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Fathali Moghaddam wants the field of psychology to be more progressive. 

That change starts in the classroom by emphasizing the ways in which social conditions, such as poverty and inequality, influence and affect the mind. As the editor of a new Cambridge University Press book series, , hopes to equip instructors and practitioners with the tools to modernize the field. 

鈥淔or too long, psychologists ignored the poor, ignored minorities and gave preference to the rich,鈥� Moghaddam, a professor in the , explains. 鈥淎s psychologists, to some extent, we have failed to account for how these factors have affected our traditional assessments. Pioneering research is showing that poverty has an important influence on cognition and action.鈥�

Moghaddam penned the aptly-titled first volume in the series, , which parallels a standard introductory textbook in its structure, but introduces research on the impacts of poverty and social class alongside the standard PSYCH-101 curriculum. 

鈥淭he goal of How Psychologists Failed is to present an outline of how poverty matters and why it should be a bigger topic within psychology courses and research,鈥� Moghaddam says. 

The prolific author is quick to stress that a courageous group of researchers is blazing a new path on poverty research, and is beginning to receive recognition. 

鈥淲e are building a wealth of psychological research that focuses on the impacts of poverty on cognition, on problem-solving and on cognitive tests,鈥� Moghaddam says. 鈥淭his book brings that information to the forefront, encouraging classrooms to discuss justice and poverty.鈥�

Psychological Tools for Educators

After releasing How Psychologists Failed, Moghaddam鈥檚 series will publish volumes from other experts in the field, including Cultural Learning in Urban Schools and Minority Serving Institutions, A Guide for Educators by Tiffany Brown (SFS鈥�14). Brown, an assistant professor at the , is excited by the overlap between her research and the Progressive Psychology series. 

鈥淭here is a natural fit between the overarching themes in this series and my research,鈥� says Brown. 鈥淢y volume focuses on how K-16 teachers learn about their students鈥� cultures when working in diverse schools.鈥�

For Brown, educators, administrators and policymakers need to acknowledge how their professional experiences are influenced by the fact that the stratum of decision-makers in America鈥檚 education system is largely white, but the student body is ever-diversifying. 

鈥淢y book is about how to develop more constructive relationships between educators and their students in diverse schools, colleges and universities,鈥� Brown says. 鈥淚ts purpose is to address the psychological consequences of the cultural mismatch for educators who are learning in real-time 鈥� often on their own 鈥� about how to better serve the unique needs of students from low-income and other minoritized cultural communities.鈥�

As a Georgetown alumna who went on to earn degrees at Columbia and Harvard Universities, Brown has been excited to reconnect with Moghaddam. A Culture and Politics major in the School of Foreign Service, Brown recalls abruptly entering Moghaddam鈥檚 office to propose integrating psychological research into her studies. She found him watering plants and not at all perplexed by her unannounced entry. 

鈥淗e guided me towards taking the psychology core curriculum classes while completing my CULP coursework and supported my research development in the honors psychology program,鈥� Brown says. 鈥淗e was more than an early investor for me, he was an early believer 鈥� which means so much more to me in a way because he saw what I didn鈥檛 know was in me back then.鈥�

How Psychologists Failed is out November 3 from Cambridge University Press.