Teaching Perspectives on War and Peace: Views from Five

Countries

John M. Davis

Texas State University

Anglo Countries Surveyed using GIPGAP

• Great Britain

• Northern Ireland

• Australia

• Canada

• United States

Qualitative Survey Questions

• How do you define “war”?

• How do you define “torture”?

• How do you define “terrorism”?

• How do you define “peace”?

• How do you define “reconciliation”?

Quantitative Survey Questions

Participants rated their level of agreement to the following on a 7-point scale:

• Sometimes one country has the right to invade another country.

• The government has a right to order the torture of prisoners during times of war.

• I believe that world peace can be achieved.

Teaching Statistics using Data

• Illustrating qualitative (nominal) measurement with qualitative items

• Illustrating quantitative (ordinal, interval, ratio) measurement with quantitative items

• Illustrating variability using people’s diverse views to the survey questions

• Illustrating central tendency using average or most representative views for each country

Teaching International Psychology

• Each student selects a country to research and report on

• The international handbooks provide both background and important data on the views of people in 43 countries

• The international handbooks also illustrate how psychological research addresses important issues

Conclusion

• Psychology has much to offer in advancing scientific knowledge of human behavior.

• We can promote international understanding.

• We can work together toward a sustainable and peaceful future.