Child and Family Psychopathology
PSY 424 – Section 001
Fall, 2015
Location:
339 Case Hall
Time:
Tuesday and Thursday: 10:20 – 11:40 am
(Scheduled Final Exam Time: Friday 12/18/15; 7:45 – 9:45 am)
Professor:
Tim Goth-Owens, Ph.D.
E-Mail: gothowen@msu.edu
Campus Office: 110D Psychology Building (I am generally only in this office during office hours
and for scheduled meetings with students.)
Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 8:45 – 9:45 and by appointment. I will also be available for
extended discussion after class.
Graduate Assistant:
Alana Harrison
E-Mail: alanahar@msu.edu
Campus Office: 40B Psychology Building
Office Hours: Monday and Friday 10-11 am and by appointment.
Prerequisites: PSY 295 and a Tier I writing course are required. This class is designed for junior and senior psychology
majors. Although not a requirement, background in abnormal psychology (e.g., PSY 280) and developmental psychology
(e.g., PSY 244) will enhance students’ experience in PSY 424. The course will not extensively cover material commonly
addressed in those courses.
Overview: PSY 424 is an advanced undergraduate Tier II writing course. The course covers child and adolescent
psychopathology. The developmental psychopathology perspective will be emphasized, with a heavy emphasis on
descriptive psychopathology (i.e., the symptoms and syndromes described in the DSM-V). We will review fundamental
models of developmental psychopathology and a range of child disorders. With each syndrome possible biological,
genetic, familial, and social-cultural causal factors will be scrutinized.
Objectives:
1. Students will develop a clear understanding of developmental psychopathology concepts and of key
childhood psychological disorders.
2. Students will produce APA-styled, grammatically correct, properly spelled and punctuated, intellectually
sophisticated papers discussing topics raised in the course. These papers will demonstrate an understanding
of key concepts from the course and will demonstrate the scientific perspective of rationalism, empiricism,
and skepticism. Students will demonstrate effective and professional written communication in
psychological science.
3. Students will have a more sophisticated ("beyond the average lay person") framework for thinking critically
about the causes, consequences, questions, and preventive challenges facing scientists, families, clinicians,
and society in child and family psychopathology. This will make them more effective consumers of
information about childhood problems and better able to contribute meaningfully to political discourse and
processes aimed at improving the lives of children.
Class Format: Lecture, in-class exercises, class discussion, in-class writing.
Assignments: The full details of assignments are found in a separate document posted on D2L. There are 500 points
for the course. There is no extra credit available and there is no honors option available for this course. There is a
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Fall, 2015
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significant amount of reading and research required to succeed in this course. There will be a “take home” mid-term
and “take-home” non-cumulative final. There will be in-class writing exercises. There will be three papers.
Attendance: Attendance is required and contributes 20% to your final grade for the course. In class writing exercises
are randomly scheduled and are the mechanism by which your attendance is recorded. There could be as few as five or
as many as 25 of these exercises. You can miss four of these without penalty. The four dropped attendance checks are
available because it is assumed that there are many good reasons for which a student might miss class in the course of a
semester. There is no distinction between “excused” and “unexcused” absences: I do not want to be in the position of
deciding the merits of your reason for missing class. If you know you will need to miss class, save your dropped
attendance checks for those days. If you use your four missed classes because you just did not feel like going to class and
then get sick, you will probably be very frustrated that your illness ends up reducing your grade in the course. You get
four absences; please use them wisely and do not attempt to negotiate with me about whether an absence should be
included as one of your four non-penalized absences. Please let me know if you have any questions about these
policies.
Expectations: Be in class and ready to fully engage from 10:20 – 11:40 am from the beginning to the end of the
semester. Read assigned readings prior to class and be prepared to ask and answer questions about the reading.
Please expect to give your full attention to your fellow students, to me, and to the activities of PSY 424-001. If your
behavior is anything less than respectful and engaged, there is a reasonably good chance that I will draw your attention
to your problematic level of respect and engagement. This feedback process will be awkward and uncomfortable for me
and it may be aversive to you as well. (If there is some type of health-related emergency underway for someone
important to you and you are expecting important messages concerning this emergency during class, please inform me
of that circumstance prior to the start of class.) If I become aware of students routinely using electronics for anything
other than the activities of the class, I reserve the option of limiting the use of computers, phones, tablets, etc. in the
classroom. You are expected to complete each assigned reading prior to the class session for which it is assigned. If it
becomes clear that students are not meeting this expectation, I reserve the option of using unannounced quizzes as one
of the in-class activities that will contribute to 20% of your course grade.
Academic Honesty: Article 2.III.B.2 of the Student Rights and Responsibilites (SRR) states that "The student shares with
the faculty the responsibility for maintaining the integrity of scholarship, grades, and professional standards." In
addition, the Psychology Department adheres to the policies on academic honesty as specified in General Student
Regulations 1.0, Protection of Scholarship and Grades; the all-University Policy on Integrity of Scholarship and Grades;
and Ordinance 17.00, Examinations. (See Spartan Life: Student Handbook and Resource Guide and/or the MSU Web
site: www.msu.edu.)
Therefore, unless authorized by your instructor, you are expected to complete all course assignments, including
homework, lab work, quizzes, tests and exams, without assistance from any source. You are expected to develop original
work for this course; therefore, you may not submit course work you completed for another course to satisfy the
requirements for this course. Students who violate MSU academic integrity rules may receive a penalty grade, including
a failing grade on the assignment or in the course. Contact your instructor if you are unsure about the appropriateness
of your course work. (See also the Academic Integrity webpage.)
Limits to confidentiality: Essays, journals, and other materials submitted for this class are generally considered
confidential pursuant to the University's student record policies. However, students should be aware that University
employees, including instructors, may not be able to maintain confidentiality when it conflicts with their responsibility to
report certain issues to protect the health and safety of MSU community members and others. As the instructor, I must
report the following information to other University offices (including the Department of Police and Public Safety) if you
share it with me:
--Suspected child abuse/neglect, even if this maltreatment happened when you were a child,
PSY 424-001
Fall, 2015
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--Allegations of sexual assault or sexual harassment when they involve MSU students, faculty, or staff, and
--Credible threats of harm to oneself or to others.
These reports may trigger contact from a campus official who will want to talk with you about the incident that you have
shared. In almost all cases, it will be your decision whether you wish to speak with that individual. If you would like to
talk about these events in a more confidential setting you are encouraged to make an appointment with the MSU
Counseling Center.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities (from the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD):
Michigan State University is committed to providing equal opportunity for participation in all programs, services and
activities. Requests for accommodations by persons with disabilities may be made by contacting the Resource Center for
Persons with Disabilities at 517-884-RCPD or on the web at rcpd.msu.edu. Once your eligibility for an accommodation
has been determined, you will be issued a Verified Individual Services Accommodation ("VISA") form. Please present this
form to me at the start of the term and/or two weeks prior to the accommodation date (test, project, etc.). Requests
received after this date may not be honored.
Grades:
Exams – 200 points
Mid-term –“ take home”
Final (non-cumulative) – “take home”
100 points (20%)
100 points (20%)
Writing Assignments – 200 points
Paper #1: “Cain’s Arcade,” risk, and resilience
Paper #2: ADHD: Myth, culture, and science
Paper #3: Treatments of a childhood disorder
40 points (8%)
60 points (12%)
100 points (20%)
In-class exercises/attendance (quizzes if more motivation to complete assigned reading before class
appears necessary) – 100 points
100 points (20%)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Total
500 points (100%)
Final course grades are dependent upon a straight percentage of points earned during the course. There is no “curve’,
which means that no one in the course is statistically required to do poorly and everyone in the course is eligible (and
expected) to earn a 4.0 for the semester.
4.0
3.5
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.0
90 – 100%
84 – 89%
78 – 83%
71 – 77%
66 – 70%
61 – 65%
56 – 60%
<56%
450 – 500 points
420 – 449 points
390 – 419 points
355 – 389 points
330 – 354 points
305 – 329 points
280 – 304 points
<280 points
If your grade in this course is very important to you, e.g., if there is some reason that your life will be adversely affected
by earning 2.5 instead of a 3.0, do everything in your power to get as many points as possible. At the end of the
semester, percentages of total points earned that include a fraction of a percentage point will be raised to the next
PSY 424-001
Fall, 2015
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whole percentage point. Beyond that adjustment, I will not raise anyone’s grade at the end of the semester simply
because the student is within a point or two of a higher grade. Please do not ask. It is also a violation of University
standards for me to allow an individual student an opportunity to earn a few extra points by doing some additional work
at the end of the semester, unless that opportunity is available to everyone in the class. Please do not ask me to do this
either. I promise you right now that the answer is “no”.
Core texts – required
Weis, R. (2014). Introduction to abnormal child and adolescent psychology (2nd ed.). Los Angeles: Sage.
ISBN 978-1-4522-2528-8 Note: the first edition of this text will not work well for the course. There are
significant differences between the 1st and 2nd editions of this text.
Hinshaw, S. & Scheffler, R. (2014). The ADHD explosion: Myths, medication, money, and today’s push for
performance. London: Oxford University Press.
ISBN 978-0-1997-9055-5
Core texts – recommended
American Psychological Association (2010). Concise rules of APA style. Washington, DC: American Psychological
Association.
ISBN 978-1-4338-0560-8
Alternative recommended texts (available at MSU’s Main Library)
American Psychological Association (2009). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.).
Washington DC: Author. (In Library reference section)
Alternative internet resources
Everything that you need from the APA publication manual can be found in the APA Style tutorial at:
http://flash1r.apa.org/apastyle/basics/index.htm?__utma=185732729.1047758763.1375388696.1375388
696.1375388696.1&__utmb=185732729.15.10.1375388696&__utmc=185732729&__utmx=&__utmz=185732729.1375388696.1.1.utmcsr=google|utmccn=(organic)|utmcmd=organic|utmctr=(not
%20provided)&__utmv=-&__utmk=150147638
Or at: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
Assigned (required) Articles (All articles cited below are available through MSU Library’s electronic resources. Links to
these articles are also provided on D2L.)
Anderson C.A. & Bushman, B.J. (2001). Effects of violent video games on aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition,
aggressive affect, physiological arousal, and prosocial behavior: A meta-analytic review of the scientific
literature. Psychological Science, 12 (5), 353-359.
Belsky, J., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M.J., & van IJzendoorn, M.H. (2007). For better and for worse: Differential
susceptibility to environmental influences. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 16 (6), 300-304.
Hostinar, C.E. & Gunnar, M.R. (2013). The developmental effects of early life stress: An overview of current theoretical
frameworks. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 22 (5), 400-406.
PSY 424-001
Fall, 2015
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Hume, C. & Snowling, M.J. (2011). Children’s reading comprehension difficulties: Nature, causes, and treatments.
Current Directions in Psychological Science, 20(3), 139-142.
McEwen, B.S. (2013). The brain on stress: Toward an integrative approach to brain, body, and behavior. Perspectives
on Psychological Science, 8 (6), 673-675.
Munakata, Y., Snyder, H.R., & Chatham, C.H. (2012). Developing cognitive control: Three key transitions. Current
Directions in Psychological Science, 21(2), 71-77.
Sroufe, L. A. & Rutter, M. (1984). The domain of developmental psychopathology. Child Development, 55, 17-29.
PSY 424-001
Fall, 2015
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COURSE SCHEDULE
Week
1
2
Day
Th
T
Date
9/3
9/8
Reading
Th
9/10
Sroufe & Rutter, 1984; Belsky, et al (2007)
T
Th
T
9/15
9/17
9/22
Weis, Ch. 2
McEwen (2013); Hostinar & Gunnar (2013)
Weis, Ch. 3
Th
Sun
9/24
9/27
Weis, Ch. 8
11:59 pm
5
T
Th
9/29
10/1
6
T
Th
10/6
10/8
Hinshaw & Scheffler, pp. .xi - 50
Hinshaw & Scheffler, pp. 41 – 98
Munakata, et al (2012)
Hinshaw & Scheffler, pp. 99 - 170
Weis, Ch. 9 and pp. 469-479
7
T
10/13
Anderson & Bushman (2001)
Th
Sun
T
Th
T
Th
Sun
T
Th
T
Th
T
Th
Sun
10/15
10/18
10/20
10/22
10/27
10/29
11/1
11/3
11/5
11/10
11/12
11/17
11/19
11/22
Weis, Ch. 10
11:59 pm
Weis, Ch. 4
Weis, Ch. 5
Weis, Ch. 6
T
Th
T
Th
T
11/24
11/26
12/1
12/3
12/8
Weis, ch. 13, pp. 504 - 518
No Class
Weis, Ch. 14, pp. 519 - 545
Weis, Ch. 14, pp. 545- 574
Weis, Ch. 15
Th
F
12/10
12/18
Weis, Ch. 16
Final Exam
9:45 am
3
4
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Finals
Week
Weis, ch. 1
11:59 pm
Weis, Ch. 7; Hume & Snowling (2011)
Weis, Ch. 11 pp. 364-393
Weis, Ch. 11, pp. 394-416
Weis Ch. 12, pp. 417 - 436
Weis Ch. 12, pp. 437 - 468
Weis Ch. 13, pp. 480-503
11:59 pm
Topic
Introduction to PSY 424
The developmental psychopathology
perspective I
The developmental psychopathology
perspective II
Research methods
The neuropsychology of stress
Clinical nuts and bolts: Assessment,
diagnosis, treatment
ADHD I
Cain’s Arcade paper due in D2L Drop
Box
ADHD II
ADHD III: Diagnosis and treatment
ADHD IV: The cultural context
Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) vs.
Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder
(DMDD)
Conduct disorder 12:00 noon Mid-term
exam is available on D2L (covers all
reading and lectures 9/3 – 10/15)
Adolescent substance abuse
Mid-term exam due in D2L Drop Box
Developmental Disorders
Communication Disorders
Autism I
Autism II
ADHD paper due in D2L Drop Box
Learning disorders
Anxiety Disorders
OCD
Trauma - PTSD
Trauma – Maltreatment
Depressive disorders
Treatment methods paper due in D2L
Drop Box
Self-injury
Thanksgiving Holiday
Child and adolescent bipolar disorder
Childhood schizophrenia
Feeding and eating disorders
12:00 noon Final exam is available on D2L
(covers all reading and lectures 10/20 –
12/10)
Pediatric Psychology
7:45 – 9:45 am attendance is optional - 339
Case Hall. The final exam is due in the
D2L drop box by 9:45 am.