Survey of Developmental Psychology

This course will survey how humans grow in three developmental domains: cognitively, physically, and socio-emotionally, from conception to death.  Ages and stages of development and contributions to the field of developmental psychology by renown developmental theorists will be explored throughout the course.  Students will engage in and utilize simulation and gamification learning activities while interpreting outcomes from each AI based activity in an effort to apply and transfer their learning to real-life scenarios.  

 

Learning Objectives

• Appreciate the inter-disciplinary nature of developmental research, and identify several examples of the interaction of biological and environmental factors that influence individual differences in human development. 
• Identify and contrast cross-sectional and longitudinal research methods and their advantages and limitations. 
• Compare and contrast theoretical perspectives used to frame developmental findings. 
• Appreciate the importance of the parent-child relationship over time. 
• Explain the foundations of heredity and how the environment interacts with gene expression to influence human behavior. 
• Understand the basic process of brain development over the lifespan and how developmental neuroscience contributes to our understanding of human development. 
• Describe the hallmark features of physical, cognitive, and social/emotional development over the lifespan, and appreciate the inter-relationship among these domains. 
• Discuss environmental influences on human development including socioeconomic status, abuse, education, niche-picking, peers, and parenting. 
• Understand, reflect upon, articulate, and integrate ways in which lived experiences associated with culture, ethnicity, race, nationality, age, gender, and socioeconomic status influences expectations and development over time.  
• Recognize how individual differences including intelligence, temperament, and gender affect typical and non-typical development. 
• List multiple examples of adolescent risky behavior and the biological, cognitive, and social mechanisms that contribute to these behaviors. 
• Describe how the mind ages and how intelligence is expressed during adulthood. 
• Discuss the factors that predict resiliency and personal well-being. 
• Critically evaluate claims in the media and popular press regarding developmental processes.