Taking Psych 101: A View from the Back of the Room

Abstract

Hoping to refresh my memory on how students might study for a first-year college course, I took introductory psychology. I found that certain study skills, such as identifying main ideas and using the SQ3R system, were of little benefit. Information from a single source, either the textbook or the lectures, was often insufficient for adequate comprehension. With only the vaguest understanding of important concepts, it was possible to perform well on multiple-choice tests. Based on my experience in this course, I offer some suggestions for helping students to learn introductory psychology.