The Importance of Communicating Psychological Concepts in Educational Contexts: a Portuguese Exhibition

Background. Te principles of acquiring knowledge and developmental theories are powerful tools that psychologists use in educational contexts to change people’s lives. As student populations become more diverse, psychologists need to play an important role in the evaluation and adaptation of their cognitive, behavioral, motivational, attitudinal, and emotional needs and challenges. Tey can intervene in various areas, from curriculum development, to regulations and guidelines for the application of direct educational tools and techniques by students, teachers, or institutions. One way to promote change at a macro-level is through providing creative experiences, such as interactive and engaging exhibitions that foster personal development at diferent levels. Objective. Te main focus of this study was to contribute to a theoretical foundation for the need to communicate psychological concepts through exhibitions. Te secondary focus was the feedback given by visitors of all ages and educational contexts about how they enriched their knowledge about emotions through participating in an exhibit on the subject. Design. We used a descriptive design, which employed diverse kinds of feedback from the visitors to an exhibition to measure its impact. Te exhibition aimed at explaining in an interactive way what emotions are and how they may be regulated. Te Southern Regional Delegation of the Order of Portuguese Psychologists (OPP) developed and displayed the “Experiencing Emotions” Exhibition (EEE), which featured 30 diferent activities divided into three parts: recognizing, living with, and transforming emotions. Te exhibition toured the southern region of Portugal for nine months and was visited by more than 9000 people. Results. Te feedback was positive for all indicators. Conclusion. Exhibitions like this one may be powerful instruments in the future to ensure that everyone has access to psychological concepts through interactive experiences, and gains knowledge about themselves, others, and the world.