HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY
Psychology 383
Spring 2007
Location:
Meeting Times:
CESL 102
Tues & Thurs 11am – 12:15 pm
Instructor:
Office Hours:
Telephone:
E-mail:
Homepage:
Victor A. Shamas, Ph.D.
By Appointment
621-7447 (message phone only)
vas@email.arizona.edu
http://vas.web.arizona.edu
Teaching Assistant: Keith Fridel
Office Hours:
E-mail:
fridel@email.arizona.edu
Required Materials: Health Psychology (6th Edition) by Taylor (text)
Biofeedback, Hypnosis, Relaxation and Four Meditations (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), patient-provider 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
This is a lecture/discussion course in which your grade is based entirely on three multiple-choice
exams and a term paper. Although class attendance will not be taken, you will find attendance to be
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extremely beneficial because many of the exam questions will deal directly with concepts and
information covered in class. Here is how the course will be organized:
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Study Guide. You can find this Microsoft Word file on the instructor’s homepage
(http://vas.web.arizona.edu). The study guide divides the course material into three units
and each unit into 18 lessons. Every lesson includes a set of objectives and key terms. This
is the information you will need to know on the exams.
Lectures. Each lecture in this course will cover the material related to a specific chapter in
the textbook or an online reading. Questions and discussion are strongly encouraged. You
should make sure to do the readings before coming to class and to get all of your questions
answered by the time you leave class. The readings corresponding to each lecture are shown
in the Course Schedule section below.
Exams. You will be taking three multiple-choice exams in this course, one at the end of
each unit. These exams are described in greater detail in the Grading Policy section below.
Journal. You will record your observations as do each of 10 Focus Tasks. Towards the end
of the semester, you will submit these observations in the form of a set of 10 two-page
typewritten journal entries. See the Grading Policy section and the section entitled “Focus
Tasks” for more details.
Grading Policy
Your grade will be based on three multiple-choice exams and the journal. The exams will be held on
the following dates:
Midterm 1: Tuesday, February 20
Midterm 2: Tuesday, April 3
Final Exam: Tuesday, May 1
Attendance and punctuality are absolutely required at all three exams. If you miss an exam or
arrive more than 15 minutes late, you will receive an automatic score of zero. There are no
makeup exams except in the event of an extreme and verifiable emergency.
The exams are multiple-choice and each question has four choices. The midterms have 30 questions
each and the final has 60 questions. 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 scantron form
according to the instructions that will be provided. Each question is worth one point. On the final,
approximately 40 questions will cover new material (Unit 3) and the other 20 will be review from
Units 1 and 2.
All of the exams are closed-book and closed-notes tests. You will have the entire class period to
complete each exam.
There are a total of 140 points for this course, which are distributed as follows:
Midterm 1:
30 points
Midterm 2:
30 points
Final exam:
60 points
Journal:
20 points
TOTAL
140 points
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Your grade will be based on the grade cutoffs shown below:
Grade
Score___
A
115-140
B
95-114
C
75-94
D
55-74
F
below 55
The journal is due by the start of class (11am) on Thursday, April 26. You can submit a hard
copy of your journal or a Microsoft Word file via e-mail: vas@email.arizona.edu. Each of the 10
journal entries should be a minimum of two typewritten pages in length, double-spaced, using 12point Times New Roman font (or something similar in size but not bigger) and one-inch margins.
Grading of the journals is based on two criteria: 1) subject requirement—the journal entries must
address the topics and issues raised in the Focus Tasks; 2) length requirement—there must be a
journal entry for each Focus Task, and each entry must be at least two pages in length.
Please note: There is no extra credit in this course and no grade of “incomplete.” If a
journal is turned in anytime after 11am on April 26, it will be awarded a score of zero.
Focus Tasks
The Focus Tasks shown below (listed in the order you should write about them in your journal) are
intended to stimulate your thoughts and feelings about the course material. Some of the Focus Tasks
require that you read specific articles, all of which can be found on the instructor's website
(http://vas.web.arizona.edu):
Focus Task 1: Read “The Role of the Mind in Healing” by Andrew Weil. According to Weil, what
exactly is the role of the mind in healing? In your opinion, to what extent does a person’s thoughts
affect his or her health? Explain and give examples to support your position.
Focus Task 2: Read “Placebo Effects” by Michael Murphy. What is your impression of placebo
effects? Discuss possible reasons why placebos seem to provide health benefits for some individuals
but not for others. How much of the effectiveness of conventional treatments do you think can be
attributed to placebo effects?
Focus Task 3: Read “Invisible Force” by Jane McGoldrick. How do you make sense of energy
healing? Do you think that the alternative treatment modalities described in this reading actually
work? If so, why do you think they are effective? If not, why do you think so many people
throughout the world rely on such modalities? What is your impression of subtle energy? Do you
think that energy plays a role in healing? Explain.
Focus Task 4: “A Guide to Bodywork” by Darlene E. Paris. Have you tried any of the forms of
bodywork listed in this reading? If so, describe your experiences. If not, either: a) talk to someone
who has; b) interview a practitioner in your local area; or c) schedule an appointment for bodywork.
Then, record your impressions in your journal.
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Focus Task 5: Read “What is Biofeedback?” Then try the biofeedback exercise on the Biofeedback,
Hypnosis, Relaxation audio CD that is required for this course. Record your thoughts, feelings and
experiences. To what extent were you able to feel your heartbeat? To what extent were you able to
slow it down? Do you think that it is possible to regulate autonomic functions such as heart rate? If
so, how do you think this process works? If not, why not?
Focus Task 6: Try the progressive relaxation exercise on the Biofeedback, Hypnosis, Relaxation audio
CD. Then record your thoughts, feelings and experiences. To what extent were you able to relax?
What health benefits, if any, do you think this exercise can produce?
Focus Task 7: Read “Hypnosis for the Seriously Curious” and try the hypnosis exercise on the
Biofeedback, Hypnosis, Relaxation audio CD. Then write down your impressions of hypnosis. What
did you think about hypnosis prior to trying this exercise? How did your impression of hypnosis
change, if at all?
Focus Task 8: Read “The Benefits of Meditation” by Mark Harris. Then try the exercises on the
Four Meditations audio CD. In what ways is meditation similar to the biofeedback, hypnosis and
relaxation exercises you’ve done? In what ways is it similar? Why do you think the topic of
meditation is covered in health psychology courses like this one? What role, if any, can meditation
play in health and healing?
Focus Task 9: Read “A Conversation about the Future of Medicine” with Dr. Larry Dossey. What
is your impression of the relationship between prayer and healing? Why is it unlikely that health
benefits associated with praying (assuming there are any) are simply placebo effects? What
methodological flaws, if any, do you see in this line of research? Why is it that praying seems to
work in some cases but not in others?
Focus Task 10:“The Faith Factor” by Beth Baker. Discuss Herb Benson’s ideas about the role of
faith in health and healing. How do his ideas compare with your own?
Course Schedule
Each of the lectures in this course pertains to an assigned reading and to the corresponding lessons
in the study guide. Please complete the assigned readings and work through the corresponding
lessons before class. For instance, prior to class on January 18, you should read Chapter 1 of your
textbook and work through Lesson I-1 in your study guide. Please note that most chapters in the
textbook correspond to at least 3-5 lessons in the study guide.
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WEEK 1
1/16- Course Introduction
1/18- CH.1: What is Health Psychology?
WEEK 9
3/13- SPRING BREAK
3/15- SPRING BREAK
WEEK 2
1/23- CH.2: The Systems of the Body
1/25- CH.2: The Systems of the Body
WEEK 10
3/20- CH.9: Patient-Provider Relations
3/22- CH.9: Patient-Provider Relations
WEEK 3
1/30- CH.2: The Systems of the Body
2/1- CH.3: Health Behaviors
WEEK 11
3/27- CH.10: Pain & Its Management
3/29- CH.10: Pain & Its Management
WEEK 4
2/6- CH.3: Health Behaviors
2/8- CH.4: Health-Enhancing
Behaviors
WEEK 12
4/3- CH.11: Management of Chronic
Illness
4/5- CH.11: Management of Chronic
Illness
WEEK 5
2/13- CH.4: Health-Enhancing
Behaviors
2/15- CH.5: Health-Compromising
Behaviors
WEEK 13
4/10- CH.12: Psychological Issues in
Advancing & Terminal Illness
4/12- CH.12: Psychological Issues in
Advancing & Terminal Illness
WEEK 6
2/20- REVIEW
2/22- MIDTERM 1
CH.6: Stress
WEEK 14
4/17- CH.13: Heart Disease,
Hypertension, Stroke & Diabetes
4/19- CH.13: Heart Disease,
Hypertension, Stroke & Diabetes
WEEK 7
2/27- CH.7: Moderators of the Stress
Experience
3/1- CH.7: Moderators of the Stress
Experience
WEEK 15
4/24- Psychoneuroimmunology, AIDS,
Cancer & Arthritis
4/26- Review
DUE: TERM PAPER
WEEK 8
3/6- CH.8: Using Health Services
3/8- CH.8: Using Health Services
WEEK 16
5/1- FINAL
Required Materials
The textbook for this course is Health Psychology by Phillip L. Rice, published in 1998 by Brooks/Cole
(ISBN 0-534-33915-8). All readings listed in the course outline are from this book. Also required
are the two audio CDs: Four Meditations and Hypnosis, Relaxation, Biofeedback. You can obtain these
CDs at Arizona Bookstore (845 N. Park Ave). Please note: The CDs are only available at the
Arizona Bookstore and not at the campus bookstore.
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