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Academic Goals
Departmental Learning Goals for Psychology 306: Developmental Psychology
By the end of this course, students will be able to:- Recognize, differentiate between, and apply the major theories in developmental psychology. Identify repeating controversy in the field AND understand how different theories inform overarching questions like: Is development continuous or discontinuous? How do nature and nurture interact? Is the child an active or passive participant in his or her own development?
- Think about and view behavior through a psychological lens, i.e., using empirical information to understand the developmental antecedents, correlates, logic, and consequences of behavior.
- Read a research article and distill the important information about the methodology employed, the main findings, how the findings fit into the larger literature, and why they are important. Use your own writing to summarize research articles and demonstrate an understanding of the scientific method. Be able to explain the differences between scientific and/or popular sources.
- Understand the role of hypothesis testing in theory building and testing and the role of statistical methods in psychological research. Discuss current research and issues in the field of developmental psychology. Use data to predict something about behavior: infer and extrapolate.
- Appreciate the science behind developmental studies: learn not only "what" we know but also "how" we know it. Be epistemologically aware – understand how psychologists come to know things. Develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Draw on and evaluate research evidence, including evaluating quantitative and graphical evidence to assess the strength of support for scientific claims.
- Track developmental achievements from conception through adolescence. Understand aspects of human behavior that are shared across or may differ according to cultural, ethnic, gender, geographic, or other boundaries. Understand the ways culture and experience affect how knowledge is constructed.
- Explain how psychologists study behavior at several levels of analysis with particular focus on physical growth, perception, cognition, language, social, and emotional development.
- Develop written and oral communication skills in writing assignments and discussions during sections. Use scientific writing to represent the scientific method. Formulate a written argument that is logical and coherent, that relies on scientific evidence, and that draws on appropriate conclusions from that evidence. Actively participate in discussions on topics in the field.
- Reflect on information from the discipline and apply it to your lives. Learn to apply course material to the real world by formulating your own approach to parenting, developmentally appropriate teaching and coaching practices, and/or public policies that impact children and families.
