| To many college students, psychology remains a controversial discipline. Previous studies indicate that distorted views about psychology may even be playing a contributory role in students' perceptions of psychology as a career option. The purpose of this study was to assess whether Miller's (1969) proposition to accurately "give psychology away" to all individuals has yet been achieved. Several groups were formed from 619 college students according to the existence or lack of high school psychology, gender, age, ethnicity, and students' parent's education. A series of cross-tabulations were performed to assess relationships between the above variables and students' misconceptions, general knowledge, and attitudes toward psychology as a career. Results indicate that specific groups of students possess misconceptions, negative attitudes, and limited knowledge about psychology. Implications for career-choices in psychology among these students and possible explanations for these differences are discussed. |
