Syllabus & Course Information

 

Last updated 3/11/02

CHECK THE WEBSITE FOR UPDATES

 

Most recent changes (to the syllabus) are printed in red.

 

Course Title: Psychology 0310: Developmental Psychology

 

Professor: Dr. Jennifer Ganger

����������� Office: 456 Langley Hall

����������� Office Ph: 412-624-3064

����������� Email: jganger@pitt.edu

����������� Of Hrs: Tuesdays 2:45-4:15, Wednesdays 9:30-10:45, and by appointment

 

TA: Kathryn Russell

����������� Office:651 LRDC

����������� Office Ph: 412-624-7074

����������� Email: kcr9@pitt.edu

����������� Of Hrs:�� TBA

 

Course Text: Child Development (5th Edition) by Laura Berk (Allyn & Bacon, publisher).The accompanying Study Guide is also suggested.It will be a good guide to studying for exams and many of our homework questions are drawn from it.

 

Course Website:The website will be used for posting HW assignments, HW grades, exam grades, slides from Professor Ganger's lectures, practice exams, HW solutions, exam solutions, and final grades.

Our course website is at www.coursecompass.com.You will need to register there the first time you visit, and login on each subsequent visit.To do this you will need an access code.When you buy the book and Study Guide together in the bookstore, they will come packaged with an access code. If you do not have an access code, please see Professor Ganger as soon as possible to arrange to buy one separately (they cost $10-$12).You will also need the course ID#: ganger83675.

 

Grading:

Your lowest exam score (of 5) will be dropped.

The remaining four exams (100 pts each) count for 80% of your grade.

Ten homework assignments (10 pts each) count for the other 20%.

Extra credit: up to 10 points (see below for details).

 

Exams:

There are no make-up exams and no early exams.Exams will cover all textbook readings and lectures.Exams will be multiple choice.

 

Homeworks:

Homework assignments have 3 to 10 questions.Only one of these questions will be graded.Your entire homework score (10 points) will depend on that one question.You will not know in advance which question will be graded.

Homework assignments are given approximately every week, due on Friday, as indicated on the syllabus.�� Homework questions will be posted on the website under Assignments.Some will come from your Study Guide..You may submit the answers in writing to our TA or via email to our TA.If you submit them in writing, you will receive your HW back with your grade.If you submit it via email, you will not receive a printed copy.You can check your score on Course Compass either way.

 

Extra Credit/Circus Day (added to the syllabus 2/14/02)

There is one extra credit opportunity, in conjunction with Circus Day on the last of class.The most a student can earn for this extra credit is 10 points.For Circus Day, I ask students to bring in children they know well (their own children, relatives, friends, etc.).Those students, as well as other students in the class who do not have access to children themselves, may use these children in an extra credit demonstration of something we have learned in class this semester.If you bring in a child, you must allow other students to use that child in a demonstration.If the child is uncomfortable interacting with strangers, the other student can instruct the student who brought the child in to follow an explicit set of instructions to carry out the demonstration.If you are not willing to let others use your child in a demonstration, do not bring him or her in.About one week before Circus Day, I will ask for an estimate of how many children are going to be brought in and what their ages are so that others may plan demonstrations.

In order to do the extra credit, you must tell Dr. Ganger 2 days in advance (i.e., by Wed., Apr 17) which child you plan to use and what your planned demonstration is.It is wise to have a back-up demonstration with a different child in case your child becomes sick or is unable to come in for any reason.If there are more proposed demonstrations than time allows, priority will be given to students who have grades at the borderline between two letters.��

Demonstrations should be short (1-3 minutes).The demonstrations should consist of (1) an introduction directed to the class, explaining what you intend to do and why; (2) the actual demonstration, in which you coax the child into doing something or answering some question; and (3) an explanation of what happened in the demonstration.If the demonstration does not work out the way you planned, you should address that failure in your explanation.The amount of points you receive will be determined by

It does not matter if the child does not do exactly what you expected, as long as your explanation of what happens is appropriate.

 


Section 1

INTRODUCTION TO DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY

and

THE FOUNDATIONS OF DEVELOPMENT

 

Date

Reading

Lecture topic

Assignments & Exams

Mon, Jan 7

 

Ch 1, pp. 3-10

Ch 2, pp.43-44

Administrative remarks;

Introduction to Developmental Psychology

 

Wed, Jan 9

Ch 3, pp. 71-82;

Genetic foundations of development;

 

Fri, Jan 11

 

Genetics, continued

HW 1 Due

 

Mon, Jan 14

 

Ch 3 pp. 118-123

 

Behavior genetics

 

Wed, Jan 16

Ch 3, pp. 88-95

Prenatal Development

 

Fri, Jan 18

 

Prenatal Development, continued

HW 2 Due

Mon, Jan 21

 

 

NO CLASS

MLK, Jr. Day

 

Wed, Jan 23

Ch 3, pp. 95-103

Teratogens

 

Fri, Jan 25

 

Ch 3, pp. 111-117;

Ch 4, pp. 128-130; 137

Teratogens continued; Prematurity

Reflexes and demo

HW 3 Due

Mon, Jan 28

 

Prematurity, continued

 

Wed, Jan 30

EXAM I

Exam on chapters 1-4 (see pages above) and lectures through Jan 28

 


Section 2

COGNITIVE AND LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

 

Date

Reading

Lecture topic

Assignments & Exams

Fri, Feb 1

Ch. 3 108; Ch. 4: p. 137;

Ch. 4: pp. 130-136;

Ch. 1: pp. 18-21; 24-25;

Ch 2: pp. 55-56

Newborn assessment

 

States of arousal: Crying

 

(NO HW)

 

Mon, Feb 4

 

Ch 4: 138-144

Crying, continued

Learning capacities

 

Wed, Feb 6

Ch 4, pp.144-150;

Ch 5, pp. 177-178;

Ch 1, pp. 30-31

Learning capacities, continued

Motor development

 

 

Fri, Feb 8

 

Ch 4, pp. 150-154;

Motor development, continued

Sensory development;

HW 4 due

Mon, Feb 11

Ch 4, pp. 154-167

Visual development;

 

Wed, Feb 13

Ch. 5, pp. 173-177; 184-185;

Ch 5, pp. 186-194;200-201; 206-208

Physical development,

Brain development

 

Fri, Feb 15

 

Brain development, continued

HW 5 Due

Mon, Feb 18

Ch 6 pp. 221-227

Piaget�s theory of cognitive development

 

Wed, Feb 20

Ch 6,pp. 221-227; 235-240

Piaget continued

(Practice exam available)

Fri, Feb 22

Ch 6, pp. 240-248

Piaget, continued

DEMO IN CLASS: TIM (23 months) & SAM (9 months)

HW 6 Due

Sun, Feb 24, 4pm

 

REVIEW SESSION

A224 Langley Hall

 

Mon, Feb 25

EXAM II

Exam on Chapters 4-6 (see pages above)

 

 

 


Section 3

PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

 

Date

Reading

Lecture topic

Assignments & Exams

 

Wed, Feb 27

Ch 6, pp. 248; 249-259; 201-206

Piaget, continued;

 

 

 

Fri, Mar 1

Ch. 6, pp.

Responses to Piaget

NO HW

 

March 4,6,8

 

 

SPRING BREAK

(NO CLASSES)

(NO HW)

 

Mon, Mar 11

 

More responses to Piaget;

 

 

 

Wed, Mar 13

Ch 7 (pp. 271-278);

Ch 7 (281-end)

Ch 7 (281-end)

More information processing approaches to cognitive development: Case, Siegler, and others

 

 

Fri, Mar 15

Ch 8 (pp. 313-342)

Intelligence: Measurement and Individual differences

HW 7 due

 

Mon, Mar 18

Ch 9 (pp. 357-370; 372-385)

Language Development

 

 

Wed, Mar 20

Ch 9 (pp. 357-370; 372-385)

Language Development

 

 

Fri, Mar 22

Ch 10 (to p. 412)

Emotional Development:

Emotions and Emotional regulation& Temperament

PRACTICE TEST POSTED

HW 8 Due

 

Mon, Mar 25

Ch 10 (pp. 412-420)

Emotional Development:

Temperament

 

 

Wed, Mar 27

EXAM III

Exam on chapters 6-10 (see pages above)

 

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Date

Reading

Lecture topic

Assignments & Exams

 

Fri, Mar 29

 

Ch 10 (pp. 421-432)

Emotional Development:

Attachment

NO HW

 

Mon, Apr 1

Ch 10 (pp. 421-432)

Emotional Development:

Attachment

 

 

Wed, Apr 3

Ch. 11 (pages TBA)

Self and Social Understanding

 

 

Fri, Apr 5

Ch. 11 (pages TBA)

Self and Social Understanding

HW 9 Due

 

Mon, Apr 8

Ch. 11 (pages TBA)

Self and Social Understanding

 

 

Wed, Apr 10

Ch 1 & 2

Review of Theories and Methodology in Developmental Psychology

 

 

Fri, Apr 12

Ch 1 & 2

Review of Theories and Methodology in Developmental Psychology

HW 10 Due

 

Mon, Apr 15

 

Leftovers

 

 

Wed, Apr 17

 

Leftovers

 

 

Fri, Apr 19 (last day of classes)

Circus Day

Demonstrations for extra credit

 

 

Apr 26 (Fri)

Time: 10-11:50

EXAM IV & FINAL EXAM