Exposure to Psychology Courses and Misconceptions About Psychology: A Multi-Site Student Survey

In recent years, misconceptions about the value and safety of medical vaccines and many other topics have gone viral on social media, fueling controversies about the wisdom of public health policies, and leading some believers to make suboptimal decisions about their health and other matters. Misconceptions about behavior and mental processes are also widespread and can have significant negative consequences, as when jurors who believe in the infallibility of eyewitness testimony find an innocent defendant guilty. Because introductory psychology courses can reduce students’ endorsement of such misconceptions, especially when instructors explicitly debunk them, we decided to explore the relationship between psychological misconceptions and exposure to advanced psychology courses. Our analysis of responses to an 80-item misconceptions survey taken by 750 undergraduates at eight U.S. colleges and universities found that, compared to students who had taken no psychology courses, those who had taken three or more, as majors or nonmajors, were significantly less likely to endorse psychological misconceptions, especially those typically covered in those courses. Although our research design does not allow causal explanations, the results are consistent with the notion that advanced psychology courses may play a role in combating misconceptions about psychology, thus justifying instructors’ efforts to debunk them.

Statement of public significance: Misconceptions about human behavior and mental processes are widespread and potentially harmful. Like other forms of misinformation, they may misguide our actions and decisions as voters, jurors, parents, teachers, consumers, journalists, filmmakers, writers, and in many other social roles. Evidence that taking multiple psychology courses is associated with reduction of such misconceptions supports the value of advanced courses for majors and non-majors alike.