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.