Similarities and Differences in the Implicit Causal Models of Faculty and Students

Do faculty members and students share the same underlying cognitive models? A specially-developed causal matrix was completed by 15 faculty members of the Department of Behavioral Sciences and 32 students enrolled in Introductory Psychology. Analyses of results suggest marked differences in the implicit models of these two groups. Compared to faculty, students do not differentiate causes from effects, generally overrate the number and strength of causal relationships, and include recursive relationships in their modal model. Several pedagogical implications of these findings are discussed.