PSY 610: Seminars in Psychosocial Oncology

SYLLABUS

PSY 558, Theories of Social Psychology: Health Applications

Fall, 2005, Mondays: 2:00-5:00, Psychology B248

Instructor: Anne Moyer; Office: Psych B 224; Tel: 2-7811;

email: . Office hours:Wednesdays10:00-11:00 and 12:00-1:00, or by appointment

Course Description and Objectives:

This course provides an overview of they ways in which social psychological theories and perspectives can be used to understand thoughts and behavior relevant to health and illness. We will consider social influence, social comparison, pluralistic ignorance, social support, cognitive dissonance, message framing, and fear communication. The course will also cover links between personality characteristics and health and how the broader social and cultural environment affects health and illness. The readings have been carefully selected to give you an overview of the field of social/health psychology, and expose you to some of the important figures and methodologies.

Required Reading:

Salovey, P. & Rothman, A. J. (Eds.) (2003). Social psychology and health. New York: Psychology Press.

Available from the campus bookstore or Stony Books.

Additional requiredcourse readings, noted below, are posted in electronic format on the Blackboard site for the course is Course readings listed in Times New Roman font are from the book, and those listed in Arial font are articles to be downloaded from Blackboard.

Class Format:

Typically, I will give an introduction to the theory or topic area; this will be followed by a student presentation of one of the articles, and a discussion of other readings. On selected weeks we will also view a video of a presentation given by an expert in the field (see “virtual guest presentations,” below).

Evaluation:

Course grades will be based on class attendance and participation, weekly reading response assignments, and on satisfactory completion of a research proposal and review of other course member’s proposals as indicated below:

1. Participation (including presentation of readings)25%

2. Reading response assignments (10 best)40%

3. Research proposal(due Nov 28)25%

4. Reviews of classmates’ research proposals (due Dec 11)10%

1. Participation: You are expected to attend at least 13 of the 14 weekly class sessions, with points deducted for additional sessions missed or partly attended. It is expected that you come to class having read all material thoroughly, including articles to be presented by a fellow student. It would be a good idea to take notes on each article and bring them along with the articles that we are discussing to class. Each week, a student will introduce an article (indicated in bold for each week) from the reading list and will facilitate discussion for that part of the session. This should review some of the main concepts, results, and discussion, and two or three interesting discussion questions. Presentations should be about 10-15 minutes. The student will provide class members with a 2-5 page (double-spaced) summary of the article. This should be in a style similar to a New York Times, Science Times article or an APA Monitor article. Basically, the goal is to provide an interesting, engaging, yet accurate description of the research that skillfully distills the most important take-home message of the research. An award for the best summary will be presented at the end of the course. Finally, when we view video presentations of experts in the field, you should take notes to facilitate subsequent discussion.

2. Reading response assignments: Each week students will choose one article from the reading list, apart from the article to be presented in class, to write a reaction paper on. Reaction papers should be 1-2 pages and include: extracting the most important points or take-home message from the article; questions the reading generated or things that you disagreed with, or things that you’d like to raise for general discussion with other members of the seminar; a suggestion for improving the design or interpretation of the research; new terms or words that the reading introduced you to. On the week that you are presenting an article, you are exempt from submitting a reaction paper!

3. Research proposal: The research proposal allows you to explore a particular topic touched upon in the course in greater depth and to gain experience proposing research. It should be 8-12 pages in length (double-spaced, 12pt font) and written in APA style corresponding to the general format of a research proposal, including: specific aims, background and significance, research design and methods, and literature cited.

4. Review of classmates’ research proposals: Course members will conduct brief, anonymous,written reviews of other course member’s research proposals. During the last class meeting we will conduct a mock review panel meeting that simulates the procedures used in real review panel meetings. Proposals will be given “priority scores” and “funding decisions” will be made. Although I cannot offer you thousands of dollars to conduct your research, “handsome rewards” will be awarded to the top applicants.

Other important information:

You can access class information (syllabus, readings) on-line at: If you used Blackboard during the 2003-2004 Academic Year and/or Summer2004, your login information (Username and Password) has not changed. If you have never used Stony Brook's Blackboard system, your initial password is your SOLAR ID# and your username is the same as your Stony Brook (sparky) username, which is generally your first initial and the first 7 letters of your last name.

For help or more information see:

Forproblems logging in, go to the helpdesk in the Main Library SINC Site orthe Union SINC Site , you can also call: 631-632-9602 or e-mail:

If you have a physical, psychological, medical, or learning disability thatmay impact your course work, please contact Disability Support Services(631) 632-6748. They will determine with you what accommodations arenecessary and appropriate. All information and documentation isconfidential.

Students who require assistance during emergency evacuation are encouragedto discuss their needs with their professors and Disability SupportServices. For procedures and information go to the following website: and search Fire Safety and Evacuation and Disabilities.

Any form of academic dishonesty will be treated as a serious matter. This consists of any act that is designed to obtain fraudulently, either for oneself or for someone else, academic credit, grades, or other recognition that is not properly earned or that adversely affects another’s grade, including, but not limited to, cheating or plagiarizing.

Course Schedule and Readings:

Week 1: Monday, August 29: Introduction to the Course and to the Fields of Social and Health Psychology

***Monday, September 5, No Classes, Labor Day***

Week 2: Monday, September 12: Mental Models of Health and Illness

Readings

Jordan, C. H., & Zanna, M. P. Appendix: How to Read a Journal Article in Social Psychology.

D. Meyer, H. Leventhal, M. Guttman, Common-sense Models of Illness: The Example of Hypertension.

M. Gerrard, F.X. Gibbons, A.C. Benthin, R.M. Hessling, A Longitudinal Study of the Reciprocal Nature of Risk Behaviors and Risk Cognitions in Adolescents: What You Do Shapes What You Think and Vice Versa.

N.D. Weinstein, Testing Four Competing Theories of Health-protective Behavior.

Week 3: Monday, September 19:Health Beliefs and Health Behavior

Readings

N.D. Weinstein, A.J. Rothman, S.R. Sutton, Stage Theories of Health Behavior: Conceptual and Methodological Issues.

J.O. Prochaska, C.C. DiClemente, J.C. Norcross, In Search of how People Change: Applications to Addictive Behaviors.

F.X. Gibbons, M. Gerrard, H. Blanton, D.W. Russell, Reasoned Action and Social Reaction: Willingness and Intention as Independent Predictors of Health Risk.

Week 4: Monday, September 26: Health Information Processing

Readings

P.H. Ditto, R.T. Croyle, Understanding the Impact of Risk Factor Test Results: Insights from a Basic Research Program.

Liberman, S. Chaiken, Defensive Processing of Personally Relevant Health Messages.

T.K. MacDonald, G.T. Fong, M.P. Zanna, A.M. Martineau, Alcohol Myopia and Condom Use: Can Alcohol Intoxication Be Associated with More Prudent Behavior?

(Virtual) Guest PresentationThe Marvels and Illusions of Intuitive Thinking
Daniel Kahneman, Ph.D., 2002 Nobel Laureate in Economics, PrincetonUniversity

The Marvels and Illusions of Intuitive Thinking

***Monday, October 3, No Classes, Rosh Hashanah***

Week 5: Monday, October 10: Social Influence and Health and Illness: Social Comparison and Social Norms

Readings

J.V. Wood, S.E. Taylor, R.R. Lichtman, Social Comparison in Adjustment to Breast Cancer.

F.X. Gibbons, M. Gerrard, Predicting Young Adults' Health Risk Behavior.

D.A. Prentice, D.T. Miller, Pluralistic Ignorance and Alcohol Use on Campus: Some Consequences of Misperceiving the Social Norm.

J.A. Kulik, H.I.M. Mahler, P.J. Moore, Social Comparison and Affiliation under Threat: Effects on Recovery from Major Surgery.

Week 6: Monday October 17: Social Support and Health and Illness

Readings

J.S. House, K.R. Landis, D. Umberson, Social Relationships and Health.

S. Cohen, Psychosocial Models of the Role of Social Support in the Etiology of Physical Disease.

Davison, K. P., Pennebaker, J. W., & Dickerson, S. S. (2000). Who talks? The social psychology of illness support groups. American Psychologist, 55, 205-217.

Liang, J., & Krause, N. M., & Bennett, J. M. (2001). Social exchange and well being: Is giving better than receiving? Psychology and Aging, 16, 511-523.

Week 7: Monday October 24: Social Relationships and Health and Illness

Readings

Bolger, N., Zuckerman, A., & Kessler, R. C. (2000). Invisible support and adjustment to stress. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79, 953-961.

Hamrick, N., & Cohen, S. (2002). Being popular can be healthy or unhealthy: Stress, social network diversity, and incidence of upper respiratory infection. Health Psychology, 21, 294-298

Deelstra, J. T., Peeters, M. C. W., Zijlstra, F. R. H., & van Doornen, L. P. (2003). Receiving instrumental support at work: When help is not welcome. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88, 324-331.

Holt-Lunstad, J., Uchino, B. N., Smith, T. W., Olson-Cerny, C., & Nealey-Moore, J. B. (2003). Social relationships and ambulatory blood pressure: Structural and qualitative predictors of cardiovascular function during everyday social interactions. Health Psychology, 22, 388-397.

(Virtual) Guest Presenter

Linda J. Waite, Ph.D., University of Chicago

The Impact of Social Institutions on Health: The Case for Marriage

Week 8: Monday, October 31: Changing Behavior

Readings

N.D. Weinstein, J.E. Lyon, P.M. Sandman, C.L. Cuite, Experimental Evidence for Stages of Health Behavior Change: The Precaution Adoption Process Model Applied to Home Radon Testing.

A.J. Rothman, P. Salovey, C. Turvey, S.A. Fishkin, Attributions of Responsibility and Persuasion: Increasing Mammography Utilization among Women over Forty with an Internally Oriented Message.

J. Stone, E. Aronson, A.L. Crain, M.P. Winslow, C.B. Fried, Inducing Hypocrisy as a Means of Encouraging Young Adults to Use Condoms.

A.J. Rothman, S.C. Martino, B.T. Bedell, J.B. Detweiler, P. Salovey, The Systematic Influence of Gain- and Loss-framed Messages on Interest in and Use of Different Types of Health Behavior.

Week 9: Monday, November 7: Personality, Individual Variables, and Health

Readings

H.S. Freidman, S. Booth-Kewley, The 'Disease-prone Personality'.

T.W. Smith, Hostility and Health: Current Status of a Psychosomatic Hypothesis.

Murphy, E. M. (2003). Being born female is dangerous for your health. American Psychologist, 58, 205-210.

Westmaas, J. L., Wild, T. C., & Ferrence, R. (2002). Effects of gender in social control of smoking cessation. Health Psychology, 21, 368-376.

(Virtual) Guest Presenter

Gender Differences in Heart Disease- Let Me Count the Ways
Karen A. Matthews, PhD, University of Pittsburgh

Gender Differences in Heart Disease: Let Me Count the Ways

Week 10: Monday, November 14: Thoughts, Mind and Health

Readings

J.W. Pennebaker, Writing about Emotional Experiences as a Therapeutic Process.

M.F. Scheier, K.A. Matthews, J.F. Owens, G.J. Magovern, Sr., R.C. Lefebvre, R.A. Abbott, C.S. Carver, Dispositional Optimism and Recovery from Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery: The Beneficial Effect on Physical and Psychological Well-being.

Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 377-389.

Maddi, S. (2002). The story of hardiness: Twenty years of theorizing, research, and practice. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 54, 175-185.

(Virtual) Guest Presenter

Bruce S. McEwen, Ph.D., RockefellerUniversity

From Molecules to Mind: Stress, Individual Differences and the Social Environment

Week 11: Monday, November 21: Feelings about the Self and Health

Readings

Crocker, J., & Park, L. E. (2004). The costly pursuit of self-esteem. Psychological Bulletin, 130, 392-414.

Ginis, K. A. M., Jung, M. E., & Gauvin, L. (2003). To see or not to see: Effects of exercising in mirrored environments on sedentary women’s feeling states and self-efficacy. Health Psychology, 22, 354-361.

Symister, P., & Friend, R. (2003).The influence of social support and problematic support on optimism and depression in chronic illness: A prospective study evaluating self-esteem as a mediator. Health Psychology, 22, 123-129.

Taylor, S. E. (2003). Are self-enhancing cognitions associated with healthy or unhealthy biological profiles? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85, 605-615.

Week 12: Monday, November 28: The Social Environment and Health

Readings

Gottfredson, L. S. (2004). Intelligence: Is it the epidemiologists’ elusive “fundamental cause” of social class inequalities in health? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 86, 174-199.

Adler, N. E., Epel., E. S., Castellazzo, G., & Ickovics, J. R. (2000). Relationship of subjective and objective social status with psychological and physiological functioning: Preliminary data in healthy white women. Health Psychology, 19, 586-592.

Ettner, S. L., Grzywacz, J. G. (2001). Workers’ perceptions of how jobs affect health: A social ecological perspective. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 6, 101-113.

(Virtual) Guest Presenter

Amartya Sen, Ph.D.

Conflicting Principles in Health Education

Week 13: Monday, December 5:The Grant Review Process and The Material and Sociocultural Environment and Health Risk Factors and Health

T. Muldoon, altered and disguised R01 application “Cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors and colon cancer prevention”

Altered and disguised R01 summary statement following scientific review

(Please skim and bring the above documents and bring to class to accompany viewing the video “Inside the NIH Grant Review Process.” This mock proposal will be discussed in the video.)

Wadden, T. A., Brownell, K. D., & Foster, G. D. Obesity: Responding to the global epidemic. (2002). Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70, 510-525.

Video Presentation

"Inside the NIH Grant Review Process", is a 39-minute video that includes excerpts from the reviews of 3 types of NIH applications: R01 - Research project grant, K08 - Mentored clinical scientist career development grant and R03 - Small research grant. To make the video both authentic and authoritative, real reviewers volunteered to review real but altered and disguised applications. NIH staff members also volunteered to participate in this video, which was developed by CSR in collaboration with the NIH Office of Extramural Research.

The Center for Scientific Review (CSR) has produced a video of a mock study section meeting to provide an inside look at how NIH grant applications are reviewed for scientific and technical merit. The video shows how outside experts assess applications and how review meetings are conducted to ensure fairness. The video also includes information on what applicants can do to improve the chances their applications will receive a positive review.

Documentary Presentation

Supersize Me

Producer / Director / Guinea Pig | Morgan Spurlock and The Con (96 minutes)

Week 14: Monday, December 12

Mock review session: Panel discussion of reviews ofclass members’ grant proposals and “funding” decisions, and presentation of “handsome rewards” to top applicants. The PSY 558 Journalistic Award will also be presented for the best article summary.