A Role-Playing Exercise for the History of Psychology Course

Abstract

A procedure is described in which college students portray individuals studied in the History of Psychology course. The students work in teams, and develop a presentation allowing figures from different time periods (e.g., Locke, Wundt, Thorndike, and Rogers) to discuss and debate psychological issues. Additionally, each student prepares a bibliography and position summary of the individual portrayed. Variations of this basic procedure, some more successful than others, have been tried in three different classes and are also described. It is concluded that the exercise can be a valuable pedagogical tool that gives students personal appreciation of historical figures, plus a better understanding of continuity in the evolution of psychological issues.