Thursday, December 26, 2013

New for 2014: The ToPIX SOAR Library

Posted on behalf of Carrie Lloyd, ToPIX Assistant Editor

ToPIX SOAR Library (Student Online Academic Research Library)
New to ToPIX is the SOAR Library (Student Online Academic Research Library) -- a page where college students can post their own empirical research studies. 

I have taught undergraduate research classes for several years and am now teaching a graduate-level research course, and although students get experience conducting their own studies with our student population, it obviously limits them by only having access to one 'type' of participant. Most instructors are, undoubtedly, in this same dilemma. Even with extremely well-conducted research and written products, our students are limited in their chance to get published. My hope is that with this tool, students will be able to increase their ‘N’, and have access to a more representative sample. With this more representative sample, their conclusions will be more generalizable, and thus can increase their chances of getting their work published. On this ToPIX page, students can solicit others to be subjects in their own primary studies.

We also hope that instructors will help promote this site by referring their students to this page as participants. Instructors can give extra credit for participation in addition to requiring students to post their study. Either way, this is a great experience for all the students involved. (What student doesn’t need more research experience??)

Please see the new ToPIX page for more details and instructions on how to get your students’ research posted. SOAR inclusion criteria can be found here.

Thank you!

~Dr. Carrie A. Lloyd

New ToPIX Content: 12/26/13

This update includes additions to the Development in the Classroom, Gender & Sexuality in the Classroom, Development Video, Statistics Video, Perception Video, I/O Video, Careers Video, Psychological Disorders in the News, Psychology Humor pages.


Will you be teaching Lawrence Kohlberg’s stages of moral development? If so, check out the Development in the Classroom page. Michael Britt posted a link to an episode of the The Psych Files podcast with a number of effective mnemonics to help students memorize the order and key ideas in each of Kohlberg's Stages.

A tip of the hat goes to Christie Cathey (via STP Facebook Group 11/19/13) for reminding us of the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory. Assignment ideas, instructor resources, and an online version of the ASI available were posted here on ToPIX. Visit the Gender & Sexuality in the Classroom page for more.

Big thanks go to Michael Britt for the following posts to video pages. First, if you need some mnemonic imagery to memorize Freud’s stages of psychosexual development, check out the Development Video page. Two new videos for Statistics and Research Methods instructors were posted to the Statistics Video page. See the videos on experiments and factorial design. If you are teaching depth perception in Intro or Sensation & Perception, check out the Perception video page for a 12 minute podcast. Lastly, Michael shared an podcast that could be used in Intro, I/O Psych, or an Intro to the Psych Major course. The podcast helps dispel myths about what I/O psychologists do. Check it out on the I/O Videos page.

Continuing with the career theme is Kit Nast’s post to the Career Videos page. There you will find interviews with people of various occupations: Case Manager, Clinical Psychologist, School Psychologist, and University Professor. You may even see some familiar faces!

Jessica Hartnett posted links to an NPR story on the problems faced by dishonorably discharged veterans when they attempt to seek health care (including mental health care) following dishonorable discharge from the military. Read more on the Psychological Disorders in the News page.

And the last update of 2013 is a new page, Psychology Humor. If you are looking for a repository of psychology memes and humor, bookmark this link to a Pinterest Board. Some of the cartoons, memes, and the like could be great for presentations. Hat tip to Carol Furchner via the STP Facebook Group.  

Thanks again to Michael, Christie, KitJessica, and Carol for their contributions to ToPIX!


If you have found that ToPIX has helped your teaching, please consider contributing! You are welcome to update the wiki yourself or just send me an email with suggestions: (TOPIX@TeachPsych.org).