Psychology 361:006: ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY
Fall 2009
Meeting times and location: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2- 3:15 pm; LA 2114
Professor: Jonathan F. Mattanah, Ph.D.
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 12:30-1:30 pm; Wednesdays, 9-10 am
Office: LA 3147
Phone: 410-704-3208
Fax: 410-704-3800
E-Mail: jmattanah@towson.edu
Web-Site (URL): pages.towson.edu/jmattana (you can also access my web site through
the psychology department home page)
Texts
Davison, G.C., Neale, J.M., & Kring, A.M. (2010). Abnormal Psychology, 11th
Edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (available at the Bookstore).
Oltmanns, Martin, Neale, and Davison (2009). Case Studies in Abnormal
Psychology, 8th Edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (available at the Bookstore).
Supplemental readings will be available on e-reserves.
Course Objectives
This course has two primary objectives. The first is to provide students a comprehensive
introduction to the field of clinical psychology, examining in detail the etiology,
diagnosis, and treatment of various forms of psychopathology. The second objective is to
challenge students to think critically about theory and research in clinical psychology and
develop their own ideas about some of the major unresolved issues in the field. Some of
these issues include (1) the value of diagnostic categories and labels, (2) the usefulness of
psychotherapy as a form of intervention, and (3) genetic versus environmental causes of
mental disorders.
Attendance
I strongly encourage regular attendance in my classes and will take attendance at the
beginning of each class. Therefore, I am encouraging regular attendance by making one
part of your course grade based on class attendance. I realize that students have many
legitimate reasons for missing class once in a while (e.g., illness, death in the family,
etc.). You will be permitted three absences during the semester with no penalty to your
final grade (these absences do not need to be excused). After that, you will lose 10 points
for each additional class you miss, up to the maximum 50 points that attendance is worth
in this class. If you have a very unusual circumstance (such as a protracted illness or
death of a very close family member) that requires you to be absent for an extended
period of time, please see me so that you will not be penalized for those extra absences
(these special circumstances may in some cases require written documentation).
I will take attendance each class period during the first 10 minutes. If are not there
during that time period, I will count you as absent. If you come in late, you must
approach me after class to inform me that you were present during class (If you come in
more than 15 minutes late, you will be counted as absent for that class even if you
approach me after class).
Assignments
Exams: There will be three exams in this course. Exams will include a mix of multiplechoice, short-answer, and essay questions. The first two exams are non-cumulative,
covering material only up to that exam. The final exam is cumulative, however, and will
cover material learned throughout the semester. Exams will cover material from lectures
and from the readings, including material not covered in class. Thus, it is encouraged
that you read the textbook thoroughly and attend lectures regularly, as the two are not
overlapping. Grading on these exams is on an absolute scale and not curved. Exams are
given on the dates scheduled. If you are going to miss a test, you must contact me in
advance of the test in person or by phone. The only acceptable reasons for missing an
exam are a medical emergency, death in the family, or religious holiday. No other
reasons will be accepted. Make-up tests will be different from the one given in class and
you must make arrangements with me to take a make-up exam. You should plan to take
the make-up exam soon after it is given in class; if you have not taken it prior to the next
scheduled exam, you will receive a ZERO for the missed test. PLEASE MAKE SURE
NOW THAT YOUR FINAL EXAMS FOR YOUR CLASSES DO NOT CONFLICT
AND LET ME KNOW ABOUT ANY CONFLICTS AHEAD OF TIME.
Summary Papers: You will be required to write summary papers on 4 out of the 6
supplemental readings for the course. You may choose the 4 articles for which you will
write summary papers. Please note you may not write summary papers on the case
studies; only on the supplemental readings. Each summary paper should be between 2
and 4 pages in length and is due in class the day the article will be discussed (see the
syllabus for the exact dates when we will be discussing particular articles). All
assignments must be turned in at the beginning of class on the day it is due. If you hand
it in after class, it will automatically be docked 3 points (out of 25 possible) for each day
it is late. For example, if you hand in a paper two days late, the very best you could get
for it would be a 19 out of 25. Your summary paper must include a summary of the main
points of the article and a discussion of your thoughts, reactions, and critique of the
article (e.g., write about areas you found helpful or not, where you disagreed or agreed
with the author and state why). All assignments must be typed. I will not accept handwritten work. Because this is a college course, your writing style, spelling, and grammar
will effect your grade on written assignments.
Mattanah
Abnormal Psychology
Page 2
Grading
Your grade in this course will be determined by your performance on the three exams, the
summary papers, and attendance, weighted as follows:
Exam I
Exam II
Final Exam
Summary Papers
Attendance
=
=
=
=
=
100 points
100 points
150 points
100 points
50 points
Total points
=
500 points
Additionally, I will make final grade assignments taking into account class participation.
Constructive participation in class discussions can positively effect students whose grades
are on the boundary between two grades whereas lack of constructive participation can
negatively effect such boundary grades.
The following indicates point ranges for each letter grade used in this class:
A = 458 points or higher
A- = 448-457
B+ = 438-447
B = 408–437
B- = 398–407
C+ = 388-397
C = 348-387
D+ = 337-347
D = 298-336
F = below 298 points
Policy Concerning Academic Dishonesty
This course is conducted in accordance with university policy concerning Academic
Dishonesty (including, but not limited to, cheating and plagiarism) found in the
Undergraduate Handbook (appendix F, p. 272) Any student caught cheating on an exam,
plagiarizing written work, or engaging in any other form of academic dishonesty, will be
subject to one or more of the following disciplinary actions: (1) grade reduction; (2)
failure of exam or homework; (3) failure of the course; (4) more severe disciplinary
action by university authorities.
Final Notes
If you are having trouble with study skills, you might want to go to the Tutorial
Services and Testing Center (7720 York Rd., Rooms 234-5; phone: 704-2291) for study
suggestions and/or tutoring.
Finally, a course like advanced abnormal psychology can bring up a lot of
personal issues for students taking it. If you feel like you could benefit from personal
counseling or have a friend who you think might benefit from it, you might want to seek
help at the Counseling Center (704-2512).
Please turn off all cell phones and pagers (or put them on vibrate) during class; they
are very distracting to everyone in the class!
Mattanah
Abnormal Psychology
Page 3
SEMESTER SCHEDULE
Tues., Sept. 1
Lecture: “Class Description; Defining Abnormality”
Readings: Chapter 1 of Textbook
Thurs., Sept. 3
Lecture: “Paradigms In Clinical Psychology I”
Readings: Chapter 2 of Textbook
Tues., Sept. 8
Lecture: “Paradigms In Clinical Psychology II”
Readings: Chapter 2 of Textbook
Thurs., Sept. 10
Lecture: “Paradigms In Clinical Psychology III”
Readings: Chapter 2 of Textbook
Tues., Sept. 15
Lecture: “Assessment and Diagnosis I”
Readings: Chapter 3 of Textbook;
E-Reserves: Kihlstrom, J.F. (2002). To honor Kraepelin…
from symptoms to pathology in the diagnosis of mental
illness. In L.E. Beutler & M. Malik (Eds.), Rethinking the
DSM: A Psychological Perspective (pp. 279-303).
Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.
Thurs., Sept. 17
Lecture: “Assessment and Diagnosis II”
Readings: Chapter 3-4 of Textbook
Tues., Sept. 22
Lecture: “Anxiety Disorders I”
Readings: Chapter 5 of Textbook
Thurs., Sept. 24
Lecture: “Anxiety Disorders II”
Readings: Chapter 5 of Textbook
Tues., Sept. 29
Lecture: “Anxiety Disorders III”
Readings: Chapter 5 of Textbook
E-Reserves: Schwartz, J. M. (1997). Cognitive-behavioral
self-treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder
systematically alters cerebral metabolism: A mind-brain
interaction paradigm for psychotherapists. In E. Hollander
& D.J. Stein (Eds.), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder:
Diagnosis, Etiology, & Treatment (pp. 257-281). New
York: Marcel Dekker, Inc.
Thurs., Oct. 1
Mattanah
Lecture: “Somatoform and Dissociative Disorders I”
Readings: Chapter 6 of Textbook
Abnormal Psychology
Page 4
Tues., Oct. 6
Lecture: “Somatoform and Dissociative Disorders II”
Readings: Chapter 6 of Textbook;
Chapter 6 of Case Book
Thurs., Oct. 8
Examination #1: Textbook Chapters 1-6. Lectures.
Readings from E-Reserves.
Tues., Oct. 13
Lecture: “Mood Disorders I”
Readings: Chapter 8 of Textbook
Thurs., Oct. 15
Lecture: “Mood Disorders II”
Readings: Chapter 8 of Textbook
Tues., Oct. 20
Lecture: “Mood Disorders III – bipolar illness”
Readings: Chapter 8 of textbook
Thurs., Oct. 22
Lecture: “Schizophrenia I”
Readings: Chapter 11 of Textbook
E-Reserves: Chapman, R. K. (2002). First person account:
Eliminating delusions. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 28, 545-553.
Tues., Oct. 27
Lecture: “Schizophrenia II”
Readings: Chapter 11 of Textbook;
Chapter 10 of Case Book
Thurs., Oct. 29
Lecture: “Personality Disorders I”
Readings: Chapter 12 of Textbook
Tues., Nov. 3
Lecture: “Personality Disorders II”
Readings: Chapter 12 of Textbook;
Chapter 20 of Case Book
Thurs., Nov. 5
Lecture: “Substance Use Disorders I”
Readings: Chapter 10 of Textbook
Tues., Nov. 10
Lecture: “Substance Use Disorders II”
Readings: Chapter 10 of Textbook
E-Reserves: Shedler, J. & Block, J. (1990). Adolescent
Drug Use and Psychological Health: A Longitudinal
Inquiry. American Psychologist, 45, 612-630.
Thurs., Nov. 12
Mattanah
Examination #2: Textbook Chapters 8, 10-12
Lectures. Case Book Readings. Readings from E-Reserves
Abnormal Psychology
Page 5
Tues., Nov. 17
Lecture: “Childhood disorders I”
Readings: Chapter 14 of Textbook
E-Reserves: Jensen, P.S., Hinshaw, S.P., & Swanson, J.M.
(2001). Findings from the NIMH multimodal treatment
study of ADHD (MTA): Implications and applications for
primary care providers. Journal of Developmental &
Behavioral Pediatrics, 22(1), 60-73.
Thurs., Nov. 19
Lecture: “Childhood disorders II”
Readings: Chapter 14 of Textbook
Tues., Nov. 24
Lecture: “Eating Disorders I”
Readings: Chapter 9 of Textbook
Thurs., Nov. 26
Thanksgiving; No Class
Tues., Dec. 1
Lecture: “Eating Disorders II”
Readings: Chapter 9 of Textbook
E-Reserves: Sanders, M. J. (1988). Eating Disorders. In
H. Steiner (Ed.), Treating adolescents (pp. 223-260). San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Inc.
Thurs., Dec. 3
Lecture: “Psychotherapy Outcome Research”
Readings: Chapter 16 of Textbook
Tues., Dec. 8
Lecture: “Psychotherapy Process Research”
Readings: Chapter 16 of Textbook
Thurs., Dec. 10
Summary and Conclusions
Thurs., Dec. 17
12:30 – 2:30 pm
Final Exam: Textbook Chapters 9, 14, 16.
Lectures. Readings from E-Reserves. (Reminder: Final
exam will include material from the rest of the course).
Mattanah
Abnormal Psychology
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