Lack of Attention to Identity and Social Structures Hinders Critical Consciousness in Psychology Courses Study compares the impact of a personality psychology course with a women's studies class on students' understandings of bias and identity. A recent article, published in the Journal of Critical Psychology, conducted mixed methods research to examine the impact of critical consciousness education on gender identity and the perception of sexism. Nia Phillips, a psychologist at Prince Edward Island University, designed the study to test how individual identity factors may interact with education to shape perceptions of bias. The study compared the influence of two courses on students’ perceptions, an introductory women’s studies course and an introductory personality psychology course.