The Psychology of Aging (Psych 326)
Spring semester 2006
Instructor: Dr. Mitchell Sommers
Prerequisites:
Experimental Psychology or permission of instructor
Office: 417A Psychology building
Office hours: Mon. Wed. and Fri. 1-2 and by appointment
Phone/e-mail: 935-6561/MSommers@wustl.edu
Course web page: http://artsci.wustl.edu/~msommers/aging
Text: Cavanaugh, J.C. , Adult Development and Aging, 5th
Edition
Other required readings: Occasionally, I will hand out readings in class that will supplement lecture material. I will generally try to hand these out a week before we discuss them.
Course Description:
This course is designed to provide the advanced
undergraduate student with an introduction to the psychological changes that
occur during aging. The
psychological changes that we will examine include alterations in sensory
abilities (primarily hearing and vision), cognitive functions (memory,
attention, etc.), personality factors (introversion/extroversion), mental
health, and social relationships.
One of the main themes of the course will be consideration, not only of
how particular psychological factors change with age but how these changes
impact the lives of older individuals.
Age-related changes take place in social and societal contexts that are
specific to the older person. To
understand "what it's like to be old" we need to understand both how
psychological abilities change and the context in which those changes
occur.
A second emphasis of
the course will be on critically evaluating research studies. The importance of this aspect of the
course cannot be overstated. For
many areas that we will consider, there are no definitive answers. As a result, it is not unusual to find
competing explanations being offered for the same behaviors. Under such circumstances, it is
essential that we critically examine the studies on which particular
explanations are based to determine whether they contain methodological or
theoretical inconsistencies. To do
this, we will first need a thorough working knowledge of the research methods
used in the psychological study of aging.
Once we are familiar with the techniques used to study age-related
changes, we can apply them to any of the areas that we will consider.
Evaluation:
Examinations:
Grades
in the course will be based on 3 in-class examinations and an optional exam.
The dates for the in-class examinations are:
February 17, - Exam 1
March 29, - Exam 2
April 28, - Exam 3
IF YOU MISS ONE OF THE EXAMS YOU MUST TAKE THE FINAL
Format
of the exams: Exams will be a mix of objective
(multiple choice) and short answer (1-3 paragraphs).
Optional
final exam:
For students who were not satisfied with their
performance on one of the exams, there will be an opportunity to take a
cumulative all-essay final exam.
If your score on the optional final is higher than any of the individual
exams that were given during the semester, we will replace the lowest grade
with your score on your final. If
you score lower on the final exam than any of the other three exams, we will
simply not count your final exam. In other words, taking the final cannot
hurt your grade, but it can improve it if it is higher than one of the three
in-class exams.
Additional
requirements
All students will be required to participant in 6 hours of experiments as part of the Psychology departmentıs participant pool or to complete an acceptable alternative assignment (please see me if you elect the alternative assignment). This requirement is meant to be largely educational and I would therefore encourage students to participate in studies examining age related changes in psychological functions. Please see me if you specifically want studies related to aging and I will compile a list of these as the semester goes along.
Final Course grades
Final
course grades will be assigned based on the following distribution of points
1. Exam
1- 100 points
2. Exam
2- 100 points
3. Exam 3
- 100 point
[Optional] final -100 points
Topics and Readings
In listing the
topics and associated readings, I have elected not to put dates by the
topics. Iıve done this because in
past years the amount of discussion has varied widely on different topics and I
would like to encourage (rather than discourage) discussion. You should gauge your readings by where
we are in class, rather than by specific dates. The order of topics will not change but the time we spend on
different topics will vary drastically from 1 day to several weeks.
1.
Course Introduction No
readings
2.
Introduction to the Psychology of aging Chapter
1 (1-18)
Chapter
3 (75-81)
3.
Introduction to the Biology of aging Handout
and pgs.
36-38
4.
General research designs and methods Chapter
1 (18-21)
5. Research designs and methodological
issues in aging Chap. 1 (21-33)
6. Physiological changes during aging Chap.
2 (39-46)
Chap.
3 (81-113)
7. Sensory systems and aging Chap.
2 (47-54)
8. Cardiovascular system and the CNS Chap.
2 (54-73)
9. Learning, memory and aging Chap.
7 (219-261)
Handouts
10. Attention and aging Handout
and
Chap. 6 (pg. 187-196)
11. Language changes and aging Handout
and pgs.
210-214)
12. Theories and measurement of
Intelligence Chap.
8
13. Intelligence and aging Chap.
8
14. Creativity and aging Handout
15. Personality -- Theories, measurement
and aging Chap.
10
16. Social relationships and aging Chap.
11
17. Marriage, divorce and sexuality in
aging Chapter
11
18. Relationships among the generations Chap
11
19. The older individual and the workplace Chap
12
20.
Disease, Disability and aging Chap.
5 (155-162)
21. Long-term care Chap.
5 (162-175)
22. Definition and measurement of
Psychopathology Chap
4
23. Psychopathology and aging Chap
4
24. Alzheimer's disease and other
dementia's Chap.
4 Handouts
25. Death and Dying Chap.
13
26. Additional topics if time Handouts
27. Course summary No readings