Site Update for Spring 2024

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Dear Wiley Psychology Weekly Updates Visitors:

We have suspended new postings to the site during the Spring 2024 academic term while we gather information to help determine how the site might evolve to bring even more value to you in your teaching or learning. We welcome you to continue accessing the wealth of articles, websites, and discussion questions our site curator has archived using the filed under… topic links in the introduction to each posting and the tags at the end of each posting.

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Thank You!
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Psychology Website of the Week — About Tourette Syndrome

Posted by & filed under Child Development, Introduction To Psychology, Nervous System, Personality, Professional Organization, Psychological Disorders and Therapy, Psychology Resource of the Week, Psychology Update, Psychology Website of the Week, Stress and Health Psychology.

PSYCHOLOGY WEBSITES OF THE WEEK

TITLE

About Tourette Syndrome

 

SOURCE #1:  CDC:  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

URL:      https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/tourette/facts.html

 

SOURCE #2:   Tourette Association of America

URL: https://tourette.org/about-tourette/overview/what-is-tourette/

 

DESCRIPTION

These are excellent resources for understanding Tourette Syndrome and Tics.  The sites provide definitions, research, and explains the different types of tics, causes, and treatments.

Psychology Website of the Week — WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FACT AND OPINION?

Posted by & filed under Introduction To Psychology, Lecture Enhancement/Student Engagement, Psychology Update, Psychology Website of the Week, Research Methods, Scholarship and Teaching of Psychology.

 

(This is a requested “reprint” of a favorite site to provide a great resource to begin the semester.)

PSYCHOLOGY WEBSITE OF THE WEEK

TITLE

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FACT AND OPINION?

SOURCE URL      

https://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-difference-between-fact-and-opinion.htm

 

(TinyURL) https://tinyurl.com/6xhfr5e9

 

DESCRIPTION

 

This is a short useful site to use when discussing Psychology As A Science.   I would often give my students a brief in-class small group  exercise asking for three differences of Facts vs Opinions.   We would discuss this in terms of objective vs subjective explanation of Psychological phenomena.  Then the students are asked to compare their answers to the articles and discuss the differences.  It is a brief engaging exercise that facilitates moving the students toward critical thinking.

 

BIG QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

•WHAT IS A FACT?

•WHAT IS AN OPINION?

•HOW ARE THEY DIFFERENT?

•WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT TO PSYCHOLOGY AS A SCIENCE?

PSYCHOLOGY APP OF THE WEEK — PSYCH DRUGS & MEDICATIONS

Posted by & filed under Introduction To Psychology, Nervous System, Personality, Psychological Disorders and Therapy, Psychology App of the Week, Psychology Resource of the Week, Psychology Update, Stress and Health Psychology.

APP OF THE WEEK

PSYCH DRUGS & MEDICATIONS

PsychDrugs

 

iOS

(click on the platform)

 

 

 

Android

 

 

DESCRIPTION

From  iTunes Store

“Want to learn about psychotropic medications quickly and easily? Then check out this free app!

With Psych Drugs, you can learn important and useful information about various psychotropic medications such as antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, and anti-anxiety medications.

Some major classes of psych drugs include: SSRIs, TCAs, MAOIs, second generation (atypical) antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, and meds for insomnia, anxiety, depression, ADHD, alcohol dependence, opioid dependence and nicotine addiction, etc…

Perfect for psychology test and flashcards log, you can learn about drug interaction or interactions, meds apps, mental health, diseases and disability. This cool app also serves as a reminder and personality checker like a healing book diary full of medical terms and terminology dictionary info and smart facts.

Also as a nursing central handbook for pill identifier and identification, medication guide for this dot com age of psychological testing and games.

For each medication, you will find:
Generic name
Brand name
Class
Indications
Dosage forms
Maximum daily dose for adults
Maximum daily dose for adolescents and children
Half-life
Side effects

This useful app is ideal for medical and mental health professionals, psychiatrist, psychiatric residents, medical students, psychology students, therapists, counselors, and of course curious lay people who just want to familiarize themselves with psychotropic medications. If you want more detailed information, you can check out other medical apps like epocrates rx, webmd mobile cme, and medscape for symptom checker, and baby health prescription!

Scroll alphabetically through the list and quickly jump to a letter with an A-Z side panel.
Find a medication quickly with convenient search bar function.
Tap on the medication to learn about it.
Save your favorites with a touch of a button.
Share drug info with a friend via email.”

HOW TO USE THIS APP

When the topic of Abnormal Psychology comes up in class, invariably there are questions about psychogenic drugs.  This is an excellent resource that maintains an updated information base that will provide answers for the class discussions and questions.

Psychology Update — Just How Bad Is “Gaming Addiction”?

Posted by & filed under Addiction, Motivation and Emotion, Personality, Psychological Disorders and Therapy, Psychology Update, Stress and Health Psychology.

TITLE

Just How Bad Is “Gaming Addiction”?

With recent global recognition, what do we really know about gaming addiction?

 

DESCRIPTION

Is gaming necessarily bad?  Of course not!  “For vulnerable individuals, (such as those with a genetic predisposition, co-occurring mental illness, history of trauma, or early exposure to gaming), the rewarding nature of gaming can lead to disordered or potentially addictive behavior.”  The article is a fascinating view of how for some, gaming becomes a compulsive behavior over which there is little control and how it becomes an emotion crutch of sorts.  As it turns out, some countries, particularly China and Korea, have set limits on how much time an adolescent may spend on gaming. 

“In addition, one of the most popular and widely utilized classifications of diseases officially named “Gaming Disorder” a mental illness. The International Classification of Diseases (ICD; 11th revision) released by the World Health Organization, now includes “Gaming Disorder” in the section for “Disorders due to Addictive Behaviours.” What’s more, the American Psychiatric Association included proposed criteria for “Internet Gaming Disorder” in the section for Conditions for Further Study in the latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).”

This is a fascinating and easy to understand article, provides references, and may be used as the basis of a discussion around types of addictions as well as the basis of a paper for class.

 

SOURCE

Psychology Today, Posted September 6, 2021, by Amanda L. Giordano Ph.D., LPC, and Reviewed by Devon Frye

LINK TO RESOURCE

https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/understanding-addiction/202109/just-how-bad-is-gaming-addiction?amp

 

(Tiny URL)  https://tinyurl.com/3p5ueatz

 

CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

•What is gaming disorder?   

•What are the symptoms?  What is the concern as stated in the ICD and American Psychiatric Association?

•What is the main concern regarding vulnerable adolescents and gaming?

•What are some suggested solutions as expressed by other countries and also as viewed in a 12-step program?

•Do you know an individual who fits the symptom pattern of gaming addiction?  What evidence brings you to your conclusion if you do know some one?

 

 

Psychology APP OF THE WEEK — Evernote

Posted by & filed under Introduction To Psychology, Lecture Enhancement/Student Engagement, Psychology App of the Week, Psychology Resource of the Week, Psychology Update, Psychology Website of the Week, Scholarship and Teaching of Psychology.

 

FOR YOUR ONLINE LEARNING — THIS IS A MUST HAVE FOR YOUR SMART PHONE, TABLET, AND COMPUTER.  GET A FREE ACCOUNT AND START USING IMMEDIATELY!

Psychology APP OF THE WEEK

Evernote and Evernote WebClipper
(free version available on ALL platforms for both computers and mobile devices)

Evernote                                                 Evernote Web Clipper

  evernote                         Evernote_webclipper_logo

“The workspace of your life’s work.  From inspiration to achievement, Evernote is where your work takes shape. Write, collect, find, and present, all from one workspace.”

 

https://evernote.com/basic

 

Are you using Evernote?  Shame on you if you are not!  Overall this is one of the best and most useful applications available for your life as an academic and student for that matter.   Simply sign up at the Evernote site (evernote.com) and get a free account.  A premium account is available that provides more bells and whistles but not necessary.   Once you sign up for an account on your computer (Mac and PC), get the app for your tablet and smartphone; Evernote is available on all mobile platforms — iOS and Google.  Once you have the app, then just log on and you’re set to go.

To describe all of what Evernote does in this space would be a difficult task.  However, the way I use it is combined with an associated app:  Evernote WebClipper.  You can follow the directions at the Evernote site to download and add WebClipper to your internet browser as a tiny icon in the menu bar.

Imagine that you’re reading an article online from a newspaper, journal, APA publication, or for that matter, anything at all.  Suppose that you want to save the article for later use such as citation, handout, later reading, and so on.  Well just click on the Evernote WebClipper icon in the browser menu bar, and suddenly you will see a pop up  window that gives you options to store in your Evernote account.   Just click and the article is saved in either its entirety, as a title and URL, or just a selection.  You can then find the article in your Evernote account for later use such as printing it out, reading, setting up a bibliography or a repository of reference materials.  Yes there are other apps that can do this, however, there are many add-ons for your mobile device (Tablet for teaching and reading) that integrate with Evernote.  EverNote has a number of other add ons that include note taking apps, scanning apps.  Go to the site and check it out.

 

EverNote has a number of other add ons that include note taking apps, scanning apps,   Check out this Evernote Tutorial:

https://help.evernote.com/hc/en-us/articles/208314458-Quick-start

 

Psychology Update — THE FIELD OF VIRTUAL REALITY AND PSYCHOLOGY

Posted by & filed under Careers, Careers in Psychology, Introduction To Psychology, Motivation and Emotion, Nervous System, Personality, Psychological Disorders and Therapy, Psychology Resource of the Week, Psychology Update, Psychology Website of the Week, Stress and Health Psychology, Virtual Reality Applications.

THE FIELD OF VIRTUAL REALITY AND PSYCHOLOGY

This week you will find a number of valuable resources to learn about how the applications of Virtual Reality impacts the field of Psychology.  After the first article, you will find a number of links to various aspects of the use of VR in Psychology.  Also, if you go to YouTube and put “Virtual Reality Therapy” in the search box, you will find a great number of videos both discussing and demonstrating how VR is being used in the health field.  Further, if you use the YouTube filters (upper left above the first video and under the search box) set it to “update load this year” to see the very latest video demonstrations.

 

TITLE

Inside the Effort to Expand Virtual Reality Treatments for Mental Health

DESCRIPTION

Most of us think of “virtual reality” as a headset with games.  However, over the past few decades VR has been used a an important tool in treating a variety of Psychological Disorders.  “The term “virtual reality” had been coined less than a decade prior in 1987 by computer scientist Jaron Lanier—although cinematographer Morton Heilig built the first immersive virtual experience, known as the “Sensorama,” back in 1960. At the time of Rothbaum’s study, the nascent technology was still primarily considered entertainment, and so the notion that it could have clinical utility was unexpected.  Rothbaum and her collaborator, computer scientist Larry Hodges, were set on devising a virtual alternative to traditional exposure therapy, in which therapists help patients confront anxiety-inducing stimuli in real life or by simply visualizing triggers. Using VR meant that Rothbaum didn’t have to rely on her patients’ imaginations, or physically take them to the highest heights to face their phobias. She could also precisely control the environment and grade the exposure. For example, when she is treating someone for a fear of flying, she can determine when and if to introduce turbulence. And, her patient can take off and land as many times as needed during their hour-long session.”  The article explains and describes the use of VR and the various modes of employment.  The article is fascinating in the sense that it explains how VR is useful for a variety of psychological symptoms and disorders.

The article can be used in conjunction with chapters on Stress and Health, Psychopathology/Abnormal Psychology, and therapy.

SOURCE

Smithsonian Magazine, May 6, 2022, by Raleigh McElvery

LINK TO RESOURCE

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/inside-the-effort-to-expand-virtual-reality-treatments-for-mental-health-180979995/?utm_source=smithsoniantopic&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20220508-weekender&spMailingID=46798430&spUserID=NzQwNDU3MDAyMDIS1&spJobID=2240679465&spReportId=MjI0MDY3OTQ2NQS2

 

(Tiny URL)  https://tinyurl.com/2p92k8ca

 

CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

•What is “virtual reality”?

•How is VR used in the field of Psychology and Mental Health?

•What types of problems are best suited to treatments with VR?

 

==============================================

 

THIS WEEK’S PSYCHOLOGY UPDATE FOCUSES ON THE USES OF VIRTUAL REALITY (VR) AS A TECHNOLOGY TOOL USED FOR TREATMENT OF VARIOUS TYPES OF CONDITIONS.  BELOW YOU WILL FIND A LISTING OF ARTICLE TITLES, WEBSITES, AND YOUTUBE LINKS FOR VARIOUS USES OF VIRTUAL REALITY IN THERAPY.

 

THE REFERENCES CAN SERVE AS A STARTING POINT FOR STUDENTS INTERESTED IN THE APPLICATION OF VR TO THE FIELD OF THERAPY.

—->GETTING STARTED

 

Provided here are resources for understanding and utilizing VR for Psychology in terms of therapeutic resources.  Virtual Reality applications provide a new technology to handle a variety of problems.

For the student, all that is need is a cell phone, VR headset, and a source (such as those listed here).  As far as the headset is concerned these can be found all over the internet starting around $5 for the Google cardboard version.  Searching Amazon (no conflict of interest) will provide a great many VR headset alternatives; click on the filter for prices “low to high” to find the least expensive.  

 

For the professor:  this will make for a great DIY project for class.

 

MISC SOURCES FOR VR USE IN THERAPY

 

—->A VIRTUAL CURE (APA)

http://www.apa.org/monitor/julaug05/cure.aspx

 

—->Speaking of Psychology: Improving lives through virtual reality therapy (Episode 19) (APA)

http://www.apa.org/research/action/speaking-of-psychology/virtual-reality.aspx

 

—-> Virtual Reality as Therapy for Pain

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/29/well/live/virtual-reality-as-therapy-for-pain.html

 

—-> A Virtual-Reality Program to Conquer the Fear of Public Speaking

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/a-virtual-reality-program-to-conquer-the-fear-of-public-speaking

 

—-> How Virtual Reality Could Transform Mental Health Treatment

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/know-your-mind/201605/how-virtual-reality-could-transform-mental-health-treatment

 

—-> Treating PTSD With Virtual Reality Therapy: A Way to Heal Trauma

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/treating-ptsd-virtual-reality-therapy-heal-trauma/story?id=38742665

 

—-> Using Augmented Reality to Treat Phobias

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/3209313_Using_Augmented_Reality_to_Treat_Phobias

 

—-> How Virtual Reality May Reduce Fear And Anxiety In Adults With Autism

https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertglatter/2019/02/25/how-virtual-reality-may-reduce-fear-and-anxiety-in-adults-with-autism/#59b6214677b1

 

========================

—->VIRTUAL REALITY IN THE CREATIVE ARTS THERAPY FIELD

 

ART THERAPY

—->The Principles of Art Therapy in Virtual Reality

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02082/full

 

DANCE/MOVEMENT THERAPY

—->(PDF) Role of Virtual Reality for Cerebral Palsy Management

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262075602_Role_of_Virtual_Reality_for_Cerebral_Palsy_Management

 

—->Upbeat: Augmented Reality-Guided Dancing for Prosthetic Rehabilitation of Upper Limb Amputees

https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jhe/2019/2163705/

 

MUSIC THERAPY

—->Virtual Reality And Music Therapy Are Helping Quadriplegics To Breathe Easy

https://www.huffpost.com/archive/au/entry/virtual-reality-and-music-therapy-are-helping-quadriplegics-to-b_au_5cd41937e4b0ca9b775647d6

 

—->Atlanta Tech Edge: Bringing together Virtual Reality and Music Therapy  (YouTube Video — VR segment at 30 seconds)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRP0Dynu_tQ

 

——–>Go to YouTube and put “Virtual Reality Therapy” in the search box, you will find a great number of videos both discussing and demonstrating how VR is being used in the health field.  Further, if you use the YouTube filters (upper left above the first video and under the search box) set it to “update load this year” to see the very latest video demonstrations.

Psychology Website of the Week — All Psychology Schools

Posted by & filed under Careers, Careers in Psychology, Introduction To Psychology, Psychology Resource of the Week, Psychology Update, Psychology Website of the Week.

PSYCHOLOGY WEBSITE OF THE WEEK

TITLE

All Psychology Schools

URL  https://www.allpsychologyschools.com

 

DESCRIPTION

Though this is a commercial site, it should be considered as a helpful resource for students considering a career in Psychology.  There are lots of links to different types of careers in the field along with discussions of each career.  It is quite useful, and students could be directed to the site to have some of their career questions answered.

Psychology Websites of the Week — Psi Chi & Psi Beta Honor Societies

Posted by & filed under Careers, Careers in Psychology, Introduction To Psychology, Professional Organization, Psychology Resource of the Week, Psychology Update, Psychology Website of the Week, Scholarship and Teaching of Psychology.

 

PSYCHOLOGY WEBSITE OF THE WEEK 

PSYCHOLOGY HONOR SOCIETIES

Psi Chi

https://www.psichi.org/default.aspx

 

International Honor Society in Psychology

Psi Beta

https://www.psibeta.org

Community College National Honor Society in Psychology

Description

These are the APA affiliated Honor Societies for Psychology majors.  These sites offer a wealth of resources for students interested in continuing their education in the field.  Additionally, each of the sites give instructions on establishing a chapter at the college if none as yet exists.  

Psychology Update — How Psychologists Can Help Treat Chronic Pain

Posted by & filed under Careers, Careers in Psychology, Introduction To Psychology, Nervous System, Psychological Disorders and Therapy, Psychology Resource of the Week, Psychology Update, Stress and Health Psychology.

TITLE

How Psychologists Can Help Treat Chronic Pain

 

DESCRIPTION

This is an extremely important article regarding chronic pain!  The article points out that pain-killing medications have serious problems and side effects and do not always take care of the problem.  As it turns out, pain treatment programs can offer long term relief working as well as or better than opioid medications.  “Psychologists, therapists and social workers have quietly become a crucial part of pain treatment programs, proving to be as effective or more so than medication. In 2018, the medical journal The Lancet went so far as to recommend education and psychological treatment as first-line interventions for chronic low back pain, before pharmacological treatment.”  The article provides details of research and various programs that will genuinely help with chronic pain issues.  The article also provides links to online pain management (without medications) programs and recommendations for types of therapists.

Students interested in this type of Psychology, should look into training programs in order to become practitioners of pain management.

 

SOURCE

New York Times, November 9, 2021,  By Sushma Subramanian

LINK TO RESOURCE

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/09/well/mind/psychologists-chronic-pain-therapy.html?smid=em-share

 

(Tiny URL)  https://tinyurl.com/23eze376

 

CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

•Generally, what are the problems of using opioids for the treatment of chronic pain?

•What does a pain Psychologist do?

•Discuss the various non-medication types of programs to treat chronic pain?

•Would you consider a career as a specialist treating chronic pain clients?