Instructor: Theresa E. Jackson, Ph.D. Office: Nightingale Hall 429 Office Hours: Tuesdays & Fridays, 12-1:30 pm Email: tjackson@neu.edu Lecture Schedule: Tues/Fri 1:35 3:15 pm Room: Shillman Hall 220 PSYU 3404-04: Developmental Psychology Northeastern University Spring 2015 COURSE DESCRIPTION Prerequisites. PSYU 1101: Foundations of Psychology (or equivalent) In this course, we will engage in a comprehensive examination of human psychological development beginning with birth and ending in adulthood and aging. Classic theories, contemporary issues, and key research studies in human development will be discussed and analyzed. We will consider the biological, cognitive, social, and emotional development occurring at each stage of the lifespan and how multiple categories of identity and difference such as gender, race, ethnicity, social class, sexual orientation, and disability contribute to variations in development. Classic theories, contemporary issues, and key research studies in human development will be discussed and analyzed. COURSE OBJECTIVES 1. To understand, explain, and discuss central theories and concepts of human development 2. To apply this knowledge to diverse developmental phenomena and contexts 3. To critically evaluate and explain how contextual factors and culture impact development 4. To critically reflect on and appraise research, practice, and policies related to development REQUIRED MATERIALS Primary Text: Feldman, R.S. (2013). Development Across the Lifespan, 7th Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Additional Articles on Blackboard: Occasionally I will draw course material from original research studies not contained within the textbook. These will be posted on Blackboard, and while it is not required of you to read them, they provide important supplementary information. COURSE FORMAT & EXPECTATIONS. This course will meet twice a week for one hour and 40 minutes. The class will include a combination of lecture, small and large group discussion, in class activities, and several classes will feature video screenings. Each student will also be expected to write two article critique papers, one due early in the semester covering early child development and one due late in the semester covering emerging adulthood. During each class, we will focus on specific topics outlined in the course schedule below, and it is expected that you complete the reading for each topic prior to the class meeting. Some topics might be more challenging than others, but the support of open classroom dialogue and engagement, in addition to your thoughtful reflection on the readings, will help you to deepen your 1
understanding of the material. Class discussion will be a prominent feature of each lecture, and you are expected to attend every class, prepared to raise questions and participate. As participation in small-group discussions activities is an integral part of your education in this course, attendance and participation will constitute a portion of your final grade calculation (as outlined below). 1) Exams (4 x 80 points) You will have four non-cumulative exams in this course, three exams throughout the semester and one exam to be taken during finals week. Each exam is worth 50 points. Exams will include material from assigned readings, in-class discussions, and lectures covered prior to each exam date. The exams be multiple choice and feature questions that will assess your knowledge of key concepts and theories, as well as your ability to apply this knowledge to hypothetical and real-life scenarios. Note on Make-up Exams: As a general rule, make-up exams will not be given. Exceptions to this rule are made only in dire, unavoidable circumstances (e.g., serious illness or emergency) that are fully documented (e.g., with official correspondence from physicians and/or Deans). You must contact me prior to the exam in order to make arrangements for a make-up date. Final exams will be given on the date and time assigned by Northeastern University. No early final exams will be given, so please plan your schedule accordingly. 2) Article Critique Paper (2 x 50 points) For this assignment, you will read the articles posted on Blackboard (one related to early child development and one related to adulthood) and write two individual well-informed critique, using your knowledge of developmental research methodology and design. Remember that a summary and an article critique differ A summary reports on what the article says; a critique serves as an evaluation, analysis, and interpretation of the text. It answers the questions How? Why? and How well?. Your reaction to the text may be largely positive, largely negative, or (most likely) a combination of the two. Your article critiques should each be 1-2 pages in length, and the specific guidelines for completion of these critiques are listed at the end of the syllabus. The first article critique will be due on Tuesday, February 24. The second article critique will be due on Tuesday, April 14. An example of a well-written article critique will also be uploaded to Blackboard for your review. Each paper must be submitted via Blackboard by 12pm (noon) on the day in which it is due. Late assignments will be deducted by 10% for each day that they are late. Again, exceptions will only be made in unavoidable, officially documented cases. 3) Attendance & Participation I will pass around an attendance sheet at each class meeting. Your attendance, along with your participation in small & large group discussion, generating questions or sharing critical reflections during class will count for 30 points (or 7%) of your final grade calculation. FINAL GRADES. Your grade is based on your performance on the exams, papers, and your participation in class. They will not be changed on the basis of special requests. If grades for the class as a whole are inordinately low, there could be a curve applied. However, this is not guaranteed, and you should assume that grades will remain unchanged at the close of the semester. Grading Breakdown Exams: 4 x 80 Article Critique: 2 x 50 Attendance & Participation 320 points (about 71% of your grade) 100 points (about 22% of your grade) 30 points (about 7% of your grade) 2
Total: Grading Scale 94.0% 100.0% = A 90.0% 93.99% = A- 87.0% 89.99% = B+ 83.0% 86.99% = B 450 points 80.0% 82.99% = B- 77.0% 79.99% = C+ 73.0% 76.99% = C 70.0% 72.99% = C- 67.0% 69.99% = D+ 63.0% 66.99% = D 60.0% 62.99% = D- 0-59.99%= F COMMUNICATION: BLACKBOARD & EMAIL. I will make use of Blackboard to post additional course materials not found in the textbook as well as the syllabus and study materials for the exams. I will also communicate with you via your Northeastern email account, and you are encouraged to correspond with me via email should any concerns or questions arise throughout the semester. Major changes to the syllabus due to inclement weather or falling behind will also be communicated to you through your email, so be sure to check your account regularly. CELL PHONES & OTHER ELECTRONICS. Please turn off cell phones and all other electronic devices during class. Use of these devices is distracting and disrespectful to both the professor and your peers. ACADEMIC HONESTY & INTEGRITY. Academic integrity is highly valued at Northeastern, and it is the responsibility of each student to achieve and maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. Unless otherwise noted, I expect you to complete all assignments individually. When using external sources to support your ideas, I expect you to properly cite those sources, engage in appropriate use of quotations and properly attribute any material you take verbatim from other sources. Please consult Northeastern s Academic Integrity Policy at http://www.northeastern.edu/osccr/academicintegrity/ should you have any questions about this. Lapses in integrity (including cheating, unauthorized collaboration on papers, plagiarism, etc.) will not be tolerated and will result in referral to Student Judiciary and failure of the assignment or course, as deemed appropriate. STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES. Northeastern University is committed to ensuring the full participation of all students in its programs. If you have a documented disability (or you think you may have a disability) and, as a result, need a reasonable accommodation to participate in class, complete course requirements, or benefit from the University s programs or services, then you should contact the Disability Resource Center (phone: 617-373-2675, or online: http://www.northeastern.edu/drc/index.html). SCHEDULE FLEXIBILITY. The following topic schedule and all accompanying information (i.e. discussion topics, etc.) should be viewed as tentative, and can be altered according to the needs of the course. If we fall behind during the course of the semester, alterations will be made. As such, you should listen for any announcements of changes in the schedule during class time. Major changes (i.e., changes in exam dates, assignment due dates, etc.) will be done in writing and sent via email, giving you ample advance notice. Snow Days: If the University officially closes due to inclement weather, any scheduled exam or assignment for that day will be postponed until the next day of class. NO EXCEPTIONS. 3
Tentative Course Schedule Date Topic Reading Tues 1/13 Introduction to Lifespan Development Syllabus Fri 1/16 Theoretical Perspectives & Research Methods Chapter 1 Tues 1/20 Prenatal Development Chapter 2 Fri 1/23 Birth & the Newborn Chapter 3 Tues 1/27 Infancy: Physical Development Chapter 4 Fri 1/30 Infancy: Cognitive Development Chapter 5 Tues 2/3 Infancy: Language & Start Social Development Chapter 5, 6 Fri 2/6 Infancy: Finish Social Development & Personality Chapter 6 Tues 2/10 EXAM 1 Chapters 1 6 Fri 2/13 Preschool: Physical & Intellectual Development Chapter 7 Tues 2/17 Preschool: Language & Social Development Chapter 7, 8 Fri 2/20 Preschool: Moral Development Chapter 8 Tues 2/24 Middle Childhood: Physical & Intellectual Development Chapter 9 Article Critique #1 due at 12pm Fri 2/27 Middle Childhood: Schooling & Social Development Chapter 9, 10 Mon 3/3 Middle Childhood: Personality Development and Review Chapter 10 Fri 3/6 EXAM 2 Chapters 7 10 Tues 3/10 Spring Break No Class Fri 3/13 Spring Break No Class Tues 3/17 Adolescence: Physical & Cognitive Development Chapter 11 Fri 3/20 Adolescence: Well Being & Identity Development Chapter 11, 12 Tues 3/24 Adolescence: Social Development Chapter 12 Fri 3/27 Early Adulthood: Physical & Cognitive Development Chapter 13 Tues 3/31 Early Adulthood: Social & Personality Development Chapter 14 Fri 4/3 EXAM 3 Chapters 11 14 Tues 4/7 Middle Adulthood: Physical & Cognitive Development Chapter 15 Fri 4/10 Middle Adulthood: Social & Personality Development Chapter 16 Tues 4/14 Late Adulthood: Physical & Cognitive Development Chapter 17 Article Critique #2 due at 12pm Fri 4/17 Late Adulthood: Social & Personality Development Chapter 18 Tues 4/21 Death & Dying and Review Chapter 19 TBD FINAL EXAM Chapters 15 19 4
Article Critique Assignment Guidelines & Grading Criteria PSYU 3404 Each article critique should be written in paragraph (NOT BULLETED) format and contain the following sections: a. Complete & proper APA style citation. b. Purpose & Design. In this section you should describe the author s general purpose for conducting this study. What were the research questions and hypotheses that the author(s) presented? (Note that some authors are very explicit and list research questions & hypotheses; others will provide them in summary format, typically at the close of the introductory material). Finally, give a succinct description of the study design was it correlational? Experimental? Qualitative? That is, provide a brief description of how the authors intended to test their hypotheses. c. Participants. In this section, you should provide a description of the participants recruited for the study. You should include descriptive information about the participants themselves (age, gender, race) as well as where they were recruited from (organization, geographical location), and any other information that might be important to the study s purpose. (e.g. if the study examines adolescent smoking behavior after watching a film featuring tobacco use, it would be important to note if participants in the study reported consistent tobacco use prior to participation.) d. Measured Variables. Here you should outline the independent variables (or predictors) and dependent variables (outcomes) and how they were measured. (e.g. smoking behavior, measured with self-report tobacco use questionnaire). e. Results. Briefly describe the most important results of the study. You should be accurate and explicit, but try also to remain concise. Furthermore, you should note whether these results supported the researchers hypotheses. f. Critique. In this section, you should provide a thoughtful analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the research design, analysis, and interpretation of the results. You should consider some of the following factors as you make this assessment: demographic characteristics of the participants, recruitment strategies, how the variables were operationalized and measured, data collection procedures, and statistical or thematic analyses performed. Some articles will include a limitations section, and reference to these in your papers is allowed, but be sure to describe these weaknesses or limitations in your own words in addition to incorporating some of your own thoughts. 5