HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY
Psychology 383, Section 851
Winter 2006-2007
Instructor:
Victor A. Shamas, Ph.D.
520-621-7447 (message phone only)
e-mail: vas@email.arizona.edu
homepage: http://vas.web.arizona.edu
Required Materials: Health Psychology (6th Edition) by Taylor (text)
Relaxation, Breathing, & Meditation (audio CDs)
Course Overview
Psychologists see the mind as consisting of three elements: cognition, emotion and motivation.
During the past two decades, the field of health psychology has considered the role that these
three elements play in health and illness. Our course will provide a survey of the research issues
that are emerging in this relatively new and rapidly-growing psychological sub-discipline. We
will cover the material in the textbook in the following order:
Unit 1: Health Behavior and Primary Prevention
This unit will begin with an overview of the field of health psychology (Chapter 1). We will
explore the systems of the body (Chapter 2). Then, we will take a look at health behaviors
(Chapter 3), focusing both on health-enhancing behaviors (Chapter 4) and health-compromising
behaviors (Chapter 5).
Unit 2: Stress, Coping and Treatment
In this unit, we will consider the effects of stress on health (Chapter 6) and coping strategies used
to moderate those effects (Chapter 7). We will also examine various aspects of the patient’s
experience in treatment settings, including the use of health services (Chapter 8), patientprovider interactions (Chapter 9), and pain management (Chapter 10).
Unit 3:Management of Chronic and Terminal Illness
This unit will look at the management of chronic illness (Chapter 11); terminal illness (Chapter
12); heart disease, hypertension, stroke and diabetes (Chapter 13); and immune-related disorders,
including AIDS, cancer, and arthritis (Chapter 14).
Course Structure
Although this is a Web-based course, it resembles a traditional lecture course in virtually every
regard. Here are the features of the course:

Lectures. The instructor will post his comments and insights into the course material in the
Classroom discussion, which can be accessed by clicking on the Discussions link from the
course homepage (http://d2l.arizona.edu). In an audio CD entitled Relaxation, Breathing, &
Meditation, the instructor will also guide you through specific exercises related to the course
1
subject matter. The CD will be available through Arizona Bookstore (845 N. Park Ave).
Please note: The campus bookstore does NOT carry this CD.

Classroom. In the Classroom discussion, you can also post questions about the course
material and read the instructor’s responses to other students’ questions.

Daily Updates. In the Announcements discussion, which can also be accessed by following
the Discussions link from the course homepage, the instructor will update you on the day-today business of the class. If you have logistical questions about the class (e.g., deadlines,
exams, grading), this is the place to post them.

Handouts. You will be able to download the materials you need from the instructor’s Web
site (http://vas.web.arizona.edu). These include the syllabus you are reading and a detailed
study guide that helps you navigate through the course readings, which includes a set of
practice tests to help you prepare for the exams.

Assigned Readings. The course material is divided into three units, each of which consists of
18 lessons. In the Course Schedule shown below, you will see a listing of the textbook
chapters that will be covered each class day. Make sure to keep up with the class pace by
reading each chapter by the date listed in the schedule and by working through the lessons in
the study guide corresponding to that chapter.

Exams. You will be taking three multiple-choice exams in this course, which are described
in greater detail in the section entitled “Grading Policy.” Your grade is based entirely on
your scores on the three exams and the term paper.

Term Paper. You can earn up to 20 points by trying the mind-body techniques contained on
the audio CD and writing about them. This paper must include your first-person account of
your experiences in doing the exercises, including your initial expectations and the thoughts,
impressions, feelings and bodily sensations produced by each exercise.

Grade Posting. You will be able to look at your exam scores and course grade by clicking on
the Grades link from the course home page.

Deadlines. This course has very strict deadlines to which you must adhere. See the “Course
Schedule” section for more information.

Office Hours. You can send private questions to the instructor by clicking on the Mail link
from the course home page. The instructor will answer virtually all questions in less than 24
hours. In most cases, he will post his answers to one of the forums so that other members of
the class can benefit from the information.
The course will proceed as follows: There will be assigned readings for every official class day
of the session. You will be expected to keep up with the readings and to visit the course D2L
site daily. When you enter the discussions, you will find updates in the Announcements
discussion and information about the course material in the Classroom. Although you are not
2
required to post to either forum, you are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the learning
opportunities it affords you. You can check your grade at any time using the Grades feature and
send questions or comments to the instructor via the Mail feature. You will be taking three
exams in the course (see “Grading Policy” for more information).
Grading Policy
Your grade will be based on the three multiple-choice exams and on your term paper. You
must be in Tucson to take the exams at 4pm on the following dates:
Midterm 1- Wednesday, January 3
Midterm 2- Friday, January 5
Final Exam- Tuesday, January 9
Please note that attendance is required at all three exams. If you know ahead of time that you will
be unable to attend the exams in Tucson, you are strongly encouraged to drop the course ASAP.
The testing location, which has not yet been determined, will be announced on the course
Web site.
All grades will be posted confidentially on the course site. Only you can access your exam
scores and final grade, and you can do so by clicking on the Grades link from the course home
page. There are a total of 140 points for this course, which are distributed as follows:
Midterm 1:
Midterm 2:
Final exam:
Term Paper
TOTAL
30 points
30 points
60 points
20 points
140 points
The exams are multiple-choice and each question has four choices. Because the tests are
computer-graded, you will need to bring a Number 2 pencil to the exams and to make sure that
you fill in the accompanying bubble sheet according to the instructions that will be provided.
Each question is worth one point. On the final, 40 questions will cover new material from Unit 3
and the other 20 will be review from Units 1 and 2.
Your grade will be based on the grade cutoffs shown below:
Grade
A
B
C
D
F
Score___
120
100
80
60
below 60
All of the exams are closed-book and closed-notes tests. You will have one hour to complete
each exam. The exams will start promptly at 4pm. If you are more than 15 minutes to an
3
exam, you will not be allowed to sit for it. There are no makeup exams in this course. If
you miss an exam or arrive late, you will receive a score of zero.
For the term paper, you will need to do the relaxation, breathing, and meditation exercises on the
audio CDs. All of these exercises are commonly used in health psychology to manage stress,
pain and other health issues. You will also need to find one other exercise of your choosing.
This can be any of a number of mind-body practices or therapies, including hypnosis,
biofeedback, bodywork, tai chi or yoga. In the paper, you will provide your first-person account
of your experiences in doing each of the four exercises, including your initial expectations and
the thoughts, impressions, feelings and bodily sensations produced by each exercise.
The paper, which is worth 20 points, should be at least five pages in length (double-spaced, 1”
margins, 12 point Times Roman font). Please submit your paper as a Microsoft Word file, which
you can send the instructor via e-mail: vas@email.arizona.edu. All papers must be turned in
no later than 5pm on Monday, January 8. Papers submitted after that deadline will not be
accepted.
There is no extra credit, and no grade of "incomplete" will be awarded.
Course Schedule
Because this is a very short session, you will need to read about 1-2 chapters of your textbook for
each official class day. Please keep up with the readings so that you can post questions to the
Classroom forum. You can post any question about any of the course material on any day
of the session, and your questions and thoughts are always welcome. But you and your
classmates will get more out of the course if you keep up with the readings and post your
questions pertaining to a specific reading on the day we are scheduled to discuss it.
Also note that the course schedule has been designed so that all three exams take place after the
holidays. This was done for your convenience so that you can do your holiday travel and still
return to Tucson in time to take the exams. We will be covering the course material at a pace of
about a unit per week. The following is the schedule we will be following in this course:
WEEK 1
12/1812/1912/2012/2112/22-
START OF UNIT 1
CH.1: What is Health Psychology?
CH.2: The Systems of the Body
CH.3: Health Behaviors
CH.4: Health-Enhancing Behaviors
CH.5: Health-Compromising Behaviors
END OF UNIT 1
4
WEEK 2
12/2512/2612/2712/2812/29-
HOLIDAY
HOLIDAY
START OF UNIT 2
CH.6: Stress
CH.7: Moderators of the Stress Experience
CH.8: Using Health Services
CH.9: Patient-Provider Relations
WEEK 3
1/11/2-
1/3
1/41/5-
HOLIDAY
START OF EXAM WEEK
CH.10: Pain and its Management
END OF UNIT 2
MIDTERM 1
START OF UNIT 3
CH.11: Management of Chronic Illness
CH.12: Psychological Issues in Advancing and Terminal Illness
MIDTERM 2
CH.13: Heart Disease, Hypertension, Stroke and Diabetes
WEEK 4
1/8-
1/9-
TERM PAPER DUE BY 5PM
CH.14: Psychoneuroimmunology, AIDS, Cancer and Arthritis
END OF UNIT 3
FINAL EXAM
Your Instructor
Victor Shamas received his Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from the University of Arizona in
1994 and his MS in Chemistry from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1984. He has
taught Introduction to Psychology; Psychological Measurement and Statistics; Developmental
Psychology; Psychology of Love and Spirituality; Psychology of Excellence; Research Methods;
Biopsychology; Cognitive Psychology; Sensation and Perception; Cognitive Development;
Personality; Psychology of Consciousness; Social Psychology; Industrial/Organizational
Psychology; Abnormal Psychology; Health Psychology; Psychology of Death and Loss; Adult
Development and Aging; Thinking, Reasoning and Problem-Solving; and Sleep and Sleep
Disorders. He has been a member of the faculty at The Evergreen State College, St. Martin’s
College, Green River Community College, and the University of Arizona.
Dr. Shamas has a strong commitment to interdisciplinary education and has taught courses in the
fields of psychology, chemistry, natural history, counseling, and communications. In 1986, he
was named the first Master Learner in the State of Washington as part of a program coordinated
by the Washington Center for the Advancement of Undergraduate Education. He has been the
5
recipient of research fellowships from the National Science Foundation and the McDonnell-Pew
Foundation. His research focuses on the role of consciousness in the creative process.
Besides his empirical work, he has co-authored theoretical papers in Behavioral and Brain
Sciences and in the following edited volumes: Implicit Memory and Metacognition by Lynne
Reder (1996), Implicit Cognition by Geoffrey Underwood (1996), and Contemporary Hypnosis
Research by Erika Fromm and Michael Nash (1992). Dr. Shamas has recently published a set of
multimedia educational materials entitled Visualizing Addiction.
Required Materials
The textbook for this course is Health Psychology (Sixth Edition) by Shelley E. Taylor,
published in 2006 by McGraw-Hill. All readings listed in the course outline are taken from this
book. Also required is an audio CD entitled, Relaxation, Breathing & Meditation, which can be
purchased at Arizona Bookstore (845 N. Park).
6