Universität Wien

200212 SE Theory and Empirical Research (Mind and Brain) 1 (2023W)

8.00 ECTS (4.00 SWS), SPL 20 - Psychologie
Continuous assessment of course work

Dieses TEWA kann für die Schwerpunkte Geist und Gehirn und Klinische Psychologie und Gesundheitspsychologie absolviert werden!
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 20 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

IMPORTANT: The Masterseminar starts on the 10th of October *** please everyone attend on that day in Hörsaal A, as we will confirm the schedule of of activities then!***

  • Tuesday 10.10. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal A Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0606
  • Tuesday 10.10. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal A Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0606
  • Tuesday 17.10. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal A Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0606
  • Tuesday 17.10. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal A Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0606
  • Tuesday 24.10. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal A Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0606
  • Tuesday 24.10. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal A Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0606
  • Tuesday 31.10. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal A Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0606
  • Tuesday 31.10. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal A Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0606
  • Tuesday 07.11. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal A Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0606
  • Tuesday 07.11. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal A Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0606
  • Tuesday 14.11. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal A Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0606
  • Tuesday 14.11. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal A Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0606
  • Tuesday 21.11. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal A Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0606
  • Tuesday 21.11. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal A Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0606
  • Tuesday 28.11. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal A Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0606
  • Tuesday 28.11. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal A Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0606
  • Tuesday 05.12. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal A Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0606
  • Tuesday 05.12. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal A Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0606
  • Tuesday 12.12. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal A Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0606
  • Tuesday 12.12. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal A Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0606
  • Tuesday 09.01. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal A Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0606
  • Tuesday 09.01. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal A Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0606
  • Tuesday 16.01. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal A Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0606
  • Tuesday 16.01. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal A Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0606
  • Tuesday 23.01. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal A Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0606
  • Tuesday 23.01. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal A Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0606
  • Tuesday 30.01. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal A Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0606
  • Tuesday 30.01. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal A Psychologie, NIG 6.Stock A0606

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

Background
The world’s population is increasingly living in urban settings detached from the natural environment. There is growing evidence that this negatively affects the mental and physical health of millions of people globally. Re-connecting with nature can promote positive mental health (Hartig et al., 2014; White et al., 2020; Yang et al., 2023) but there are significant inequalities, with women, older adults, and those with long-term health conditions less likely to visit nature and thus missing out on potential benefits (Boyd et al., 2018). One way to support these groups access nature is through ‘social prescribing’ programmes. Social prescribing is an approach to health care which recognises that many mental and chronic health issues, including loneliness and social isolation, cannot be “treated” using traditional drug and other treatments. Social prescribing provides such patients with a link worker who listens carefully and works with them to establish their needs and wants and supports them find complimentary programmes to help manage their wider needs. Suggested programmes may include cooking clubs, walking groups, or art/music therapies (Husk et al., 2020; Morse et al, 2022; Rojatz et al., 2021). This course will focus on social prescribing approaches that support access to nature for promoting mental health and well-being, sometimes referred to as Green (or Blue) Care (Nguyen et al., 2023; van den Berg, 2017).

Course overview
The initial sessions will introduce students to the basics of nature and mental health, social prescribing, and nature-based social prescribing. Then guest speakers from social prescribing programmes in Austria will introduce their work to provide students with practical insights into how these initiatives operate. Students will be divided into sub-groups in order to develop research proposals to evaluate the effectiveness of these types of interventions. The aim is to build on research skills and knowledge to investigate a) whether or not nature-based social prescribing can benefit people’s mental health, b) how equitable these benefits are, and c) what psychological mechanisms and processes may explain them. Research designs will be written in the form of a pre-registration. If possible, pilot or feasibliity data will be collected and analysed, or existing (secondary) data will be used (which is common in this field). Students will present their research plans, progress and results collectively in class and individually in a pre-registration document and final report submitted in the style of a published paper.

Objectives and Transferable skills
A core aim of the course is to introduce students to “research in the wild”. Stepping outside of the lab, where one can “play God” and control a lot of factors, is scary because many things are outside of your control. It can be “messy” and frustrating (e.g. it is impossible to “blind people to condition”). But if we are to use psychological science for public good, sooner or later we need to see if our theories and experiments work in the real-world. Although the content on the course is nature-based social prescribing most of the learning objectives are about the kind of real-world team-based monitoring and evaluation of programmes that many graduates will face in non-academic careers. The trick is to use your research training to make them as technically robust as possible within the practical constraints you will be faced with. Academic rigour, creativity, open-mindedness, problem solving skills, and the ability to work as a team will all be critical.

Assessment and permitted materials

The grade of this course consists of 4 elements:
- Element 1: Group presentations (30%)
- Element 2: Research report (60%)
- Element 3: Class participation (10%)
The total sum of above assessments will constitute the final grade.
Passing grade (4) = 50%.

By registering for this course, you agree that the written papers you submit can be examined with the plagiarism examination software "Turnitin".

Note on the use of AI
Artificial intelligence tools, such as Chat-GPT, can be used meaningfully in the context of academic work. In this course, the focus is on your evaluation and integration of different fields of research and research methods. This involves more than just the act of writing: it includes constructing an argument, summarizing, reflecting on, and integrating academic texts, and writing all of this down in a coherent format. AI tools can offer help in this regard if used properly. In this context, the following guidelines for the use of AI will be followed in this course (based on the University guidelines for the use of AI in courses and exams):
1. In principle, all media and tools are allowed.
In this course, you are allowed to use any media and tools, including AI tools such as Chat-GPT, because these are also available later in your professional and private lives.
2. You are responsible for your results.
Despite the usefulness of AI tools, they are prone to errors. Users are responsible for checking these results and correcting mistakes. Be aware that Chat-GPT is known to provide false summaries of academic articles and cite references that do not exist. If you use them: always double check! Ultimately, you are responsible for the solution or results. You must be able to defend your work verbally upon request by the teacher.
3. Indicate aids used.
If you use AI tools in your coursework, you must indicate this in a short addendum. Moreover, if applicable, you should add how the tools were used (such as which prompts were used to obtain the results).

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Importantly, you can only pass the course if you
1) get a 4 (50%) or higher for all grading elements
2) there is no evidence of plagiarism and any use of AI has been appropriately referenced
3) regularly attend class with a maximum of 2 absences (without prior arrangement)
4) make a substantive contribute to the two group presentations
If you do not attend the first class (without contacting us before class start), we reserve the right to give your spot to another student on the waiting list.

Examination topics

Literature relevant to the seminar

Reading list

Nature & Health (example reviews)
Hartig, T., Mitchell, R., De Vries, S., & Frumkin, H. (2014). Nature and health. Annual Review of Public Health, 35, 207-228.
White, M. P., Elliott, L. R., Gascon, M., Roberts, B., & Fleming, L. E. (2020). Blue space, health and well-being: A narrative overview and synthesis of potential benefits. Environmental Research, 191, 110169.
White, M.P, Hartig,T., Martin, L., Pahl, S., … & van den Bosch, M. (2023). Nature-based biopsychosocial resilience: A theoretical framework for the nature and health field. Environment International, 108234.
Yang, B. Y., Zhao, T., Hu, L. X., Browning, M. H., Heinrich, J., Dharmage, S. C., ... & Dong, G. H. (2021). Greenspace and human health: An umbrella review. The Innovation, 2(4).

Social prescribing
Husk, K, Blockley, K., Lovell, R., Bethel, A., Lang, I., Byng, R., and Garside, R. (2020). What approaches to social prescribing work, for whom, and in what circumstances? A realist review. Health & Social Care in the Community 28, no. 2 (2020): 309-324.
Morse, D. F., Sandhu, S., Mulligan, K., Tierney, S., Polley, M., Giurca, B. C., ... & Husk, K. (2022). Global developments in social prescribing. BMJ Global Health, 7(5), e008524.
England, N. H. S., & Improvement, N. H. S. (2019). Social prescribing and community-based support: Summary guide. London: NHS England.
Rojatz, Daniela; Antosik, Jennifer; Weitzer, Jakob; Ecker, Sandra; Haas, Sabine (2021): Handbuch „Social Prescribing in der Primärversorgung“ Schritt für Schritt zur Umsetzung. Gesundheit Österreich, Wien.

Nature-based social prescribing
Astell-Burt, T., Pritchard, T., Francois, M., Ivers, R., Olcoń, K., Davidson, P. M., & Feng, X. (2023). Nature prescriptions should address motivations and barriers to be effective, equitable, and sustainable. The Lancet Planetary Health, 7(7), e542-e543.
Coventry, P. A., Brown, J. E., Pervin, J., Brabyn, S., Pateman, R., Breedvelt, J., ... & White, P. L. (2021). Nature-based outdoor activities for mental and physical health: Systematic review and meta-analysis. SSM-population Health, 16, 100934.
Leavell, M. A., Leiferman, J. A., Gascon, M., Braddick, F., Gonzalez, J. C., & Litt, J. S. (2019). Nature-based social prescribing in urban settings to improve social connectedness and mental well-being: a review. Current Environmental Health Reports, 6, 297-308.
Litt, J. S., Alaimo, K., Harrall, K. K., Hamman, R. F., Hébert, J. R., Hurley, T. G., ... & Glueck, D. H. (2023). Effects of a community gardening intervention on diet, physical activity, and anthropometry outcomes in the USA (CAPS): an observer-blind, randomised controlled trial. The Lancet Planetary Health, 7(1), e23-e32.
Masterton, W., Carver, H., Parkes, T., & Park, K. (2020). Greenspace interventions for mental health in clinical and non-clinical populations: What works, for whom, and in what circumstances?. Health & Place, 64, 102338.
Nguyen, P. Y., Astell-Burt, T., Rahimi-Ardabili, H., & Feng, X. (2023). Effect of nature prescriptions on cardiometabolic and mental health, and physical activity: a systematic review. The Lancet Planetary Health, 7(4), e313-e328.

Colley, K., Irvine, K. N., & Currie, M. (2022). Who benefits from nature? A quantitative intersectional perspective on inequalities in contact with nature and the gender gap outdoors. Landscape and Urban Planning, 223, 104420.
Rodriguez-Loureiro, L., Casas, L., Bauwelinck, M., Lefebvre, W., Vanpoucke, C., Vanroelen, C., & Gadeyne, S. (2021). Social inequalities in the associations between urban green spaces, self-perceived health and mortality in Brussels: Results from a census-based cohort study. Health & Place, 70, 102603.

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Tu 10.10.2023 12:47