Psychology of Aging GEY 4612 Fall 2012 M W F 12:55-1:45 CWY 109

Transcription

1 Psychology of Aging GEY 4612 Fall 2012 M W F 12:55-1:45 CWY 109 Instructor: Elizabeth Handing Office Hours: Mon & Wed 2:00 4:00 pm or by appointment Office: MHC handing@mail.usf.edu Phone: This course is part of the University of South Florida s Foundations of Knowledge and Learning (FKL) Core Curriculum. It is certified for all Majors as a Social and Behavioral Sciences course and for the following Dimensions: Critical Thinking, Inquiry-Based Learning, Human and Cultural Diversity, and Interrelationships among Disciplines. Students enrolled in this course will be asked to participate in the USF General Education Assessment effort. This might involve submitting copies of writing assignments for review, responding to surveys, or participating in other measurements designed to assess the FKL Core Curriculum Learning Outcomes. In the event of an emergency, it may be necessary for USF to suspend normal operations. During this time, USF may opt to continue delivery of instruction through methods that include but are not limited to: Blackboard, Elluminate, Skype, and messaging and/or an alternate schedule. It s the responsibility of the student to monitor Blackboard site for each class for course specific communication, and the main USF, College, and department websites, s, and MoBull messages for important general information. A. Course description: This course will provide students with a comprehensive overview of psychological aspects of aging. This course will be organized into three broad sections. 1) In the first section of this course, you will become aware of the increasing population of older adults, methods in aging studies, biological theories, physical changes, quality of life and longevity, common diseases, and person-environment interactions. 2) The second section of this course will be geared towards the aging brain, where we will first begin with an introduction to neuroscience and neuroplasticity. Then move into a section that will cover attentional processes, types of memory, intelligence, and social cognition. 3) For the final section of this course, we will learn about changes in personality with age, psychological and cognitive disorders including depression, anxiety, dementia, relationships throughout the lifespan, death and dying, and end of life care. To finish the semester we will reflect back on what we have learned and focus on how we can successfully age and encourage others to do so also. This course is appropriate for students of all majors who are interested in learning more about the process of aging, and will also provide a basis for more advanced course work in the field of aging. Besides theory and research on aging, we will discuss practical issues of importance to all of us who are growing older, or who care for older parents, friends, or clients. For psychology majors, this course will provide an opportunity to apply general principles of psychology to applied topics in the field of aging. For gerontology majors, an increased appreciation of theories and applied techniques from the field of psychology will prove useful. 1

2 B. Course objectives: During this course, we will learn to appreciate the significance of studying aging as a continuous process throughout life and how early life experiences and cumulative factors affect psychological health in the later years. Within this framework, we will also focus on healthy aging as opposed to the negative associations that aging often carries and how diverse the aging population actually is. Moreover, we will challenge ourselves to investigate how different areas of study, particularly how the domains of psychology, aging, neuroscience, sociocultural, biology, and mental health fields, intersect and need to come together to functionally understand how psychological and aging processes unfold. C. Course outcomes: At the end of this course, students will be able to: 1. Explain the demographical changes in the older population 2. Exhibit proficiency in psychological and cognitive changes that occur with age. 3. Relate common principles of neuroscience to the psychological and aging fields. 4. Demonstrate knowledge of human diversity in the psychological field 5. Compare/contrast and synthesize research on the Psychology of Aging in a written paper; 6. Understand the mechanisms by which knowledge in the field is generated and evaluated; 7. Demonstrate their knowledge of human diversity in the psychological field in the portfolio project and examination questions; and 8. Demonstrate their knowledge of other disciplines in the portfolio project and examinations. D. Class Expectations: Please be on time, ready for class. Please turn off your cell phone when you enter the classroom (no texting and no eating) to help maintain a respectful environment by being considerate of others. Read the text by the assigned date. It will make lecture easier to understand, will improve class discussion, and will allow you to ask questions if something is unclear. Lecture material will overlap with the text but I will introduce new material that is not included in the reading that will appear on the exams. Not all material in the text will be covered in class, nor be on exams. To do well in the class, plan to attend all lectures. Some of the lectures will include in-class worksheets that will help you understand the material better. Participate in class- ask questions and join in discussion. If you have a question that you are curious about, you are probably not the only one, don t be afraid to ask. Contacting me: In order to receive the fastest response, I recommend that you me. I will also be available during office hours or by appointment. If you are having difficulty with any part of the class then let me know. Do not wait until the end of the semester to be concerned about your grade in the class. Required Text: Cavanaugh, J.C. & Blanchard-Fields, F. (2011) Adult Development and Aging. (6 th edition). Wadsworth Cengage Learning. ISBN: This book is available to purchase at the USF bookstore. Additional readings will be distributed via Blackboard. 2

3 E. Course Requirements: 1. Exams: There will be two (2) exams and a final given during the term. Each of these exams and final will include multiple choice questions and may include True/False, matching questions, and short answer questions. Each of the two (2) exams and the final exam will be worth each. Students who come to class will have the greatest opportunity to learn and to maximize their grades on the tests. There will be no make-up exams except under very unusual circumstances and only for a documented reason. You must notify me before class via if you are going to be absent. In the rare circumstance when there is a make-up exam, it will be in an essay format and will be much tougher. It is advised to not miss an exam. 2. In-Class Activities: Throughout the semester a series of in class activities will be given. They may include an in-class worksheet, learning log, a short response to a film, and/or exam review activities. In order to get the points for these activities, you must be present. Activities will be geared towards helping you perform better on the tests. In-class activities will be worth 25 points total. 3. Quizzes: There will be four (4) short quizzes assessing your knowledge of material. These will be posted on blackboard at a designated time; each quiz is worth. You will be able to drop your lowest quiz score, only three will count towards your final grade. See class schedule for dates. 4. Portfolio Project: For this project you will first write a series of 1-3 page papers on a selected topic, which will incorporate critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity. Your goal is to explore and learn about a topic of interest that will be practical and useful to your studies. Specific information for each assignment discussed in class and will be listed in the Portfolio Project document. All assignments need to meet the page requirements, be doubled spaced, 12 point Times New Roman, with 1 inch margins. You are required to submit all assignments via Safe Assignment in Blackboard. The assignments must be submitted to Safe Assignment by 11:59 PM on the corresponding due date below. Late assignments will not be accepted. Final Grade: Grades will be based on total points from two (2) exams, the final exam, in-class activities, quizzes and portfolio project. It is possible that a curve will be given on some tests but please do not expect it. Exam 1 on Sept 21 Exam 2 on Oct 19 Final Exam Dec 10 Quiz on Sept 12 Quiz on Oct 3 Quiz on Nov 9 Quiz on Nov 30 Portfolio Project In-class activities Total Class Points () 100 point 500 points 3

4 Date Topic Reading Assignments Class Assignments Due Aug 27 Syllabus Syllabus In class activity due Class Overview Aug 29 Why study Aging? Ch1 Aug 31 Methods cont. Ch1 Sep 3 No Class- Labor Day Ch3 Sept 5 Do I have to get old? Ch3 Theories on Aging Sept 7 Biological Changes with Age Blackboard reading Portfolio Project #1 Sept 10 Longevity Quality of Life Ch4 Sept 12 Disease and medications Ch4 Quiz 1 Sept 14 Disability Ch4 Sept 17 Stress and Cognition, Ch5 How are they related? Sept 19 Long Term Care Ch5 In Class Activity In Class Exam Review Sept 21 EXAM #1 EXAM #1 Sep 24 Intro to Neuroscience Ch2 Sep 26 Cognitive Aging, Ch2 What is normal? Sep 28 Socio-emotional response Ch2 Portfolio Project #2 Oct 1 Attention and Memory Ch6 Oct 3 Long term/short term Ch6 Quiz 2 Types of Memory Oct 5 Psychological Ch6 Evaluations/Clinical Oct 8 Intelligence Ch7 Oct 10 Cognitive change Ch7 Oct 12 Guest Lecture on cognition Ch7 In Class Activity Oct 15 Special Topic: Alzheimer s Blackboard reading 4

5 Oct 17 In Class Review Oct 19 EXAM #2 EXAM #2 Oct 22 Personality Ch8 Oct 24 Jung Theory Ch8 Oct 26 Identity Reflection Ch9 Portfolio Project #3 Oct 29 Mental Health Ch10 Oct 31 Depression, Dementia, Ch10 Delirium Nov 2 Other Disorders/ Discuss Portfolio Project Ch10 Nov 5 Relationships in old age Ch11 Nov 7 Caregiving Ch11 Nov 9 Life Course Perspective Ch11 Quiz 3 Nov 12 No Class Veterans Day In Class Activity Nov 14 Work, job, gender Ch12 Portfolio Project #4 Nov 16 Transitions & leisure time Nov 19 Retirement Ch12 Nov 21 Film Optional film review Nov 23 No class- Thanksgiving Nov 26 Death and Dying Ch13 Nov 28 Life Course, Hospice Ch13 Nov 30 Living longer, living better Ch13 Quiz 4 Dec 3 Successful Aging Ch14 Dec 5 Nutrition Ch14 Dec 7 In class activity/review In Class Activity Dec 10 Final Exam Monday, Dec 10 th 8-10pm in CWY 109 5