"Don't look back; something might be gaining on you."
"How old would you be if you didn't know how old you was?"
-Satchel Paige (1906-1982)
"When I was younger, I could remember anything whether it happened or not; but my faculties are decaying more, and soon I shall be so I cannot remember any but the things that have never happened. It is sad to go to pieces like this, but we all have to do it."
-Mark Twain (1835-1910)
| Instructor: | Jane M. Berry, PhD |
| Class Time/Place: | MWF, 10:25-11:15, Richmond Hall, Room 108 |
| Office Hours: | MWF, 11:15-11:45, and by appointment; Richmond Hall, Room G14 |
| Communication: | 289-8130 (office phone) jberry@richmond.edu (e-mail) http://sundial.richmond.edu/~adultdev (Web Board) |
Required Reading:
Baltes, P. B. (1987). Theoretical propositions of life-span developmental
psychology: On the dynamics between growth and decline. Developmental
Psychology, 23, 611-626.
Course Goal:
The goal of this course is for students to acquire advanced and
specialized knowledge of the field of adult developmental theory
and research, in the broader context of psychological science,
and to develop a mode of intellectual inquiry based on reflection,
critical analysis, and sound judgment.
Specific Course Objectives:
1. To teach content and methods of scientific inquiry related
to theory and research on adult development and aging.
2. To promote critical thinking skills (reflection, analysis,
integration, and judgment) through primary source readings (e.g.,
articles, chapters, and/or texts).
3. To teach advanced writing skills, with emphasis on the standards
of scientific writing associated with psychological science generally,
and adult development and aging specifically.
4. To integrate conceptual and empirical modes of knowledge by
requiring students to write a research proposal on a subtopic
within the field of adult development and aging.
5. To promote oral communication skills and expression through
student-led discussions and collaborative oral presentations.
6. To consider the interdisciplinary relation of adult development
and aging to psychological science and the liberal arts.
Attendance Policy:
Your attendance in class is expected. Participation in class discussions
is an essential part of knowledge comprehension and learning,
as we grapple with difficult issues and material. Absences must
be excused by notes from your Dean; each unexcused absence will
result in a unit decrease in your final grade (i.e., A- to B+
to B to B- to C+, etc.).
Honor Code Policy:
The University requires a pledge of adherence to the Honor Codes
of Richmond and Westhampton Colleges. Know these and proceed accordingly.
Course Assignments:
| Exam I | 15% |
| Exam II | 15% |
| Final Exam | 20% |
| Topic Critique: Oral | 15% |
| Topic Critique: Written | 15% |
| Web Board | 10% |
| Class Participation | 10% |
| Total | 100% |
| 90-100% | A |
| 80-89% | B |
| 70-79% | C |
| 60-69% | D |
| <60% | F |
The primary knowledge you will learn in this course is that adult development and aging is associated with both gains and losses. It will be an exciting intellectual challenge for you to discover these gains and losses, and to chart their different developmental trajectories. The foundation for this theoretical perspective is an article (see page 1 of syllabus) by one of the leading life span developmental psychologists in the field, Paul B. Baltes at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin.
The content of this course relies almost exclusively on core, original research articles in the field of adult development and aging, published in reputable scientific journals. We will grapple with central themes in the field, including memory, speed of behavior, personality change and stability, brain-behavior relationships, intimacy and marriage, and death and dying. You will discover that for every article that claims "X" there is a complementary article claiming "not X" or "Y" or "balderdash!" Our task in this course is to accept the fact that knowledge even gleaned with the scientific method is imperfect, uncertain, and often subjectively held. Yet, we will analyze and discuss research results with the goal of arriving at our own conclusions about the veracity and validity of scientists' claims. I will teach to you and model for you the tools of this process, and by the end of this course, you will know how to read research articles from a critical, skeptical, and active (vs. passive) point of view.
I will present an overview of each topic, drawing upon material from assigned articles that all students will read prior to that class. The night before each overview is presented, you will be required to post questions and/or comments on the class Web Board about the articles that you have read for the next day. The purpose of these posts is to sharpen your reading and analysis of research articles, and to allow me to identify and clarify for you those areas where the material is difficult or confusing. For each overview presentation I give, two students will select relevant research articles to critique and to use to guide further class discussion of the topical area. Thus, the semester is structured roughly in weekly units wherein I introduce a topic on the first day and then two students lead us into finer analyses of the topic on the two subsequent days of the week. Each student will be required to guide class discussion of her/his topic, and to submit a 3-page critical analysis of the self-selected research article. The articles should be selected for their relevance to the topic, and their theoretical, methodological, and empirical value (i.e., parsimony, clarity, cohesion, validity).
Exams (15% each):
Two exams comprised of short answers, definitions, and an essay question will be given at mid-semester and end-of-semester. These exams will cover readings, class discussions, film analyses, and Web Board topics.
Final Exam (20%)
A comprehensive final exam comprised of four
essay questions will be given, covering material from the entire
semester.
Topic Critique: Oral (15%):
You will be graded on presenting a research article of your choice (but approved by me) and leading an effective discussion of your topic. The presentation should be approximately 20 minutes long and use Power Point software.
Topic Critique: Written (15%):
A 3-page paper on your research topic, written in APA style, will be turned in on the same day as your presentation. The paper will provide a critical analysis of the research on your topic. You are required to have a draft of your paper evaluated by the Writing Center before you hand it in to me.
Web Board (10%):
The consistency and thoughtfulness with which you post web comments will be evaluated. The primary purpose of the Web Board is to identify and then clarify points of confusion related to the out-of-class reading assignments and the in-class discussions. The Web Board is to be used as a support tool for in-class assignments, in that questions we cannot get to during class due to time limitations may be brought to the surface and addressed after class hours.
Class Discussions (10%):
Show up for class prepared, and take an active role in discussions.
| 8/30 | Conceptions of Aging: Separating Facts from Fictions |
| Introduction to course; Syllabus review; Setting the pace | |
| 9/1 | Core Assumptions about Adult Development and Aging |
| Identification and assignment
of topical areas for critical analyses; Baltes (1987) article: "Theoretical Propositions on Life Span Development" |
|
| 9/4-8 | Perception and Attention |
| Apprehending and controlling information in midlife and old age | |
| 9/11-15 | Speed and Memory |
| Changes in rate of processing and memory functioning in midlife and old age | |
| 9/11 | Tina (Attention); Laura (Speed) |
| 9/13 | Guest visitor - Dr. Anderson Smith, Georgia Institute of Technology |
| 9/15 | Russ (Memory) |
| 9/18-22 | Intelligence and Wisdom |
| Classic and reformulated views of mental growth and decline | |
| 9/22 | Brian (Intelligence); Emily (Wisdom) |
| 9/25-29 | Problem Solving and Creativity |
| Thinking outside the box: Better or worse with age? | |
| 9/29 | Kate C. (Problem Solving); Katie M. (Creativity) |
| 10/2-6 | Marriage and Friends |
| Intimacy, romance, loneliness, and social networks in adulthood and old age | |
| 10/6 | Ronda (Marriage); Courtney (Friends) |
| 10/9-13 | Film Festival I: Analysis of aging themes in films |
| Is aging portrayed accurately in films? We will compare depictions of aging in films with our knowledge of aging based on the psychological science research literature. | |
| 10/16-17 | Fall Break |
| 10/18 | Synthesis |
| 10/20 | Exam I |
| 10/23-27 | The Aging Brain and Alzheimer's Disease |
| Anatomy, physiology, and behavioral correlates of the aging brain | |
| 10/27 | Brooke (Aging Brain); Randy (Alzheimer's Disease) |
| 10/30-11/3 | The "Typical" Older Adult? American and Cross-Cultural Views |
| Health, wealth, race, education, and welfare; demographics of aging | |
| 11/3 | Katie R. (Typical Older Adult); Jenny (Cross-Cultural) |
| 11/6-10 | Self-Concept and Stereotypes |
| Concordance between "self" and "other" perceptions of aging | |
| 11/10 | Amy (Self-Concept); Austin (Stereotypes) |
| 11/13-17 | Clinical/Abnormal and Death/Dying |
| Coping with mental and physical pathology, and mortality | |
| 11/13 | Ilan (Clinical/Abnormal); Melanie (Clinical/Abnormal) |
| 11/17 | Heather (Death/Dying) |
| 11/20 | TBA (GSA) |
| 11/22 | Thanksgiving Holiday No Class |
| 11/27-12/1 | Personality Change and Stability |
| Was Freud right? | |
| 11/29 | Dr. Berry (Stability) |
| 12/1 | Keith (Change) |
| 12/4-6 | Film Festival II: Analysis of aging themes in films |
| (continued) | |
| 12/8 | Exam II |
| 12/11 | Course synthesis |
| Course evaluations | |
| 12/16* | Final Exam PSYC 315: 9:00am-12:00pm |
| *Note that PSYC 316 Final is on 12/15; 9am-12pm. Plan ahead! |