Psychology 2040A-001 (Online for 2020-21)
Child 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
A survey of theory and research in developmental psychology including learning, cognition, perception, personality, and social development in infancy and childhood.
ANTIREQUISITES: Psychology 2410A/B, Psychology 2480E and the former Psychology 2044
Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one can be taken for credit. So if you take a course that is an antirequisite to a course previously taken, you will lose credit for the earlier course, regardless of the grade achieved in the most recent course.
3 lecture hours, 0.5 course
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Dr. Graeme Haynes
Office Hours: By appointment via Zoom
Email: ghaynes@uwo.ca
Teaching assistant: Clara Stafford
Office Hours: TBA
Email: cstaffo2@uwo.ca
This is a fully online course that will use Western University’s learning platform, OWL (Sakai) and other educational resources based on the needs of the course. This class is designed to be asynchronous, meaning we will not have a regular, mandatory time when the entire class must be online. However, there may be some synchronous activities that you will sign up for based on your own schedule, including office hour appointments with the professor or T.A.
Given the current pandemic situation, I will not be holding office hours in person for the time being. E-mail is the best way to contact me, and if need be, I can be available to meet with you over Skype or Zoom.
When sending me or Clara an email, please make sure to use proper email etiquette (e.g., start with a greeting), and include the following information: your name, the course you are in (I’m teaching several different courses this semester), and your question.
Sample email:
Hi Prof. Haynes,
This is [insert name here] from your Psychology 2040a class. After reading the lecture slides on [insert topic here], I was wondering if you could explain [insert concept here] in greater detail?
Sincerely,
[Name]
If you adhere to these guidelines, I promise to reply to all emails within 24 hours.
Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Mental Health@Western
http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for a complete list of options about how to obtain help.
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 Student Accessibility Services (formerly known as Services for Students with Disabilities) at 519-661-2147.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
Kail, R.V., & Barnfield, A. M. C. (2019). Children and Their Development, 4th Canadian ed. New York: Pearson.
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
The goals of this course are to provide students with:
- Knowledge of the vocabulary, research findings, theories, methods, and concepts in developmental psychology;
- An understanding of the developmental processes from conception through childhood;
- Awareness of the problems and advances in the study of child development;
4.1 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
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Learning Outcome |
Learning Activity |
Assessment |
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Depth and Breadth of Knowledge. Can describe the process of human development from conception through childhood and identify a wide range of factors that can promote and/or curtail human development.
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Assigned readings and supplementary slideshows |
Exams |
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Knowledge of Methodologies. Can summarize their knowledge of psychological theories, empirical findings, and research methods involved in Developmental Psychology. |
Assigned readings and supplementary slideshows |
Exams |
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Application of Knowledge. Understand how findings from developmental research can be applied in everyday settings to promote positive development.
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Assigned readings and supplementary slideshows |
Exams |
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Communication Skills. Can discuss knowledge, ideas, and their critical insights about Developmental Psychology.
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Participating in online discussion forums
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Online discussion forums |
5.0 EVALUATION
Note: In the event of a return to a pandemic lockdown situation, there will not be any changes made to the components listed below.
- Exams (25%, 30%, and 30% )
For the exams, you are responsible for material assigned in the textbook, as well as material covered in supplementary online lectures.
Given the current pandemic situation, all exams will be written online. The exams will not be proctored, but it is expected that all students will complete the exams independently with no communication between classmates. Although you will have open access to your notes and the textbook, I advise you to study ahead of time to ensure you will be able to adequately answer all questions within the time allotted.
For each of the three exams, you will be given a 24-hour period of time within which to write the exam. You will have 75 minutes to complete the exam from start to finish (plus additional time for students who have documented accommodations which allow for extra time). Once you start, you cannot stop or pause. Therefore, you should prepare to finish the exam within 75 minutes of starting. You will access this exam and submit your answers through the Tests and Quizzes tab on our OWL site.
Each exam is non-cumulative, and will consist of multiple choice or true/false questions.
The first midterm exam will need to be completed between Thursday, Oct. 1st at 12:00 A.M. and Friday, Oct. 2nd at 12:00 A.M.
The second midterm exam will need to be completed between Thursday, Oct. 29th at 12:00 A.M. and Friday, Oct. 30th at 12:00 A.M.
The final examination will take place during the December exam period (Dec. 11 –22, specific hours TBA).
Make-Up Exams: Tests must be written on the scheduled dates unless you have a legitimate excuse recognized by the university administration. Valid reasons include medical or compassionate reasons, internet access issues, and religious holidays, and must be substantiated by proper documentation (e.g., a medical certificate, which will be verified by the Office of the Dean). You may use the Self-Reported Absence System (SRAS) for a maximum of two short-term absences affecting course components worth 30% or less of the overall course grade (with the exception of the December exam). A student who misses a regularly scheduled exam for other reasons, or who cannot justify a claim, will be assigned a 0 for the exam.
***Please refer to Section 9.0 for the full policy regarding make-up exams.***
- b) Discussion Forums (15%)
Online discussions related to issues from two of the weekly topics will be held on OWL, within pre-assigned groups of 8-10 students. Please make sure that you have thoroughly read the discussion forum rules below (starting on page 5). Each discussion thread will remain active for only one week, so it is your responsibility to know the deadlines for making your posts.
Students are expected to participate in all of these discussions, both by posting their own thoughts or observations and by commenting constructively on other students’ comments. Your grade will be earned based on the quantity and quality of your contributions to these discussions. A successful student in online education is one who takes an active role in the learning process. You are therefore encouraged to participate actively in the discussions to enhance your learning experience throughout the course.
A substantive posting usually will reflect on a course concept or idea and will demonstrate a critical appraisal of the material or application thereof. Generally, postings should be between 200 and 300 words. A posting should lead the discussion in a meaningful direction. Examples of quality posts include:
- providing clear, coherent responses that directly address the topic at hand;
- presenting explanations of concepts or methods from the textbook or lecture materials to support your points;
- presenting reasons for or against a topic in a persuasive fashion;
- sharing your own personal experiences that relate to the topic;
Expect a variety of views to be expressed, and feel free to express your own view. Debates are encouraged, but please remember that your communications must be respectful to others. Note that the instructor will not respond to each point added to the discussion board. Instead the instructor will read and evaluate the posts on the discussion board, and might add comments when appropriate to keep students on track if the discussion has gone off topic.
For each post, you will be assigned a grade out of 5. Grades will be assigned as follows:
0–2.5 = Unsatisfactory Post is brief and uninformative, does not contribute any insight to the topic, the question is not answered fully.
3-3.5 = Satisfactory Post is somewhat informative, demonstrates basic understanding of the material, but merits a more clear or further explanation.
4-4.5 = Very Good Post is informative, demonstrates strong understanding of the material, and contributes substantial insight.
5 = Excellent Post goes beyond basic requirements, demonstrates excellent critical appraisal, shows evidence of considerable reading beyond course text.
To earn the full five points, you must demonstrate that you have given the topic serious thought, resulting in interesting observations and/or questions. You don’t have to be right (in fact frequently there won’t be a “right” answer) but you do have to demonstrate that you have thought in depth about the issue.
The Discussion Forum Rules
There will be two week-long periods during which a discussion forum will take place. Forum #1 will take place during the week of Sept. 21 – 28; Forum #2 during the week of Oct. 19 – 26.
Rule #1: I will always post the discussion forum topic on the Monday morning when a new unit begins. The discussion forums will be open for 7 days, from Monday morning until the following week’s Monday at 12:00 noon (EDT).
Rule #2: In order to give students time to reply to the posts of other members, you must make your first post no later than Thursday night – any first posts made later than this will be given a late penalty of 0.5 per day. I recommend setting aside a specific block of time each Tuesday or Wednesday to compose your post.
Rule #3: Your first post should be at least 200–300 words. You can go over this, but try your best to be concise. Subsequent posts (e.g., responding to a fellow group member’s post) do not need to be as long as this, but their quality will still be factored into your grade.
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Sun. |
Mon. |
Tues. |
Wed. |
Thurs. |
Fri. |
Sat. |
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Forum opens;
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Make first post |
Make first post |
First post due by 11:59 P.M. |
Respond to other member’s post |
Respond to other member’s post |
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Respond to other member’s post |
Forum closes at noon
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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 Western's 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 ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION SCHEDULE
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Date |
Material covered |
Value |
|
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Midterm #1 |
Thurs. Oct. 1 (any time) |
Chapters 1-4* |
25% |
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Midterm #2 |
Thurs. Oct. 29 (any time) |
Chapters 5-9* |
30% |
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Final exams |
Dec. 11 – 22 (Time TBA) |
Chapters 10-14* |
30% |
*and all related supplementary material
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
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Week of |
Topic |
Read |
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Sept. 14 |
Introduction: Science of Child Development
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Chapter 1 |
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Sept. 21 |
Genetic Bases of Child Development; Prenatal Development, Birth, and the Newborn
Discussion #1 (closes Sept. 28 @ 12:00 PM)
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Chapter 2 & 3 |
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Sept. 28 |
Growth & Health |
Chapter 4 |
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Oct. 1 |
Midterm #1 |
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Oct. 5 |
Perceptual & Motor Development |
Chapter 5 |
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Oct. 13 |
Theories of Cognitive Development |
Chapter 6 |
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Oct. 19 |
Cognitive Processes; Intelligence
Discussion #2 (closes Oct. 26 @ 12:00 P.M.)
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Chapter 7 & 8 |
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Oct. 26 |
Language & Communication |
Chapter 9 |
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Oct. 29 |
Midterm #2 |
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Nov. 2 |
Fall Reading Week – no module |
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Nov. 9 |
Emotional Development; Understanding Self & Others |
Chapter 10 & 11 |
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Nov. 16 |
Moral Understanding & Behaviour
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Chapter 12 |
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Nov. 23 |
Gender & Development
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Chapter 13 |
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Nov. 30 |
Social Influences |
Chapter 14 |
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Dec. 11-22 |
FINAL EXAM |
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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
Computer-marked multiple-choice tests and/or exams may be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating.
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
Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?PolicyCategoryID=1&Command=showCategory&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12
The full policy for consideration for absences can be accessed at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/Academic_Consideration_for_absences.pdf
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
If you experience an extenuating circumstance (e.g., illness, injury) sufficiently significant to temporarily make you unable to meet academic requirements, you may request accommodation through the following routes:
- Submitting a Self-Reported Absence form (for circumstances that are expected to resolve within 48 hours);
- For medical absences, submitting a Student Medical Certificate (SMC) signed by a licensed medical or mental health practitioner in order to be eligible for Academic Consideration;
For non-medical absences, submitting appropriate documentation (e.g., obituary, police report, accident report, court order, etc.) to Academic Counselling in their Faculty of registration in order to be eligible for academic consideration. Students are encouraged to contact their Academic Counselling unit to clarify what documentation is appropriate.
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation. The self-reported absence form may NOT be used for absences longer than 48 hours; coursework/tests/exams/etc., worth more than 30% of the final grade; or exams scheduled in the December or April final-exam periods: http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
Students seeking academic consideration:
- are advised to consider carefully the implications of postponing tests or midterm exams or delaying handing in work;
- are encouraged to make appropriate decisions based on their specific circumstances, recognizing that minor ailments (upset stomach) or upsets (argument with a friend) are not normally an appropriate basis for a self-reported absence;
must communicate with their instructors no later than 24 hours after the end of the period covered by either the self-reported absence or SMC, or immediately upon their return following a documented absence
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
- 2020-2021 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones and smart watches, will be allowed during exams.
Copyright Statement: Lectures and course materials, including power point presentations, outlines, and similar materials, are protected by copyright. You may take notes and make copies of course materials for your own educational use. You may not record lectures, reproduce (or allow others to reproduce), post or distribute lecture notes, wiki material, and other course materials publicly and/or for commercial purposes without the instructor’s written consent.
