed to the development of this book. Robert D. Jewell, University of Calgary;
Jane F. Gaultney, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Tony Johnson, LaGrange College; John T. Long, Mt. San
Antonio College; Drew Appleby, Marion College; Bruce Goldstein, University of Pittsburgh; Alicia Knoedler, San
Jose State University; Eileen Achorn, Bowdoin College; Rick Loether, Fort Lewis College; Matthew Chin, University
of Central Florida; and Dennis Kolodziejski, Western New England College made helpful comments on the manuscript.
Scott Lilienfeld, Emory University, made a number of helpful comments on the first edition. I have tried to acknowledge
the sources of ideas when possible. I have absorbed many of the points, and even some of the examples and phrases,
from others over the years, and the sources have been forgotten. My apologies to any who should have been cited.
Donald H. McBumey
Summary
For freshman through senior-level courses in Introductory Psychology, Research Methods, Critical Thinking, Educational
Research or other courses that deal with philosophical and methodological assumptions of psychology.
Featuring an informal writing style throughout, this unique text uses a question-and-answer format to explore some
of the most common questions students ask about psychology�which are often stumbling blocks in their introduction
to the discipline. Topics are keyed to chapters of typical introductory psychology texts, focus on issues that
are personally relevant to students, feature many everyday examples, and include exercises that encourage students
to think critically and to relate the material to their own lives.
Features :
Standard topic organization�Topics are organized according to the outline of a typical introductory psychology
text.
Allows text to easily be incorporated into the course.
Question-and-answer format.
Breaks material into convenient units.
Discussion of common misconceptions and impediments to understanding psychology.
Shows that students' beliefs are widespread.
Development of critical thinking skills�Addresses widely held beliefs about human behavior and teaches issues
that many students care about.
Invites students to hold common beliefs up to scientific scrutiny.
Demonstrates that critical thinking is not done in the abstract, but in the context of a particular discipline.
Every-day examples�Clear and accessible.
Students will have a better understanding of examples relevant to their experiences.
Exercises�At the end of each section.
Encourages students to apply principles for themselves.
