Assigned Text:
Berk, Laura E. (2001) Development through the Lifespan. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
The Professor:
Sr. Gail Cabral, IHM, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, is a developmental psychologist licensed in the state of Pennsylvania. Her doctoral dissertation, Children's Judgments of Friendship Violations: A Developmental and Sociometric Analysis, analyzed conceptions of friendship in a Piagetian theory framework, and used diverse research methods including content analysis of interview data, questionnaire construction, and both parametric and nonparametric statistics. Sr. Gail participated in the Military Family Research Institute project on youth in military families, which enabled her to continue to study friendships among youth, especially the effects of relocation on peer relationships.
Sr. Gail's has also completed research on the distribution of Jungian psychological types as ascertained by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and on the application of MBTI information in community and work settings. Her most recent research interest is the effect of computer training on the elderly.
Sister Gail is eager to work with graduate students on empirical studies dealing with children's friendships, women's issues, including women's friendships, applications of psychological type (the MBTI), gender-balanced education, and life course decision-making.
Office Hours:
Sister Gail's office is Room 1026 in the McGowan Center. Regular office hours are Monday, 3:00 to 5:00 PM; Wednesday, 10:00 to 10:50 AM; Thursday, 10:00 to 11:50 AM. Appointments may be scheduled at other times by leaving a message with the Psychology Department secretary, 348-6270, or on Sr. Gail's AUDIX, 348-6211, ext. 2346. In any case be sure to leave a phone number by which you can be reached. From a Marywood phone, Sr. Gail's number is Ext. 2346. Sr. Gail's e-mail address is Cabral@ac.marywood.edu.
General Course Objectives:
The student who successfully completes this course should be able to:
1. compare and contrast the major theoretical orientations in developmental psychology and identify their major contributions to the field. (This includes philosophical presuppositions regarding the nature of the child and the nature of knowledge).2. summarize the major changes which occur during the course of development.
3.demonstrate ability to observe and interact with people of different ages.
4.integrate theoretical literature and current research findings with actual behavior of children.
5.describe and critique the major methods used in developmental psychology.
6.demonstrate reflection on cultural and socioeconomic differences in child rearing, and concepts of adulthood, parenting and aging. Effects of "nontraditional" family life, homelessness, etc. are included.
7.provide evidence of the ability to analyze intergenerational dynamics in the context of human development issues.
Process Course Objectives
The student who successfully completes this course should be able to:
1. increase his/her skills of observing and interacting with individuals of different ages, and different ethnic and cultural groups.2. demonstrate and/or intensify skills of time management, in particular, the skill of balancing scholarship and practical life tasks.
3. demonstrate an increasing awareness of scholarly sources, especially research journal articles.
4. reflect and discuss assigned readings, scholarly readings, and personal observations in class discussions.
A.Class Participation and Attendance: (l0% of grade)
Students are expected to read in preparation for class discussion and to demonstrate that preparation by their participation.Thus, attendance is necessary as well as active participation.Since there is only one class period each week, attendance and promptness are particularly important. More than one absence will lower the grade for class participation. Tardiness will be prorated as part of an absence.
An "A" grade will indicate frequent class participation with comments which demonstrate the class material was read, understood, integrated and critiqued.
A "B" or "B+" grade will indicate regular class attendance, evidence of good preparation for class and participation in discussion.
A "C" grade will indicate either the lack of regular attendance, the lack of class participation, or the lack of evidence of reading in preparation for class.
B.Learning Projects
Each student will be expected to complete two (2) learning projects.Deadlines for handing theseto the professor are on the attached schedule of classes.Clear, correct English is mandatory, i.e., paperswill not be read or graded unless written in proper English.
There are four(4) possible formats for the learning projects: behavioral observation, biographical or autobiographical chapter, annotated bibliography, or scholarly paper. Each is described below. Although suggestions are provided in some cases, these are not meant to be restrictive. However, students are encouraged to inform the teacher of the ways they plan to fulfill the learningprojects requirement. Some suggestions or caveats may be forthcoming.
One of the learning projects must be either (1) a behavioral observation, or (2) a biographical or autobiographical chapter. The other learning project must be either an annotated bibliography (see 3 below) or a scholarly paper (see 4 below). It does not matter which choice is used for the first assignment and which for the second.
The textbook is an up-to-date secondary source of current and classic literature in the field of developmental psychology and should be used as a reference in the search for research articles for any of the assignments described below.
Set A. Observing and Interaction Assignments (Choose one of the following.)
l. Behavioral Observation.
A behavioral observation provides examples which demonstrate the student's understanding of important "processes," "stages," or other characteristics of human development. These are not to be case histories or reports of psychological testing. They are to demonstrate thestudent's ability to observe carefully, report factually, and comment judiciously on the behavior of one or several subjects. In addition, the student will demonstrate that she/he can integrate what has been observed with course material.
Ordinarily the observation will be of a child, adolescent, or adult who is relatively typical. Ifsubjects of the observation are mentally or emotionally handicapped, the student will be asked to compare two individuals. Students may want to compare two individuals of differing ages in order to illuminate age differences.
Content of Observation:
(a) a short description of the person or persons to be observed, their relation to the observer, the setting of the observation, and tasks or activities or situation involved.(b) the actual facts observed, in concrete and detailed form.
(c) a theoretical or explanatory discussion. This latter section is the most important in terms of how the observation is to be evaluated. The observation should be tied to or integrated with readings, including outside scholarly and primary sources in addition to the textbook, which are central to the material of the course.
Observations should be brief, if possible; five or six pages are frequently adequate. Outside readings should be integrated with the observation. When outside sources are used, reference lists should be included, and citations should be noted in the body of the text. APA format should be used; footnotes are not necessary, but the sources which have been used should be cited both in the body of the paper and in a reference list at the end. References to outside sources should be brief and not wordy; the observation is not a term paper.
Evaluation of Observation:
"A" or "A-" rating. Excellent quality of writing, observation and integration of course material. In addition, creative uses of course content and good integration of scholarly reading.
"B" or "B+" rating. Good quality of writing.Observations which have managed to selectimportant developmental characteristics and to use them to synthesize several theoretical viewpoints or research results will receive one of these ratings.
"B-" or "C+" rating. All three elements of the observation as described above will be included.
"C" rating. Inadequate work.
2. Biographical/Autobiographical Chapter.
The student is expected to demonstrate his/her understanding of and reflections on adult development by writing a "chapter" in the life of an adult they know personally. This may be a young adult,an adult of middle years, or an older adult.
The organization may be chronological or topical. The focus might be on a few years of life, e.g.,early years of adjustment to marriage or parenthood, or might focus on a topical aspect of life over manyyears, e.g., changes in an individual's attitudes toward his occupation, or changes in relations betweenchildren and parents over many years.
Students are expected to write well and clearly, and to collect their information carefully. This assignment differs from that of a behavioral observation in that it is understood that actual overt behavioral data may not always be available for this assignment.
This assignment is not a case history, but rather a "story," a meaningful coherent picture of a part of,or an aspect of, a real person's life. If time allows, and students are willing, parts of these assignments maybe shared with the class.
Set B. Reading and Evaluating Scholarly Literature Assignments
3. Annotated Bibliography
The student will research scholarly material related to the field of developmental psychology, and will provide a written descriptive and critical reaction to between five (5) and ten (10) research articles relevant to the course. The entry for each source will be approximately one page in length, with an indication of the perceived usefulness of the material, to the researcher in that specialty, to the practitioner, and to the general public. A complete reference list will be provided.
Students are encouraged to research empirical studies, or scholarly literature reviews. An empirical study means one in which data has been collected, described and statistically analyzed. If the student is in doubt regarding the relevance of the articles s/he is selecting, consultation with the professor is suggested.
The articles selected may be related to a single topic, or to more than one topic.
Suggested journals include the following:
Child DevelopmentDevelopmental Psychology
Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Merrill Palmer Quarterly
Aging and Human Development
Journal of Genetic Psychology
Psychology & Aging
Research studies on the following topics are suggested:
Life cycle approaches to counselingGender socialization
Effects of divorce
Effects of homelessness, child abuse
Gender differences in cognition
Metacognition in children's thought
The role of fathers in child rearing
Cross-cultural studies of children
Development of children's friendships.
Effects of care-taking responsibilities for the elderly
4. Scholarly Papers.
These should be brief (l0-l2 pages in length) but in the traditional term paper format. Students are encouraged to specify for themselves the specific issue or question they wish the paper to address. Consultation with the professor may be helpful in clarifying or narrowing topics.
It is expected that the product will include both the fruit of the references one has read, and the distillation of this information into a product of one's own synthesis. This is to say that papers which consist entirely of summaries of the work of others will receive minimal grades.
Questions Which Might Be Used for Scholarly Papers
Are there really "stages" in child development?
Are there developmental stages in adulthood? What is the evidence for continuity/discontinuity in adult development?
Can there be an integration of behavioral and developmental approaches or are these underlying "world views" antithetical to each other?
What is the current state of our knowledge of how children learn their first language? What is the evidence for the major theories of language learning?
What is the evidence for sex differences in personality and mental health? How have cultural biases affected research and theorizing concerning women?
Why does human aging occur? What is the current state of knowledge regarding biological and/or psychological aging?
Is adolescence necessarily a stressful period? What is the effect of one's theoretical position on one's answer to this question?
What are the effects of homelessness on children emotionally, socially and academically?
Is there research which explains sex differences in mathematical, verbal and spatialabilities?
How is moral development viewed by writers of various theoretical positions? What is the current evaluation of Kohlberg's work? Gilligan's?
Is there evidence for prejudice towards the elderly?
What are the functions of friendship?Do women's friendships develop differently than friendship between males?
How do relationships between parents and children change over the life cycle?
What is the conundrum concerning the cognitive abilities of the elderly? How does the encapsulation theory address this?
Should a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease be shared with the patient? With the patient's family? What ethical principles are involved in this question?
C. Tests:
There will be three tests. The first two will each be worth l5% of the final grade. The final exam will be worth 20% of the final grade. Each test will include essay questions and objective test items.
Class attendance and participation will be worth 10% of the final grade.
Each Learning Projects will be worth 20% of the final grade (40%)
Tests. Each test will be worth 15 %, making up 30% of the grade.
The Final Exam will be worth 20% of the final grade.
A student with a disability may request an adjustment in meeting the requirements of this class. Please do so by contacting Mr. Christopher Moy, phone, LAC 220B,348-6211, X2549, or by e-mail address, moy@es.marywood.edu.
Proposed Schedule of Classes - Psychology 514, Spring 2002
August 28. Concept of development, general principles of development, history of philosophical influences and the field of psychology.
Sept. 4. Developmental theories; developmental research methods
Assignments: 1. Berk, (1998) (text), Chapter 1.
2. Lerner & Hultsch, Designs of developmental research. (On reserve).
Sept. 11. Prenatal development; the neonate
Students should be prepared to ask questions about any material that is not clear in the history, theory, and research unit.
Assignments: Berk, Chapters 2 and 3
Sept. 18 and 25. Infancy and Toddlerhood
Berk, Chapters 4, 5 & 6
Test on Chapters 1 through 4, and other assigned reading, Sept. 18
Grade for class participation will be given Sept. 25 (5%).
Oct. 2. Early Childhood
(Class demonstration: Infants and toddlers welcome.)
Read Chapters 7 & 8
Oct. 9. Middle Childhood
(Children welcome for demonstration)
Berk, Chapters 9 and 10
First paper due
Oct. 16. Adolescence: Building an identity
Test on Chapters 5 through l0
Berk, read Chapters 11 & 12
Oct. 23. Break Day
Oct. 30. Conclusion of adolescence. Young adulthood.
Berk, Chapters 13 and 14
Nov. 6. Early and middle adulthood
Chapters 15 and 16
Nov. 13. Late adulthood
Berk, Chapters 17, 18, 19
Second paper due
Nov. 20. Final Exam (Chapters 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19. Also general principles of development, theories, research designs and processes.)
* This schedule is tentative. Students may have input regarding the timing of vacation breaks.
**Note re deadlines
Absences from tests constitute serious difficulty for the student unless there is an emergency. Make-up tests are at the discretion of the instructor, i.e., whether a make-up test will be given at all, as well as timing and format of such a test, are subject to her decision. Total responsibility for meeting deadlines for projects and tests, getting papers to the faculty member, etc., are the student's. Students are encouraged to keep a copy of assignments they have handed in. Delays in assignments past the due date or the contracted date will result in the lowering of the grade by a mark for every day of tardiness.