David S Yeager

Behavioral Science and Social Change

Our society is beset by major problems that are primarily behavioral, not technical, in nature, ranging from political divisiveness, to inadequate attention to climate change, to failure to comply with public health advice, to massive student disengagement and academic underperformance that threatens the future of the global economy. Over the last two decades, the social and behavioral sciences--e.g. psychology, economics, sociology--have transformed the way that policymakers and practitioners think about how to solve the most pressing challenges facing society. This class will involve a hands-on and deep dive into two major traditions of research--the "wise intervention" research, coming out of social psychology, and the "nudge" tradition, coming out of behavioral economics. Students will read and discuss authoritative reviews and original empirical articles and will discuss the practical, philosophical, and ethical questions that arise from the application of behavioral science in the real world. Students will create intervention materials in teams, supported by TAs, and will present their intervention ideas as final projects. 

Required Texts: 

Nudge, Thaler & Sunstein, https://www.amazon.com/Nudge-Improving-Decisions-Health-Happiness/dp/014311526X

Handbook of Wise Interventions, https://www.guilford.com/books/Handbook-of-Wise-Interventions/Walton-Crum/9781462543830/editors

Adolescence is a unique time in a person's life. This class will examine scientific research, laws and pubic policies, and media representations in order to understand the contemporary American teenager. Topics include the biological changes of puberty; how the adolescent brain is different from the adult brain; relationships with parents, friends, and romantic partners; the emergence of mental health problems; laws regarding when teenagers are granted privileges and responsibilities (e.g., being tried as an adult, being able to buy alcohol legally); and how U.S. society understands and treats adolescents in comparison to other cultures, past and present.

Description:

Adolescence is a unique time in a person’s life. In addition to rapid biological changes, teenagers also experience new challenges in their personal relationships with friends, family, and romantic/sexual partners, and begin to occupy new roles in society. This class will integrate research and scholarship from medicine, neuroscience, psychology, anthropology, literature, and law in order to understand adolescent development. Topics include the biological changes of puberty; how the adolescent brain is different from the adult brain; how relationships with parents, friends, and romantic partners change during the teenage years; the emergence of mental health problems; laws regarding when teenagers are granted privileges and responsibilities (e.g., being tried as an adult, being able to buy alcohol legally); and how contemporary American society understands and treats adolescents in comparison to other cultures, past and present. In addition to reading non-fiction and fiction books, students will learn to locate and read articles published in scientific journals. Students will also respond critically to television and film representations of adolescence.

Texts (may be excerpted):

• Columbine by Dave Cullen (Grand Central Publishing)

• Not Under My Roof: Parents, Teens, and the Culture of Sex by Amy T. Schalet (University of Chicago Press)

• Promises I Can Keep: Why Poor Women Put Marriage before Motherhood by Kathryn Edin (University of California Press)

• Coming of Age in Samoa by Margaret Mead (William Morrow)

• Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation by Neil Howe and William Strauss (Vintage Books)

• Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers (Scholastic)

Additional texts, including scientific journal articles, are to be determined.

• Example: Steinberg, L. (2013). The influence of neuroscience on U.S. Supreme Court decisions about adolescents’ criminal culpability. Nature Neuroscience, 14, 513-518.

Assignments:

Writing

• Posts to Discussion Board: Students will be required to post a brief (300-500 words) reading response to the Canvas discussion board at least once per week. These are informal, blog-like posts intended to stimulate active thinking about readings before the beginning of seminar discussions. Responses will be graded as good, satisfactory, or unsatisfactory/incomplete. [10% of final grade]

• Film Responses: Students will write two 2-page response papers that respond to television shows or films that represent teenage life (e.g., Boyhood, The Hunger Games, My So-Called Life). [10% of final grade]

• Short Papers: Students will write two 3-4 page papers. One paper will be on adolescent experiences in armed conflict, and may draw on the novel, Fallen Angels, and materials from the Vietnam exhibit of the Lyndon B. Johnson library. (See “Gems of the University” below.) The second will be on pubertal and sexual development in adolescence, and may draw on Coming of Age in Samoa, Not Under My Roof, and/or Promises I Can Keep. Each paper will be submitted twice (first draft and revision after comments from peers and instructor) for a total of four graded assignments. [20% of final grade]

• Final Paper: Students will be required to choose one controversy regarding law or public policy (e.g., parental notification for elective abortion, life without parole for teenage offenders, graduated drivers’ licenses) and write an 8-page paper describing the controversy, their policy recommendation, and evidence from research in neuroscience, psychology, anthropology, and/or sociology that supports this recommendation. There will be a number of smaller assignments throughout the semester to scaffold completing this assignment, including completing an annotated bibliography and structured outline. Students will be required to circulate first drafts of their papers for peer review. [25% of final grade]

This course meets the requirements of the Writing Flag.

Oral Presentation

Students will give a 10-15 minute presentation summarizing the arguments from their final paper. Students may use visual aids (e.g., Powerpoint slides). The class will be given the opportunity to respond to the speaker’s presentation with comments and questions. [10% of final grade]

Discussion

The majority of class time will be devoted to group discussion. To facilitate discussion, students will be required to post a brief reading response to a Canvas discussion board before class (see “Writing”, above). [25% of final grade]

Information Literacy

In order to prepare students to write their final paper, there will be a number of tutorials on using library databases and search engines (e.g., Google Scholar) to locate and download scientific articles, distinguishing reputable from untrustworthy internet sources, preparing citations and references sections, and avoiding plagiarism. Students will also be required to complete an annotated bibliography as part of the Final Paper assignment.

Gems of the University

During one class period, we will visit the “Vietnam Conflict” exhibit at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and Museum. Insights and impressions from this visit will be used in our discussion of adolescents as soldiers, and students will draw on this experience when writing one of their short papers.

University Lecture Series

One lecture from the University Lecture Series (to be determined) will be required. Students will be asked to comment on the lecture in their weekly post to the Canvas discussion board, and the lecture content will be discussed during the next class period.

Instructor Biography

Dr. Harden is a clinical psychologist who conducts research on puberty, delinquency, alcohol problems, and sexual relationships in adolescence and young adulthood. Before coming to the University of Texas in 2009, she completed a Ph.D. at the University of Virginia and then did a clinical internship at Harvard Medical School working with adolescent girls with serious eating disorders. She has published over 50 scientific articles on adolescent development and psychopathology. When not in the lab, Dr. Harden enjoys reading mystery novels, quilting, and going to Zilker Park with her husband and two young children.

In this course we will be studying the attachment relationship. We'll begin with historical foundations for the construct as we understand it today. Then we'll look at some of the correlates of attachment security. Precursors to attachment security comprise characteristics of the infant (nature) as well as the characteristics of the enviroment (nurture). We'll examine evidence for the contributions of each of these possible influences. In order to evaluate predictions from security status and precursors to such security, we'll also look at what attachment looks like beyond childhood. Finally, we'll look at clinical problems that can arise from insecurity.

Topics of contemporary interest that may vary from semester to semester. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: For psychology majors, upper-division standing and Psychology 301 and 418 with a grade of at least C in each; for nonmajors, upper-division standing, Psychology 301 with a grade of at least C, and one of the following with a grade of at least C: Biology 318M, Civil Engineering 311S, Economics 329, Educational Psychology 371, Electrical Engineering 351K, Government 350K, Mathematics 316, 362K, Mechanical Engineering 335, Psychology 317, Sociology 317L, Social Work 318, Statistics 309, Statistics and Scientific Computation 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 318.

Seminars in Developmental Psychology. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

Seminars in Developmental Psychology. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

Seminars in Developmental Psychology. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

Seminars in Developmental Psychology. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Graduate standing and consent of instructor.

Physical, social, and cognitive development in humans. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Psychology 304 and 333D may not both be counted. Psychology 333D and Women's and Gender Studies 345 (Topic 6: Introduction to Developmental Psychology) may not both be counted. Prerequisite: For psychology majors, upper-division standing and Psychology 301 and 418 with a grade of at least C in each; for nonmajors, upper-division standing, Psychology 301 with a grade of at least C, and one of the following with a grade of at least C: Biology 318M, Civil Engineering 311S, Economics 329, Educational Psychology 371, Electrical Engineering 351K, Government 350K, Mathematics 316, 362K, Mechanical Engineering 335, Psychology 317, Sociology 317L, Social Work 318, Statistics 309, Statistics and Scientific Computation 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 318.

This course is designed to introduce students to thinking like a developmental psychologist. Why do this? Because thinking like a developmental psychologist helps you to (1) understand human nature and (2) solve social problems. By understanding the patterns and systems of influences that shape us from infancy to adulthood, you gain a novel perspective on what it means to be a human. You can also apply these insights to create wise and developmentally appropriate interventions, both in everyday life and in the policies you endorse as a citizen.

Thinking like a developmental psychologist involves: (a) asking big questions about human development; (b) designing and carrying out studies that turn those questions into testable hypotheses; and (c) explaining to others what the specific test they conducted says about the big question they asked. Therefore this introductory course has three objectives:

1. Learn what central questions have been addressed in the field of developmental psychology and what their theoretical, philosophical, and practical implications are.

• They are: (a) nativism vs. empiricism; (b) active vs. passive development; (c) continuous vs. discontinuous development; and (d) stability vs. plasticity.

1. Learn about the design and results from prominent studies that have addressed these central questions.

2. Learn how to interpret the data from developmental psychological studies and clearly explain how they address these central questions.

In the service of these objectives, the course will involve lectures, four writing assignments (~1 page each), three in-class exams, and a final paper (1500 words or less). TA sessions will also be scheduled on Fridays to review for exams, prepare for writing assignments, etc.

The course content will cover the physical, cognitive, social, and emotional growth of infants, children, and adolescents, and the various factors (e.g., genetics, parenting, peer groups, schooling, and the media) that influence development. Prominent theories of child development and research methods used in developmental psychology will be reviewed. Specific topics that will be covered include: aggression, attachment, gender roles, language development, moral development, cognitive development, culture, and school achievement. The implications of course content for child-rearing, education, and social policy will also be discussed.