This learning object is a TEDx talk by Matthew Hornsey (Professor of Social Psychology, University of Queensland) on the psychology of imposters.
Type of Material:
Presentation (YouTube video of a TEDx presentation)
Recommended Uses:
This is a good video to use as an in-class presentation (18 minutes) or as the basis of a homework assignment. It is useful for understanding stigma (individual and group behavior, including what drives that behavior).
Technical Requirements:
Viewers will need audio and video capabilities. The presentation is hosted via YouTube. Two reviewers successfully accessed the presentation in Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Internet Explorer.
Identify Major Learning Goals:
Viewers will:
o Understand the psychology of imposters (i.e., why and how imposters emerge)..
o Understand how we perceive imposters.
o Understand why some need to hide who they are.
o Understand how and why we choose to present ourselves to the world and the psychological consequences of concealing who we are on others and ourselves.
Target Student Population:
The presentation is useful for undergraduate students studying human behavior.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
No prerequisite knowledge is needed. Students will benefit the most from the presentation if they have a basic understanding of attribution theory and interpersonal perception.
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
• The presentation is discussed at a level easily understood by a lay audience yet it also includes extensive discussion of the psychological research supporting imposter phenomena and imposter blindness. It covers the nuances of what it means to be an imposter and how our own biases influence perceptions of others.
• The talk addresses a large range of reasons why someone would present themselves differently. It demonstrates intragroup and intergroup relations in the context of identity threat and includes areas such as sexuality, gender bias, racial and religious persecution.
Concerns:
None.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
• The talk highlights research related to imposter syndrome and imposter blindness; it uses case studies and examples to foster interest and engagement. The material is presented in an easy-to-understand fashion.
• It is effective as a tool to consider how we label and judge one another based on identity and claims of identity. This topic is relevant for courses and lectures in social psychology, studies of gender, history, and personality/anxiety (i.e., life is full of illusions, and everyone is not who they appear to be nor as confident as they appear to be).
• The short length of the video makes it amenable to classroom use or as the basis for a homework assignment.
Concerns:
• The teacher will need to create the context and provide baseline information to ensure that students get maximum benefit from the video. While the video is clearly related to psychology, the presentation was not created as a classroom resource, so effective “set-up” of the video will be necessary to show the relationship to course concepts.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
• The talk is short, easy-to-understand, and interesting. Because the video is hosted on YouTube, it is easily viewed on any computer with audio and video capabilities. Transcripts and closed captioning are provided for the video.
• The 17.5 minute video can be watched in or out of class. Only an Internet connection to the video is required.
Concerns:
None.
Creative Commons:
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