Psychology 310 2012 - 2013

Dr. E. Pencer

Deadline for choosing topic: October 15th -  2012

These projects will be conducted in pairs. While your preparation work and presentations will be conducted jointly, your submitted papers will be your independent work.

Your task is to choose a topic in Health Psychology (relevant to the material covered in the first term OR which you may want to expand to the second term), and, AFTER APPROVAL BY INSTRUCTOR, familiarize yourselves with the area you have chosen. Once you have done this you will be prepared to conduct an interview with a health care professional working in the area or in a related area or conduct some similar kind of interview.

Your presentation will review the background literature including current knowledge of the area. You should also include a small section giving the rationale for the interview you have conducted, and reporting on your discussions. Your independent paper will be report on all of the above.

See the Structure of Seminars ( TipsOralPresentations ) for IMPORTANT information on how seminars are conducted. While you may choose from one of the topics below, PREFERABLY you will choose one of from your interests. However Instructor MUST approve topics not on the list.   On October 4th all groups will submit first, second, and third choices. Topics will be confirmed/assigned by instructor shortly after.

Examples of Seminar Topics in past years - Term I

STUDENTS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO SUBMIT CONTEMPORARY HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY TOPICS RELATING TO AREAS OF PERSONAL INTEREST!!

Smoking Cessation Interventions: Evaluation of cessation strategies.

Adolescent Suicide: Increasing or Decreasing/Does peer group suicide evoke imitative effects?

Adolescent Sexual Risk Behavior.

Health Risk behaviors in Adolescent Females

Is Hypnosis a valid intervention for behavior change?

Stages of change in behavior change.

Hardiness and Health.

The Effect of Spousal Death on Mortality

Dying and Grief

Obesity: Etiology and Treatment.

Perception of Health Risk on Health Behavior. Why people fail to engage in health protective behavior.

Self -efficacy: Its role in pain control.

Pathological Gambling: Etiology and behavioral interventions.

What is Burnout?

Psychoneuroimmunology: Can behavioral-psychological processes alter immune function?

Optimism and wellbeing. The Power of Positive Thinking

Can industriousness be learned?

Can self-control be taught?

Coronary Prone behaviors: What are they and how can we promote enduring change in them?

The Challenge of Treatment Adherence.

Anger Disorders: The detrimental effects of anger.

Pain in children: What do we know about childhood pain?

Control of chronic pain

False memory syndrome: Does repression exist?

Religious or Spiritual problem - A DSM - IV category

Evolutionary perspectives on child abuse.