Attitudes towards psychology as a science and the persistence of psychological misconceptions in psychology undergraduates

Internationally, curricular guidelines for psychology recognise the scientific nature of the discipline, a position that is sometimes at odds with students’ expectations and interests. Students’ appreciation of psychology as a science increases with experience of the subject. However, students bring to the study of psychology a range of popular psychological misconceptions that often remain intact through their studies. The study described in this chapter examined endorsement of psychology-related misconceptions and anti-scientific views in students at different stages in their degree studies, as well as attitude towards psychology as a science