Undergraduate Course: Developmental Psychology (PSYL10012)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Credits | 10 |
| Home subject area | Psychology |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | This course explores the nature of developmental change by addressing the twin issues of ¿what develops¿ as children grow into adults and ¿what drives¿ these developments. In particular, it considers inter-relationships between:
- different aspects of development (cognitive, linguistic, social) and between component skills within these areas
- biological and environmental influences on development
- cognitive and social/cultural approaches to explaining developmental change
- informal and formal learning environments (e.g. home and school)
- different periods of development
- typical and atypical development.
The course is in three sections, each addressing specific topics that are used to illustrate one or more of the above themes. The first section focuses on cognitive development and, in particular, on how developmental changes in the nature of mental representations are related to the development of reasoning abilities. The second section focuses on oral language development and, in particular, on evaluating the adequacy of social and cognitive explanations of how children learn word meanings and assessing the interplay between biological and environmental influences on language development, as well as the influence of language development on other aspects of development and on educational outcomes. The third section focuses first on the development of social and emotional understanding, and in particular on the role of conversational interactions as an interface between cognitive and social aspects of development. It then focuses on the development of literacy and on how educational practices can both inform and be informed by developmental psychology.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
Psychology 2 (PSYL08002)
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least 3 Psychology courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses. |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Delivery period: 2014/15 Semester 2, Available to all students (SV1)
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Learn enabled: Yes |
Quota: None |
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Web Timetable |
Web Timetable |
| Course Start Date |
12/01/2015 |
| Breakdown of Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 22,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
74 )
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| Additional Notes |
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| Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info) |
Written Exam
100 %,
Coursework
0 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
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| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | Developmental Psychology | 2:00 | |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
- to critically assess empirical evidence regarding some of the ways in which cognitive, linguistic and social aspects of development are inter-related
- to understand developmental relationships between different components of cognitive ability (e.g. representation and reasoning)
- to understand some of the ways in which biological factors underpin developmental change and how these interact with environmental influences (e.g. in relation to language development)
- to give examples of how comparisons between typical and atypical development contributes to our understanding of the nature of developmental change
- to describe and evaluate contrasting theoretical accounts of the nature of developmental change
- to be able to reflect critically on implications of developmental psychology for educational policy and practice |
Assessment Information
| Degree examination (100%) |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Alex Doumas
Tel: (0131 6)51 1328
Email: |
Course secretary | Mr Simon Cann
Tel: 0131 650 9870
Email: |
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