Life Span Development PSY Fall 2011

Transcription

1 Life Span Development PSY Fall 2011 Instructor: Dr. Beth Bontempo Phone: Office: ED 215M Office Hours: M-Tr: 11:00 noon; 3:30-5:00 pm or by appointment Department: Psychology, SFASU Class meeting time and place: ED 257; 10:00-10:50 MWF Course Description: The purpose of this course is to present a comprehensive overview of contemporary developmental psychology. Developmental psychology involves the study of constancy and change throughout the entire lifespan, from conception to death. The course will cover the relevant history, theories, research, and methods of developmental psychology as well as examine the areas of cognitive, social, and personality development. We will also discuss the various themes relevant to developmental psychology, such as continuity vs. discontinuity of development, and nature and nurture sources of development. Research discussions will include both classic and current studies within the field. Program Learning Outcomes: PLO The student will demonstrate familiarity with the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and historical trends in psychology. The student will understand and apply basic research methods in psychology, including research design, data analysis, and interpretation. The student will respect and use critical and creative thinking, skeptical inquiry, and, when possible, the scientific approach to solve problems related to behavior and mental processes. The student will understand and apply psychological principles to personal, social, and organizational issues. The student will value empirical evidence, tolerate ambiguity, act ethically, and reflect other values that are the underpinnings of psychology as a science. Proficiency Level I B B I B Student Learning Outcomes: 1. The student will explore the sequence of human development, the processes underlying developmental change and stability (e.g., hereditary and environmental influences), and the theoretical perspectives currently being used to examine human development.

2 2. The student will be introduced to the research methods currently being used to examine human development. 3. The student will understand explanations for individual differences in development. 4. The student will understand ethical principles underlying developmental research with children and adults. Required Text and Materials: Life-Span Human Development 6th Ed. by Carol K. Sigelman and Elizabeth Rider ISBN 13: Class Website: vygotsky.sfasu.edu It is critical that you are able to access this class website. Note that you do not use www before the address. The syllabus, power point presentations, links to videos, video questions, details about class activities, and access to grades are all posted here. Please log on today and let me know if you are having any problems. Course Requirements: Exams: There will be 6 exams throughout the semester. The exams will cover textbook material, additional readings and information presented in class through lecture and group activities. Exams may consist of multiple choice, fill in the blank, short answer and essay questions. *You must provide your own scan-tron sheets and bluebooks for the exams. Be sure to buy Form Number 882-E. (They are small, green, 2 sided sheets with a total of 100 answer spaces). Scan-trons and Blue Books are available at the bookstore. Class activities: There will be 6 class activities throughout the course, one associated with a topic from each of the five units. Activities will be based on readings from the text and/or additional readings posted on the website. Each activity will involve completing a short assignment, some as small groups and some individually, and discussing the main points during class. Late class activities will not be accepted. Detailed instructions regarding each activity are available on the course website. Participation exercises: There will be 8 participation exercises completed throughout the semester to facilitate active learning. These exercises (which usually will not be announced in advance) may include reflecting on readings, providing illustrations or examples of important concepts, and completing self-assessments. Participation exercises cannot be made up, and late participation exercises will not be accepted. Lifespan Interview Project: This project requires you to interview three individuals, each from a different stage in the lifespan on a relevant and specific topic of your choice (with approval of the instructor). These individuals should be matched for gender, ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Prior to conducting the interviews, you will complete a literature review of the topic, generate specific hypotheses, and formulate relevant research questions. Each interview should be about 1 hour in length and should be audio recorded. You will then write a 5 page paper that includes the following sections: a literature review of the topic, hypotheses, method, results (brief excerpts from the interviews), and discussion.

3 TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF TOPICS Unit 1: Introduction to Life-span Development; Culture and Development Aug. 29 Introduction No reading Aug. 31 Life-span development principles Ch. 1 (p. 2-13) Sept. 2 Research methods Ch.1 (p.13-26) Sept. 5 No Class-Labor Day No reading Sept. 7 Activity 1: see class website Shaprio, et. al (2000), de Leon (1999) Sept. 9 Life-span development issues; impact of culture on development Ch. 2 (p ); Documentary Babies part 1 Sept. 12 Culture and development Documentary Babies part 2 Sept. 14 Culture and development Sept. 16 Exam I Unit 2: Prenatal Development/Birth and Health/Physical Growth Sept. 19 Prenatal development Ch. 4 (p ), DiPietro (2006) Sept. 21 Prenatal development Ch. 4 (p ) Sept. 23 Health and physical growth Ch. 5 (p ); Raymond (2000) Sept. 26 Adolescent physical/brain development Ch. 5 (p ) Sept. 28 The Adult Ch. 5 (p ) Sept. 30 Activity 2: see class website Corliss et. al. (2004) Oct. 3 Exam II

4 Unit 3: Perception; Cognition Oct. 5 Oct. 7 Oct. 10 Oct. 12 Oct. 14 Oct. 17 Oct. 19 Infant Perception Ch. 6 (p ) Infant/child perception Ch. 6 (p ) Adolescent/adult perception Ch. 6 (p ; Dillon (2008) Cognitive development-piaget and Vygotsky Ch. 7 (p ; ) Cognitive theory demonstrations Ch. 7 (p. 196) Activity 3 see class website Chase (1994) Exam III Unit 4: Language/Education and Self/Personality Oct. 21 Oct. 24 Oct. 26 Oct. 28 Oct. 31 Nov. 2 Nov. 4 Language development Ch. 10 (p ) Language development and motivation Ch 10 (p ; Zero to Three website, Science Daily Effective schools and adult motivation Ch. 10 (p ) Infant self and temperament Ch. 11 (p ); Hayden (2000) Adolescent identity and Erikson Ch. 11 (p ; ) Activity 4: see class website Kim (2001) Exam IV Unit 5: Social Cognition/Moral Development; Attachment/Social Relationships Nov. 7 Theory of mind Ch. 13 (P ), Thompson (2008) Nov. 9 Moral development Ch. 13 (p ), Miller (2006) Nov. 11 Attachment theory Ch. 14 (p ; ) Nov. 14 Attachment theory Ch. 14 (p. 426; ) Nov. 16 Attachment theory Waters (2004) Nov. 18 Activity 5 see class website Karen (1990)

5 Nov. 21 Exam V Unit 6: Developmental Psychopathology Nov. 28 Intro to developmental psychopathology and disorders of infancy Ch. 16 (p ) Nov. 30 Disorders of childhood and family violence Ch. 16 (p ; Ch 15. p ), additional article to be determined Dec. 2 Disorders of adolescence Ch. 16 (p ) Dec. 5 Disorders of adulthood and the elderly Ch. 16 (p ) Dec. 7 Disorders of adulthood and the elderly Dec. 9 Activity 6: see class website Goldsmith, et. al. (2004) Dec. 12 Final exam (Exam VI) 1:30 pm Grading Procedures and Details: Your course grade is based on the total number of points you earn during the semester (no rounding or curving, not figured on percentage, but rather POINT TOTAL): A = 720 pts. and above; B = pts; C = pts; D = pts; F = 479 pts and below. If you withdraw from the course, your course grade will be based on the points earned up to the official date of withdrawal. Assignment Number Points Each Total Points Exams Class Activities Participation Exercises Life-span Interview Total Points 800 If you miss an exam, you have one week to make it up. Proof of illness or death of family member/friend will be required. Attendance Policy: Although attendance will not be taken in this course, students are expected to attend every lecture. It will be difficult to receive a passing grade in this course without understanding and knowing the material presented in the text, during the lectures, and in the group projects. Academic Integrity (A-9.1): Academic integrity is a responsibility of all university faculty and students. Faculty members promote academic integrity in multiple ways including instruction on the

6 components of academic honesty, as well as abiding by university policy on penalties for cheating and plagiarism. Definition of Academic Dishonesty: Academic dishonesty includes both cheating and plagiarism. Cheating includes but is not limited to (1) using or attempting to use unauthorized materials to aid in achieving a better grade on a component of a class; (2) the falsification or invention of any information, including citations, on an assigned exercise; and/or (3) helping or attempting to help another in an act of cheating or plagiarism. Plagiarism is presenting the words or ideas of another person as if they were your own. Examples of plagiarism are (1) submitting an assignment as if it were one's own work when, in fact, it is at least partly the work of another; (2) submitting a work that has been purchased or otherwise obtained from an Internet source or another source; and (3) incorporating the words or ideas of an author into one's paper without giving the author due credit. Please read the complete policy at Withheld Grades Semester Grades Policy (A-54): Ordinarily, at the discretion of the instructor of record and with the approval of the academic chair/director, a grade of WH will be assigned only if the student cannot complete the course work because of unavoidable circumstances. Students must complete the work within one calendar year from the end of the semester in which they receive a WH, or the grade automatically becomes an F. If students register for the same course in future terms the WH will automatically become an F and will be counted as a repeated course for the purpose of computing the grade point average. Students with Disabilities: To obtain disability related accommodations, alternate formats and/or auxiliary aids, students with disabilities must contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS), Human Services Building, and Room 325, / (TDD) as early as possible in the semester. Once verified, ODS will notify the course instructor and outline the accommodation and/or auxiliary aids to be provided. Failure to request services in a timely manner may delay your accommodations. For additional information, go to Acceptable Student Behavior: Classroom behavior should not interfere with the instructor s ability to conduct the class or the ability of other students to learn from the instructional program (see the Student Conduct Code, policy D-34.1). Unacceptable or disruptive behavior will not be tolerated. Students who disrupt the learning environment may be asked to leave class and may be subject to judicial, academic or other penalties. This prohibition applies to all instructional forums, including electronic, classroom, labs, discussion groups, field trips, etc. The instructor shall have full discretion over what behavior is appropriate/inappropriate in the classroom. Students who do not attend class regularly or who perform poorly on class projects/exams may be referred to the Early Alert Program. This program provides students with recommendations for resources or other assistance that is available to help SFA students succeed.

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