Psychology 2040A-650
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 2044, 2410A/B, 2480E, Health Sciences 2700A/B and the former 3700A/B
Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one can be taken for credit. So if this course has an antirequisite that you have previously taken, you will lose credit for the earlier course, regardless of the grade achieved in this one.
0.5 course
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Sarah Smits-Bandstra, Ph.D., SLP Reg. CASLPO
Office and Phone Number: 647-4074154
Office Hours: Fridays 9am to 230pm (or by appointment)
Email: ssmitsba@uwo.ca
Teaching Assistant: TBA
Office:
Office Hours:
Email:
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.
Technological Support Services:
By Phone: 519 661-3800 or Ext. 83800
In Person: Support Services Building - our drop in counter is on the main floor right inside the front doors
By JIRA: Create a JIRA ticket (you will need to login you’re your regular UWO username and password) at https://jira.uwo.ca/secure/CreateIssue.jspa?pid=10920&issuetype=6
By Webform (if your password does not work to create a JIRA ticket) itshelp.uwo.ca
Ask ITS askits.uwo.ca - get immediate answers to some of our more common inquiries
3.0 TEXTBOOK
Berk, L. E. (2013). Child Development. 9th edition. Pearson.
ISBN-10: 0205149766 or ISBN-13: 978-0205149766
This textbook is essential for success. You will need this edition to follow along with the online lectures, exams and complete the class discussions. This text was chosen because it is a comprehensive overview of childhood development. If you can't find the textbook in the University Bookstore, you can get it from Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Child-Development-9th-Laura-Berk/dp/0205149766/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1523837389&sr=8-1&keywords=child+development+9th+edition+berk
or Chegg: https://www.chegg.com/textbooks/child-development-9th-edition-9780205149766-0205149766
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
4.1 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this course, the successful student should be able to:
- Describe three historical theories of developmental psychology.
- Explain the scientific method as it applies to developmental psychology.
- Describe milestones of childhood development that occur in infancy, childhood and adolescence.
- Compare and contrast development in biological, cognitive and socioemotional areas.
- Evaluate how child development is influenced by a number of contextual factors, including families, peers, communities and cultures.
5.0 EVALUATION
Your grade will be determined via 3 non-cumulative, equally weighted, multiple choice exams (25% x 3 = 75%). In addition, you will be required to regularly participate in class discussion posts and responses (4% x 6 = 24%). Finally, you will complete a syllabus review quiz worth 1% of your final grade (total 100%).
Exam 1 will cover chapters 1,2 & 3 and supplementary material from unit 1.
Exam 2 will cover chapters 4 & 6 and supplementary material from unit 2.
Exam 3 will cover chapters 7, 9, 10, 11 & 14 and supplementary material from unit 3.
Syllabus Scavenger Hunt: (1% of your final grade). You are required to review the syllabus so you know what to do if you need support, an extension, if you are sick or absent, and where to concentrate your energy and time to get the best learning outcome.
Exams: Three exams (25% each or a total of 75% of your final grade). They will consist of multiple choice. Each exam will test the material covered in the preceding unit in the textbook and lectures. Exams are non-cumulative however concepts in later lectures build on those that we learned in the early classes. Not everything in the lecture will be in the readings, and not everything in the readings will be discussed in the lectures. But assume that all of it will be on the exam.
Class Discussion: Six class discussions (4% each or a total of 24% of your final grade). You will be required to post your personal reflections on course material and reply to other students. Late discussions will not be accepted. Please allow at least 15 minutes to download discussions on OWL, before the midnight deadline.
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 TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE
Exam #1 (Chapters 1, 2 & 3) Saturday May 26, 2-4pm
Exam #2 (Chapters 4 & 6) Saturday, June 16, 2-4 p.m.
Exam #3 (Chapters 7, 9, 10, 11 & 14) During final exam period (TBA).
Please contact the Academic Counsellor of your home faculty first with documentation if you need a make-up exam, and then the instructor. Make-ups for missed exams will be handled by your Academic Counsellor’s Office. They are provided only in cases of illness on the day of the exam, or for compassionate reasons. The Academic Counsellor will permit no make-up exams without proper documentation.
If you are a Social Science student, you may email ssaco@uwo.ca or call 519.661.2011 to schedule an appointment with an Academic Counsellor. Include your student number and reason for appointment.
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
All Supplementary lecture material will be delivered through OWL. Every week, on Monday, class materials and class discussions will be posted on our class website on OWL. You are expected to read the assigned reading each week, to login to OWL each week for supplementary materials, and each week to respond to posted questions and or post your own questions. All online class discussions are available from the beginning of the term and can be done early. Discussions will always close on Monday at midnight of the due date. You are expected to keep up, week by week, with the class material. You are expected to keep your posts professional (like a written paper, not an email or blog).
Connecting with the Course Instructor:
- When you email me, you can expect a response within 2 business days (Sat, Sun and holidays do not count). I will do my best to respond immediately on Fridays between 9 AM and 230 PM.
- I plan to grade the exams within 6 business days. I plan to respond to discussion posts within 6 business days to leave you with time to incorporate instructor feedback into your next post. You will be expected to carefully review feedback and apply suggestions for improvement. Feedback is given to support your success and develop your skills.
- You can use the “Self-Review” questions to prepare for each exam. Be sure to complete your Self-Review early so you have time to ask questions or do research for your exams. It is not realistic to expect an email response from me one hour before an exam.
- You can post any questions you have on the online forum “I Have a Question…”. If is it urgent, email me instead at smitsbandstra@gmail.com.
- I will do my very best to meet the above deadlines for feedback unless I have exceptional circumstances (in which case, you will receive notification of when to expect a response).
Week Topic and Reading Due
Unit 1: 7 May Chapter 1: History, Theory and Applied Directions Syllabus Scavenger Hunt (Due May 14 at midnight)
Class Discussion One (Due May 14 at midnight)
Unit 1: 14 May Chapter 2: Research Strategies
Unit 1: 21 May Chapter 3: Biological Foundations Prenatal Development Review and Practice Questions
and Birth for Exam One (do not hand in)
Class Discussion Two (Due May 28 at midnight)
Unit 1: 26 May Unit One Exam Saturday May 26th 2-4pm
Unit 2: 28 May Chapter 4: Infancy: Early Learning, Motor Skills and Perceptual Capacities
Unit 2: 4 June Chapter 6 (up to page 249): Piagetian Class Discussion Three (Due June 11 at midnight)
Core Knowledge, and Vygotskyian Perspectives
Unit 2: 11 June Chapter 6 (249 to end): Piagetian, Core Knowledge, Review and Practice Questions
and Vygotskyian Perspectives for Exam Two (do not hand in)
Unit 2: 16 June Unit 2 Exam Saturday June 16, 2-4pm
Unit 2: 18 June Chapter 7: Information Processing Perspective Class Discussion Four (Due June 25 at midnight)
Unit 2: 25 June Chapter 9 beginning to page 372
Language Development
Unit 2: 30 June Chapter 9 Page 372 to end: Language Development Class Discussion Five (Due July 9 at midnight)
Unit 3: 2 July Canada Day Holiday
Unit 3: 9 July Chapter 10: Emotional Development
Unit 3: 16 July Chapter 11: Self and Social Understanding Class Discussion Six (Due July 23rd at midnight).
Unit 3: 23 July Chapter 14: The Family Review and Practice Questions for Exam Three
(do not hand in)
Extra Credit (Due July 27 at midnight)
Unit 3: Final Exam (TBA July 30-August 2)
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
Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?Command=showCategory&PolicyCategoryID=1&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12
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
- 2018 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones and smart watches, will be allowed during exams.
