How To Pass A Developmental Psychology Course

Transcription

1 University of Alberta Psychology 223 B1: Developmental Psychology Winter 2004: Jan. 5 - Apr. 7 Instructor: Ria Busink, Ph. D. Office: BSP535 (My office is hard to find. Unless you have extra time on your hands and want the exercise, get to it by taking the elevator diagonally across from the psychology general office.) Phone: Office hours: Wed. 3:15-4:45 or by appointment rbusink@ualberta.ca (Please always put Psyco 223 under the subject Heading.) Course Website: (will be updated soon) T.A.: Reanne Beier Office: BSP 206A Office hours: Thu. 3:30 4:30 Phone: rbeier@ualberta.ca Textbooks: Shaffer, D. R. (2002). Developmental psychology: Childhood and adolescence (1 st Canadian ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole. (required) Hensch, S. A. (1999). Study guide and activities for Shaffer's developmental psychology: Childhood and adolescence (5th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole. (optional) Required readings on reserve at the Circulation Desk in the LRC: 1. Sigman, M. (1995). Nutrition and child development: More food for thought. Current Directions, 4, (A13) 2 Bruner, J. S. & Sherwood, V. (1976). Early rule structure: The case of "peekaboo." In R. Harre (Ed.) Life Sentences. London: Wiley. (A12) The course outline indicates when these articles are to be read. Optional Readings: 1. Arnett, J. J. (1999). Adolescent storm and stress, reconsidered. American Psychologist, 54, (A15) 2. Broberg, A. G., Wessels, H., Lamb, M. E. & Hwang, C. P. (1997) Effects of day care on the development of cognitive abilities in 8-year olds: A longitudinal study. Developmental Psychology, 33, (A14) There is also a copy of the Shaffer text on reserve. Call no. BF 721, S4688, Supplemental Videos: Students often wish they had more opportunities to see children actually doing what the text says they do. For that reason, supplementary audiovisual materials have been put on reserve at the Cameron Science Library. 1. Child Development in Action. This video contains hundreds of segments especially selected to illustrate the many theories, concepts and milestones that you will be studying in the textbook. The video is accompanied by an Observation Guide. The first page indicates which segments of the tape correspond to which chapter of your text. The guide contains questions to help you focus on the video material as it relates to the text. (T50) 2. Among Equals. Timely issues regarding peer interactions. (57 min.) (T51) 1

2 3. The Journey Through Childhood Tape 1 - Birth Through Middle Childhood (T52) Tape 2 - Adolescence and Observation Modules (T53) Exams will not cover material from the supplements, but viewing them will enrich your experience of the course. Prerequisites: Psyco 104 and Psyco 105, or equivalent. Course Overview and Goals: Developmental psychology is a very diverse field that looks at how people change and stay the same over time. It covers the entire lifespan from conception to death although, because of time constraints, we will not focus on development beyond adolescence. Developmental psychology includes a broad range of topics, including physical, sensory, cognitive, emotional and social development. Because of this diversity, it has been influenced by a variety of theories. Psyco 223 provides a more in-depth examination of the nature and processes of human development that were introduced in Psyco 104/105. Topics covered include research methods in the study of human development, theoretical perspectives, the influence of heredity and the environment, the prenatal period, childbirth, the neonate, and physical, cognitive, personality, and social development during infancy, childhood and adolescence. At the end of the course you should have some understanding of theories and patterns of development, how these are studied and how they are applied to the real world "out there." Lectures: Note that the purpose of lectures is not simply to regurgitate the text. In my lectures I will be variously introducing, clarifying, and elaborating on material related to the course, some of it in the text and some not. You will be responsible for a great deal of information in the text on your own. Lecture time is limited. Just because I haven't talked about it doesn't mean you aren't responsible for it. I intend to show quite a few short video clips in class. They will not only make the course material more accessible, they usually are fun. Evaluation: Exams will be based both on the text and on lecture material. Note that exams will include few picky detail questions. That means you don't have to memorize lists and tables. The emphasis will be on conceptual and application questions. You should know the material in three ways: (a) know it in the technical language; (b) be able to word it in ordinary language; and (c) be able to recognize it in the real world. The final grade will be based on three exams, two midterms and a final. These will be weighted as follows to yield a final score that will be converted to a university four-point score. Feb. 10 Midterm 1: 30% of the grade Mar. 16 Midterm 2: 35% of the grade Apr. 14, 2 o'clock Final Exam: 35% of the grade Midterms 1 and 2 will consist of 55 multiple choice questions Each midterm will include only the readings and the lecture material covered immediately preceding that midterm. You will have one hour to complete the midterms. The final exam will consist of 80 multiple choice questions and four paragraph answers. Several weeks before the end of term I will provide sample questions and answers to help you in your study for that part of the exam. The final 2

3 exam will cover the text chapters covered since the second midterm, but it will be cumulative for all lecture material from the beginning of the term. You will have 2.5 hours to complete the final. Absence from exams: Note that there will be no make-up examinations for midterm #1 and midterm #2. If an examination is missed due to a serious medical condition verified by University Health Services or a personal physician, the weight of the term examination will be transferred to the final examination. In order to exercise this option, the instructor must be contacted within 48 hours of the scheduled examination time and date. If the final examination is missed, the deferred examination will be held on May 7 at 5 o'clock in BSP 224. If you are hampered by visual or auditory limitations, or if you have a learning disability, please contact Services for Students with Disabilities in SUB. It is possible both to get help with note taking and/or to get extra time for writing examinations. The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behavior (online at and avoid any behavior which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence. Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University. Grading: It seems likely that final grades will be assigned approximately as follows: %- 100% A+ 4.0 A % - 89% A- 3.3 B+ These percentages may vary somewhat, % - 79% B depending on how the marks cluster or 2.7 B- because of special circumstances % - 70% C+ 2.0` C % - 63% C- 1.3 D % - 55% D Note that in large classes, cutoffs often unavoidably come between tenths of a percent. It cannot be helped. I will not be able to bump up your grade to an A even though you only missed the cutoff by.1 of a percent. It hurts. Course Outline The lecture schedule that follows is not a contract. As the term progresses there may be some flexibility in lecture dates. Some students prefer to read the text before the material is presented in lecture and some students prefer to read it afterwards. Whatever your preference, it is to your benefit to keep up in the textbook with material covered in class. Jan. 6: Jan. 8: Introduction to the course Issues regarding the text Historical view of children Ch. 1 Characteristics of development 3

4 Jan. 13 Domains of development Contexts of development Research: Methods and issues Jan. 15: Ch. 2 (Note: For The Learning Viewpoint and The Cognitive Developmental- Viewpoint, pp , you are responsible only for material covered in class. These theories will be covered in more detail later in the course.) Theories of Development: Psychoanalytic theories Learning theories Cognitive theories Jan. 20: Theories of Development (cont.): Evolutionary theories Ecological systems theory Ch. 3 - Hereditary influences on development Measuring hereditary influence Jan. 22: Chromosomal abnormalities Hereditary disorders Jan. 27: Teratogens Ch. 4 - Prenatal development The neonate (newborn) Jan. 29: ` Video: The Miracle of Life This is an excellent video tracing human development from the formation of the ovum and the sperm up to birth. Feb. 3 Giving birth Ch. 5 - Physical and motor development Nutrition and development (Reading: Sigman, M. (1995). Nutrition and child development: More food for thought. Current Directions, 4, Feb. 5 Ch. 6 - Early cognitive foundations (Note: This chapter is not on the midterm.) Studying infant sensory and perceptual experience Sensory capabilities Feb. 10: Midterm I Feb. 12: Ch. 6 - Visual perception Basic learning processes Feb. 24: Ch. 7 - Cognitive development Piaget Reading: 2 Bruner, J. S. & Sherwood, V. (1976). Early rule structure: The case of "peekaboo." In R. Harre (Ed.) Life Sentences. London: Wiley. (A12) Feb. 26: Vygotsky Ch. 8 - Information processing views of cognitive development Attention Attention Deficit Disorder Mar. 2: Cognitive strategies Children's memory Mar. 4: Children as eyewitnesses Ch. 9 - Intelligence What is it? Is IQ fixed? Mar. 9: Gifted Children Ch Language and Communication 4

5 Mar. 11 Mar. 16: Language acquisition Expressive and referential language development Phonological awareness Bilingualism Midterm II Mar. 18: Ch Emotional Development and Attachment Temperament Romanian orphans Mar. 23: Street children in Guatemala Child abuse Mar. 25: Ch Development of the Self The emerging self (Note: You will not be examined on pp , Theories of Social-Cognitive Development.) Anorexia Nervosa Mar. 30: Ch Sex Differences and Gender Roles How similar are the sexes? Can gender be assigned? Learning gender roles Apr. 1: Ch Aggression, Altruism, and Moral Development What shapes a bully? a victim? a helper? (Note: You will not be examined on pp , Psychoanalytic Explanations of Moral Development.) Apr. 6: Moral reasoning Moral behavior Ch The Family Styles of parenting: Is the Authoritative Advantage overstated? Children of divorce Apr. 14 at 2 o'clock: Final (right here) Policy about course outlines can be found in ' 23.4(2) of the University Calendar. 5