by Jacquelyn Cranney, The University of New South Wales, NSW, Australia
Psychological literacy is the capacity to intentionally use psychology to meet personal, professional and societal needs. In the nine years since its re-making, the greatest uptake of the concept of psychological literacy has been within undergraduate psychology education in the UK, Australia and North America. There is a need for further conceptual development, which can then lead to (a) more valid and reliable measurement, and (b) more rigorous evaluation of the impact of educational ‘interventions’. The ethical and resource challenges of emphasizing knowledge application and skill development within the undergraduate psychology curriculum are discussed. The potential usefulness of psychological literacy is explored in relation to learners’ needs.