Psychology Honors Program
Psych 2991-4996
Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Ph.D.
Jessa Reed
Spring 2012
Mindfulness as a state, trait, and clinical intervention has been extensively researched over the
last two decades; however, knowledge of the underlying mechanisms of mindfulness is still in its
infancy.
Holzel, Lazar, Gard, Schulman-Olivier, Vago and Ott, 2011
Welcome to the psychology honor’s program. This course is designed as a mini tour
through the field of psychology. Where did the field come from? How did the field mature into
the subdisciplines that we have today? What counts as evidence in psychology? What methods
do we use to secure the evidence and why? Finally, how do we build a base of understanding
about the human condition?
This semester we take on the new and somewhat fuzzy area of study – psychology and
mindfulness! Mindfulness, the nonjudgmental awareness of experiences in the present moment,
includes subject areas like yoga and meditation (Holzel et al., 2011) and has even been used to
study the effects of prayer (Newberg, 2006). Would you believe that over 20 million people in
the US practiced meditation in 2007 according to government reports? Further, we spend 5.7
billion dollars on yoga and associated products each year. With its roots deep in India and
Southeast Asia, meditation has made its way into modern Western culture through
Transcendental meditation, which was brought to the West by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and made
popular by celebrities like The Beatles. In the last 15 years, many of these activities have
coalesced around the idea of mindfulness and the study of the advantages and mechanisms
behind this construct. Indeed, there is now a neuroscience literature to suggest that when we
meditate, we have increased cerebral blood flow and activity in the frontal cortex known to
control executive function competencies like attention, memory and emotion regulation. This
semester we use mindfulness to ask how we are continually learning about the human condition?
What can the study of mindfulness teach us about the brain, about cognition or about social
processes? You will probe the answers to these questions as you try to link the nascent study of
mindfulness with scientific methodology and theory. What you will undoubtedly find is that the
exploration of these questions often demands that we move beyond the true experimental design
to embrace new techniques. There is much we do not know. Hence your voice –tempered by
your scientific lens – will be critical in shaping our views of this new frontier in science.
In the first semester, we addressed questions about the human condition by examining
several techniques in experimental design and by seeing these in action as you explored the area
of ESP and decision making.
This spring, we revisit some of the methods you studied with a new eye. As noted last
term, the methodology we use in our science has in large part been shaped by reliance on lab
research, the search for “truth” and cause and thus on true experimental designs: the golden
temple of true experimental design. This semester we add to our methodological arsenal. We
will investigate ways in which the true experimental design was altered to meet the demands of
real world research. Starting with a review of the true experimental design with its emphasis on
prediction and control, we enter the “dark side” of quasi- experimental design, and examine
observation, questionnaires, survey research and naturalistic designs as ways to inform our
science. In short, we enter the messiness of the real world – a place that social psychologists love
to visit and a place that yoga teachers find more comfortable than labs. We ask whether it is
possible to learn about the human condition scientifically while still preserving ecological or face
validity. What we will see as we study mindfulness is the struggle we face in psychology
between the cleanliness of lab design with its ability to isolate one factor for study – and some of
the “chaos” of the real world in which multiple factors often define who we are and how we will
behave. In a sense, this is the same struggle that we read about in the first term when the logicomathematical scientist met the romanticist and narrative scientist in the Bruner article. As before
in our study of ESP, we are about to enter into uncharted domain and to re-examine the
assumptions we bring to the study of psychology. We will ask about the optimal method – or in
this case methods – that the scientist can bring to bear on an issue so central to our human
existence and so woefully underexplored within the scientific arena.
The class is organized as two classes in one. The Tuesday meetings offer a basic course
in research methodology demonstrating classic and new designs that allow us to make progress
across all of the subdisciplines within psychology. On Thursday we will sample some of the
writings that illustrate these methods within the context of mindfulness. We will read articles,
evaluations asking how mindfulness might be related to the growing study of brain science and
the science of learning. I hope we will also notice how we frame our discussions. What
questions does science deem to ask? Are these the right questions?
Finally, we end the course with reflection. In the new age of psychology, just one decade
into the new millennium, we can ask what our science looks like, how it is changing and whether
psychology can become united by a common foundation based on philosophical and
methodological choices about how to best study the factors that make us human.
All 2991 and 3991 students must attend both the Tuesday and the Thursday lecture/
discussions. 4991 and 4996 students must attend the Thursday classes. These students also
become the elder statespersons who will be there for research and social support.
Requirements
Class Meetings
The class meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:00 until 12:20 in room 711 in Weiss Hall.
Students are expected to attend all classes and to have the reading assignments and paper
assignments completed before the assigned class meets.
“Juniors” (2991/3991 students) attend both Tuesday and Thursday classes. “Seniors” (4991/4996
students) must attend the Thursday classes. The syllabus that follows has both Tuesday and
Thursday reading assignments.
Blackboard
Everyone must use Temple e-mail accounts to participate in this course. When you register for
the course, you will immediately become a member of the class listserv account and will be
eligible to look at the class blackboard. You access blackboard by going to tuportal.temple.edu
and by clicking on blackboard. Once you reach this site, you will need to enter your user name
and your password. This then gives you access to this class on line. For the syllabus, goals, endof-semester evaluation forms and philosophy in the course, look at the buttons on Blackboard
under “Course Information.” Under the button labeled “Course Documents” you will also find
electronic copies of additional readings. Under External Links, you will find other websites
useful for your studies. Finally, the journal synopsis forms appear under “Assignments. “
Discussion postings
All discussion comments or questions for the upcoming Thursday class are to be posted the
Tuesday before class (by 8 am) to assist the discussion leaders for that week. This means you
should read the Thursday material by Tuesday morning to post provocative questions and
comments. This posting and familiarity with all class postings will be considered in your class
participation grade.
Discussion leaders, please post your questions for the discussion by Wednesday night at 8pm so
all can be prepared to participate on Thursday. All students will be assigned to participate as
discussion leaders for particular weeks. All are expected to be familiar with the articles, but
discussion leaders should prepare in more depth by gathering additional relevant information
about the day’s topic (articles, news, etc) as they prepare to lead the class.
Texts
There are required texts for this course –
Rosnow, R. & Rosenthal, R. (2008) Beginning behavioral research. Sixth Edition Upper. Saddle
River, NJ. Prentice Hall.
Rosnow, R., & Rosnow, M. (2009). Writing papers in psychology: A student guide (8th ed.).
Pacific Groves, CA: Brooks/Cole
Highly Recommended (especially for those unfamiliar/need refreshers on APA style) - APA (2009). Publication manual for the American Psychological Association (6th ed.).
American Psychological Association.
Grading
JUNIORS will have a midterm, a final, a reflection paper, and two journal synopsis papers for
this class. Class participation is central. Note here that juniors refers to all in 2991 and or 3991
SENIORS will be graded both from your advisor and for class attendance and participation in
our discussions as well as in your final research presentation and poster. Seniors are those taking
4991 and/or 4996.
Midterm: 25%
Final: 25%
Paper 1: 15%
Paper 2: 15%
Final Reflection Paper: 5%
Class participation: 15% for all students
Important: Now that 2991 is recognized as a writing intensive course it is imperative that you not
only write, but expect to rewrite all paper assignments until they are excellent samples of
scientific writing.
Note: Honors is a program that is by invitation only. Students must maintain a 3.5 cumulative
average to stay in the program. Further, if for any reason student performance is deemed
unacceptable with respect to class requirements or to lab requirements, they can be asked to
leave the program.
Reaching Kathy & Jessa
Kathy’s office hours are from 12:30 to 1:30 in 316 Weiss Hall after class on Tuesdays and
Thursdays and by appt. She is best reached bye-mail if not at office hours. Her e-mail address is
khirshpa@temple.edu. She can also be reached by phone at her office phone, 215-204-5243 or
at her lab phone in Ambler at 267-468-8610. .
Jessa will be available on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:00 to 3:00 in 566 Weiss Hall. Her
email address is jreed@temple.edu.
Note: The syllabi, forms for assignments and some interesting links to others sites can be found
on blackboard and on my website - http://astro.temple.edu/~khirshpa/
Disability Statement
Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should
contact me privately to discuss the specific situation as soon as possible.
Statement on Academic Freedom
Freedom to teach and freedom to learn are inseparable facets of academic freedom. The
University has adopted a policy on Student and Faculty Academic Rights and Responsibilities
(Policy # 03.70.02) which can be accessed through the following link:
http://policies.temple.edu/getdoc.asp?policy_no=03.70.02
Week 1
Tuesday, January 17: Introduction to the class
– What science can and cannot address
– The Matrix and beyond: Questions of reality vs constructed reality
– Where knowledge about the human condition meets science
– Expectations: What makes honor’s students special
– Reflection, inquisitiveness, active thinkers not passive learners
– Where you should be if you are in 2991/3991/4991 & 4996
– The Tuesday course outline
Reading:
Rozin, P. (2009). What kind of empirical research should we publish, fund and reward?
Perspectives on Psychological Science, 4(4), 435-439.
Thursday, January 19: Mindfulness?
So what is mindfulness and what have we learned in the first 15 years of study? In this review
article you will see that we have actually started to pierce the veil of the buddist meditator, the
praying nun and the state we enjoy when practicing casual yoga. Here we introduce the topic by
reading a recent article that appears in the high impact journal Perspectives in Psychological
Science. Perhaps it came out just for us ; )
Reading:
Holzel, B., Lazar, S., Gard, T., Schuman-Olivier, Z., Vago, D. & Ott, U. (2011). How does
mindfulness meditation work? Proposing mechanisms of action from a conceptual and
neural perspective. Perspectives in Psychological Science, 6, 537-559.
Week 2
Tuesday, January 24: Reviewing assumptions behind the true experimental design
Last term we discussed the Temple of the true experimental design – a beautiful monument to
design brought to us through John Stuart Mills’ necessary and sufficient conditions,
randomization and the desire to find truth and cause. Is this the pinnacle of science that will teach
us about the human condition? Why or why not?
Readings:
Rosnow & Rosenthal, Chapter 7, 150-176
Thursday, January 26: Can mindfulness be studied in a true experimental design?
Can mindfulness be examined in a way that meets the rigors set in place by the true experimental
design? You bet. Articles are just appearing that examine mindfulness as a clinical tool in
reducing stress and improving mental health. In this review article, the authors want to showcase
the way in which random assignment designs are yielding powerful new evidence on the impact
of mindful thinking and meditation. Why is it so important that these authors highlight
randomized control trials and empirical studies in the title of their review papers? Perhaps it is
because by using these true experimental methodologies, they not only find stunning results, but
also because they suggest that these results emerge in the highly controlled settings most valued
by our profession.
Readings:
Kenj, S-L., Smoski, M., Robins, C. (2011). Effects of mindfulness on psychological health: A
Review of empirical studies. Clinical Psychology Review, 31, 1041-1056.
Fjorback, L., Arendt, M., Ornbol, E., Fink, P., & Walach, H. (2011). Mindfulness-based stress
reduction and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy- A systematic review of randomized
controlled trials. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 1-18.
Week 3
Tuesday, January 31: Reliability and Validity
Cornerstones of all research, reliability and validity ensure that what you see is what you get.
They are key research concepts that allow us to have confidence in our findings. But how do we
reach adequate levels of reliability and validity – especially when so much can go so wrong even
in the contexts of true experimental designs. In this class we examine reliability issues that we
face when we do experimental lab designs. What are the advantages or disadvantages of being in
a lab or being in the world. How might we design our projects so that they are sensitive to issues
of reliability or validity?
Readings:
Rosnow & Rosenthal, Chapter 6, 124-149
Thursday, February 2: Can the study of Nuns and Buddhist priests teach us about meditation,
mindfulness and its impact on the human brain?
Neuropsychologist Andrew Newberg from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, makes
the case that meditation, like prayer, is “belief promoting” and as such might alter the way we
think and behave. In the two articles below, he asks whether one can validly and reliably study
the relationship between prayer or religious meditation and psychological health. He further
questions whether there are brain differences among those who practice long-term vs no
meditation. If this can be reliably studied, it leaves many questions about the relationship
between prayer, meditation and mindfulness, about the kind of people who might be more or less
prone to meditation (the question of selective bias) and about potential psychological
mechanisms behind meditation and mindfulness that might be related to attention and emotion.
Readings:
Newberg, A. & Lee, B. (2005) The neuroscientific study of religious and spiritual phenomenon:
Or why god does not use biostatistics. Zygon, 40, 469-488
Newberg, A., Wintering, N., Waldman, M., Amen, D.,Khalsa, D., Alavi, A. (2010) Cerebral
blood flow differences between long-term meditators and non-meditators. Consciousness
& Cognition, 19, 899-905.
Week 4
Tuesday, February 7 - Statistics: A partner in design
Methodology and statistics are often divorced in the ways we present them to students. Yet, they
are intricately tied to one another such that a choice in design is also a choice in statistical
analysis.
This class reveals the partnership between the two and demonstrates how one can plan statistics
while also planning the methodological component of our experiments. How do our statistics
flow from the designs we choose?
***Your first draft of your journal synopsis is due today. Please read the Feldman et al. article
(below) and make sure you bring your assignment to class and exchange with a peer. Your
synopsis should be written about the Feldman et al. article below.
Readings:
Rosnow & Rosenthal, Chapter 6, 124-149
Feldman, G., Greeson, J., Renna, M., & Robbins-Montelth, K. (2011). Mindfulness predicts less
texting while driving among young adults: Examining attention- and emotion-regulation
motives as potential mediators. Personality and Individual Differences, 51, 856-861.
Thursday, February 9
Statistical analysis is key to understanding just what we are finding in the literature on
mindfulness. In fact, one interesting kind of statistical analysis is called a meta-analysis when
you have just enough studies emerging in an area to finally project a kind of overview. We have
only 15 years since the first real study in this area. What can we say statistically about the
findings so far? Today you get a chance to answer that question by looking at a recent metaanalysis of the data. What do you think? What kind of selectivity goes into these analyses and
how does that selectivity of the literature affect the conclusions that you draw?
Readings;
Giluk, T. (2009). Mindfulness, big five personality, and affect: A meta-analysis. Personality and
Individual Differences, 47, 805-811.
Week 5
Tuesday, February 14: Quasi-experimental designs
The first step in the transition to the real world involved abandoning some of the requirements
for true random designs while maintaining as much control as was possible. One cannot
randomly assign some people to poverty and to drug use. We cannot make certain folks more or
less religious.
Thus, to study the effects of real world contexts of behavior, we needed a new model that
preserved scientific integrity. The quasi-experimental design offered the solution.
***The final version of your first journal synopsis is due today. Please bring your assignment to
class and turn it in.***
Readings:
Rosnow & Rosenthal, Chapter 8, 177-197
Thursday, February 16
Lao Tzu asked, “Do you have the patience to wait until your mud settles and the water is clear?”
The field of mindfulness has looked to those who practice its tenets – Buddist Monks – as a
foundation to guide what has become a blossoming area of research to treat pain and depression.
Why did Kabat-Zinn, a mindfulness pioneer, begin his work with quasi-experimental studies?
Readings:
Barinaga, M. (2003). Studying the well-trained mind. Science, 302, 44-46.
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1982). An outpatient program in behavioral medicine for chronic pain patients
based on the practice of mindfulness meditation: Theoretical considerations and
preliminary results. General Hospital Psychiatry, 4, 33-47.
Week 6
Tuesday, February 21 - Moving into the real world: What Bronfenbrenner teaches us about
independent and dependent variables
Professor Uri Bronfenbrenner was a giant in the field of developmental psychology. A Professor
who spent most of his career at Cornell University, he encouraged researchers to look at
development in context – moving research from the lab to the home, school and local park. His
Ecological System’s Theory had broad impact not only on the way we look at the potential
science in psychology, but also for policy and practice. Indeed, he outlined how we could and
should investigate science within it’s natural borders by embracing all of the complexities that
this entails. His work represented a turning point in the history of psychology and forced us to
develop new methods and statistical analyses that were friendly to individual differences and to
multiple predictors that affect multiple outcomes. In this light it is interesting to ask how we can
maintain the rigor of the quasi-experimental design as we move farther and farther away from
controlled conditions and random assignment. As we ask this question, we might also move
from language that implies a real independent variable (that the researcher puts into place) to a
predictor that the researcher isolates from the environment for the purpose of study. We might
ask how we transform the dependent variable that the experimenter found after varying that
independent variable, to the language of outcome variables that emerge in the context of certain
predictor variables. This class will also highlight newer terminology like moderators and
mediators.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1986). Ecology of the family as a context for human development: Research
perspectives. Developmental Psychology, 22, 723-742.
Thursday, February 23
And so by embracing the vision of psychology in context, we must ask how many covarying
predictors related to multiple outcomes. Ahhh – what a richness of inputs to think about and
what a mess to control. How would you ever know which variables are related to others? How
can you be sure this is not just an exercise of “everything is related to everything?” Today we
take a peek at how researchers have devised rather complex ways of studying this complexity
through techniques called hierarchical regression models and structural equation models. You
don’t need to master these techniques, but you do need to know they are out there for they ARE
the future analytical tools of our field.
Readings:
Bowlin, S. & Baer, R. (in press). Relationships between mindfulness, self-control, and
psychological functioning. Personality and Individual Differences, 52, 411-415.
Brown, K. W., & Ryan, R. M. (2003). The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in
psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 822-848.
Week 7
Tuesday, February 28: Qualitative Research
Case studies, diaries, ethnographies and protocol analyses are among the ways we first explore
the research terrain. These methods allow us to probe an area and to derive the interesting
questions based on the contexts and running commentary of our participants. While these
methods have great utility for getting our research started, they have often been criticized as less
scientific than the more quantitative methods of research. In this class we do a survey of these
methods along with their strengths and weaknesses.
***Your midterm examination will be available today after class. This is a take home, open–
book exam. Please complete the exam and upload it onto blackboard by Friday March 2, at 5
pm. Then you can go an totally enjoy your spring break!
Readings:
Rosnow & Rosenthal: Chapter 4 (pp 81-92).
Rymer, R. (1993). Genie: An abused child’s flight from silence. New York: Harper Collins. 3-26;
89-130.
Thursday, March 1
This week, as you practice the exercise of your choice per Bayes, reflect upon what mechanisms
you feel are in action and compare your thoughts with those outlined by Shapiro and colleagues.
As Hamilton Boudreaux once noted, “Observe the space between your thoughts, then observe
the observer.” How has qualitative research furthered the field of mindfulness?
Readings:
Shapiro, S. L., Carlson, L. E., Astin, J. A., Freedman, B. (2006). Mechanisms of Mindfulness.
Journal of Clinical Psychology, 62, 373-386.
Select a Chapter from
Bayes, J. C. (2011). How to train a wild elephant & other adventures in mindfulness. Shambhala,
New York, New York.
Week 8 – Spring Break – No Class
Tuesday, March 6 & Thursday, March 8
Week 9
Tuesday, March 13 - Observational Methods: An overview
Can we really observe behavior without bias? Without being obtrusive? In this class we learn
how seemingly qualitative research takes on a quantitative flavor. How do we get “clean”
observations that are untainted, reliable and valid?
Readings:
Rosnow and Rosenthal, Chapter 4, 74-93
***2991/3991: The first draft of Journal Synopsis #2 is due today. Please bring to class and
exchange with a peer. Your synopsis should be written about the Thompson et al. article below.
Thompson, R. W., Kaufman, K. A., DePetrillo, L. A., Glass, C. R., & Arnkoff, D. B. (2011).
One year follow-up of Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement (MSPE) with archers,
golfers, and runners. Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, 5, 99-116.
Thursday, March 15
Today we discuss the value of observational research within the field of mindfulness. Today’s
reading explores how mindfulness training for caregivers may foster happiness for individuals
with profound multiple disabilities.
Readings:
Singh, N. N., Lancioni, G. E., Winton, A. S. W., Wahler, R. G., Singh, J., & Sage, M. (2004).
Mindful caregiving increases happiness among individuals with profound multiple
disabilities. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 25, 207-218.
Week 10
Tuesday, March 20: Questionnaires and survey research
The structured interview begins to resemble a questionnaire. And questionnaires are used widely
to get a lot of information quickly. Not only are they used to get a lot of data from one
participant in a study, but also to broadly poll a large number of participants so that we can better
take the temperature of a society on a burning issue. If we do not understand the structure behind
the questionnaire, we might fail to ask the right questions in the right way – we might not meet
conditions for validity and reliability. Today we examine the structure behind the questionnaire.
Readings:
Rosnow and Rosenthal, Chapter 9, 198-223
Pasek, J. & Krosnick, J.A. (2010). Optimizing Survey Questionnaire Design in Political Science:
Insights From Psychology. Oxford Handbook of American Political Behavior.
Thursday, March 22
How have researchers used surveys and questionnaires in mindfulness research? The authors of
today’s readings took different approaches to data collection via questionnaires. If the essence of
mindfulness is “awareness, without criticism or judgment” (Bayes, 2011, p. 2), how should
researchers ask the right questions to tap into a construct that may at first seem to evade 5-point
Likert scale judgments?
Smith, B., Ortiz, A., Steffen, L., Tooley, E., Wiggins, K., Yeater, E., Montoya, J., & Bernard, M.
(2011). Mindfulness is associated with fewer PTSD symptoms, depressive symptoms,
physical symptoms, and alcohol problems in urban firefighters. Journal of Consulting
and Clinical Psychology, 79, 613-617.
Catalino, L., & Fredrickson, B. (2011). A Tuesday in the life of a fourisher: The role of positive
emotional reactivity in optimal mental health. Emotion, 11, 938-950.
Week 11
Tuesday, March 27 Self report Methods – Interviews
A powerful way of getting data from people is to ask them directly. But how do we ensure that
we are not biasing their responses? What questions CAN we ask? In this class we explore the
techniques designed to help us get the best information from informants in a way that is unbiased
and unintrusive. We look at the results from some interview data that is highly structured to
semi-structured to unstructured. You will also become a diagnostician.
***The final version of your second journal synopsis is due today. Please bring your assignment
to class and turn it in.
Reading:
Napoli, M. (2004). Mindfulness training for teachers: A pilot program. Complementary Health
Practice Review, 9, 31-42.
Thursday, March 29: Presentations
Week 12
Tuesday, April 3 - Wrap up on methodology: Beyond traditional experimental designs.
Traditional research has used one method to the exclusion of the other. Lab-based
research is used or qualitative methods. Yet, we are in the dawning of a new age where many are
beginning to look across disciplinary and methodological boundaries to take a fuller and more
complete look at complex behaviors. As we have seen in our study of mindfulness, we will need
to invoke multiple methods to fully understand a complex process and to better understand how
technology contributes to our understanding of the human condition.
I hope these early articles in the study of the role of mindfulness on our processing and
social behaviors also prompts us to ask just why we should stress relief and healthy living .
Today we ask about the methods we use to study complex behavior and how a cornucopia of
methods might enable a fuller picture of this central and growing human behavior. We also ask
whether psychology is now ready to embrace multifactored approaches that go beyond the true
experimental design. In what ways might adherence to strict experimental designs strangle us
and in which ways will our traditional approaches allow us to build a window onto our
understanding of the many ways in which humans embrace new the chaos of our world and cope
with it?
Thursday, April 5: Presentations
Week 13
Tuesday, April 10 Small group discussions for final reflection papers
Thursday, April 12: Presentations 4991/4996
Week 14
Tuesday, April 17: Presentations (3991/2991)
Jessa is away at a conference.
Thursday, April 19: Presentations (4991/4996)
Week 15
Tuesday, April 24 Presentations
Thursday, April 26: General wrap up
Poster session
Tuesday, May 1