ABSTRACT
Introductory psychology is often the first course-indeed, possibly the only psychology course-that undergraduate students take in the discipline. As a result, students and their teachers harbor great expectations about the course. Students anticipate being exposed to the whole field of psychology, a proverbial Cook’s tour in one term. They are curious to learn, but their curiosity is often tempered, if not colored, by prior expectations about what they believe psychology is. Many students are surprised to learn that, although important, a mental health service orientation is but one aspect of the discipline. Learning that psychology is a science committed to discovery, as well as application, is often news to undergraduate students, but this message is especially critical in the introductory course.
