Jennifer P. Leszczynski

Using Empirical Article Analysis to Assess Research Methods Courses

Developing students who can apply their knowledge of empirical research is a key outcome of the undergraduate psychology major. This learning outcome was assessed in two research methods courses by having students read and analyze a condensed empirical journal article. At the start and end of the semester, students in multiple sections of an introductory research methods course and students in sections of an advanced methods course answered questions about a condensed journal article in a pre–post approach. Students in the advanced course significantly outperformed students in the introductory course at both administrations, and students in both courses improved significantly from beginning to end of the semester. Results indicate that using journal article analysis can effectively supplement assessment efforts for psychology departments.

The social psychology of attraction and romantic relationships

PART I: ATTRACTION 1. Forming Attitudes toward Potential Partners: First Impressions of Physical Characteristics 2. Forming Attitudes toward Potential Partners: First Impressions of Non-Physical Characteristics 3. First Impressions of Non-Physical Characteristics: Levels of Acquaintance and the Importance of Meeting in Person 4. Evolutionary Theory 5. Initiating and Enhancing Attraction PART II: ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS 6. Assessing and Changing Attitudes toward Romantic Partners 7. Romantic Relationships 8. Sex and Love 9. Gender

Gender, Race, and Age: The Content of Compound Stereotypes Across the Life Span.

While stereotypes about gender, race, and age (particularly old age) have been studied independently, few have examined the content of compound stereotypes that consider the intersection of gender, race, and age. Using a within-subjects design, we examined stereotypes as a function of target gender (male, female), race (Black, White), and age across the life span (adolescent, young adult, middle-aged, young-old, and old-old). Participants rated 20 target groups on 10 attributes representative of either an agentic (e.g., ambitious) or communal (e.g., considerate) orientation. Participants were presented only with categorical information (e.g., Black, 85-year-old, males), and ordering of categorical information and target groups was counterbalanced across participants. We hypothesized differential effects of target gender and race as a function of age. Multivariate analyses of variance on each attribute revealed significant main effects that supported traditional stereotype research, but significant interactions revealed a more complicated picture. Overall, results showed that while gender stereotypes about agency and communion generally hold up across the life span, they are more applicable to White than Black targets. Results also supported the notion that we hold unique stereotypes based on multiple social categories rather than simply perceiving one social category as more salient than another, which was best exemplified in the case of Black female targets that were less likely to be perceived in gender stereotypic ways across the life span. We suggest stereotype research needs to shift to accommodate for the complexity and diversity of real people.