Psychology 3490G-001
Special Topics in Developmental Psychology: Social Development
If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.
1.0 CALENDAR DESCRIPTION
An in-depth analysis of research in selected topics of developmental psychology.
Prerequisites: Psychology 2820E or both Psychology 2800E and 2810, and one of Psychology 2040A/B or 2410A/B
3 seminar hours, 0.5 course
Unless you have either the prerequisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enrol in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor:Dr. Lynne ZarbatanyOffice and Phone Number: WH 322, 519-661-3664
Office Hours: by appointment
Email: lynnez@uwo.ca
Time and Location of Classes: Thursday, 12:30-3:30, SSC 3120
If you or someone you know is experiencing distress, there are several resources here at Western to assist you. Please visit: http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for more information on these resources and on mental health.
Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you. You may also wish to contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at 519-661-2111 ext 82147 for any specific question regarding an accommodation.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
Underwood, M. K., & Rosen, L. H. (Eds., 2011), Social development: Relationships in infancy, childhood, and adolescence. NY: Guilford.
Other required readings will be posted on the course website.
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
Human survival and reproduction depends on the ability to form and maintain social relationships with others. In this course, we will explore the development of processes that enable human children to “get along” with others. We will examine how the foundational processes (physiological, social cognitive, emotional, behavioral) that underlie relationship skills emerge and are shaped by relationships with family members, peers, and other significant relationship partners, as well as the larger cultural context. We also will examine consequences of adaptive and maladaptive relationships for infants’, children’s, and adolescents’ social and psychological adjustment.
The course will be conducted in a seminar format. Each week, we will read and discuss a set of assigned readings, plan PSAs, and/or listen to presentations.
5.0 EVALUATION
Class Participation (20%)Each week we will meet in seminar format to discuss scholarly readings and other class activities. You will be marked on a scale from 0 to 4 for participation each week (0 = absent, 1 = present but silent, 2 = minimal participation, 3 = moderate participation, 4 = made an important substantive contribution to the scholarly discourse), and your participation marks will be averaged to form 20% of your final mark. To facilitate discussion, you must bring at least one discussion topic or question to class each week. Note that class attendance is required, and absences will be excused only if requested by your academic counselor.
Weekly Quizzes (20%)
You will complete 10 weekly quizzes, each consisting of 10 multiple choice questions. Quizzes will be based on the week’s readings, and will be administered at the beginning of each class. The two lowest quiz marks will be dropped, and the remaining scores averaged to form 20% of your final mark.
Public Service Announcements (60%)
The major assignment is an evidence-based 30-120 sec videotaped public service announcement (PSA) geared to children or their relationship partners (parents, teachers, peers) on a topic relevant to the course. The purpose of a PSA is to motivate action to remedy a problem; the action required may be ceasing, increasing, or altering a behavior or set of behaviors. Before undertaking this project, we will review research assessing qualities that enhance the effectiveness of PSAs.
This project will be undertaken in stages, each of which will be marked separately. Both content and style will be taken into account for marking purposes.
PSA Proposal Presentation (15%)
First, you will generate and present (20-30 min) to the class a proposal for your PSA that will include a statement of the problem (e.g., aggression occurs in a nontrivial number of adolescent romantic relationships), a brief literature review on the topic, including remediation strategies that have been attempted (including previous PSAs on the topic if available), and a sketch of at least two different evidence-based ideas for a PSA topic. The class will provide feedback on the ideas.
Completed PSA Presentation (15%)
Second, you will create a script, film and edit your PSA and present it to the class in a second 20-30 min) presentation. As part of the presentation, you will describe the strategy underlying your approach and why you believe it will be effective for the targeted age group. Note that you must take into account the social and cognitive abilities of the target audience when developing your script; what works for one age group may not work for another. If possible, try to show your PSA to members of the targeted group and include their feedback in your presentation.
Final Paper (30%)
Third, you will individually write a 10-12 page paper that includes a statement of the problem, a literature review, including a description of previous intervention attempts made, a description of your PSA, and an evidence-based rationale for your approach to your PSA.
Note: The final paper is due by 5:00 pm on Apr. 7. Late papers will incur a penalty of 3% per day (out of 100%).
Although the Psychology Department does not require instructors to adjust their course grades to conform to specific targets, the expectation is that course marks will be distributed around the following averages:
70% 1000-level and 2000-level courses
72% 2190-2990 level courses
75% 3000-level courses
80% 4000-level courses
The Psychology Department follows the University of Western Ontario grading guidelines, which are as follows (see http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf ):
A+ 90-100 One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level
A 80-89 Superior work that is clearly above average
B 70-79 Good work, meeting all requirements, and eminently satisfactory
C 60-69 Competent work, meeting requirements
D 50-59 Fair work, minimally acceptable
F below 50 Fail
6.0 TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
|
Date |
Tentative Topics/Readings |
Assignment |
|
Jan. 7 |
Organizational Meeting
|
|
|
Jan. 14 |
Readings on PSAs:
Ch. 1 Underwood & Rosen |
Quiz 1
Bring your favorite PSA to class. What’s the message? Why do you like it? |
|
Jan. 21 |
Biological foundations of social behavior
Chs. 2 & 3 Underwood & Rosen |
Quiz 2
Bring at least one idea for a PSA message |
|
Jan. 28 |
Attachment
Ch. 5 Underwood & Rosen Reading TBA |
Quiz 3 |
|
Feb. 4 |
Families, Parenting, Discipline
Ch. 6 Underwood & Rosen Bornovalova, M. A. et al. (2014). Understanding the relative contributions of direct environmental effects and passive geno-type environment correlations in the association between familial risk factors and child disruptive behavior disorders. Psychological Medicine, 44, 831-844. |
Quiz 4
PSA Proposals |
|
Feb. 11 |
Peer Relationships
Ch. 7 Underwood & Rosen Reading: Albert, D., Chein, J., & Steinberg, L. (2013). The teenage brain: |
Quiz 5
PSA Proposals |
Feb. 25 |
Social Cognition
Readings Ch. 4 Underwood & Rosen |
Quiz 6
PSA Proposals |
|
Mar. 3 |
Aggression
Ch. 9 Underwood & Rosen Reading Hawley (2014). The duality of human nature: Coercion and prosociality in youths’ hierarchy ascension and social success. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 23, 433-438. |
Quiz 7 |
|
Mar. 10 |
Morality and Prosocial Behavior
Chs. 10 & 11 Underwood & Rosen |
Quiz 8
|
|
Mar. 17 |
Gender
Ch. 12 Underwood & Rosen Reading Udry, J. R. (2000). Biological limits of gender construction. American Sociological Review, 65, 443-457 |
Quiz 9
PSA Presentations |
|
Mar. 24 |
Cultural Influences on Social Development
Ch. 15 Underwood & Rosen Reading Belsky, J. (2008). War, trauma, and children’s development: Observations from a modern evolutionary perspective. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 32, 260-271. |
Quiz 10
PSA Presentations |
|
Mar. 31 |
PSA Presentations
|
|
|
Apr. 7 |
Final Paper is Due
|
|
Example PSA Topic Areas:
Emotional/cognitive/behavioral self-regulation and relation to child-rearing practices or peer relationships
Role of aggression and prosocial behavior in social and material resource control within groups (i.e., how to get what you want).
Implications of in-group preferences and out-group avoidance for intergroup relations; racial/ethnic prejudice; intergroup relations.
Functions of secure attachment and benefits of sensitive parenting for attachment security
Coping with the challenges of difficult/anxious child temperament
Consequences of harsh parenting tactics, including physical punishment and psychological manipulation
Sibling aggression
Friend/peer group influence on risky behavior (e.g., alcohol and drug use; unprotected sex; criminality; dangerous driving).
Gender-role constraints on behavior
Implications of peer relationship problems for academic performance at school.
8.0 STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES
Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offenses. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offenses because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offense are described at the following link: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf
As of Sept. 1, 2009, the Department of Psychology will take the following steps to detect scholastic offenses. All multiple-choice tests and exams will be checked for similarities in the pattern of responses using reliable software, and records will be made of student seating locations in all tests and exams. All written assignments will be submitted to TurnItIn, a service designed to detect and deter plagiarism by comparing written material to over 5 billion pages of content located on the Internet or in TurnItIn’s databases. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between Western and Turnitin.com http://www.turnitin.com
Possible penalties for a scholastic offense include failure of the assignment, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.
9.0 POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR MEDICAL ILLNESS
The University of Western Ontario’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/2015/pg117.html
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation:
http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
10.0 OTHER INFORMATION
Office of the Registrar web site: http://registrar.uwo.ca
Student Development Services web site: http://www.sdc.uwo.ca
Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site for information on the following:
http://psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/student_responsibilities/index.html
- Policy on Cheating and Academic Misconduct
- Procedures for Appealing Academic Evaluations
- Policy on Attendance
- Policy Regarding Makeup Exams and Extensions of Deadlines
- Policy for Assignments
- Short Absences
- Extended Absences
- Documentation
- Academic Concerns
- 2015 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones, will be allowed during exams.
