Statistics and research methods courses are constants in psychology curricula (Perlman &
McCann, 2005; Stoloff, Sanders, & McCarthy, 2005) because they function as the glue
that binds together other areas of psychology (Stanovich, 2007) and serve as the building
blocks on which psychologists construct, verify, and extend what they know about
psychological phenomena. The American Psychological Association (APA) Task Force on
Psychology Major Competencies echoed this sentiment, listing knowledge of science in
general and research methods in particular as primary goals for undergraduate education
(APA, 2007). In fact, some psychologists have even argued that the primary goal of under-
graduate education in psychology is to teach students to think like scientists (e.g., Brewer
et al., 1993).
Many statistics and research methods instructors also strive to teach critical thinking,
which APA lists as one of its primary goals for undergraduate education as well (APA,
2007). However, although most faculty would vigorously endorse statistics and research
methods as courses that help promote these goals, we would be remiss if we did not
recognize that students often fail to appreciate what they can learn in these courses. For
example, it is not uncommon for students in these courses to “go through the motions,”
learning course content—or at least retaining it long enough to do well on an exam—but
failing to see how knowledge of statistics and research methods can make them better
consumers of information or better decision makers once they leave the classroom.
Similarly, many students, especially those whose interests lie in the area of applied
psychology (e.g., clinical psychology, industrial/organizational psychology), fail to
comprehend how knowledge of statistics and research methods will make them better
practitioners. In essence, students who take statistics and research methods often do not
think critically about the information they encounter in these courses. As a result, although
they may have a basic understanding of statistical and methodological concepts, they fail
to grasp how thinking critically about this information can, at the least, make them better
consumers of information and maybe even better psychologists. Thus the primary purpose
Chapter 13
Teaching Critical Thinking in Statistics
and Research Methods
Bryan K. Saville, Tracy E. Zinn, Natalie Kerr
Lawrence, Kenneth E. Barron, and Jeffrey Andre
Teaching Critical Thinking in Psychology: A Handbook of Best Practices Edited by D. S. Dunn, J. S. Halonen, and R. A. Smith
© 2008 Blackwell Publishing Ltd. ISBN: 978-1-405-17402-2