services； the former patients will be forced out onto the streets to fend for themselves。 Such a situation can be
dangerous both to them and to the munities in which they reside。
ASCENDING—DESCENDING
Arrange lecture topics according to their importance； familiarity； or plexity。 For example； arrange the
major psychological disorders from most debilitating to least debilitating； or from hardest to easiest to
diagnose。
TO KEEP THEIR ATTENTION FROM WANDERING
During the standard 50…minute hour； your students’ attention will frequently wander in response to
external distractions （attractive fellow students； campus newspapers； outside noises） and internal
distractions （hunger； fatigue from late…night parties or athletic practice； distress over an exam failed during
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the preceding class period； sexual daydreams whose fantasy is much more stimulating than any lecture）。
This fierce petition means that at any given time many students are unaware of the important things
you have said。 （Try collecting a sample of your students’ notes from time to time to see how much of your
output was never received or was grossly distorted。）
Audience distractions may be minimized in several ways：
。 Timing： Hold your main points to about 5 minutes each （never more than 10 minutes） and
insert a bit of humor； an anecdote； or an opportunity for a few questions into the transition
period preceding the next main point。 An outline on the board or a mimeographed outline is
beneficial in keeping the students–and yourself–on track。
。 Variety： Use catchy stylistic devices （stories； clever brief demonstrations） and change your
expressive style （volume； pacing； pregnant pauses） to add variety to the rather narrow band of
stimuli involved in straight talk。 Although you have written out your lecture； do not read it！
。 Mini…climaxes： Draw your information together at several points throughout the lecture；
reemphasizing relevant ideas and conceptual ties and providing those students who may have
“zoned out” earlier with the means to reenter the flow of information。
。 Value the ending： The conclusion of the lecture is vital to its total impact； often； due to the recency
effect； the conclusion will be remembered best。 Use it well。 Never rush in the last quarter of the
class to say quickly all of the essential points。 It is better to reserve the time needed to effectively
summarize； even if students are left to expand a few of the main points on their own。
IN ADDITION TO LECTURE
DISCUSSIONS
Discussions have limited value in introductory courses for several reasons。 Classes are frequently too large
for their effective use； extroverts in the front rows may carry on a lively dialogue while their peers at the rear
call up their favorite daydreams。 In addition； discussions can be a “pooling of ignorance” because students
may not have read the assigned material in the text and may lack the background necessary to contribute to
a meaningful discussion。 Despite these considerations； students benefit from； and enjoy； sharing their ideas
and experiences。 The goal is to make that sharing educationally beneficial。 Here are some suggestions：
。 Make your intention clear to the students by saying “Let’s talk about how you feel when you’ve
been punished—when your parents criticize you or you get a ticket for a traffic violation；” or
“What do you think influences our self…esteem？ How do we form our opinions about
ourselves？”
。 Plan topics for discussion around experiences students have had； a film that has been shown；
or a situation that you have described。
。 Pause after introducing the topic or asking the question to give students time to consider a
response。
。 Tactfully summarize or repeat the point made by a student if the student has expressed himself
or herself poorly or did not speak loudly enough to be heard by class members。
。 Be receptive to students’ contributions to the discussion and reinforce them for participating。
Reward them with verbal mendations for ments and questions； and if the point they
have made is particularly relevant or insightful； let the class know。 When students’ ments
are erroneous or irrelevant； or when students have difficulty expressing themselves； still
respond in a positive tone； and try to salvage some part of their ments to move the
discussion along。
。 Try breaking the class into small groups for discussion。 Prepare explicit directions for the
groups； and require each group to make a report to you or to the class。
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DEMONSTRATIONS
Preparation is the key to the successful use of demonstrations。 If equipment or props are required； they
should be assembled and set up before class。 If something goes wrong； it is better to abandon or postpone
the demonstration than to fiddle with the equipment or send a student for a missing ingredient。 Remember
that petent people are more lovable if they make an occasional blunder； particularly if they can handle
the situation with humor。
Relate demonstrations to everyday experiences。 For example； if you demonstrate how additive mixtures of
blue and green produce yellow； suggest that students look at their color…television screen with a magnifying
glass。
Although students enjoy evaluation of their personality traits； copies of standardized tests are not included
in this manual because of copyright laws。 However； most psychology departments have a test file you could
examine for appropriate tests。 If you do use a test or tests； you should carefully explain to students that
these tests have limited validity and reliability； and that any single test is a small element in the evaluation
of an individual’s personality。
FILMS AND VIDEOS
Audiovisual materials are an effective and enjoyable way of municating psychological concepts to
students。 A review of specific remended films is included within the Chapter…by…Chapter section。
Films and videos available on your own campus have the advantage of being readily available both for
previewing and for use in class。 Remember to reserve them for the date you want to show them in class。
Always preview a film or video before showing it in class。 If it is of poor quality or inappropriate； you can
avoid wasting class time。
SLIDES； TRANSPARENCIES； AND LASERDISCS
Slides； transparencies； and images from the laserdisc add color and visual appeal to lectures。 A large image
of an eyeball； an illusion； the brain； or a Rorschach inkblot is worth many words。
In some ways； transparencies are the easiest to work with because they can be used in a lighted room。 In
addition； it is easy to make your own transparencies。 You can write directly on the masters or you can
photocopy an illustration and transfer it to a transparency master using a photocopying machine。
PUTER…ASSISTED INSTRUCTION
Technological innovations rarely have universal appeal when they first appear on the market。 However；
over time； the innovative often bees the monplace。 The once…daring use of slides； transparencies；
and films is now expected in introductory psychology classes。 An increasing number of elementary and
high school students are learning to use the puter and enter college with a degree of puter literacy
unknown to past generations。 As hardware prices fall； puters bee more attractive as cost…effective
tools for classroom use。 The use of puters in the classroom for instruction and in learning resource
centers for tutorial review is still new； but holds great promise。
HOW TO EVALUATE STUDENTS
DECISIONS ABOUT ASSIGNMENTS
Will I make reading assignments from publications other than the text？ Some instructors prefer to select a
limited number of chapters from the text and to assign other readings related to the chosen chapters。
Although this provides more in…depth coverage of some areas； it neglects other areas of psychology。 As the
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areas covered in the course are reduced； the course bees less and less the broad survey it is intended to
be。
At the introductory level； most professors assign all or most of the chapters in the text and little or no
outside reading。 Because of their familiarity with the material covered in the introductory course； instructors
can underestimate the difficulty of the text for students。 Students who do well in the introductory course
study； rather than just read； the text。 If you do want to assign some additional readings； be sure that your
campus library can supply enough copies of the assigned material。
Will I make writing assignments？
Your decision concerning writing assignments is likely to be influenced by the size of your class and the
amount of assistance you can expect for reading papers。 Writing experience is an important element in
education and if you have the time and resources； you should include some written work in your
requirements。 A good option is to assign several short papers rather than a traditional term paper。
DECISIONS ABOUT TESTING
How many tests will I give？
Due to the scope of material； it is best to test frequently in an introductory course。 Tests do take class time；
and if you think of tests as purely a means of evaluation； you may feel that frequent testing takes too much
class time。 However； tests are powerful pedagogical tools because they inspire students to study and they
provide feedback on the effectiveness of students’ efforts。 Marvels of modern technology； like the test bank
acpanying this text； have made testing relatively easy for the instructor。 You choose the items from the
test bank and the puter program will print them； number them； scramble them； and provide you with an
answer key； or keys if you use more than one order of items。 You can also edit test questions and add your
own。
What kind of tests will I give？
Multiple…choice tests are the standard evaluative method in introductory psychology。 Many of the multiple…
choice questions in the test bank that acpanies this text involve application； interpretation； or
conceptualization so you need not feel that you are just assessing rote learning。 If you prefer to give essay
tests or