Psychological Literacy A First Approximation

Reported here are the results of a study to determine which terms and concepts in psychology's basic subfields are judged to be of suj~cient importance that they should be general knowledge within the psychological community, especially to students. Questionnaires con- taining 200-250 terms and concepts from each of lO sub- fields of psychology were sent to authors of textbooks in those subfields with a request that they make such judg- ments in the form of ratings. Authors suggested additional terms that were the basis for a second questionnaire. The results have been compiled into tables of "Psychology's Top 100" concepts and of ranked lists of the 100 highest rated terms for each of the 10 subfield areas studied. What are the nuggets in the mother lode of psychological knowledge? How would we know them when we saw them? Some time ago I saw these two questions as crucial to the identification of a general core of psychology that psychologists and their students might be expected to know. The reader will recognize in this concern the in- fluence of E. J. Hirsch, whose book Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs To Know caught the atten- tion of the American public in 1987. Hirsch's thesis was that many Americans have not been provided with the educational background necessary to understand efforts at serious communication, in other words to be good cit- izens. What they need, according to Hirsch, is a knowl- edge base that is encompassed in a long list of terms, concepts, sayings, and people that is presented in the book. Although Hirsch's thesis and his materials have been variously received, I found the general idea of a core of knowledge appealing; citizens are also needed in the psy- chological community. Perhaps U.S. colleges and uni- versities might come to agree on a basic set of materials that psychology majors might be expected to master prior to their graduation. Students might be guided in their course selection by the idea that competence with a rec- ognizable set of concepts and materials was the norm for graduate work or even for an undergraduate education. Not the least of the attractions of a core of psychological material is its explicit messageDthat psychology is much more than it has been portrayedDto a public that knows only the "junk" psychology propagated by the popular press. Psychologists would all agree that psychology has much to say in a large number of important and fasci- nating areas. But what are the more critical parts of these areas that an educated public should be apprised of?. Thus motivated, I undertook the task of developing a list of terms and concepts that our students should know. If not cultural literacy, I could at least aspire toward the identification of a measure of psychological literacy.