Main Content
Syllabus
PSYCH 441 Health Psychology. Prerequisites: Psychology 100, 6 additional credits of PSYCH
Overview
This course addresses the impact of psychological and social processes on health. Most major illnesses of the last 50 years have at least some behavioral component. For example, the current number one killer is cardiovascular disease, which is associated with behaviors such as smoking, diet, and exercise, and exacerbated by exposure to long-term stress. Thus, health psychologists are interested in answering questions such as: Why do people smoke? How do people stop smoking? What are successful ways to help people adopt healthy diets? What causes stress and how can people learn to cope successfully with it? In our efforts to answer these and many other questions, we will address the following:
- health behaviors, including those that enhance health and those that compromise it
- the impact of stress on health and strategies for successful coping
- how people use health services and communicate with their health care providers
- pain and its management
- issues related to chronic illness
- specific aspects of the most prevalent diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, AIDS and cancer
- the physiological aspects of exposure to stress and the major diseases we will be discussing.
As you learn about how psychological and social elements interact with biological factors to produce a particular state of health, you will need to keep in mind an important factor that underlies everything you learn about the current knowledge of health psychology. Most of the information you will be introduced to is based on research conducted by psychologists. As you probably know, research on health and illness is burgeoning. As you probably also know, it is not uncommon to find long-standing ideas about health and illness questioned by new studies. For example, up until recently, estrogen replacement was recommended for women after menopause, partly due to its ability to protect against cardiovascular disease. But in 2002, a large-scale study called the "Women's Health Initiative" was halted half-way through because the data showed that women taking hormone replacement (estrogen plus progestin) had increased risk for heart disease and stroke. Thus, along with the "facts" you will learn how to evaluate the research and the health-related information that you find on the internet or through other media. To do this you will need to be familiar with the types of research conducted by health psychologists and the validity of the conclusions drawn by these studies. In addition, you will also learn how to critique information from TV, newspapers and the Internet, which is where most people get their health information.
A second important feature about this course is that, as you read about the theories and ideas expressed by health psychologists, you will recognize yourself, your family, friends and acquaintances. Thus, you have a good opportunity to use your personal experiences as examples to make the material real to you. This will make the course more interesting and will also help you learn the material more easily. You will have several opportunities to use your personal experience for assignments in the course.
Finally, as you will find out in the course, social interaction is an important feature of good health. It is also a good way to enhance learning. Thus, the course will be "team-based." You will be assigned to a small team (4 - 5 students) early in the semester and you will rely on your team members for team discussion, projects and a source of help if needed.
Course Objectives
After taking this course, students will be able to:
- Explain why the field of health psychology exists and how it developed.
- Describe methods used to study issues of health psychology and evaluate and critically analyze research in health psychology.
- Define and describe health behaviors, how they are related to health and illness, and strategies for maintaining behaviors that enhance health and stopping behaviors that compromise health.
- Apply concepts of health psychology to real-life experiences.
- Explain how stress is studied, how it affects physiological and psychological functioning and what factors enhance or reduce its effects.
- Describe the major issues associated with patient-provider relationships and treatment of pain and chronic illness.
- Describe unique health-related features of major diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer.
Required Course Materials
Most World Campus courses require that students purchase materials (e.g., textbooks, specific software, etc.). To learn about how to order materials, please see the Course Materials page. You should check LionPATH approximately 3–4 weeks before the course begins for a list of required materials.
Technical Requirements
| Operating System | Canvas, Penn State's Learning Management System (LMS), supports most recent versions of Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac operating systems. To determine if your operating system is supported, please review Canvas' computer specifications. |
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| Browser | Canvas supports the last two versions of every major browser release. It is highly recommended that you update to the newest version of whatever browser you are using. Note: Cookies must be enabled, and pop-up blockers should be configured to permit new windows from Penn State websites. |
| Additional Canvas Requirements | For a list of software, hardware, and computer settings specifically required by the Canvas LMS, please review Canvas' computer specifications. |
| Additional Software | All Penn State students have access to Microsoft Office 365, including Microsoft Office applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. |
| Hardware | Monitor: Monitor capable of at least 1024 x 768 resolution |
| Mobile Device (optional) | The Canvas mobile app is available for versions of iOS and Android. To determine if your device is capable of using the Canvas Mobile App, please review the Canvas Mobile App Requirements. |
Student Education Experience Questionnaire (SEEQ)
During the semester you will receive information for completing the Student Education Experience Questionnaire (SEEQ). Your participation is an opportunity to provide anonymous feedback on your learning experience. Your feedback is important because it allows us to understand your experience in this course and make changes to improve the learning experiences of future students. Please monitor email and course communications for links and availability dates.
If you need technical assistance at any point during the course, please contact the Service Desk.
For registration, advising, disability services, help with materials, exams, general problem solving, visit World Campus Student Services!
Assignments
The assignments are a mix of quizzes, individual papers, team projects, and exams. Each assignment is marked to indicate whether it is an individual assignment or a team assignment.
You will complete some of the assignments individually (quizzes and personal reflections). However, some assignments will be done in a team. You will be assigned to a team by the second week of the semester and will work with the same team throughout the semester. To access the team listings, go to the Roster/Team listing section. You will address discussion questions with members of your team and you will complete many of the assignments with them as well. The focus on team activities in the course has several objectives. First of all, we learn better when we can interact with other people. Second of all, working in a team takes some of the pressure off of each individual when it comes to creating an assignment. And finally, in most cases your work experience will involve working with others. Each team project will include a peer review that will allow you to rate your team mates. The team score for the project will be modified by the combination of peer ratings. This procedure is designed to reduce the incidence of team members who don’t contribute a reasonable amount to the work of the team.
Working in teams may not come naturally to you and it is important that you know what to expect from being in a team and that you follow certain procedures so that your team work will go as smoothly as possible. Penn State has several resources to help you work effectively in teams. Before you start your first team project, check out one of the following links:
- Manual for Working in Teams
- PSU Teaching and Learning with Technology: Building Blocks for Teams
- PSU Schreyer Institure for Teaching Excellence: iStudy Modules for Teams and Groups
It is expected that every class member will contribute to the accomplishment of his/her team goals and objectives on an on-going basis. To evaluate the contribution of each team member, peer evaluations will occur during the fifth, ninth, and eleventh weeks of the course. These peer evaluations will be used to determine your grade on class participation. You should review the Peer Evaluation form so that you will know how you will be evaluated by your teammates.
Individual and team paper requirements
Unless otherwise noted in specific paper instructions, all papers must meet the following requirements: 3 to 5 pages, 1.5-spaced or double-spaced, Arial font size 12 pt., and 1" margins.
Quizzes
There are 10 quizzes in the course, 1 is 10 points, 7 are 20 points, and 2 are 30 points. The quizzes are mostly multiple choice and multiple select items, with a few short essays or fill-in-the- blank. The short essay quiz questions must be written in your own words to show that you can not only locate the answer, but that you understand it well enough to discuss it. The quizzes will require knowledge and comprehension of the issues in health psychology as well as the ability to apply them. If you read the assigned reading over carefully, you should be able to take the quiz with your book available to refer to in the allotted time.
You will be given 40 or 60 minutes to complete each quiz. The next point is very important: Once you open the quiz, the timer will start and you will not be able to stop the timer. If you close the quiz once it is started, you will not be able to return to it. Note that you are only allowed one submission of your answers. If time expires the quiz will autosubmit and any questions that are unanswered will count as incorrect. Be sure that you can devote 40 or 60 continuous minutes to the quiz. It is suggested that you become familiar with the text material and lesson commentary before starting the quiz, find a location that is free from potential distractions, and make arrangements ahead of time to avoid interruptions.
Personal Reflection Assignments (Individual; 3 @ 30 points each)
Making connections between what you read and your own experience is a powerful way to learn this material. Assignments for lessons 3, 6 and 7 are individual reflections in which you will be asked to reflect and write about how your own personal experience as it relates to the information in each lesson.
Profile Assignments (Team; 3 @ 40 points each)
In the profile assignments, for lessons 5, 9 and 11, you will take the personal connection to the material to a higher level than you do in your personal reflections. In these assignments, you will collaborate with your team members and use your collective experience and your creativity to construct a profile that appropriately represents the issues from the lesson.
Discussions (7 @ 5 points each)
Seven lessons will include some discussion between you and your team members. These will enable you to think more deeply about some of the issues discussed in the materials for each lesson.
Your discussion posting will earn points, depending on the quality of the posting (e.g., argument, reasoning, how you defend yourself, etc.). If you simply state that "Jen’s comments are excellent. I agree with her" or "I like your argument," you will receive no credit for this posting.
Midterm Exam (50 points)
The midterm exam will cover cover material from the first 7 lessons. You are encouraged to re-read the textbook, material from the Library Reserve, the commentaries, and any notes you've taken before you begin this timed exam. Because there is a hand graded component to the Midterm Exam, your results will be available starting Wednesday after it is due until the end of that week.
Final Exam (50 points)
The final exam will focus mostly on the material and reading assignments that followed the midterm exam, but will also assess your overall understanding of Health Psychology. Therefore, you are encouraged to re-read assignments from lessons 9 through 13, and be sure that you have a good understanding of the basic concepts of Health Psychology, and the interaction between psychological and physiological well being before you begin this timed exam. Because there is a hand graded component to the Final Exam, your results will be available starting Wednesday after it is due until the end of that week.
Peer Evaluation: by team members
See Lesson 5, 9, and 11, which are the part of the Profile Assignments.
Course Policies
Assignment Policies
You are responsible for reading the material and completing all assignments by the due date listed. Please include your name and the course number on all assignments.
Late Policy
This is a semester-based course with deadlines. Students are expected to complete work by posted deadlines. Please check the course schedule for the times and dates that assignments are due in this course (times are listed in Eastern Time in North America). Please contact your instructor to discuss legitimate and unavoidable situations that may cause lateness (such as illness, injury or family emergency). If you know that you are going to miss a deadline, please contact your instructor in advance of that deadline to discuss an extension (or if you are not able to contact the instructor before the deadline, as soon as you are able). Decisions regarding extensions will be made at the discretion of the instructor on a case-by-case basis.
In the absence of a legitimate and unavoidable situation, late work will be accepted at the discretion of the instructor and will be penalized up to 10% of the total assignment points for each day of lateness. Unless there is a legitimate and unavoidable situation that causes prolonged lateness, work more than 1 week late will not be accepted.
Grading
Course grades will be determined on the following basis:
| Assignments | Individual or Team? | Lesson | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quizzes | Individual | 1: Quiz 1 | 20 |
| 2: Quiz 2 | 20 | ||
| 4: Quiz 3 | 20 | ||
| 6: Quiz 4 | 20 | ||
| 7: Quiz 5 | 20 | ||
| 9: Quiz 6.1 and 6.2 | 40 | ||
| 10: Quiz 7.1 and 7.2 | 30 | ||
| 11: Quiz 8 | 20 | ||
| 12: Quiz 9 | 30 | ||
| 13: Quiz 10 | 10 | ||
| Personal Reflection Assignments | Individual | 3: Health Behaviors | 30 |
| 6: Stress | 30 | ||
| 7: Coping | 30 | ||
| Profile Assignments | Team | 5: Smoking/Drinking | 40 |
| 9: Patient provider Communication | 40 | ||
| 11: Cardiovascular Disease | 40 | ||
| Discussions | Team | 2, 4, 6 (2 for this lesson), 8, 9, 10 | 5 (35 total) |
| Midterm | Individual | 8: Midterm Exam | 50 |
| Final | Individual | Final Exam | 50 |
| Total Points | 575 | ||
Grades will be based on the total number of points acquired. The following grading scale will be used to determine your overall course grade:
| Points | Letter Grade |
|---|---|
| 534-575 | A |
| 517-533 | A- |
| 500-516 | B+ |
| 477-499 | B |
| 460-476 | B- |
| 442-459 | C+ |
| 402-441 | C |
| 345-401 | D |
| 0-344 | F |
Please refer to the University Grading Policy for Undergraduate Courses for additional information about University grading policies.
Course Schedule
Some weeks cover two lessons. Please check the course schedule below carefully. A week is provided for completion of each of the course lessons. You may move faster if your background permits. However, team members should work together on the weekly application problems.| Lesson 1: What is Health Psychology | |
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| Readings: | Taylor - Chapter 1 |
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| Lesson 2: Research Issues in Health Psychology | |
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| Readings: | Brannon and Fiest - Chapter 2 (electronic reserve) |
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| Lesson 3: Health Behaviors | |
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| Readings: | Taylor - Chapter 3 |
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| Lesson 4: Health-Enhancing Behaviors | |
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| Readings: | Taylor - Chapter 4, Chapter 5 (p. 78-92) |
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| Lesson 5: Health-Compromising Behaviors | |
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| Readings: | Taylor - Chapter 5 (p. 92-107) |
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| Lesson 6: Stress | |
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| Readings: | Taylor - Chapter 6 Sapolsky - Chapter 1 ("Why Don't Zebras Get Ulcers?") & Chapter 2 ("Glands, Gooseflesh, and Hormones") (electronic reserve) |
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| Lesson 7: Coping | |
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| Readings: | Taylor - Chapter 7 |
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| Lesson 8: Putting it All Together | |
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| Readings: | Review all previous readings and Lesson Commentaries |
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| Spring Break | |
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| Readings: | None |
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| Lesson 9: The Patient in the Treatment Setting Using Health Services, Patient Provider Relations and the Management of Pain |
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| Readings: | Taylor - Chapter 8, 9, 10 |
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| Lesson 10: Management of Chronic and Terminal Illness | |
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| Readings: | Taylor - Chapter 11 and 12 |
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| Lesson 11: Heart Disease, Hypertension, Stroke, Diabetes | |
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| Readings:
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| Lesson 12: Psychoneuroimmunology, AIDS, Cancer, Arthritis | |
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| Readings: | Taylor - Chapter 14, Taylor - Chapter 2 (p. 31 - 35) |
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| Lesson 13: Systems of the Body | |
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| Readings: | Taylor - Chapter 2 (p. 15 – 20 and 23 - 31) |
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All Lesson 13 assignments are due by 8:59 AM North American eastern time on Monday, December 14, 2016. |
Note: If you are planning to graduate this semester, please communicate your intent to graduate to your instructor. This will alert your instructor to the need to submit your final grade in time to meet the published graduation deadlines. For more information about graduation policies and deadlines, please go to the Graduation Information on the My Penn State Online Student Portal.
Formal instruction will end on the last day of class. Provided that you have an active Penn State Access Account user ID and password, you will continue to be able to access the course materials for one year, starting from the end date of the academic semester in which the course was offered (with the exception of library reserves and other external resources that may have a shorter archival period). After one year, you might be able to access the course based on the policies of the program or department offering the course material, up to a maximum of three years from the end date of the academic semester in which the course was offered. For more information, please review the University Course Archival Policy.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity—scholarship free of fraud and deception—is an important educational objective of Penn State. Academic dishonesty can lead to a failing grade or referral to the Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to
- cheating,
- plagiarism,
- fabrication of information or citations,
- facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others,
- unauthorized prior possession of examinations,
- submitting the work of another person or work previously used without, informing the instructor and securing written approval, and
- tampering with the academic work of other students.
Students are responsible for maintaining academic integrity. Violations include cheating on exams or quizzes, talking to others during an exam or quiz, getting help from others on exams or quizzes, having notes accessible during exams or quizzes, looking at another student's answers during an exam or quiz, plagiarizing, and dishonesty in any aspect of course participation. Also, you may not share any information from this course (including assignments and papers) with others, nor post such information electronically without the permission of the instructor. Violations of academic integrity including charges of plagiarism) and may result in a grade of F for the course as well as other penalties (see Faculty Senate Policy 49-20).
Heads up – several note-taking/note-sharing companies approach students about “jobs” (including Nittany Notes and those that appear to be connected to PSU). If this is something that you want to do, you MUST talk with your instructor first. Unless you have permission, you risk academic sanctions related to charges of plagiarism and disciplinary sanctions.
How to avoid plagiarism in this course
- Always place copied information within quotation marks, cite the source, and include information about the source in a bibliography.
- Always cite paraphrased information and include information about the source in a bibliography.
- When in doubt, cite and include the source in a bibliography.
Please make sure you submit the correct version of your paper. Whatever you hand in will be considered your final version and will be graded, even if you submit a blank document. Please note, claiming that you submitted the wrong file is NOT an acceptable excuse for work containing plagiarism.
How Academic Integrity Violations Are Handled
In cases where academic integrity is questioned, procedure requires an instructor to notify a student of suspected dishonesty before filing a charge and recommended sanction with the college. Procedures allow a student to accept or contest a charge. If a student chooses to contest a charge, the case will then be managed by the respective college or campus Academic Integrity Committee. If a disciplinary sanction also is recommended, the case will be referred to the Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response.
All Penn State colleges abide by this Penn State policy, but review procedures may vary by college when academic dishonesty is suspected. Information about Penn State's academic integrity policy and college review procedures is included in the information that students receive upon enrolling in a course. To obtain that information in advance of enrolling in a course, please contact us.
Additionally, World Campus students are expected to act with civility and personal integrity; respect other students' dignity, rights, and property; and help create and maintain an environment in which all can succeed through the fruits of their own efforts. An environment of academic integrity is requisite to respect for oneself and others, as well as a civil community.
For More Information on Academic Integrity at Penn State
Please see the Academic Integrity Chart for specific college contact information or visit one of the following URLs:
- Penn State Senate Policy on Academic Integrity
- Turnitin (a web-based plagiarism detection and prevention system)
Accommodating Disabilities
Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University's educational programs. Every Penn State campus has resources for students with disabilities. The Student Disability Resources (SDR) website provides contacts for disability services at every Penn State campus. For further information, please visit the SDR website.
In order to apply for reasonable accommodations, you must contact the appropriate disability resources office at the campus where you are officially enrolled, participate in an intake interview, and provide documentation based on the documentation guidelines. If the documentation supports your request for reasonable accommodations, your campus's disability resources office will provide you with an accommodation letter. Please share this letter with your instructors and discuss the accommodations with them as early in your courses as possible. You must follow this process for every semester that you request accommodations.
Additional Policies
The purpose of course communication tools is to provide students with a quick method for contacting faculty, teaching assistants, and other students of the class, in regards to course related questions, comments, and concerns. Please note that, according to University policy AD95/AD96, course communication tools may not be used as a method for emailing unauthorized content including but not limited to: solicitation for businesses, advertisements, selling or distributing personal or class materials, transmitting offensive, obscene, or harassing materials, chain letters, news posts, or other forms of “spam” email. Doing so will be considered a violation of course and/or University policies, and might also violate the student code of conduct and the expectations expressed in the Penn State Principles. Resulting penalties might include the suspension or termination of system access, as well as disciplinary or academic sanctions. When appropriate, information about violators will be passed on to University Police Services. If you have any questions in regards to whether or not a particular email you wish to send would violate University policies, please check with your instructor before sending messages to others through the University system.
For information about additional policies regarding Penn State Access Accounts; credit by examination; course tuition, fees, and refund schedules; and drops and withdrawals, please see the World Campus Student Center website.
In order to protect your privacy, course access is limited to those individuals who have direct responsibility for the quality of your educational experience. In addition to the instructor, a teaching assistant or college administrator may be provided access in order to ensure optimal faculty availability and access. World Campus technical staff may also be given access in order to resolve technical support issues.
Disclaimer: Please note that the specifics of this Course Syllabus are subject to change, and you will be responsible for abiding by any such changes. Your instructor will notify you of any changes.