UWEC student researchers Nick Fruit, Keith Jorgensen, Emily Helwig, Katie George, and Colten Schmidt, along with faculty mentor Mike Axelrod, investigated pre-professionals' beliefs about common child and adolescent psychology myths.
Pre-professional students from education, nursing, and speech-language pathology were asked to identify common myths and research supported ideas in child and adolescent psychology. Findings suggested that pre-professionals students were generally able to identify myths but often failed to recognize research-supported statements as factual. Implications include considering curricular changes and expanding pre-professionals' exposure to evidence-based practices and ideas.
The UWEC student researchers presented the study at the 2019 American Psychological Association Convention in Chicago in August. The study was well received, as it represents an important addition to the growing literature on beliefs about child and adolescent psychology myths. Those interested in reading more about the study can access the handout here: APA 2019 Myths Study.
