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OREM — Nearly 80 percent of introductory psychology textbooks contain factual inaccuracies in their discussion about intelligence, according to a new study released by two Utah Valley University professors and a student.
“Psychology is such a broad field that it is impossible for one person to be an expert on every topic. So, we expected some inaccuracies,” Russell Warne, a UVU psychology professor, said in an emailed statement. “Finding that over three-quarters of textbooks said something that was easily shown to be incorrect was surprising to us.”
Warne, Jessica Hill, another professor at UVU, and Mayson Astle, a student at the university, found 23 of the primary 29 college-level introductory psychology textbooks had at least one inaccuracy. The results were part of a study published in the Archives of Scientific Psychology on Monday.
The study found that nearly half of the books included the inaccurate claim that intelligence tests were biased against racial or cultural minorities.
However, Warne argues intelligence test creators have been aware of a need to be culturally and linguistically sensitive for decades, and have already created solutions for that problem.
The study also said claims that IQ scores are only useful in academia and not outside of schools was another common error in the textbooks. However, the researchers said about a century’s worth of research has found IQ scores can predict anything from job performance to physical health and longevity and income in adulthood.
The researchers added that the most frequently mentioned topic in the textbooks was psychologist Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, despite there being no evidence to back his theory.
Warne said he and his colleagues hope the new study will help in improving psychology education for future students. He said he planned to send textbook authors a list of the errors they found with a copy of the study.
“We’re not just in the business of taking potshots at other people’s work,” he said. “We have the same goals as the textbook authors: to provide psychology students with an excellent education.”
Editor's note: The content from this article was taken from a press release sent out by Utah Valley University. This is not information gathered by KSL.com reporters.
