Harold Takooshian

Internationalizing undergraduate psychology education: Trends, techniques, and technologies.

How can we best internationalize undergraduate psychology education in the United States and elsewhere? This question is more timely than ever, for at least 2 reasons: Within the United States, educators and students seek greater contact with psychology programs abroad, and outside the United States, psychology is growing apace, with educators and students in other nations often looking to U.S. curricula and practices as models. In this article, we outline international developments in undergraduate psychology education both in the United States and abroad, and analyze the dramatic rise of online courses and Internet-based technologies from an instructional and international point of view. Building on the recommendations of the 2005 APA Working Group on Internationalizing the Undergraduate Psychology Curriculum, we then advance 14 recommendations on internationalizing undergraduate psychology education--for students, faculty, and institutions.

Public Attitudes Toward the Ethics of Organ Donation

Abstract This study expanded on previous investigations exploring public attitudes toward the human rights issues involved in organ donation practices and personal support for these practices. Participants included college and graduate students, and senior citizens (N = 99). Attitudes were assessed prior to and following the presentation of a brief informational DVD on major organ donation practices. Results indicated that participants were largely divided in their attitudes toward human rights issues, as well as in personal support for donation practices. Registration status was correlated with education, r = .47, p < .001. Support for donation incentive programs varied. Registered donors showed a change in attitudes toward human rights issues, t(22) = 2.18, p = .04. For non-registered donors, personal support for donation practices decreased after viewing the DVD, t(51) = - 3.06, p = .004. Results are discussed in terms of implications for increasing donation.

The Case of Sybil in the Teaching of Psychology

What do psychology professors today typically tell their students about the case of Sybil (F. R. Schreiber, 1973)--once considered the classic case of multiple personality disorder (MPD), until gradually revealed to be a fraud by new evidence (R. W. Rieber, 1998)? A 14-item survey was completed by a national sample of 125 college psychology teachers. It was found that a sizable minority of teachers discuss MPD (35%) or Sybil (23%) in their classes, 40% continue to regard Sybil as a classic case of MPD, and 83% report being only slightly or not at all familiar with new revelations about the Sybil case. Psychology teachers are offered 5 guidelines for accurately teaching about Sybil today.

Where were you August 8, 1985?

In February 1987, President Reagan challenged reporters at a press conference to “remember what they were doing on August 8, 1985.” In this experiment, 35 subjects were given 5 min to recall personal episodes from that date, 19 months earlier. All subjects were able to give a general recollection of where they had been and what they had been doing. Fifty-four percent gave details of personal episodes that distinguished that day from all others. The specific protocols contain significantly more negative accounts than do the general protocols. The implications and limitations of the study are discussed.

Urban Psychology: Its history and current status

Abstract “What impact has city life on the individual–our behavior, personality, values, relationships?” George Simmels 1905 publication of “The metropolis and mental life” remains a seminal essay on this central yet neglected question which we now term “urban psychology.” The centenary of Simmels essay in 2005 is an apt time to take stock of the history and current status of urban psychology, with a special issue of this journal gathering data-based articles on diverse aspects of urban psychology. This four-part article (a) summarizes Simmels 1905 essay, (b) comments on the dramatic population trends since 1905, (c) elaborates on 10 remarkable points about urban psychology, past and present, and (d) previews the five urban pychology reports in this special issue.

CALL FOR CROSS-NATIONAL RESEARCH: HOW DO STUDENTS VIEW THEIR UNIVERSITY?

“How do students view their own university?” The answer to this important but elusive question offers a welcome opportunity for cross-national research. In this two-part report, part one reviews the value of 360-degree feedback for educational institutions - why and how this may promote cross-national research. Part two offers a case study of research at Fordham University, examining a shift in student attitudes after the opening in 2016 of a new half-billion dollar Law School building in New York City.

Attitudes toward Organ Donation among Elderly Adults

Abstract This investigation sought to explore the contributory factors that impact the attitudes and beliefs of elderly people toward organ donation. Two studies were conducted to assess elderly peoples attitudes toward common myths and misconceptions about donation, as well as attitudes toward ethical practices involved with donation. The effects of a brief informational DVD containing narrative and statistical messages designed to educate and dispel myths about organ donation were examined. Participants included 33 elderly people from two senior residences in the Northeast. Data were compared to extant data already existing on college students in order to gain new insight into the impact of accurate, positive messages on attitudes about donation and the likelihood of becoming an organ donor. Higher donor registration rates were observed in the elderly in this sample (63.16%) compared to college students (17.85%). Relationships were found between age and being currently registered as a donor, willingness to be a living organ donor to a family member, and willingness to be a living organ donor to a close friend. Elderly people had more established attitudes toward ethical practices involved with donation; however, their attitudes toward human rights issues associated with these practices generally changed as a result of viewing a brief informational DVD. Findings are discussed in terms of increasing the rate of organ donation across the lifespan.