GEY 4612- PSYCHOLOGY OF AGING

Sections: 001 & 002

(3 credit hours)
Spring 2020
Instructor Information Class Information
Instructor: Hillary Rouse Meeting Days: Monday, Wednesday
E-mail: hrouse@mail.usf.edu Meeting Times: 9:30 – 10:45am
Office: MHC 1319 Location: SOC 151
Office Hours: Wednesday, 11am – 12:30pm

GENERAL EDUCATION STATEMENT

This course is part of the University of South Florida’s General Education Curriculum. It is
certified for Information Literacy. Students enrolled in this course will be asked to participate in
the University of South Florida’s General Education assessment effort. This will involve
submitting copies of writing assignments for review via Canvas.

Course Description
The course provides a comprehensive overview of psychological aspects of aging. Topics will
include age-related changes in sensation/perception, cognition, and personality, as well as
application to late-life psychopathology. The course is worth three credit hours, open to all majors
with no pre-requisites or co-requisites, and repeatable for credit.

Course Objectives
This course provides a comprehensive overview of the psychological aspects of aging. Students will
learn how to use symbolic, expressive, and interpretive communications to examine critical issues
in psychology of aging and to produce knowledge in a basic but scientific manner. Also, the class
will help students gain an appreciation for the issues of racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity in the
area of psychological theory and testing. Students will understand the linkage between psychology
of aging and disciplines other than psychology.

Course Philosophy
This course should be both interesting and educational for you. Regardless of if gerontology is your
chosen career path, aging affects us all. As we age, and we see our loved one’s age, we see the
changes that are happening within and outside of ourselves. While these changes tend to be thought
of in a negative light, there is growth that occurs throughout the lifespan as well. The issues that will
be covered in this course should directly touch each of us, and I therefore highly encourage you to
engage yourself as much as possible.
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Student Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course, students will be able to:
1. Compare/contrast and synthesize research on the psychology of aging in a written paper;
2. Understand the mechanisms by which knowledge in the field is generated and evaluated;
3. Discuss changes in sensation/perception, health, and cognition that can occur with aging;
4. Understand how aging affects personality, interpersonal relationships, and mental health;
5. Use research tools and indicators of authority (e.g., TRAAP test) to determine the credibility
of sources, while identifying any legal and ethical restrictions placed on the use of
information via class readings, lectures;
6. Critically interpret quantitative evidence (such as graphs, tables, charts) in order to identify
false claims, incorrect use of evidence, or contradictory statements; and
7. Revise course assignments by integrating new sources of information and determining
relevance of existing sources.

Course Materials Required for Purchase

Textbook (optional): Cavanaugh, J. C. & Blanchard-Fields, F. (2015). Adult development and aging
(7th ed.). Wadsworth: Belmont, California.
Index cards: Please purchase these and bring them to class. They will be used for in-class activities.
Kahoot!: Please download this application to your phone, or make sure you have access to this
website, for in-class exam reviews.

Online Materials for Class

The syllabus, lecture slides, and class assignments are available on Canvas. Please make sure you
are familiar with how to use Canvas, including how to turn written assignments in. If you have any
specific content questions, or any problems accessing materials, please let me know. You can
contact USF’s IT Service Desk for more help as well at help@usf.edu or (813) 974-1222.

Contacting Me
Email is always the best way to get in contact with me. Please try to avoid messaging me through
Canvas as I don’t always get these notifications, and questions sent to me here will be re-directed to
email. When emailing me, you should always send me the message through your USF email
account. For any email, please give me at least 24 hours for a response. If you’re emailing me to
inform me of an urgent issue, please write ‘urgent’ in the subject line of the email.
I have open office hours on Wednesday that are specifically set aside to meet with you. I am also
happy to meet at another time if you ask. Please take advantage of this time to meet with me for any
questions or help on assignments. I would rather you ask me the question, before the assignment is
due, then after when it might be too late.
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Assignments & Grading

Exams – 140 points
 Exam One is worth 35 points and will be held on Wednesday, 2/5. The exam is worth 35 points
and will be based on lecture’s 1-5.
 Exam Two is worth 35 points and will be held on Wednesday, 3/4. The exam is worth 35 points
and will be based on lecture’s 6-11.
 Exam Three is worth 35 points and will be held on Monday, 4/6. The exam is worth 35 points
and will be based on lecture’s 12-17.
 Exam Four is worth 35 points and will be held on Wednesday, 4/29. The exam is worth 35 points
and will be based on lecture’s 18-22.
Research Article Portfolios – 100 points
 Research Article Portfolio 1-4 are worth 100 points altogether. Each answer for the articles within
these portfolios will be worth 5 points.
 Research Article Portfolio 1 is for article’s 1-3 and is due on Monday, 2/3.
 Research Article Portfolio 2 is for article’s 4-9 and is due on Monday 3/2.
 Research Article Summary 3 is for article’s 10-15 and is due on Wednesday, 4/1.
 Research Article Summary 4 is for article’s 16-23 and is due on Monday, 4/27.
 Of the 23 articles, only 20 will count. You can either miss three, or have your lowest grades
dropped.
Class Activities – 75 points
 Class Activities are worth 5 points each. Of the 25 class sessions, there will be 17 random class
activities.
 Of these 17 activities, only 15 will count. You can either miss two, or have your lowest grades
dropped.
Writing Assignments – 90 points
 Reflection on Aging 1 is worth 15 points and the assignment directions can be found on Canvas.
The assignment opens on Canvas on Monday, 1/13 at 11:59pm and is due on Sunday, 1/19 at
11:59pm. The assignment closes on Wednesday, 1/22 at 11:59pm.
 Personality Assignment is worth 15 points and the assignment directions can be found on Canvas.
The assignment opens on Canvas on Sunday, 2/2 at 11:59pm and is due on Sunday, 2/16 at
11:59pm. The assignment closes on Wednesday, 2/19 at 11:59pm.
 End of Life Assignment is worth 35 points and the assignment directions can be found on Canvas.
The assignment opens on Canvas on Sunday, 4/5 at 11:59pm and is due on Sunday, 4/19 at
11:59pm. The assignment closes on Wednesday, 4/22 at 11:59pm.
 Reflection on Aging 2 is worth 25 points and the assignment directions can be found on Canvas.
The assignment opens on Canvas on Sunday, 4/12 at 11:59pm and is due on Sunday, 4/26 at
11:59pm. The assignment closes on Wednesday, 4/29 at 11:59pm.
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Information Literacy Portfolio Project – 95 points

 Portfolio Project 1 is worth 10 points and the assignment directions can be found on Canvas. This
assignment opens on Canvas on Monday, 1/13 at 11:59pm and is due on Sunday, 1/26 at
11:59pm. The assignment closes on Wednesday, 1/29 at 11:59pm.
 Portfolio Project 2 is worth 35 points and the assignment directions can be found on Canvas. This
assignment opens on Canvas on Sunday, 1/26 at 11:59pm and is due on Sunday, 2/23 at 11:59pm.
The assignment closes on Wednesday, 2/26 at 11:59pm.
 Portfolio Project 3 is worth 35 points and the assignment directions can be found on Canvas. This
assignment opens on Canvas on Sunday, 2/23 at 11:59pm and is due on Sunday, 3/29 at 11:59pm.
The assignment closes on Wednesday, 4/1 at 11:59pm.
 Portfolio Project 4 is worth 15 points and the assignment directions can be found on Canvas. This
assignment opens on Canvas on Sunday, 3/29 at 11:59pm and is due on Sunday, 4/12 at 11:59pm.
The assignment closes on Wednesday, 4/15 at 11:59pm.
Extra Credit – 13-15 possible extra credit points
 The Act of Kindness is worth 1-3 extra credit points and is for you to do something good in the
community. Once you have done so, you must submit it as a comment on Canvas to inform me
of what you have done. It is due by Wednesday, 4/29 at 9:30am.
 The Syllabus Quiz is worth 4 extra credit points and will test how familiar you are with the
information provided in this document. It opens on Canvas on Wednesday, 1/13 at 11:59am. This
extra credit quiz is due on Friday, 1/17 at 11:59pm and will not stay open past the due date.
 The Source Evaluation Quiz is worth 4 extra credit points and will test how familiar you are with
the TRAAP test. It opens on Canvas on Wednesday, 1/22 at 11:59am. This extra credit quiz is
due on Friday, 1/24 at 11:59pm and will not stay open past the due date.
 The End of the Semester Feedback is worth 4 extra credit points and will ask you for feedback on
how the class was. It opens on Canvas on Wednesday, 4/22 at 11:59am. This extra credit quiz is
due on Friday, 5/1 at 11:59pm and will not stay open past the due date.
Course Grading
There is a total of 500 possible points in this class. Your final grade is determined by the grading
scale listed below. Standard rounding rules apply and grades will not be rounded up (ex. 89.6=A,
89.4= B). If your grade is over a 100% at the end of the semester, then you will receive an A+.

Assignment Point Value (% of Grade) Grade Percentage Points

Exams (4) 140 (28%) A 90-100% 448-500
Research Article B 80-89% 398-447
100 (20%)
Portfolios (4)
C 70-79% 348-397
Class Activities (15) 75 (15%)
D 60-69% 298-347
Writing Assignments (4) 90 (18%)
F < 60% < 297
Portfolio Projects (4) 95 (19%)
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Submission of Assignments: All assignments, besides those that are in the classroom, must be
submitted in Canvas. Assignments not submitted properly will not be graded, so please make sure
to contact USF’s IT Service Desk if you are experiencing difficulties with anything related to this.

Extensions: Only in true emergency situations will extensions be offered. You must contact me
before the due date to inform me of what is happening. There may be some exceptions to this, but
this will be based on my discretion.

Late Work: For research article portfolios, no late submissions will be allowed. For portfolio
projects and writing assignments, every twelve hours an assignment is late, you will lose points
equivalent to half of a letter grade. The writing assignments will not be accepted after three days
past the due date.

Incompletes: Incomplete grades for the course will only be given to students with extenuating
circumstances and in complete accordance with USF policy. Before asking, please review the USF
undergraduate catalog to determine if it is an option for you.

Extra Credit: The announced extra credit on this syllabus will be the only extra credit for this class,
and it must be submitted on time. There will be no other extra credit given, so you are advised to
take full advantage of the available opportunities.
 ALL grades will be uploaded and available in Canvas. Please check the information in Canvas
to make sure that your scores are correct. If you believe they are not, please send me an email
or make an appointment to discuss grades during office hours, as grades are confidential.
Assignment Policies
Class Activity Integrity: Class activities will be randomly completed during the class time. If it is
found that individuals are completing this activity for others, both students will receive a 0 for the
activity. If it is also found that students are communicating when the activity is so that a classmate
can come for solely the activity, again, both students will receive a 0.

Exam Integrity: Exams will start at the beginning of class. Exams will be handed out until the first
exam is finished and submitted. If you are late for an exam, you risk the possibility of being unable
to take the test and therefore receiving a zero. If you are allowed to take the test late, it will be based
on my discretion and you will automatically lose two letter grades. If you are caught cheating during
an exam, you will automatically receive a grade of 0, no exceptions.

Make-up Exams: Makeup exams are allowed in the event of an emergency. They must be
scheduled and taken within 5 days of when the exam was administered, or the grade will be a 0.

Research Article Portfolio Integrity: All of the article summaries must be written in your own
words, and not plagiarized from the articles. It is expected that you will complete them on your own
and not with other students in the class. If it is found that students are copying off each other, both
students will receive a grade of 0 for all summaries submitted prior to this, no exceptions.

Written Assignment Integrity: All assignments must be written in your own words, and not
plagiarized from other sources. This includes not using papers that other students have written.
Plagiarism will not be tolerated. If it is found that more than 10% of your document is plagiarized,
you will automatically receive a grade of 0, no exceptions.
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Class Policies
Classroom Etiquette: Please come to class on-time and prepared with all necessary materials. It is
expected that you will be ready to discuss the materials and be engaged during class. Computers and
iPads will be allowed for note taking, to view the PowerPoint slides and assigned articles; and to
participate in ‘Kahoot!’ If you are caught using one of these for other reasons, you will be asked to
not bring them anymore. Use of cellular phones during class is not allowed, unless we are using
‘Kahoot!’ I suggest you put it on do not disturb or silent, as even on vibrate a phone can disturb the
class. If you are found on your phone, you will be asked to leave it at the front of the classroom for
the rest of the semester.

First Day Attendance: To be counted as enrolled in the course, you must be present the first day,
unless you have made previous arrangements with me. Attendance will be taken on this day, and, if
you aren’t present then you will be dropped from the class per USF policies.

General Attendance Policy: Attendance will not be taken at every class. Class activities will be
given randomly and there will be no make-ups for these. If you are not present, your grade will be
dramatically affected. Class is only one day a week, and you will miss a lot of information if you
are not present. If you miss class, it is your responsibility to get the notes and information. If you
plan to miss a class due to participation in an athletic event, or an authorized student organization
event, please give me written notice, with date(s), by the second week of class.

Recordings and Course Materials: It is not permitted to record class sessions without receiving
permission from the instructor. Distributing notes, handouts, etc. for any commercial purpose is a
violation of the USF System’s Student Code of Conduct; it is also illegal.

Syllabus: PLEASE review the syllabus and identify all due dates for assignments. The syllabus
contains everything you need to know for this class. If you have any questions about anything on
here, please see me to clarify any misunderstanding. The syllabus can change any time at my
discretion, but any changes will be announced and made clear to all students. The most up to date
syllabus will always be available in Canvas.

Standard USF Policies: Policies about disability access, religious observances, academic
grievances, academic misconduct, and several other topics are governed by a central set of policies
that apply to all classes at USF. These may be accessed at: https://www.usf.edu/provost/faculty-
info/core-syllabus-policy-statements.aspx

TurnItIn: USF has an account with this automated plagiarism detection service, which allows
instructors to submit student assignments to be checked for plagiarism. I reserve the right to submit
assignments to this detection system. Assignments are compared automatically with a database of
journal articles, web articles, and previously submitted papers in order to provide the instructor with
an originality report from this information.
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Class Schedule
Week Day, Date Lecture Topic Assignment
1. Introduction to course
Monday, 1/13
2. Why study psychology of aging?
1. Studying aging & development
Wednesday, 1/15 Chapter 1
Week 1

2. Research methods

Friday, 1/17 Extra Credit: Syllabus Quiz due at 11:59 pm

Sunday, 1/19 Reflection on Aging 1 due at 11:59pm

Monday, 1/20 Martin Luther King Jr. Day- No Class

1. Directions for portfolio project 1 & 2

Wednesday, 1/22 Chapter 3
Week 2

2. Physical changes

Friday, 1/24 Extra Credit: Source Evaluation Quiz due at 11:59 pm

Sunday, 1/26 Portfolio Project 1 due at 11:59 pm

1. Neurological changes Article 1

Monday, 1/27
Week 3

2. Health disorders Chapter 3, 4

1. Health disorders Article 2, 3
Wednesday, 1/29
2. Longevity & lifespan Chapter 4
Research article portfolio 1
Monday, 2/3 1. Exam review
Week 4

due at 9:30am

Wednesday, 2/5 Exam One

1. Stress & coping Article 4, 5

Monday, 2/10
2. Personality Chapter 9
Week 5

Wednesday, 2/12 1. Cognition Chapter 6

Sunday, 2/16 Personality Writing Assignment due at 11:59pm

Article 6
Monday, 2/17 1. Cognition
Chapter 6
Week 6

Article 7
Wednesday, 2/19 1. Intelligence
Chapter 7

Sunday, 2/23 Portfolio Project 2 due at 11:59 pm

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Article 8
Monday, 2/24 1. Mental health
Week 7

Chapter 10
Article 9
Wednesday, 2/26 1. Mental health
Chapter 10
Research article portfolio 2
Monday, 3/2 1. Exam review
Week 8

due at 9:30am

Wednesday, 3/4 Exam Two

Article 10
Monday, 3/9 1. Dementia
Week 9

Chapter 10
Article 11
Wednesday, 3/11 1. Dementia
Chapter 10
Week 10

Monday, 3/16 Spring Break- No Class

Wednesday, 3/18 Spring Break- No Class

1. Directions for portfolio project 3 & 4 Article 12

Monday, 3/23
2. Social relationships Chapter 11
Week 11

Article 13, 14
Wednesday, 3/25 1. Social roles
Chapter 8

Sunday, 3/29 Portfolio Project 3 due at 11:59 pm

1. Work Article 15
Week 12

Monday, 3/30
2. Retirement Chapter 12
1. Volunteering & leisure Research article portfolio 3
Wednesday, 4/1
2. Exam review due at 9:30am

Monday, 4/6 Exam Three

Week 13

1. Person-environment interactions Article 16

Wednesday, 4/8
2. Age friendly communities Chapter 5

Sunday, 4/12 Portfolio Project 4 due at 11:59 pm

Article 17, 18
Monday, 4/13 1. Assisted living & long-term care
Chapter 5
Week 14

Article 19
Wednesday, 4/15 1. End of life care
Chapter 13

Sunday, 4/19 End of Life Writing Assignment due at 11:59pm

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1. Death & dying Article 20, 21, 22

Monday, 4/20
2. Bereavement Chapter 13
Week 15

1. Successful aging Article 23

Wednesday, 4/22
2. Aging in the future Chapter 14

Sunday, 4/26 Reflection on Aging 2 due at 11:59pm

Research article portfolio 4

Monday, 4/27 1. Exam review
due at 9:30am
Week 16

Wednesday, 4/29 Exam Four

Friday, 5/1 Extra Credit: End of Semester Feedback due at 11:59 pm

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Assigned Articles
Week 1:
No required readings
Week 2:
No required readings
Week 3:
1. Ageing and the brain- R. Peters (2006)
2. Successful aging among LGBT older adults: Physical and mental health-related quality of life
by age group- K. Fredriksen-Goldsen et al. (2015)
3. Addressing the aging crisis in U.S. criminal justice healthcare- B. Williams et al. (2012)
Week 4:
No required readings
Week 5:
4. Psychological resilience in young and older adults- P. Gooding et al. (2010)
5. Stability and change in the big five personality domains: Evidence from a longitudinal study
of Australians- J. Wortman et al. (2012)
Week 6:
6. Tracking cognition: Health changes from 55 to 95- B. Small et al. (2011)
7. Cognitive reserve in ageing and Alzheimer’s disease- Y. Stern (2012)
Week 7:
8. Marijuana use among older adults in the U.S.A.: User characteristics, patterns of use, and
implications for intervention- D. DiNitto & N. Choi (2011)
9. Perceived burdensomeness and suicide ideation in older adults- K. Cukrowicz et al. (2011)
Week 8:
No required readings
Week 9/ Quiz 7:
10. Summary of the evidence on modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline and dementia- M.
Baumgart et al. (2015)
11. Dementia, sexuality, and consent in residential aged care facilities- L. Tarzia et al. (2011)
Week 10:
No required readings
Week 11:
12. Reduced mortality rates among caregivers: Does family caregiving provide a stress-buffering
effect? D. Roth et al. (2018)
13. The sandwich generation: a review of the literature- L. DeRigne & S. Ferrante (2012)
14. Grandparents raising grandchildren: Negotiating the complexities of role-identity conflict- J.
Backhouse & A. Graham (2012)
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Week 12:
15. Effects of preretirement work complexity and postretirement leisure activity on cognitive
aging- R. Andel et al. (2016)
Week 13:
16. Coming home: Health status and homelessness risk of older pre-release prisoners- B.
Williams et al. (2010)
Week 14:
17. To evacuate or shelter in place: Implications of universal hurricane evacuation policies on
nursing home residents- D. Dosa et al. (2012)
18. “Could we hold hands?” Older lesbian and gay couples’ perceptions of long-term care homes
and home care- C. Furlotte et al. (2016)
19. Palliative care for prison inmates. “Don’t let me die in prison”- J. Linder & F. Meyers (2007)
Week 15:
20. Why do we want the right to die? A systematic review of the international literature on the
views of patients, carers and the public on assisted dying- M. Hendry et al. (2012)
21. Attitudes and practices of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide in the United States,
Canada, and Europe- E. Emanuel et al. (2016)
22. Impact of treatment for depression on desire for hastened death in patients with advanced
AIDS- W. Breitbart et al. (2010)
23. Older adults’ perspectives on successful aging: Qualitative interviews- J. Reichstadt et al.
(2010)
Week 16:
No required readings