PSYC 3090: Psychology of Adult Development and Aging

Explore Hans Selye's groundbreaking General Adaptation Syndrome, detailing the body's three-stage response to stress. Learn about the physiological reactions in each stage, from alarm to exhaustion. Grasp the importance of managing chronic stress and its potential health implications.

Discover how perception shapes experiences through the concepts of absolute and difference thresholds. Understand Marisol's ski trip sensations in terms of these psychological phenomena. Learn how individual factors can create unique perceptual moments.

Explore the concept of attributing behaviors to internal characteristics versus external situations. Understand how we often lean towards dispositional attributions, even when external factors are significant. Discover the essence of correspondence bias and its role in our daily interpretations.

Understand Freud's perspective on dreams as manifestations of unconscious desires and conflicts. Contrast this with the Neural Activation Theory, which links dreaming to random neural activity during REM sleep. Discuss the criticisms and nuances of both theories in modern psychology.

Discover the significance of studying fraternal twins in genetic research. Understand the unique blend of shared environments and differing genetic codes. Grasp how their study enlightens the genetics vs environment debate.

Explore the intriguing concept of altruism and its manifestations in the animal kingdom. Understand how Kin Selection, rooted in evolutionary biology, provides a compelling explanation for selfless behaviors that seemingly benefit others more than oneself.