Undergraduate Course: Intelligence, Personality and Health (PSYL10101)
Course Outline
School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
Summary | This course will describe and evaluate research on the role that intelligence and the major personality traits may play in determining physical and mental health across life. |
Course description |
To describe and evaluate research on the role that intelligence and personality traits may play in determining health across life.
- to review research in the new field of cognitive epidemiology that shows that higher intelligence in youth is associated with a lower risk of death.
- to consider evidence on various pathways through which higher intelligence might be linked to lower mortality, namely via socioeconomic advantage, improved disease or injury prevention, better disease or injury management, better mental health or 'body system integrity'.
- to evaluate research on the links between major personality traits and specific health outcomes and consider by what means personality might influence health.
Each session will include a lecture but time will also be set aside for discussion of issues raised in the lecture and course readings. No prior knowledge of epidemiology is assumed and the course will provide a brief introduction to relevant epidemiological concepts.
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Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisites | None |
High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate understanding of some basic epidemiological concepts, such as causation and confounding.
- Describe and appraise current evidence linking intelligence and risk of death.
- Describe and appraise current evidence linking major personality traits and risk of specific health outcomes.
- Evaluate some hypothesised mechanisms underlying these findings, drawing on relevant evidence.
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Reading List
Selected References
Batty GD, Wennerstad KM et al. (2009) IQ in early adulthood and mortality by middle age: cohort study of 1 million Swedish men. Epidemiology 20:100-109.
Calvin CM, Deary IJ, Fenton C, Roberts B, Der G, Leckenby N, Batty GD. (2011) Intelligence in youth and all-cause mortality: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Int J Epidemiol 40:626-644.
Batty GD, Der G, MacIntyre S, Deary IJ.(2006) Does IQ explain socioeconomic inequalities in health? Evidence from a population based cohort study in the west of Scotland. BMJ.332:580-4.
Lawlor DA, Batty GD, Clark H, McIntyre S, Leon DA. (2008) Association of childhood intelligence with risk of coronary heart disease and stroke: findings from the Aberdeen Children of the 1950s cohort study. Eur J Epidemiol 23:695-706
Batty GD, Gale CR, Tynelius P, Deary IJ, Rasmussen F. (2009) IQ in early adulthood, socioeconomic position, and unintentional injury mortality by middle age: a cohort study of more than 1 million Swedish men. Am J Epidemiol 169:606-15.
Wraw C, Deary IJ, Gale CR, Der G. (2015) Intelligence in youth and health at age 50. Intelligence (in press at time of writing-August 2015)
Gale CR, Batty GD, Tynelius P, Deary IJ, Rasmussen F (2010) Intelligence in early adulthood and subsequent hospitalization for mental disorders. Epidemiology 21:70-77.
Koenen KC, Moffitt TE, Roberts AL, Martin LT, Kubzansky L, Harrington H, Poulton R, Caspi A. (2009) Childhood IQ and adult mental disorders: a test of the cognitive reserve hypothesis. Am J Psychiatry 166:50-57
Matthews G, Deary IJ, Whiteman MC (2009). Traits and health in: Personality traits.3rd edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp301-322.
Lahey BB (2009) Public health significance of neuroticism. American Psychologist 64:241-256.
Deary IJ, Weiss A, Batty GD. (2010) Intelligence and personality as predictors of illness and death; how researchers in differential psychology and chronic disease epidemiology are collaborating to understand and address health inequalities. Psychological Science in the Public Interest 11:53-79.
Friedman HS (2000) Long-term relations of personality and health: dynamisms, mechanisms, tropisms. J Pers 68:1089-1107
Mottus R, McNeill G, Jia X, Craig LCA, Starr JM, Deary IJ. (2013) The Associations Between Personality, Diet and Body Mass Index in Older People. Health Psychol 32:353-60
Watson D, Hubbard B. (1996) Adaptational Style and Dispositional Structure: Coping in the Context of the Five-Factor Model. J Personality;64:737-74
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Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
Course organiser | Dr Catharine Gale
Tel: (0131 6)50 3348
Email: cgale@exseed.ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Stephanie Fong
Tel: (0131 6)51 3733
Email: S.Fong@ed.ac.uk |
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