GERO 520 p. 1 of 6 Course Syllabus GERO 520: Lifespan Developmental Psychology

Lecture Time: Monday 5:00 – 7:50 PM Location: Gero 230 or online

Professor: Mara Mather, Ph.D. Email: [email protected] (preferred method of contact) Website: http://www.usc.edu/projects/matherlab/ Phone: (213) 821-1868 Office Hour Tuesday 5:00 – 6:00 PM (Gero 216B)

Teaching Assistant: Kaoru Nashiro; [email protected]

There is no stopping time. Every day, we are aging. To study the psychology of aging provides the opportunity to peer into the future. What can we expect for ourselves, our parents, our friends and our coworkers as we age? This course provides an overview of major topics in the psychology of aging. Students will learn about research and theory bearing on cognitive, personality, adaptive, and social processes throughout the adult life span, and about applications of current research and theory to practical matters in the field of gerontology.

Note: This is a “blended” class. Therefore, some students will attend the “live” classes and other students will watch the videotaped classes online on the GERO 520 Blackboard page.

Online discussion

Because online discussions are an integral part of this class, participation in these discussions will count for 25% of the final course grade. The final 50 minutes of class time each week will be allotted to the online discussion, however, it is likely that additional time will be necessary as well. Each week, each student is expected to:

1. Post one (and only one) original discussion question related to the lecture or readings for that week. This comment should have a subject line that begins with “Week 1:” or the corresponding week. 2. Respond to at least two other student questions. 3. Post a response to at least one of the student presentations for that week. 4. Nominate three other different students’ comments (either original questions or responses) from either the current or past week as being outstanding, using the online questionnaire provided. Some potential criteria for nominating a comment as outstanding are: 1) How thought provoking or interesting is the question or response? 2) Does the comment highlight something interesting in the readings or lectures that might not have been noticed otherwise? 3) Does the response help clarify something that was confusing to others in the class? 4) Did the question or response spark a great discussion related to the course topic? 5) Does the comment provide new information from outside reading related to the lectures or reading that is informative?

Participation in the online discussion will be graded using the following points system: GERO 520 p. 2 of 6 1. 10 points awarded for completing each of 1-3 above within a week of the associated lecture (pass/fail for each component, a total of 30 points/week; responses posted after 5 PM the following Monday get ½ credit). 2. 5 points awarded for completing the nomination of other students’ comments each week (late nominations get 3 points). 3. 1 point awarded for each nomination made by a classmate for an outstanding comment (this will average to 3 points per student per week).

Grading scale

Min. Points Grade Associated work 380 D 400 C- 420 C Missing one week of comments; no “outstandings” (420) 440 C+ All comments without any “outstanding” nominations (455) 460 B- 480 B All comments with the average number of “outstandings” (494) 500 B+ 520 A- 540 A 560 A+

Presentations Overview

Each student (both those taking the course in person and online) is expected to make three presentations during the semester, one from each of the following three categories. The presentation dates will be assigned the first week of class. All students will be required to submit their presentation document in Blackboard by 5 PM the Sunday before the class meeting for which their presentation is scheduled. The available formats for students who will not be physically present for the presentation are: 1) a PowerPoint document with an audiotrack of your voice speaking (easily created within PowerPoint); or 2) a youtube.com video. Students who will be physically present to give their presentation may submit a PowerPoint presentation or a document summarizing their presentation plan if they will not be using PowerPoint.

Presentations turned in on Blackboard between 5 PM and the class time will be graded down by 5% of the total points, so it is recommended that you upload your presentation on a weekday the week before and use the “safe as draft” option. This should ensure that if you encounter technical difficulties, Blackboard staff will be able to respond in time to help you. Presentations not available for the scheduled class time will be graded down by a total of 20% of the total possible points.

1. Conveying concepts related to the psychology of aging

In completing this assignment, you should choose one of the following two challenges:

1) Make concepts related to psychology and aging come alive for someone who has not experienced them personally. This could be accomplished via demonstrations, interviews or simulations. Be sure to include some discussion of how the demonstration, interview or simulation relates to issues associated with psychology and aging. GERO 520 p. 3 of 6 2) Analyze how concepts associated with the psychology of aging are conveyed in a piece of fiction, film or the media. For instance, one approach would be to evaluate a film that includes an older character in terms of its accuracy in reflecting the current scientific literature on aging.

Collaborating with other students on this assignment is encouraged. If you present alone, you will be allotted 10 minutes for your presentation. If you present as a group, you will be allotted 10 minutes for the first person in the group plus five additional minutes for each additional member of the group. The maximum group size will be five students (30 minutes). Members of a group will all receive the same grade.

2. Research findings related to this week’s topic

10-minute review of research findings from a published article related to this week’s topic. Presentations should not only provide a brief summary of the findings but also some response of your own to the article. This response could be a critique of the research methods, a discussion of how the findings might argue against conclusions made by another paper covered in the course, or discussion of the potential practical applications of the findings. No group presentations will be permitted for this assignment.

Final Exam

The exam will include multiple choice as well as essay questions and you may refer to your notes and other materials during the exam. Material from the student presentations will be covered on the exam as well as material from the lectures and readings. No make up exams will be given except in cases of extremely serious circumstances (e.g., severe illness, death in immediate family) with valid documentation accepted at the discretion of the instructor. Make up exams may have a different format than the actual test. Arrangements should be made as soon as possible after the missed exam. In addition, no students will be allowed to take the exam early.

Grading

20% Presentation: Conveying concepts of psychology and aging 20% Presentation: Research findings related to week’s topic 30% Online Discussion Participation 30% Final Exam

Extra Credit

For extra credit, you may put together a study guide for the final exam. This study guide should include an overview of the material covered in the course and at least 20 sample multiple-choice questions and 10 essay questions. It will be available for your classmates to use to study for the exam. Excellent questions from the study guides may be used on the actual final exam. Students will be asked to keep track of which study guides are the most helpful and will be asked to indicate these at the end of the final exam. Study guides will be graded based on this feedback and on the quality of the coverage and questions. Up to an additional 20% of credit may be earned on the final exam based on this assignment.

Statement for Students with Disabilities

Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to me (or to TA) as early GERO 520 p. 4 of 6 in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The phone number for DSP is (213) 740-0776.

Statement on Academic Integrity

USC seeks to maintain an optimal learning environment. General principles of academic honesty include the concept of respect for the intellectual property of others, the expectation that individual work will be submitted unless otherwise allowed by an instructor, and the obligations both to protect one’s own academic work from misuse by others as well as to avoid using another’s work as one’s own. All students are expected to understand and abide by these principles. Scampus, the Student Guidebook, contains the Student Conduct Code in Section 11.00, while the recommended sanctions are located in Appendix A: http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/SCAMPUS/gov/. Students will be referred to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards for further review, should there be any suspicion of academic dishonesty. The Review process can be found at: http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/SJACS/. GERO 520 p. 5 of 6 COURSE SCHEDULE

Date Topic Readings and Assignments Due 8/25 Introduction; Biological bases of (Kramer et al., 2006; Hedden & psychological aging: Brain and Gabrieli, 2004) physical changes 9/1 HOLIDAY (Labor Day) 9/8 Social bases of psychological (Cuddy et al., 2005; Hess et al., aging: Societal beliefs and roles, 2003; Levy, 1996) stereotype threat, positive stereotypes of aging 9/15 Memory and aging (Hoyer & Verhaeghen, 2006) 9/22 Stress, memory and aging (Sapolsky, 2004, chapter 10) 9/29 Mental health issues: Anxiety and (Blazer, 2003; Knight et al., depression in late life (Guest 2006) lecture: Bob Knight) 10/6 Other cognitive changes in aging: (Hartley, 2006; Ryan et al., Speed and inhibition 2007) 10/13 Changes in emotional experience (Carstensen et al., 2000; Ross & and goals across the lifespan Mirowsky, 2008) 10/20 The intersection of emotion and (Mather & Carstensen, 2005; cognition and the positivity effect Mather & Knight, 2005) 10/27 Decision making and aging (Blanchard-Fields, 2007; Mather, 2006; Kim et al., 2008; Larkin et al., 2007) 11/3 Dementia and stroke (Budson & Price, 2005) 11/10 Intelligence and how it changes (Zelinski & Kennison, 2007) with aging (Guest lecture: Elizabeth Zelinski) 11/17 Can we stop or slow cognitive (Hillman et al., 2008; Scalf et aging? Evaluating interventions al., 2007; Willis et al., 2006) (Guest lecture: Elizabeth Zelinski) 11/24 Personality and aging; (Ready & Robinson, 2008; Gerontological Society Meeting Roberts & Mroczek, 2008; Terracciano et al., 2008) 12/1 Aging well in social relationships (Jopp & Smith, 2006; Shiota & Levenson, 2007) 12/15 FINAL EXAM (4:30-6:30 PM)

GERO 520 p. 6 of 6 READINGS

Blanchard-Fields, F. (2007). Everyday problem solving and emotion - An adult developmental perspective. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 16, 26-31. Blazer, D. G. (2003). Depression in late life: Review and Commentary. Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 58A, 249-265. Budson, A. E., & Price, B. H. (2005). Memory dysfunction. New England Journal of Medicine, 352, 692-699. Carstensen, L. L., Pasupathi, M., Mayr, U., & Nesselroade, J. R. (2000). Emotional experience in everyday life across the adult life span. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79, 644-655. Cuddy, A. J. C., Norton, M. I., & Fiske, S. T. (2005). This old stereotype: The pervasiveness and persistence of the elderly stereotype. Journal of Social Issues, 61, 267-285. Hartley, A. (2006). Changing role of the speed of processing construct in the cognitive psychology of human aging. In J. E. Birren & K. W. Schaie (Eds.), Handbook of the Psychology of Aging (6th ed., pp. 183-207). Burlington, MA: Elsevier Academic Press. Hedden, T., & Gabrieli, J. D. E. (2004). Insights into the ageing mind: A view from cognitive neuroscience. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 5, 87-U12. Hess, T. M., Auman, C., Colcombe, S. J., & Rahhal, T. A. (2003). The impact of stereotype threat on age differences in memory performance. Journals of Gerontology Series B-Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 58, P3-P11. Hillman, C. H., Erickson, K. I., & Kramer, A. F. (2008). Be smart, exercise your heart: exercise effects on brain and cognition. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 9, 58-65. Hoyer, W. J., & Verhaeghen, P. (2006). Memory aging. In J. E. Birren & K. W. Schaie (Eds.), Handbook of the Psychology of Aging (6th ed., pp. 209-232). Burlington, MA: Elsevier Academic Press. Jopp, D., & Smith, J. (2006). Resources and life-management strategies as determinants of successful aging: On the protective effect of selection, optimization, and compensation. Psychology and Aging, 21, 253-265. Kim, S., Healey, M. K., Goldstein, D., Hasher, L., & Wiprzycka, U. J. (2008). Age differences in choice satisfaction: A positivity effect in decision making. Psychology and Aging, 23, 33-38. Knight, B. G., Kaskie, B., Shurgot, G. R., & Dave, J. (2006). Improving the mental health of older adults. In J. E. Birren & K. W. Schaie (Eds.), Handbook of the Psychology of Aging (6th ed., pp. 209-232). Burlington, MA: Elsevier Academic Press. Kramer, A. F., Fabiani, M., & Colcombe, S. J. (2006). Contributions of cognitive neuroscience to the understanding of behavior and aging. In J. E. Birren & K. W. Schaie (Eds.), Handbook of the Psychology of Aging (6th ed., pp. 57-83). Burlington, MA: Elsevier Academic Press. Larkin, G. R. S., Gibbs, S. E. B., Khanna, K., Nielsen, L., Carstensen, L. L., & Knutson, B. (2007). Anticipation of monetary gain but not loss in healthy older adults. Nature Neuroscience, 10, 787-791. Levy, B. (1996). Improving memory in old age through implicit self-stereotyping. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71, 1092-1107. Mather, M. (2006). A review of decision-making processes: Weighing the risks and benefits of aging. In L. L. Carstensen & C. R. Hartel (Eds.), When I'm 64; Committee on Aging Frontiers in Social Psychology, Personality, and Adult Developmental Psychology (pp. 145-173). Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. Mather, M., & Carstensen, L. L. (2005). Aging and motivated cognition: The positivity effect in attention and memory. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 9, 496-502. Mather, M., & Knight, M. (2005). Goal-directed memory: The role of cognitive control in older adults' emotional memory. Psychology and Aging, 20, 554-570. Ready, R. E., & Robinson, M. D. (2008). Do older individuals adapt to their traits? Personality-emotion relations among younger and older adults. Journal of Research in Personality, 42, 1020-1030. Roberts, B. W., & Mroczek, D. (2008). Personality trait change in adulthood. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 17, 31-35. Ross, C. E., & Mirowsky, J. (2008). Age and the balance of emotions. Social Science & Medicine, 66, 2391-2400. Ryan, J. D., Leung, G., Turk-Browne, N. B., & Hasher, L. (2007). Assessment of age-related changes in inhibition and binding using eye movement monitoring. Psychology and Aging, 22, 239-250. Sapolsky, R. M. (2004). Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers. New York: Holt. Scalf, P. E., Colcombe, S. J., McCarley, J. S., Erickson, K. I., Alvarado, M., Kim, J. S., et al. (2007). The neural correlates of an expanded functional field of view. Journals of Gerontology Series B-Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 62, 32-44. Shiota, M. N., & Levenson, R. W. (2007). Birds of a feather don't always fly farthest: Similarity in big five personality predicts more negative marital satisfaction trajectories in long-term marriages. Psychology and Aging, 22, 666-675. Terracciano, A., Lockenhoff, C. E., Zonderman, A. B., Ferrucci, L., & Costa, P. T. (2008). Personality predictors of longevity: Activity, emotional stability, and conscientiousness. Psychosomatic Medicine, 70, 621-627. GERO 520 p. 7 of 6 Willis, S. L., Tennstedt, S. L., Marsiske, M., Ball, K., Elias, J., Koepke, K. M., et al. (2006). Long-term effects of cognitive training on everyday functional outcomes in older adults. Jama-Journal of the American Medical Association, 296, 2805-2814. Zelinski, E. M., & Kennison, R. F. (2007). Not your parents' test scores: Cohort reduces psychometric aging effects. Psychology and Aging, 22, 546-557.