Writing In Psychology by Aliyah Montgomery

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Aliyah Montgomery May 2013

Introduction Welcome to Writing in Psychology. In this guide, we will explore the many genres of writing that are commonly used in the field, along with a few short interesting facts and stories that will be helpful to know as you ventures through college. The first item that is in this guide is a list of research resources. This is for you to have as a reference whenever you are working on a research project, response paper, or just want to learn a little more about psychology. Next is the Visualizing Genres page. This image is to give the reader a visual of one of the many genres of writing in Psychology. The information in this chart will also be helpful as you move through your career as a psychology student. After this are Ten Biases That Don’t Allow us to be rational. In this piece, you will find a couple of fun facts about thought processes that our body goes through without us even being aware of it. There is some information in this piece that will make you second guess every decision that you make. Branches In Psychology is another quick fact sheet. This one lists many, but not all, of the branches of psychology. This is put into the guide to give you access to information about the many fields of psychology without having to do much outside research. The bulk of the reading is in the next piece, Genres within Psychology. In this piece, a few of the genres used in psychology are broken down to help discover why they exist and how they affect the student, the professor, and in some cases, the general public. Then comes The Strange Tale of Phineas Gage. Phineas Gage is one of the many psychologically amazing cases that will be discussed in college level classes, so having a leg up on this information would be beneficial. If you don’t know who he is now, you will after reading this guide. The Professionals in Psychology Panel is a piece about the issue of misguidance of students within the psychology program, and how this problem can be solved. This piece also speaks on what students can do to solve this problem. Last but not least are the Additional Resources where you will find all outside examples that are referred to throughout the guide, as well as the works cited page. As you enter the world of psychology, don’t forget to have fun and keep this handy guide in your back pocket.

2 In this guide you will be looking at writing within the professional and

academic fields of psychology. Writing plays a major role in psychology, including genres spanning from research to personal. No matter what specific field you go into, if it is psychology based there is bound to be a good amount of writing involved. Writing is used in tracking and classifying data, as well as analyzing data that has already been processed. These writings are used to prepare for entrance into jobs, including resumes and personal statements. The writings that are taught in classes, such as research essays and reflections on journal readings, are given in order to prepare students for the post college world and their

future jobs.

Table of Contents

Resources for Researching Resource #1: http://www.apa.org/index.aspx Summary: This is a website for the American Psychological Association. This website includes almost anything that you need you need to know. This website has everything ranging from volunteer opportunities to definitions of psychological terms. Benefits: This website is particularly useful when it comes to needing quick definitions of words used within the field. Limitations: Like many other sites, the information from this site will not be very in-depth. In order to obtain really deep information, you may need to go to another site, but this site serves as a great first stop.

Resources for Research pg. 3-‐4 Visualizing Genres pg 5 Ten Biases That Don’t Allow Us To Be Rational pg 6 Branches of Psychology pg 7 Genres within Psychology pg 8-‐13 The Strange Tale of Phineas Gage pg 13-‐14 Professionals in Psychology Panel pg 15-‐16 Additional information Interview With Christy Rossi pg 18-‐21 Interview With Aaron Brunhofer pg 21-‐22 What is Emotion? pg 23-‐25 Incidental Findings pg 26-‐27 Intro to Psychological Science Syllabus pg 28-‐29 Child Psychopathology Syllabus pg 30-‐33 Intro to Cognitive Neuroscience Syllabus pg 34-‐36 Works Cited pg 37

Resource #2: Cognitive Neuroscience (Marie T. Banich, 3rd edition) Summary: This is a textbook about neuroscience and how the brain relates to the body. It extensively discusses the many different factors that make up the neuroscience as it relates to the body’s functions and actions. Benefits: The book is good at giving a large amount of information on all of the parts of the cognitive neuroscience field. Limitations: Because this book is so focused on cognitive neuroscience, it does not mention the other fields much. Resource #3: Professor Christy Rossi, Ph.D Summary: Professor Rossi has gained her Ph.D in Neuroscience and is currently a professor at the University of Denver. Benefits: She has hours throughout the day when she is always available and she is very welcoming to students with concerns of any kind. Her level of education and her role as a professor makes her very knowledgeable of questions pertaining to both neuroscience and pre-graduate education Limitations: Because she has a concentration in Neuroscience, she may not have the answers to some of the questions that are more social psychology based.

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More Research Resources

Visualizing Genres: Tables

Resource #4: http://www.psychcentral.com Summary: This is a website for all things psychology including a blog and a resource center. The resource center is what I found to be the most useful. It has lead me to getting great information about many different disorders. Benefits: This website covers a wide range of disorders. It is easy to navigate through and it is a great connection site for other resources. Limitations: If you are looking for quickly viewable information this site is now for you. It is a great connection, but it is not going to give much immediate information. Resource #5: Exploring Psychology (David G. Myers, 8th edition) Summary: This is a textbook about general information about all things psychology. It is usually used in most entry level psychology courses, hoping to help students gain an overview of psychology as a whole. Benefits: This book is extremely accessible. The book covers the majority of the psychology divisions in it and easy to get through. The different sections

are also neatly separated, adding to the simplicity of the organization within the book. Limitations: This book was very expensive. For those that don’t have the funds, it is important to look at other options as well as this one. If you are able to get your hands on this book, it is a great resource.

“…developing writing skills is an ongoing lifelong process…” – Dr. Christy Rossi Lorem & Ipsum

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Branches In Psychology

Ten Biases That Don’t Allow Us To Be Rational

Bias – An inclination or tendency that occurs within us that we don’t even realize is happening. 1. Confirmation Bias -‐ Tendency to only agree with, and validate, views that agree with our own ideas and beliefs Example-‐ Only wanting to talk politics to your friend with equal political standing as you, because the friend with opposing views does not make a “valid argument” 2. Neglect Probability -‐ Our inability to grasp a proper sense of risk Example-‐ Having a fear of dying in a plane crash, but driving to work each day; the probability of a traffic caused death is much more likely than that of an airplane crash 3. Observational Selection Bias -‐ Tendency to notice things that we never noticed much before and assume that the frequency has increased Example-‐ Buying a new car and believing that everyone has the same car now, though your awareness or the car has just increased 4. Status-‐Quo Bias -‐ Tendency to apprehend change Example-‐ If it isn’t broken don’t fix it, even thought the change may be beneficial to you 5. Negativity Bias -‐ Tendency to pay more attention to bad news and overlook the good news Example-‐ Only looking at the way that one aspect of a certain area is failing, not noticing other parts of the area are improving. 6. Bandwagon Bias -‐ Tendency to go with the crowd Example-‐ Liking the Broncos because everyone in your family is a Bronco fan 7. Projection Bias -‐ Tendency to believe that everyone thinks like we do Example-‐ Seeing a blemish in your skin and believing that everyone is now staring at it 8. The Current Moment Bias -‐ Tendency to experience pleasure now and save the pain for later Example-‐ “I’ll eat this cake now and go on a diet next week!” 9. In-‐group Bias -‐ Tendency to overestimate the values of our group and underestimate those of others outside of the group Example-‐ “Everyone that thinks like me is a upstanding citizen, and anyone who doesn’t is just another hooligan.” Even though the others may be just as upstanding as you, just with different views. 10. Gambler’s Fallacy -‐ Tendency to put a large amount of weight on the reoccurrence of previous events. Example-‐ “I got heads twice in a row, so it has to happen again!” When in reality, the chances are still 50/50

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Clinical psychology -‐ The study and application of psychology in order to understand, prevent, and alleviate distress or dysfunction (disability) and promote the well-‐ being and personal development. Cognitive psychology – Studies how people acquire, process and store information. Developmental psychology -‐ Studies systematic psychological changes that a person experiences through the course of his/her life span. Developmental psychology is often referred to as human development. Evolutionary psychology -‐ Studies how human behavior has been affected by psychological adjustments during evolution. Forensic psychology -‐ Involves applying psychology to criminal investigation and the law. Health psychology -‐ Studies how behavior, biology and social context influence illness and health. Neuropsychology -‐ Studies the structure and function of the brain in relation to clear behaviors and psychological processes. Occupational psychology Studies the performance of people at work and in training, develops an understanding of how organizations function and how people and groups behave at work. Social psychology – The study of the impact of social influences on human behavior.

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Genres Within Psychology*

Writing is one of the main forms of communication within psychology, no matter if you are in school, in the career, or both. These several types of writing are separated by the genres that they fall in. A genre creates guidelines for every item that falls into it’s category, in this case writing. The different samples of each genre are bound to have differences because genre is not something that is set in stone. Though it does have guidelines, such as those that keep a poem from becoming a book, the definition of a genre is also formed by the changes that happen within it. Each genre serves it’s own purpose, or social action. In this investigation, we will investigate syllabi, reflection/ response essays, and research interact with Psychology and what social action they each fulfill. Before going into the different genres of writing within psychology, it must first be explained what genre is, and why the analysis of genre is important. Genre is the overarching category that is defined by the similarities of the things within the genre and the differences of those outside. Rhetoric plays a large part in genre. Rhetoric is the information at your disposal that helps define, strengthen or influence your argument. The elements of rhetoric include the rhetorical audience and the rhetorical situation. The rhetorical audience is who an item is made for or whom it is directed to. Having this intended audience in mind allows the creator to have direction in their product. The rhetorical situation is the context of the writing. For some of these pieces, the rhetorical situation will be a classroom setting. Another part of genre is the social action. Every genre has a duty that it wishes to fulfill or change. These social actions are in every genre and they help the author of the piece convey a specific argument. Understanding genre theory allows the audience to have a deeper understanding of what everything they are handed throughout their career, both as a student and a professional, is used for and why it is important. Learning about the genre can also help in understanding why each element in a genre is formed the way that it is. Considering all of these factors will open the eyes of the viewer and explain a majority of the items that a psychology major would encounter through the program. The first genre that is used in Psychology that will be examined is the syllabus. Lorem & Ipsum

Syllabus Every class begins with the distribution of a syllabus. This opens the initial thought of the professor and outlines the class for all future attendees. The syllabus is one genre that has importance to writing in the classroom settings. Not only do these give a brief intro to the class, but it also makes the students aware of the events that will be taking place in the class, serving as an informant. These are directed toward students that are coming into the class. The power figures of these genres are the people creating the syllabi, usually the professor of the class. An antecedent of this genre is the paper schedule of the vocalized presentation of the rules and policies of the class. By putting everything into one document that is sent out to all attending students, the students both have a better understanding of the class and the work. This genres is broken when students ignore the syllabi and ask the professor questions that can be easily answered through looking at the handout. The purpose of the syllabus is to remove the time consuming asking of course based questions, but if the students do not at least look at those than they are making the creation of these syllabi. Here are two syllabi, one from an entry level class and one from a higher level class. Both of these show the many factors of this genre. The first syllabus is for an Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience course. This course is based on how the brain interacts with the body. The first thing that this piece does is outline exactly what it is. On the top of the page, the name of the college, the name of the course, and the words “Course Syllabus” are printed. This clearly identifies the genre, setting the audience expectations for this piece. Once someone sees the word “syllabus”, they start to expect things that have been on previous syllabi that they have received. In college, most syllabi will have many constant features, such as this heading, or intro. As one continues through reading the syllabus, they will find that it is separated into different subjects, such as course goals, required texts, assessment, and several other class policies, which is a pretty standard set up for any writing within this genre. The course goals section outlines what each student should get out of the class. It also gives a brief introduction to what will be studied in the class. The required text section lists all of the texts that you will need for assignments in the class, including books, journals, and articles. The assessment section is where the it shows what all will be counted toward your grade and how much of an effect each will have. The grading scale is also included in this section. The policies that are addressed are all about their academic dishonesty (or cheating) policy, attendance, grade disputes, missed exams and late assignments. [Insert Date \ Issue]

The syllabus also includes a schedule of all of the assignments and when they will be due throughout to quarter, which is typical in most syllabi. This schedule allows the students to stay up to date on assignments without being able to say that they were not aware of a due assignment. These also give students leniency with purchasing the required texts. Because the schedule says when everything should be read by, a student would be able to get his textbook a couple of days after the first class. Students expect to obtain information on the class and a schedule of the events throughout the class, and this syllabus fulfills those expectations. Another important part of the syllabus is the contact information. At the very top directly below the course information is the way to contact both the professor and Teacher’s Assistants, known as TAs. This gives the students many different avenues for contacting one of the officials in the class should they ever need help with anything throughout the course. The second example is the syllabus for an Abnormal Psychopathology course offered at the University of Denver. This course is about psychological abnormalities in the brain, specifically in those of children. Much like the first example, this one is also divided into several sections based on the type of information. At the top is the professor’s phone number, email address, and office hours for easy contact between her and the students. The required reading section is broken into two parts, textbooks and supplemental. The supplemental readings are all found on the school’s student website, which is called blackboard. This separation clears up any confusion on how to get the readings. The textbooks are the ones that the student is expected to purchase for this course. The course objective of this syllabus is bulleted, making the objective easier to read through. Creating three short lines compared to a large paragraph gives off the impression that there is less to read and that the objective is simpler to understand. The arrangement of this syllabus is different, but the contents are very similar to that of the entry-level course. This schedule is placed within the actual syllabus instead of being included at the very end. The placement of this is different, but the inclusion of the schedule in the syllabus is done so often that it had grown to be expected by the reader, regardless of where it is placed. Through the rest of the syllabus, we once again see many recurring sections such as the assignments and policies section. This assignment section goes more in depth when speaking on what exactly each assignment entails. This way, the professor can refer to the assignment without having to go too far in depth in classes. They can then focus on other things that are need to be explained in class. This syllabus serves as an assignment sheet, schedule, and contact information for the student.

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Reflection/ Response Essay The next genre of writing that is used within Psychology are reflection and response essays to articles, studies, or assigned readings. Psychology Minor Aaron Brunhofer referred to these reflection and response essays as being one of the most prominent types of writing done as an undergraduate student. This genre is meant to prepare the students in these courses for professional level writing and research. It also shows the professors that the students have read and understand the assigned readings. Some typified features of this genre is the presence of a bibliography or works cited page. These essays are usually shorter in length and missing direct quotes. One Psychology professor at the University of Denver states that she prefers that students do not use direct quotes because it seems as if the work is being regurgitated rather than understood and thought about. In this genre, the writing is usually directed to the professor, since they are the prospective audience. When reading these, the professors expect “Coherence, structure [and] thoroughness of explanation/definition.” (Brunhofer) This is how they evaluate the student’s understanding of the subject of the writing. A possible antecedent of this could be notes that a student would take while reading the article or the study. These notes transfer to more indepth writing and create a more coherent and accessible piece, appropriate for submission to a superior. This is a genre that I do not see much breaking of. When it comes to power holders within this genre, the only one that holds power is the student. They have the ability to make their essay as thoughtful or as shallow as they’d like, truly being in charge of their own destinies with these assignments. The professors can also have power in thee situations, based on their rules about how they want their essays, especially if they are specific about specific guidelines. Here are two examples of these types of writing within psychology courses. Much like the syllabi, the form of the pieces within this genre may change, but they still hold the same general function. Example one is a response essay from a Foundations of Psychological Science college course. This piece is focused on emotion and how it is defined based on assigned readings. This essay follows standard form in which it has a thesis, one introduction paragraph, and several body paragraphs. This basic organization probably comes from preconceived beliefs on what is expected when one is asked to write an “essay”. The thesis is a very important piece of this genre. It acts as something for the writer to hold on to throughout the essay. Having a thesis statement forces the writer to have to connect every paragraph to the main argument, helping in the avoidance of rambling or irrelevant information. A thesis is usually a good addition to an essay if the writer needs extra guidance. The purpose of this essay is to demonstrate the student’s understanding of the readings on emotion that have been done throughout the course. Looking through this first one, it is seen that the rules on citations change as one moves through [Insert Date \ Issue]

Published Works

higher courses in Psychology. The rules of genre are always bending and changing. This could cause confusion as a student moves through their classes and starts to discover that quoting is looked down upon. Even in this essay, each quotation is deeply analyzed and embedded into the essay as a whole. The second example is a response and reflection essay to a study done on incidental findings in a Cognitive Neuroscience course. This assignment is all about the pros and cons of the non-existence of laws that force institutions to support incidental findings such as tumors and cyst that could appear in an MRI, but does not pertain to the objective of the scan. Two articles were included in the preparation for this essay. Having the students write not only their own response to the articles, but also having them answer reading based reflection questions is a great way of insuring that the student really understand the reading. Unlike the first essay, there are no quotations in this essay. The source is clearly cited in the bibliography, but there are no words taken directly from the readings. The connection between the two is mostly paraphrasing and analysis. This class, being a second year course as opposed to the first example that is a first year course, begins to enforce the rules of not using in text quotes. To give credit where it is due, it is important that the writer insert in an in text citation. These are often used in this piece. These pieces allow the teacher to emphasize deeply understanding writings while preparing the students for writing on a professional scale. When they come to this point, they will realize that reading the studies and reflecting on them is less about being able to analyze quotes, but more about applying the knowledge.

*All outside resources can be found in the “Additional information” section. Lorem & Ipsum

The third genre of writing within psychology is the published work. These are usually directed to the public after doing private studies, which are done mostly in the professional field. Published works are a researcher’s way of conveying the purpose and finds of their study to the outside world. Professor Christy Rossi, a professor at the University of Denver, did her postdoctoral research at the University of California at Davis. Here, she worked with specialists from fields ranging from pediatric phlebotomists to social psychologists in order to study autism. After these type of studies, the individuals that were involved proceed to writing up an journal or report to publish. These are written to express the importance of the studies that took place and how they were done in a way that the general public will understand. The skills that are needed in order to perform these types of studies and effectively convey the results of the studies are learned in graduate school, but continue to be used throughout the career. People who read these journals expect the publishing to be easy to understand. There are readers that are not as intoned with science and the exact wording that would be the first instinct of a scientist to use may not translate well. The use of relatable terms in this genre is good for connecting to the rhetorical audience. The antecedent of this genre could be a written journal that a scientist would use in order to keep record of everything pertaining to the study. Instead of publishing these journals, technology allows the conductors of the study to revise and write out the results of what they are doing. This makes the distribution of these journals much less difficult and adds convenience to both the readers and the authors. This genre is broken when researchers do not publish their studies. This could happen for many reasons, such as the investigation being a private study. This breaks the genre because even though these results should be published so that the audience can refer to the information and learn of the findings of the study. Breaking this genre causes the public to be left in the dark about certain experiments and the results that come from it that could actually be very beneficial to know. This genre may not be appropriate for those wishing to not go into academia, but rather work for a company in a lab or something of that sort. Though it is not mandatory to complete postdoctoral research, most graduates that are aspiring to go into academia do end up doing some sort of research. If this is not the interest of an individual, it is not necessarily important for them to complete such a process. Psychology is a major that is very writing intensive. Whether it is based on in class writings or professional journals, the writing skills that are needed will always grow. These skills are mostly taught more in depth in graduate school, but as Dr. Christy Rossi very well stated “developing writing is a lifelong process.”

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The Strange Tale of Phineas Gage*

FREAK, ALIVE OR DEAD Gage never worked as foreman again. He drove coaches and cared for horses in New Hampshire and in Chile. He exhibited himself (and the rod) as a curiosity at P.T. Barnum's Museum in New York. All in all, he lived 13 years after his dreadful Cabinet-‐card portrait of Phineas Gage, shown holding the tamping accident and died in 1860 after a series of epileptic seizures. Gage's iron, which injured him. From the Gage family of Texas collection. Even skull (and the rod) are now on display at Harvard Medical School, if you're not a neurologist or a psychotherapist, you may have heard of where they've been studied intensively over the years by neuroscientists. Phineas Gage. When a guy survives being impaled with a three-‐foot FIRST THE GOOD STUFF Gage's abrupt personality changes clues iron rod in the skull, he tends to gain certain notoriety. What makes neurologists in to the fact that certain portions of the brain Gage's case interesting isn't the fact that he survived; it's how he corresponded with personality functions. And in fact, Gage's case changed after his accident. A HOLE IN ONE Phineas Gage considered himself a lucky man. At the made the very first brain tumor removal operation possible in 1885. After studying what had happened to Gage, the operating physician age of 25, he had a responsible, well-‐paid job as construction foreman concluded that lesions or tumors located in the frontal lobes of the for Rutland and Burlington Railroad in Vermont. On September 13, brain didn't affect the brain's ability to take in sense information. 1848, as Gage was packing a load of explosives into the ground, the Nor did they have an impact on physical movements or speech. charge exploded without warning. The iron rod he was using to tamp However, such localized lesions or tumors did produce highly

the explosives into the earth flew into the air with the force and speed of a rocket, hitting Phineas Gage directly in the head. The 3'7" rod (109 cm), which weighed 13 pounds (6 kg), entered his left cheek, careened straight through his skull and brain, and emerged out of the top of his head like a yard-‐long bullet. SURVIVOR They loaded him into an ox cart and took him -‐ still conscious -‐ to a hotel where some local doctors treated him. They never expected him to live; he was bleeding horribly and blind in his left eye. Yet, Gage was still able to walk, talk, even to work. He returned home just ten weeks after his accident. However, Gage wasn't unscathed, not by any means. The iron bar that had practically destroyed the front left lobe of his brain had irrevocably changed his personality. I FEEL LIKE A NEW MAN A few months after the accident he was feeling well enough to return to work, but his old boss wouldn't hire him back at the same position because -‐ even though Gage was almost back to normal physically, emotionally, and mentally -‐ he was a changed man. Before his accident he'd been efficient, capable, kind, and polite; now he was foul-‐mouthed, rude, and easily annoyed.

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characteristic and unusual personality changes like Gage's. In 1894, that same surgeon removed a tumor from a patient's left frontal lobe. The patient had complained his thinking was becoming increasingly slow and dull. Seeing the similarities between this patient's mental faculties and Gage's, the doctor successfully removed the tumor that lay, just as he expected, in the left frontal lobes of the brain.

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Professionals In Psychology Panel

In the psychology program, I have found that a large number of students do not know what needs to be done in order to meet the requirements of specific career fields. Because of this, students graduate college being under or over qualified for their desired position, like wanting to own your own clinic with only a masters in clinical psychology or working at an elementary school nurse’s office with a Ph.D in Neuroscience. It would be beneficial if the specifics of field requirements were to be relayed to the students, but there can be obstacles to making this happen. I propose that the University of Denver creates a day in which a “Professionals in Psychology” panel is held for all students to attend. Gathering a panel for this event would be a simple way of making a large impact on the studies of many. This can be done with the many professors that already work on campus with the students, as well as outside professionals. Having these professionals talk at the panels will allow relationships to form between them and the students and help to create meaningful bonds and connections that could last a lifetime. The presence of the professors already being on campus will make it easier for them to participate in such an event. The addition of outside professionals such as those that work in hospitals and clinical firms would be nice, but if they are not accessible, the resources on campus would work very effectively. There are also several large rooms that would allow intimacy with the panelist while allowing a large number of students to attend. The university has the available means to make such an event happen. These panels can solve the issue of requirement confusion through the presence of an actual human resource. This is much more effective than a common alternative such as a handout containing information on the career. This way, the students have the ability to ask real questions and get genuine responses from people that are active in a field that the student aspires to reach. The availability of these resources all in one spot will eliminate hardships for students that may not have the means to travel across the state to interact with professionals in their prospective field. The creation of this event will aid students in discovering what they need to accomplish during their college career in order to achieve their post-college goals.

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It is evident that the University of Denver has taken steps in providing students with information on careers after college through the diverse backgrounds of the professors in the psychology department. By hiring professors from every field, the student has a greater chance of learning about that specific field, even though it is not the topic of the class. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The students in these classes rarely, if ever, hear about the professor’s personal career and studies. These classes are usually tightly bound to a schedule in order to teach everything that needs to be covered each day. This may be due to the quarter system. The 10 week term forces the professors to stay on task and removes any mobility within the class discussions. Having had three psychology professors all in different fields, it is easy to see that the University of Denver is attempting to solve this issue. In a perfect world, this kind of teaching style would be ideal, but because of the time restraints and the scheduling, many professors do not have the opportunity to share their outside knowledge unless it directly pertains to the subject at hand. The “Professionals in Psychology” panel will be useful to students that have troubles with identifying necessary course loads as well as the degree required for their fields. By expressing our need for dialogue between students and professionals, we can encourage the university to support us with the creation of this panel. Students can help directly by talking to their professors about their confusion with how to with where to go with their studies. This will get an immediate answer and these questions will make the professors more aware that there is a need for panel of this sort. Through the effort of the students, professors and the help of the administration at the university, this problem can be solved.

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Additional Information

Interview With Professor Christy Rossi

In this interview, I had the pleasure of speaking Christy Rossi, a professor at the University of Denver. During this interview, we discussed her experiences as both an educator and a Neurologist. We first discussed the writing that is done in the introductory classes that she teaches. After learning what types of writing she preferred to assign, we then moved onto why these types of writing are important and what exactly they are useful for. Next, we started to discuss her postdoctoral research, the research that is done after graduating with a doctorate degree. Rossi did this research at the University of California at Davis and worked with other professionals from a wide range of backgrounds in order to explore Autism. She is still working with some of the associates that she met through this research. Professor Rossi is a very knowledgeable instructor and she has always been helpful both in and out of the classroom. She has also gone through aspects of psychology that most psych majors will eventually encounter. Lorem & Ipsum

Q: What types of writing do you usually assign when you teach a psychology class? A: I like to assign reflection essays, which you probably know. So for undergraduate kind of introductory level classes the assignments in my mind are meant to give the students a another way of thinking about the material and demonstrating an understanding of the material. Kind of going beyond lectures and exams and thinking about things in a deeper way and bringing their own perspective to the table. Q: What do you think are some important things that undergrad psychology majors should know about writing within psychology? A: So, I think developing writing skills is an ongoing lifelong process, so hopefully folks have had experience with writing in lots of different contexts in high school, but everyone brings a different skill set to the table depending on what training they were given. In science fields like psychology and other sciences, as you keep advancing then writing starts becoming more specific for journals, so learning to write a journal article, which one wouldn’t need to do unless they are going to advance in the field and actually do research. But journal articles are going to be different than writing in english class so that’s why I always like to highlight the idea of using quotes. In english class, you are often taught that quotes are great especially if you can embed them well, so you know, you’re making your point and you’re drawing a quote directly from the literature, and embedding it and thats true in that field, but in science, rarely are quotes used. So people are often summarizing literature, things that have been published, they don’t tend to quote things, they are asked to synthesize the knowledge themselves, say it in their own words, and certainly refer to the source but you’re not directly quoting and that shows an understanding of the material, so pulling a quote in science is like saying “I’m just regurgitating what I read” rather than “I’ve thought about it, now I’m going to say it this way” Q: Okay, are you involved in a psychological career outside of teaching? A: My research is neuroscience, so it’s not psychology in a broad sense. It’s more specific to neuroscience. Q: And is that mostly just research? A: At the moment, I’m teaching primarily, but my career is a combination of teaching and research, research in developmental neuroscience specifically Q: I know that in writing you have to get published so often, do you have to do that within psychology? A: Yes [Insert Date \ Issue]

11 Q: Do you have to publish research?

A: Yes, so with different fields you may be able to publish like a literature review where you’re going to things that have already been published and then coming up with your own ideas and synthesizing the information and arguing for something. Normally in fields like neuroscience you’re doing the research and so you’re publishing the results of your experiments; so you’ve identified a question that need to be answered, designed an experiment to test the question and so publishing a paper means you’re communicating all about your research experiment to the general public. So that’s what I’ve been involved with Q: When you do experiments like that is there a lot of writing involve? A: Yes, and so the writing usually comes into play after. So you do the experiments and then you write about it in a way that hopefully folks understand why you did the experiment so kind of what the background is, what the question being asked is, and then you have to very carefully communicate about your methods, your results, your interpretation of the results and so thats another example of how your writing is ongoing. Typically students don’t really develop those skills until graduate school and they keep developing them past graduate school as their writing more and more papers. Q: What did you do for your postdoctoral research? A: My postdoctoral research was about autism. I went to the University of California at Davis and there is an autism research center there called the MIND institute and it stands for the Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders Institute. So it’s a really great collaborative place where there are basic researchers across disciplines, so neuroscience, genetics, immunology, more social fields like social psychology, all under one roof, and then also medical doctors, people that are experts at drawing blood from young children, so pediatric phlebotomists, people that can evaluate language, all working together to collaboration what is going on with autism. Q: Are you still working with them? A: I’m still collaborating with the people that I worked with there. I just finished up with a project which is what i presented in spain, but I’m, not doing active research right now on that.

Q: And did you have to do the postdoctoral research? A: That’s not required. When you get a Ph.D most often people go on and do what is called a post doctoral period of research. It’s saying that you have your Ph.D so you’re no longer a grad student, but you don’t yet have your own lab, you’re not independent with other people working under you, you’re still working under somebody else who is more senior in the field. So no I didn’t have to do it, but it is a really good thing to do. Usually people that don’t do that kind of research don’t want to work in academia at all, they want to work in industry which is for a company, for example, that does research, so if you want to stay in academia, you typically do that kind of work. Lorem & Ipsum

Q: What types of writings did you use with that research? A: Grant writing is a big one, so applying for grant funding for your research, and then publishing papers, so once you’ve done the research publishing a description of the research like the paper’s that we’ve read in class. And then sometimes its shorter things like writing a shorter description of your research called an abstract which you’ll submit if you’re going to submit a poster or something at a conference.

Interview With Aaron Brunhofer In this interview, I asked graduating senior Aaron Brunhofer about what it is like to be a psychology student. First we discussed the types of writing that he does in his courses and why he feels they are done in this way. We also discussed the rhetorical audience of the papers written at this level of education. We also talked about what he knows about professional level work and whether or not is classes have helped him learn what he has. Wrapping up the interview, we discussed research as a student and what his idea of “good writing” is. Along with good writing, he also told how teachers give feedback for students to improve their work. This interview was done by email due to time conflicts, but Brunhofer answered all of my interview questions promptly and in depth. As a student that has made his way through the psychology department, Brunhofer had a lot to share about what most incoming students will mostly face.

[Insert Date \ Issue]

12 Q: What types of writing do you do most often for psychology classes? A: Most often it will be in response to an article or study read. Q: What do you think your professors look for when they evaluate your writing? A: Coherence, structure. Thoroughness of explanation/definition. Q: Who do you imagine as your audience when you do these types of writing, and how would you characterize that audience (what do they value, etc.)? A: I don’t think of this writing as being for anyone except my professor. Q: What advice about writing would you give freshman considering becoming a psychology majors? What do you wish you’d known going in? A: Plan an outline, write a thesis. For this type of writing, structure will help you immensely. This is an academic audience, so make sure that things are properly cited. Go to office hours. This is something I didn’t take advantage of till too late, and it really helped to think through and get ideas. Q: How much do you know about the types of writing you’d be expected to do as a professional in this field? A: As far as I know it will most likely be research summary or presenting findings in some journal. Occasionally, there are books written, which is a non-fiction genre that is different from academic writing. Q: In what ways are your classes preparing you for these types of writing, and what areas do you wish you were getting more instruction or preparation in? A: These classes are providing with a little of both. In one class, the prompts were designed to have us think through issues and not just present findings. So there was an aspect of our opinion that mattered - which is important in developing a voice as a writer, even if it may only be in the capacity of a researcher down the road. Q: What kinds of research do you have to do as a psychology major? What do you find most challenging about doing these kinds of research? A: Most of the research involves finding studies and articles. So a lot of it involves many hours in front of the computer, which I find to be challenging. Sometimes it would be nice to be able to just read a book. Q: How would you characterize what makes “good” writing in psychology? A: Succinct. Clear. And also writing that is so “high-brow” and uses elevated diction separates it from being applicable to a larger audience. Q: What do your professors do in order to help you become a better writer? What kinds of feedback do they give you? A: It can sometimes be frustrating when there is little feedback or it is only about a grammar mistake - which is important - but ultimately how you structure arguments and make connections are much more important things to get feedback. Also, try to make sure that the professor does read the piece - sometimes only a TA will.

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What Is Emotion? Introduction to Psychological Science Emotion. Something everyone sees and feels; yet it is so complicated to understand. Psychologist suggest that it is a “mix of (1) physiological arousal (heart pounding), (2) expressive behaviors (quickened pace), and (3) consciously experienced thoughts…” (Myers, 376) Emotion is something that can be expressed nonverbally. Humans and many other creatures can look into something’s face and tell whether or not it is upset, joyous, and it has been seen through studies that “… glimpse of a face for even one one-tenth of a second was enough for people to judge someone’s trustworthiness (Willis & Todorov, 2006)” (Myers, 384). There are many different theories that approach the question of how exactly we experience emotion. Psychologist William James and Carl Lange propose that our emotions are our awareness to physiological responses to stimuli, such as we feel anger because we strike, and not necessarily that the emotion comes before the physical reaction. Others like Walter Cannon and Philip bard believe that the physiological response and the emotional response happen simultaneous, while others such as Stanley Schachter and Jerome Singer believe that it is the physical arousal matched with the brain’s labeling of that certain feeling that creates emotion. Though many study this and have yet to come to a completely definite answer to exactly how we experience emotion, I tend to side with the Schachter-Singer theory. The question is “Does cognition precede emotion?” Does our brain tell our bodies to feel a certain way or do our bodies feel it and the brain puts a label on this feeling? When experiencing emotion, we don’t usually think about feeling a certain way, but is this because we actually do not go through cognitive thought in our minds before allowing the brain to tell the body to do something? Stanley Schachter and Jerome Singer believe that first come a physiological response and labeling of the response, and then come our experience of motion. This is called the Schachter-Singer theory, or the two-factor theory. In this theory, we see emotion and as it is connected to perceptions, interpretations, and memories. They hypothesize that it is the minds association with the action that actually creates the emotion. In this theory, that the autonomic nervous system creates the rise in heart rate, muscular tension, and perspiration that we experience and qualify it as a reaction to emotion. For example, if one is nervous about a job interview, on his way to the interview spot he may experience tension in his stomach, his heart will start to beat faster, and he will begin to sweat. When this happens, his body will immediately figure that it knows this bodily reaction as “anxiety”. You are not [Insert Date \ Issue]

13 physiologically changing because you are anxious, but rather you recognize

that you are anxious because you have labeled the change that your body is going through as anxiety. Emotion can be traced directly back to the autonomic nervous system. This prepares the body for action in times of arousal and calms the body once the need for arousal has passes. The autonomic nervous system is overall in control of fight or flight. This system is split into two divisions, the sympathetic and the parasympathetic. The sympathetic system is in charge once your body has chosen to prepare for the outside danger. The sympathetic system prepares the body the body to release epinephrine, also known as adrenaline, and nor epinephrine, also know as nor adrenaline. The liver then proceeds to release sugar out into the body in order for the body to have something to create energy out of. In order to burn all of that excess sugar, your breathing, heart rate and blood pressure increase. On the other hand, certain things have to slow down in order to allow the other body parts to increase in proficiency. Your digestion slows down in order to push all of the blood coming into it outward to the muscles in which need more blood to be more effective in times of crisis. This is how it becomes easier for you to run while your sympathetic system has gone into action. An active sympathetic system will cause the body to perspire, and the eyes to dilate. Once the threat is gone and everything is over, the parasympathetic system comes into action in order to calm the body down and return it to its natural state. The digestive system will return to average speed, the blood throughout the body begins to cycle through the body at the previous pace and the body stops the release of stress hormones in its neural center, but whatever is still left over in your blood will stay for a while. The come down from the arousal high doesn’t happen instantly, it gradually wears off. These are only a few of the things that cause physical signs of emotion. The next stage of emotion is seeing it actually happen throughout the human body. When we are in love, we feel the butterflies in our stomachs and our heart rate begins to accelerate. Emotion can often be identified on our faces. When the muscles of someone’s face become tense, it is easy to see that the person is upset, where as when only the ends of their lips start to stretch towards their ears, you know that they are in good spirits. Our brains tend to detect anger faster than any other emotion. When we look into a crowd of faces, the more angry ones tend to “ ‘pop out’ faster than a single happy one (Fox et al., 2000; Hansen and Hansen, 1988; Öhman et al., 2001)” (Myers, 384). It was also noticed that when viewing subliminally flashed words, we are more likely to sense presence of the negative ones. These types of reactions are due to the brains susceptibility to recognizing danger and anger. An interesting way to tell someone’s’ emotion that not many people notice is the space inbetween the eyebrows. Eyebrows raise and pull together to signal fear. Even though our brains are pretty good at detecting emotion, it is often hard for our brains to detect when someone else is faking an emotion (Myers, 384).

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This is because some people are more sensitive to physical cues, while others need the verbal cues to understand the situation at hand. In a study done by Rosenthal in 1979, hundreds of people watched a 2-second video in which a woman was speaking with a gargled voice, along with a very expressive body and face. The viewers had to decide whether the woman was criticizing someone for being late, or if she was referring to her divorce in the video. Some of the viewers were better at reading the woman’s body and facial language to detect emotion than others. It turns out that “Introverts tend to excel at reading others’ emotions, and extroverts’ emotions are generally easier to read (Ambady et al., 1995)” (Myers, 384) Though it doesn’t take conscious thought to feel emotion, there is plenty of cognitive work going on as we feel the fear of the spider crawling up our leg. It is found that the amygdala actually sends more neural projections up to the prefrontal and sensory cortices than it brings back. Because the amygdala is in charge of emotion, if it received more information that it gave out, then the cortex would be able to control the emotional process through thought. But since that is not the case and the amygdala in fact sends out more, it is evident that it is easier for emotion and our feelings to take over our thinking process than it is for our thinking to control our emotions. This is why it is easier to stress out and immediately go into fight or flight mode when seeing the tarantula slowly making it’s way up your calf. Because our emotions are in control at that moment, it seems rational to scream, shoo at it and in some cases even try to run (even though it is already on us.) If our cortices had the power, they would stop us from wanting to jump, run and screaming. Instead we would go through the thought process of what the most efficient way to get rid of the spider is. We know to recognize danger from security through previous experiences. “To know whether something is good or bad, the brain must have some idea of what it is (Storbeck et al., 2006)” (Myers, 382). The brain appraises the situation in order to tell whether to be afraid or not. This may be a something that happens within an instant, but it doesn’t take much effort to make these mental assessments of the situation, so it is often not realized that we actually do this. If a child is used to abuse from male figures, when he approaches men, the child’s brain will assess the situation. It will piece together all the previous experiences of being hurt by people that look like the person in front of him and begin to feel emotion. The autonomic nervous system will prepare the sympathetic system to activate. Though the brain is not sure if this man is a threat or not, it has to be safe. This arousal of the sympathetic system will make the body physiologically feel emotion and the brain will recognize the situation. This is at the same time that (according to the twofactor theory of emotion) the brain label’s this reaction as “fear”. The brain uses preconceived ideas built on previous intimacies and interactions to decide how to prepare the body to react. Our emotions are a complex combination of the changes happening in the mind, the body, and the way that creatures communicate with others. The SchachterSinger theory explains the connection of these and how we emotion comes to be as an action and how we know which emotion we are experiencing at that moment. Emotion has the power to change your thinking patterns, your bodily regularity, and overall the way we communicate. [Insert Date \ Issue]

Incidental Findings Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience

The many cases of incidental findings are very interesting. When these are found through MRIs and fMRIs, it is up to the doctor or the physician who discovered this to decide if it is worth telling the patient about and in what ways to tell them. This makes the job of a medical professional difficult, but what about when it is a radiologist, whom may not be familiar with the meaning of the abnormality in the brain scan? This is where things begin to get difficult. An incidental finding is a medical abnormality found while looking at the body part, specifically the brain, for a different purpose. These types of findings most times include tumors and cysts. In the article “Research malpractice and the issue of incidental findings,” a study is discussed in which the intention of the case was to investigate the physiologic differences between the brains of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the ways that different medications for treating the disorder effect the brain. The plan of this study was to take children and give them each a dose of methylphenidate or Ritalin, both drugs used to treat ADHD, and then take an MRI of each of the children. In these MRIs, the professor who is running the investigation would look at the brains of both the children that have and have not been diagnosed with ADHD and see if there are any physiologic differences between them. If one of the researchers found a large discolored area in one of the children’s brains while studying some of the MRIs scans, this would be considered an incidental finding. These findings have no relation to what is being looked for or the initial reason for taking the scan, yet a abnormality has shown itself. In most of these research situations, it is a radiologist that looks at the MRI instead of a licensed physician or the researcher. The researcher usually is not trained to know how to read the specifics in an MRI and get all of their knowledge from the radiologist who first examined the scan. The advantage of this is the ability for each professional involved to focus on specific tasks, especially in bigger studies, such as the one involving ADHD and the brain in which they wanted a volunteer group of 1000 people. This allows the radiologists to focus on all 1000 scans that he would then be looking at and the researcher to handle the other factors of running a research investigation such as the administration of the drugs and the maintenance of the group. If the researcher were to have to also check behind the radiologist when it comes to looking at the MRI scans, the

process would become much longer and harder to balance. On the other hand, this could also have substantial disadvantages. Because the radiologist only reports the part of the brain that is being specified to look at, the volunteers and researchers will have no idea what is happening in the rest of the brain. This way, even if there is an incidental finding in the side of the brain that is not being checked, the people that need to be notified of these findings will not know that there is a problem. The radiologists are not necessarily to blame because they are only doing their job, but this disadvantage lowers the probability of a incidental finding being reported back to the participant. At this point, there are no rules that indicate that researchers must notify the subject of an abnormality is found in the brain while involved in an unrelated study. An advantage to having notification of this be mandatory would be the overall well being of the participant. If an incidental finding occurs and a participant is not notified, it can mean serious surgical complications in the future. A finding that a radiologist or researcher does not feel the need to inform the subject about could actually be life threatening, so it is best to tell them now and have them at least check on the finding if they have the available means. Another advantage that is pointed out in the article “Ethical Considerations for normal control subjects in MRI research” would be is the removal of false confidence in terms of health. Volunteers in neuro-imaging studies may not be aware of the fact that even if something is found, the researchers are not responsible for letting them know. This could lead the participant to leave the study feeling as if they are completely safe and healthy due to the lack of mentions of any problems with the MRI scans. Notification of this potential problem could encourage subjects to go get checked just in case. A disadvantage to having informing about incidental findings be mandatory is the rise of emotional distress. Though the scan can find abnormalities in the brain, it may be completely harmless. It would be unnecessary to put a participant through this much trouble if it is nothing. They would have to go through all of the trouble of getting consultations with their doctor, only to find that after weeks of worrying, they are completely fine. Then there is the financial hardships that can come up when a medical issue is involved. When hearing of this, especially for those that do not have insurance or the funds to continuously pay for doctor visits, this could mean massive difficulties. The subject would have to find a way to afford consultations, more scans of the area, and the actual surgery should it go that far. And with this again there is the chance of a false emergency in which a subject pays a large amount of money for the examination of this possible point of issue, which could all have been saved had the researchers not been obligated to disclose information on the incidental finding.

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[Insert Date \ Issue]

PSYC 1001 – 1

Last 2½ weeks of FALL QUARTER 2012 Mon & Wed 10:00 - 11:50 INSTRUCTOR:

George Potts

OFFICE:

Frontier Hall 353

EMAIL:

POLICIES

FOUNDATIONS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE

Sturm Hall 151 TA: Heidi Blocker

OFFICE: Nagel 48

gpotts@du.edu

EMAIL:

heidi.blocker@du.edu PHONE: (303) 871-3717

PHONE: (303) 871-4119

OFFICE HRS:

Mon & Wed 12:00 – 12:50

Wed 12:00 – 1:00 Tues 2:00 – 3:00

and by appointment COURSE DESCRIPTION: Welcome to Foundations of Psychological Science. This course will explore the fundamental principles of psychology, as emerging from both the "natural science" side of the discipline (such as, physiological psychology, cognition and memory, sensation and perception, learning) and the "social science" side (e.g., social, developmental, personality, abnormal psychology). In addition to exploring the basic concepts of the discipline, we will familiarize ourselves with the broader paradigms and theoretical world views within which psychologists work. We will also formulate, ask and attempt to answer psychological questions; provide a working understanding of major controversial issues (e.g., the nature-nurture debate, mind-body problem); and help students become actively and critically engaged both in the pursuit of psychological knowledge, and in the application of this knowledge to personal and social life.

THE ASSIGNMENT MUST BE COMPLETED ON TIME. The new assignment due date is Monday, Nov 5. If the assignment is not handed in on time, you will be penalized 5 points per day that it is late. Timely completion of work is as much an academic skill as any other aspect of this course. Don't leave work until the last minute! Attendance: Attendance is not monitored, but it is your responsibility to stay on top of the material (this includes keeping up to date with reading the text). Overheads used in class will be posted on Blackboard after each section. I do not loan out lecture notes, nor do I rehash a lecture that I have already given. If you miss a lecture, get the notes from a friend in the class - I encourage you to swap phone numbers. Once you have done your best to understand the notes, if you are still having trouble with the material, come and see me. I'll be happy to explain the material as well as I can, but I won't replicate the lecture. Academic Honesty: Violations of the honor code will be taken seriously. For information on definitions of, and the consequences of, academic dishonesty, refer to the DU website on Academic Integrity (http://www.du.edu/honorcode/studentprocedure.htm). If you are in doubt regarding any aspect of these issues as they pertain to this course, please consult with the instructor. Students with Disabilities: If you have a documented disability and anticipate needing accommodations in this course, please make arrangements to meet with the instructor soon. Also please request that the Disability Services Program or Learning Effectiveness Program send a letter verifying your disability [contact the Disability Services Program (DSP) at 303-8712372 or via http://www.du.edu/disability/dsp/]. Help: If you are having trouble in the course, help is available. First you should seek help from the instructor or TA. We will add extra Office Hours if necessary. Changes to Syllabus: Any changes that need to be made to the syllabus will be announced in class and posted on Blackboard. TENTATIVE SCHEDULE 10/31 – 11/16

REQUIRED TEXT: Exploring Psychology - David G. Myers. (ISBN 9781429259675) OPTIONAL TEXT: Study Guide to accompany Exploring Psychology. Richard Straub. CONTENT: Lectures will be based largely upon the material covered by the text, but there will be additional material. During the course, lectures will frequently be supplemented by video clips and practical demonstrations. ASSESSMENT: Your grade will be based on your scores on 3 exams and 1 assignment. The final will be required and will be administered during finals week (11/19). Because the final was originally listed as optional, we will make every effort to accommodate anyone who has a th

good excuse for not being here on the 19 . Contact the instructor by Monday, Nov 5 is you need such an accommodation. The final will be of the same format as the first exam and will cover only material covered in the book and lecture since 10/31, when Dr. Potts took over the class. Midterm Exam 1 100 pts Midterm Exam 2 100 pts Midterm Exam 3 cancelled Required Final Exam 100 pts Mon Nov 19 10:00 – 11:50 AM Assignment 100 pts Lorem & Ipsum

Note: to make up for missed class time, Midterm #3 has been cancelled and the 11/12 review for the final has been cancelled. Those periods will be used for presenting new material. In place of the in-class review session, we will hold two optional review sessions during the week of Nov 12 at times that allow as many students as possible to attend. If you cannot attend these sessions, the instructor and TA will be available to answer questions either during regular office hours or by appointment. The TA has scheduled extra office hours each week. Dates

Topics Readings

Wednesday Oct 31 Monday Nov 5 Wednesday Nov 7 Monday Nov 12 Wednesday Nov 14 Chapter 14

Emotion Chapter 11 Personality Chapter 12 Social Psychology Chapter 15 Disorders & Therapy Chapter 13 Disorders & Therapy

Final Exam 10:00 – 11:50 Monday Nov 19

[Insert Date \ Issue]

Child Psychopathology PSYC 2530 Winter Quarter 2013

Assignments: Survey (10 points) Please indicate why you are taking this class, what your interests are, and what you hope to learn from this class. This should be an easy 10 point assignment. There is no right or wrong way to complete this assignment but it must be thoughtful for credit.

Professor: Kendra Dunn, Psy. D. Email: kendra.dunn@du.edu Office Location: Frontier Hall, Room 156 Office Hours: Wednesday, Friday 12:00pm-1pm, or by appointment Teaching Assistant: Lisa Ankeny, M.A. Email: lisa.ankeny@du.edu Office hours: Fridays 12-1 or by appointment

Exams (100 points each) There will be 2 exams: one midterm and one non-cumulative final exam. Exams will include reading assignments (textbooks AND supplemental readings) as well as what was in class lectures.

Class Meeting Times: Wednesday & Friday 10:00am - 11:50am Class Location: Boettcher Center, Room 103

Papers (50 points each) Papers should be approximately 6-10 pages in length. However, you will be graded on content, not length of paper. Please include as much information as necessary to demonstrate your learning but be concise.

Required Readings Textbooks: Parritz, R. H. & Troy, M. F. (2011). Disorders of Childhood: Development and Psychopathology (1st Ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. (listed as PT on syllabus readings) Kearney, C. A. (2013). Casebook in Child Behavior Disorders (5th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. (listed as K on syllabus readings) Supplemental Readings: Posted on Blackboard. (Listed as BB on syllabus readings). Course Objectives 1.) This course will give students an overview of child psychopathology. In order to understand what is abnormal, disordered, delayed, etc. it is imperative to understand what is normal. This course will help students to understand normal childhood development so that “abnormal” or “pathology” can be identified. 2.) Students will learn about various types of disorders and diagnoses in children. Students will learn about different classification systems. 3.) Students will learn about assessment and interventions for the various diagnoses learned.

Date

TOPIC

READING

1/9 - Wed

Course introduction; Intro to Child Psychopathology

PT: Chapter 1

1/11 - Fri

Models of Child Development, Psychopathology, and Treatment

PT: Chapter 2

1/16 - Wed

Principles and Practices of Developmental Psychopathology

PT: Chapter 3; BB: ACES study

1/18 - Fri

Classification, Assessment, Diagnosis, and Intervention; DC: 0-3R Overview

PT: Chapter 4; BB: DC: 0-3R

1/23 - Wed

Disorders of Early Development

PT: Chapter 5

1/25 - Fri

Infant Mental Health and Early Child Development

BB: Regulatory Disorders and Sensory Processing

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You must be in class to turn in assignments. You must turn in a HARD copy of the assignment at the BEGINNING of the class period on the day the assignment is due, unless you have made arrangements at least 2 weeks in advance in the event of a conflict (i.e., school sponsored athletic event). Late assignments will be accepted for 24 hours for half credit (50% of assignment). Assignments will not be accepted if turned more than 24 hours after due date and student will receive a 0 for the assignment. Please be sure to edit and review all papers thoroughly for content, flow, and grammatical/spelling errors. Papers are expected to be in APA format, typed, double spaced, 12-point font (Times New Roman only) and 1” margins on all sides. Grammatical errors, typos, incomplete sentences, spelling mistakes, etc. will result in significant point deductions. If you have questions about APA formatting, please come to my office hours or meet with our TA, Lisa, for clarification. Paper #1 (50 points): Models of psychopathology. Select a well-known child character (TV or movie character, celebrity, etc.) and explain his/her behavior utilizing three of the models of psychopathology described in the P&T text (Chapter 2). Finish the paper by indicating which model you feel best describes the behaviors of the person you have chosen and support your decision. Please be sensitive and respectful in your conceptualization and speak of the person as if he/she were your client. Also be sure to use “person first” language. Paper #2 (50 points): Childhood disorder. Choose a childhood disorder that is of particular interest to you. Utilizing current research and peer reviewed literature, describe the course and potential causes of the disorder, prognosis, and evidence based treatments for the disorder. ASSIGNMENT Paper #3 (50 points): Case conceptualization. A vignette will be posted on blackboard at least two weeks prior to the due date of this assignment. Utilize what you have learned in this class to: 11.discuss the presenting problem 12.indicate the most likely DSM-IV 5-axis diagnosis and why the client meets criteria for the diagnosis. Due:13.discuss Survey other diagnoses you considered and why they were not retained as your diagnosis. 14.what are your treatment recommendations and what does the research suggest about how the disorder should be treated? 15.what else should be considered when diagnosing and treating the client? Extra Credit (maximum 30 points total) * Participation in DU psychology research studies. 1 chit = 10 points. Students receive 1 chit for approximately 30 minutes of participation. Research studies are posted at http://du.sonasystems.com and you must sign up on the website. Be sure to assign the chits you receive to this class (PSYC2530). This is not a required assignment and if you choose to receive extra credit you may either elect to participate in psychological research or complete the assignment listed below. * Select a vignette from the Kearney casebook that is not used in class. Identify what diagnosis/diagnoses the child has utilizing the DSM-IV-TR and the DC:0-3R. Discuss the differences in diagnoses. Indicate treatment recommendations and anything else that should be considered in the case. 10 points per paper. Maximum of 3 papers. Due: Paper 1

[Insert Date \ Issue]

17 Grading Scale: 360 Possible Points (plus up to 30 extra credit points): Survey: 10pts Papers: 50 pts each Midterm: 100 pts Final: 100 pts. Extra credit: maximum 30 points A 93-100% B80-82% D+ A90-92% C+ 77-79% D B+ 87-89% C 73-76% DB 83-86% C70-72% F

67-69% 63-66% 60-62% 59% and below

Course Policies and Expectations: Students with Disabilities/Medical Issues Any student who feels s/he may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss your specific needs. Please contact the Disability Services Program th located on the 4 floor of Ruffatto Hall; 1999 E. Evans Ave., to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities/medical issues. 303.871. / 2278 / 7432/ 2455. Information is also available on line at http://www.du.edu/disability/dsp; see the Handbook for Students with Disabilities. Academic Integrity All students must follow DU’s academic integrity code (http://www.du.edu/honorcode/studentprocedure.htm). Violations of the integrity code will not be tolerated and may result in receiving a failing grade in the course. Attendance Policy While attendance is not mandatory, it will be difficult to do well on exams and assignments if you have not been to the lectures. Lecture material will not be available outside of class. Blackboard Students are expected to check what has been posted on Blackboard at least weekly. Important announcements, information about assignments, exams, etc., will be posted there and you are responsible for knowing what has been posted. Computer and Cell Phone Use Students will be permitted to bring laptops to class for taking notes only. Surfing the internet and engaging in activities other than what immediately pertains to the lecture will not be tolerated and may result in losing computer access entirely. Please also refrain from using cell phones during class, including texting. Please wait for a scheduled break or before/after class to use your cell phones. Participation This class will require in-class participation and active learning. Students that attend classes regularly and participate in class activities will benefit most from this course and will provide important contributions to the course. I reserve the right to raise a student’s grade by up to 1% point at the end of the quarter if he/she has contributed to the course in such a way. However, I also reserve the right to decrease a student’s grade by 1% point at the end of the quarter if he/she frequently misses class, does not participate, and/or demonstrates disrespect for the opinions or point of view of others.

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Works Cited

Bathroom Readers' Hysterical Society. Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Plunges into the Universe. San Diego, CA: Portable, 2002. Print. Dvorsky, George. "The 12 Cognitive Biases That Prevent You from Being Rational." Io9. N.p., 09 Jan. 2013. Web. 29 May 2013. <http://io9.com/5974468/the-‐most-‐common-‐cognitive-‐biases-‐that-‐ prevent-‐you-‐from-‐being-‐rational>. Brunhofer, Aaron. E-‐mail interview. Apr. 2013. Rossi, Christy. Personal interview. Apr. 2013. Kaulitzki, Sebastian. Brain. http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/brain-‐1.jpg Nordqvist, Christian. "What Is Psychology? What Are The Branches Of Psychology?" Medical News Today. MediLexicon International, 22 June 2009. Web. 29 May 2013. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154874.php>. Unknown. Phineas Gage. http://assets2.bigthink.com/system/tinymce_assets/5/original/Phineas_G age_GageMillerPhoto2010-‐02-‐ 17_Unretouched_Color_Cropped.jpeg?1340207303

"Don't become a mere recorder of facts, but try to penetrate the mystery of their origin." Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936)

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