PS 361 - Developmental Psychology

The primary aim of this course is to provide a current and comprehensive overview of child and adolescent development that reflects the best theories and research that developmental psychology has to offer. This course explores the processes that underlie developmental change: the student acquires a firm understanding of the causes and complexities of development, and how this knowledge could be applied to real life settings.

Current research and examples across a number of human development concerns are examined and students have opportunities to evaluate, synthesize and apply this information to case studies. The course prepares students to read psychological literature with a critical eye, considering the difficulties involved in studying human psychological processes in an objective way. It provides a deep understanding of the biological foundation of human development, and how biological changes influence the psychological development of human beings. The most important theories and research on cognitive development during childhood and adolescence are presented and critically analyzed, with a specific focus on how intelligence, language and communication skills develop. The course also covers other core developmental topics such as emotional development, temperament and attachment; sex differences and gender-role development; aggression altruism and moral development; and how the social context (family, peers, school and technology) influences human development.