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.
Antirequisite: 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.
0.5 course
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Matthew Brown
Office and Phone Number: 519-494-9827
Office Hours: by email, phone, zoom
Email: mbrow253@uwo.ca
Time and Location of Classes: ONLINE
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
Bukatko, D., & Daehler, M. W. (2012). Child Development: A Thematic Approach (6th Edition). Wadsworth: Cengage Learning.
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
The goal of this course is to introduce the theoretical, methodological, and empirical foundations of Developmental Psychology. We will discuss historically and currently popular theories regarding early development of a wide range of domains, from perceptual and motor skills, to emotions and peer relationships. We will also discuss the methods through which researchers have studied human development, and the results and conclusions of such studies.
4.1 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this course, the successful student should be able to:
- Identify and define key concepts related to psychological development
- Identify the unique timelines for the development of various psychological domains
- Distinguish between unique theoretical frameworks
- Apply knowledge of developmental theories and methods to experimental paradigms
- Learning outcomes will be assessed through a variety of methods such as
- quizzes, exams, critical writing assignments and online class discussions
5.0 EVALUATION
Activities you must complete to be successful in this course:
Exams: Students will be evaluated via a (1) midterm examination and one (1) final examination. The midterm will include exclusively multiple choice. The final exam will include multiple choice and short answer questions. No exam will be cumulative.
The midterm exam will be based on sections 1-5 and associated assigned readings.
The final exam will be based on lectures 6-10 and associated assigned readings.
Psychology in the News: Students be required to complete (1) “Psychology in the News” assignment. For this assignment you will be required to find a news article from a recognized source (e.g., The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Toronto Star; if you have questions about the suitability of your article email me for review) that includes an article about a topic covered within the course. You will be asked to write a two-page double space paper that (1) outlines the subject of the article, (2) outlines the section of the textbook related to the article, (3) discuss the accuracy of the article based on the information from the textbook, and (4) your personal reaction to the article content and a conclusion.
Class Discussion: Five class discussions (3% each or a total of 15% of your final grade). You will be required to post your 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 midnight deadline.
Online Quizzes: Online quizzes based on the weekly readings will be posted on the OWL website. For the quiz you will be allowed one attempt which must be completed by Friday at 11:59pm. Quizzes will be short, but please allow adequate time to complete by the deadline.
Midterm Exam = 30%
Final Exam = 40%
Psychology in the News = 5%
Discussion Forum = 15%
Participation in Online Quizzes = 10%
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
Midterm Week of June 15 Date and Time TBD
Final Exam TBD (August 4-7); Scheduled by Registrar’s Office
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
|
Course Week |
Required Readings |
Assessments |
|
May, 4, 2020; Introduction: Early Theories, Major Themes, & Basic Methods |
Chapters 1 and 2 |
Weekly Quiz |
|
May 11, 2020; Biological Foundations: Genetics & Brain Development |
Chapter 3 Chapter 5 (p. 154-161) |
Weekly Discussion One due Friday May 15th by midnight; Weekly Quiz |
|
May 18, 2020; Prenatal Development & Birth |
Chapter 4 |
Weekly Quiz |
|
May 25, 2020; Perceptual & Motor Development |
Chapter 5 (p. 165-173) & Chapter 6 |
Weekly Discussion Two Due May 29th by midnight; Weekly Quiz |
|
June 1, 2020 |
Reading Week |
Reading Week |
|
June 8, 2020 |
No reading during exam week |
Midterm Exam (date and time to be determined) |
|
June 15, 2020; Cognitive Development I: Theoretical Frameworks |
Chapter 8 |
Weekly Quiz |
|
June 22, 2020; Cognitive Development II: Cognitive Skills, Academics, & Intelligence |
Chapter 10 |
Weekly Quiz |
|
June 29, 2020; Language Development |
Chapter 7 |
Discussion Three Due by July 3rd at midnight; Weekly Quiz |
|
July 6, 2020; Social Information Processing |
Chapter 9 |
Weekly Quiz |
|
July 13, 2020; Emotional Development |
Chapter 11 |
Discussion Four Due by July 17th at midnight; Weekly Quiz |
|
July 20, 2020; Self & Social Development |
Chapter 12 |
Weekly Quiz |
|
July 27, 2020; Family and Peer Relationships |
Chapter 14 (p. 510-532) & Chapter 15 (p. 550-567) |
Discussion Five due by July 24th at midnight; Psychology in the News due by July 31st at 11:59pm; Weekly Quiz |
|
Final Exam (Date set by Registrar between August 4-7) |
|
|
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
- 2019-2020 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.
