Psychology 2410B-001 (Online for 2020-21)

Introduction to Developmental Psychology

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.
Prerequisites: A mark of at least 60% in 1.0 credits of Psychology at the 1000 level. 

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.

Antirequisites: Psychology 2040A/B, Psychology 2480E, Health Sciences 2700A/B, 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.

2 lecture hours, 1 tutorial hour; 0.5 course 

2.0    COURSE INFORMATION

Instructor: Dr. Lynne Zarbatany 

Office and Phone Number:  WH 322, 519-661-3664 

Office Hours: By appointment 

Email: lynnez@uwo.ca  

 

TA:Carolynn HareTA: Riya Sidhu 

Email: chare6@uwo.caEmail: rsidhu66@uwo.ca 

   Office Hours:By appointmentOffice Hours:   By appointment 

 

TA: Matthew Bain 

Email:  mbain25@uwo.ca   

Office Hours:By appointment 

Time and Location of Lectures: Lectures will be pre-recorded and posted on OWL for viewing at your convenience. 

 

Time of Tutorials: Wed. 9:30-10:30; 10:30-11:30; 11:30-12:30 OR 12:30-1:30 on Zoom. 

 

Completion of this course will require you to have a reliable internet connection and a device that meets the system requirements for Zoom. Information about the system requirements are available at the following link: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us 

Please note that Zoom servers are located outside Canada. If you would prefer to use only your first name or a nickname to login to Zoom, please provide this information to the instructor. 

                                                                                   

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

Keil, F. (2013). Developmental Psychology: The Growth of Mind and Behavior. NY: W.W.  

Norton. 

 

4.0    COURSE OBJECTIVES

The goal of the lecture component of the course is to introduce theoretical, methodological, and empirical foundations of Developmental Psychology. The goal of the tutorials is to provide an opportunity to learn about an important social problem facing children or teens, and generate new and plausible evidence-based solutions to the problem, both for those who interact directly with young people (e.g., parents; teachers), and for those who create social policy to improve their well-being (school boards; governments). Students will develop and draft a social policy report with another member of their tutorial group, and present it orally as a team, and in writing individually, at various stages during the semester. They also will comment on the likely effectiveness of two teams’ proposals and suggest improvements. The tutorial assignment builds on a variety of scholarly skills including literature reviewing, critical thinking, intervention-related research design, and oral and written communication. More detail about tutorial assignments will be provided by tutorial leaders. 

   4.1    STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 

By the end of this course, successful students will be able to  

Learning Outcome  

Learning Activity  and Assessment 

Breadth and Depth of Knowledge.  

Memorize main theories, concepts, principles, and findings of developmental psychology. 
Learn in depth about a specific social problem experienced by children or teens, as well as prior attempts to improve it. 

 

 

Lectures and text book.  Mid-term and final exams. 

 

Read about a specific social problem that will form the foundation of a social policy report. 

Knowledge of Methodologies.  

Evaluate contributions of original research based on research designs and methods used. Understand implications of method and research design choices for meaning of findings. 

 

Lectures and textbook. 

Learn about evidence-based interventions in tutorials and base social policy report recommendations on highest quality research findings. 

 

Application of Knowledge.  

Choose a social problem experienced by children, learn about incidence rates, adjustment outcomes, past intervention efforts, and create recommendations for practice and policy, geared to age of target group.  

 

 

In teams of two, create and present an evidence-based social policy report in different stages throughout the semester. 

Evaluate merit of classmates’ social policy proposals. 

Communication Skills.  

Orally present prepared material in a formal academic settings using visual aids. 

 

Write papers demonstrating correct use of the English language and adherence to discipline-specific (APA) writing requirements  

 

 

Work collaboratively with others to achieve a goal. Present social policy proposal and full social policy report as a duo. 

 

Write a social policy proposal and a full social policy report individually that demonstrate correct use of the English language and adherence to discipline-specific writing conventions. 

Awareness of Limits of Knowledge. 

Identify limitations on interpretation of findings imposed by research designs and methods. 

 

Lectures; text book 

Acknowledge and address limitation of own and classmates’ social policy report recommendations 

 

 

5.0     EVALUATION

Students will be evaluated based on lecture and tutorial components as follows: 

 

 

% of Final Mark 

Date 

Lecture Component (60%) 

 

 

Mid-Term Exam 1 

15 

Feb. 3,   10:30am 12:30pm 

Mid-Term Exam 2 

20 

Mar. 17, 10:30am 12:30pm 

Final Exam 

25 

Final Exam Period/TBA 

 

 

 

Tutorial Component (40%) 

 

 

Social Policy (SP) Proposal Presentation  

5 

Various 

SP Proposal Paper  

10 

Various 

Feedback on Classmate SP Proposals  

5 x 2% 

Various 

Full SPR presentation 

5 

Various 

Social Policy Paper 

10 

April 14, 5 pm 

 

 

Social Policy Report 

In your tutorials, you will develop and present a social policy report concerning a social problem faced by children or teens (e.g., poverty; trauma; racism; teen substance abuse). You will work with another tutorial member to identify the problem; report on incidence rates and problematic adjustment outcomes for those who experience the problem; describe the effectiveness of past efforts to eliminate the problem or reduce its impact; and recommend new approaches to practice (for those who deal directly with individuals involved), and policy (school boards; governments).  

The Social Policy Report will be prepared in four stages:  

First, you’ll provide background information on prevalence, outcomes, and prior interventions involving a focal age group, and draft evidence-based ideas for new practice and policy recommendations.  

  1. As a pair, you’ll present your proposal to your tutorial group in a 10-minute presentation (5% of final mark), and  
  1. You’ll individually write a social policy proposal paper (10% of final mark).  
  1. Students in each tutorial group will provide feedback (strengths; possible problems; suggestions for improvement) on the appropriateness and plausibility of the new ideas for five presentations (2% x 5). 

Based on the TA and peer feedback, you will revise your social policy report and 

  1.  present your final report as a team for 10 min (5%), and  
  1. individually write your final social policy paper (10%). 

General Notes Regarding Paper Submissions 

  1. Proposal papers are due by 9 am on the day before your proposal presentation. 

 

  1. Check your writing for grammatical and spelling errors as these can lower your paper marks. Always use APA format (7th Ed.) when writing papers for this course. 

 

  1. When naming documents, your own name should come first, and then the document name (e.g., Sarah McLachlan, SP Proposal, Eliminating Racism in Canadian Children.docx; Drake, SP Paper, Preventing High School Drop Out.docx). Include your name on the first page of each document, and always number your pages. 

 

  1. Submit all documents to OWL in Word rather than PDF. All written assignments will be run through Turnitin for plagiarism checks. 

 

  1. If you wish to appeal a paper mark, you must submit your appeal in writing to your tutorial leader. The appeal should list your concerns and reasons for your concerns. Your tutorial leader will respond to your appeal in writing. If you wish to appeal the response, submit your paper and appeal documents to Dr. Zarbatany. 

 

Penalty for Late Papers 

 

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 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

Make-Up Exams:  Exams 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 final 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. 

  

NOTE: If you miss a scheduled exam for any reason, the make-up exam will consist entirely of short-answer and/or essay questions. 


6.0  ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION SCHEDULE

TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE 

All exams will be written online. Exams are non-cumulative, and will consist of multiple choice questions. The two mid-term exams will be held during class time on Feb. 1 and Mar. 15, and the final exam will be held during the final exam period. You will have two hours to complete the exams. 

Exams will be administered via OWL and will require attending a Zoom meeting for the duration of the exam. You must have a working webcam installed for each exam session. You will be required to keep your camera on for the entire session, hold up your student card for identification purposes, and share your screen with the invigilator if asked to do so at any time during the exam. The exam session using Zoom will not be recorded. 

Exam questions will be randomized as well as the answer choices. All of the exams will be “linear” in nature, meaning you can NOT return to questions you have already answered. The exams are open-book, and you are expected to work independently. Students found to be sharing the content of tests, quizzes or exams online will be referred to the Dean’s office for academic misconduct. 

Mid-term Exam 1 (Feb. 3, 10:30am -12:30 pm) will be worth 15% of your final mark and will cover lecture and reading material up to Jan. 25.  Mid-term Exam 2 (Mar. 17) will be worth 20% of your final mark, and will cover material from Feb. 8 to Mar. 8. The final exam will be worth 25% of your final mark, and will cover material from Mar. 22 to the end of term. 

  

Make-Up Exams:  Exams 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 final 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. 

  

NOTE: If you miss a scheduled exam for any reason, the make-up exam will consist entirely of short-answer and/or essay questions. 

 

Note: Grades will not be rounded. 

 

7.0   CLASS SCHEDULE

TENTATIVE LECTURE AND TUTORIAL SCHEDULE 

 

Lecture 

 

 

Tutorial 

 

Date 

Topic 

Reading 

Date 

Topic 

Assignment 

 

Jan. 11 

Introduction to the Course 

Developmental Research Design 

 

Ch. 1 

 

Jan. 13 

Introductions and Overview of Tutorial Activities and Assignments 

Read SP paper 

Choose SP Topic and email it to TA 

 

 

Jan. 18 

 

 

Prenatal Development 

 

 

Ch. 2  

 

 

Jan. 20 

 

Components of a Social Policy Paper 

Discuss Policy Reading.  

Partner assignments 

Connect with partner; divide up work. Share key references 

 

 

Jan. 25 

 

 

Perceptual Development 

 

 

 

Ch. 3 

 

 

Jan. 27 

 

Evidence-based Practice  

Assign presentation dates 

 

Prep proposal presentation with partner 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feb. 3 

 

 

Mid-Term Exam 1 

10:30 am -12:30 pm 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feb. 8 

 

 

 

 

Emergence of Action 

 

 

 

Infant Cognition 

Ch. 4 (only pp. 131-135 AND Figure 4.3) 

 

Ch. 5 

 

 

 

 

Feb. 10 

 

 

 

 

Proposal Presentations:  

 

 

 

 

Proposal Feedback  

 

Feb. 15 

 

 

Reading Week 

 

 

Feb. 17 

 

Reading Week 

 

 

Feb. 22 

 

Attachment 

 

 

Ch. 6 

 

Feb. 24 

 

Proposal presentations 

 

Proposal Feedback  

 

Mar. 1 

Emotion, Temperament, and Personality 

 

Ch. 7 

 

Mar. 3 

 

Proposal presentations 

 

 

Proposal Feedback  

 

Page Break 

 

Lecture 

 

 

Tutorial 

 

  

Mar. 8 

 

Language Development 

 

Ch. 8 

 

Mar. 10 

 

Proposal Presentations 

 

Proposal Feedback  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mar. 17 

 

Mid-Term Exam 2 

10:30 am -12:30 pm 

 

 

 

 

Mar. 22 

 

Cognitive Development 

Ch. 9  

Ch. 10 (omit pp. 372-380) 

 

 

Mar. 24 

 

 

SP Final Presentations 

 

 

 

Mar. 29 

 

 

Moral Development 

Ch. 12 (omit pp. 431-444) 

Ch. 13 

 

 

Mar. 31 

 

SP Final Presentations 

 

 

Apr. 5 

 

Family Influences 

 

Ch. 14 

 

Apr. 7 

SP Final Presentations 

 

 

 

Apr. 12 

 

Peers Influences 

 

Ch. 15 

 

Apr. 14 

 

Final papers are due by 5 pm 

 

 

 

8.0  STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES

 

Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offences. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offences because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offence 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 offences. 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 will be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating.

 

In classes that involve the use of a personal response system (PRS), data collected using the PRS will only be used in a manner consistent to that described in this outline. It is the instructor’s responsibility to make every effort to ensure that data remain confidential. However, students should be aware that as with all forms of electronic communication, privacy is not guaranteed. Your PRS login credentials are for your sole use only. Students attempting to use another student’s credentials to submit data through the PRS may be subject to academic misconduct proceedings.

 

Possible penalties for a scholastic offence include failure of the assignment/exam, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.

 

9.0  POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR ILLNESS OR OTHER ABSENCES

 

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

 

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:

  1. Submitting a Self-Reported Absence form (for circumstances that are expected to resolve within 48 hours);
  2. 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 must be submitted before the exam/coursework deadline in order to be valid. It 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 hoursafter 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      Contingency Plan for Return to Lockdown

 

In the event of a COVID-19 resurgence during the course that necessitates the course delivery moving away from face-to-face interaction, all remaining course content will be delivered entirely online, either synchronously (i.e., at the times indicated in the timetable) or asynchronously (e.g., posted on OWL for students to view at their convenience). The grading scheme will not change. Any remaining assessments will also be conducted online as determined by the course instructor.

 

11.0      STATEMENTS CONCERNING ONLINE ETIQUETTE

 

In courses involving online interactions, the Psychology Department expects students to honour the following rules of etiquette:

  • please “arrive” to class on time
  • please use your computer and/or laptop if possible (as opposed to a cell phone or tablet)
  • please ensure that you are in a private location to protect the confidentiality of discussions in the event that a class discussion deals with sensitive or personal material
  • to minimize background noise, kindly mute your microphone for the entire class until you are invited to speak, unless directed otherwise
  • In classes larger than 30 participants please turn off your video camera for the entire class unless you are invited to speak
  • In classes of 30 students or fewer, where video chat procedures are being used, please be prepared to turn your video camera off at the instructor’s request if the internet connection becomes unstable
  • Unless invited by your instructor, do not share your screen in the meeting

 

The course instructor will act as moderator for the class and will deal with any questions from participants. To participate please consider the following:

  • If you wish to speak, use the “raise hand” function and wait for the instructor to acknowledge you before beginning your comment or question.
  • Please remember to unmute your microphone and turn on your video camera before speaking.
  • Self-identify when speaking.
  • Please remember to mute your mic and turn off your video camera after speaking (unless directed otherwise).

 

General considerations of “netiquette”:

  • Keep in mind the different cultural and linguistic backgrounds of the students in the course.
  • Be courteous toward the instructor, your colleagues, and authors whose work you are discussing.
  • Be respectful of the diversity of viewpoints that you will encounter in the class and in your readings. The exchange of diverse ideas and opinions is part of the scholarly environment. “Flaming” is never appropriate.
  • Be professional and scholarly in all online postings. Use proper grammar and spelling. Cite the ideas of others appropriately.

 

Note that disruptive behaviour of any type during online classes, including inappropriate use of the chat function, is unacceptable. Students found guilty of Zoom-bombing a class or of other serious online offenses may be subject to disciplinary measures under the Code of Student Conduct.

 

12.0      OTHER INFORMATION

 

Office of the Registrar: http://registrar.uwo.ca 

 

Student Development Services: 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

 

Copyright Statement: Lectures and course materials, including power point presentations, outlines, videos 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 any course materials publicly and/or for commercial purposes without the instructor’s written consent.