LIFE-SPAN DEVELOPMENT

(Spring I, 2011)

Course: PSYC 2300: Life-Span Development Professor: Dr. Linda M. Woolf

Office Hours:

10:00 - 11:00: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, or by appointment. 301 WH, Behavioral and Social Sciences Department. Phone 968-6970 or 968-7062

mailto:woolflm@webster.edu Woolf Web Page: http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/

Text:

• Sigelman, C. K., & Rider, E. A. (2012). Life-span human development, (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Course Description:

The life-span developmental perspective maintains that human development occurs at all points across the life-span and is influenced by what has gone before and what is yet to come. Thus, how one behaves and develops as an adolescent is influences by one's childhood and one's goals and perceptions about the future. It is from this perspective that the present course on human development will be taught. This course will include the following: First, the concept of development and the various theories of development will be explored. Second, the various types of development will be studied. Third, the effect of various life-events and life-transitions during the different periods of the life-course will be explored.

Course Objectives and Outcomes:

1. Objective: To develop an understanding of the life-span developmental perspective and the relevance of this perspective for studying change and continuity in psychological processes over time.
   Outcomes: Students will be able to articulate the life-span developmental perspective and related the novel features of this perspective relevant to development across the life-course.

2. Objective: To become familiar with the research methodology commonly used by developmental psychologists. To become familiar with the scientific method, and examine the benefits and limitations of this method of inquiry as it relates to developmental psychology.
   Outcomes: Students will be able to differentiate between the major observational, correlational, experimental, and quasi-experimental designs used by developmental psychologists and articulate the benefits and limitations of each. Students will be able to critique various studies and theories based on this information.

3. Objective: To become familiar with the major theories of human development. To examine how these theories were formed, tested, and perhaps, validated.
   Outcomes: Students will be able to articulate the three major metatheories used by to explain human development and will be able to identify a theory exemplifying each metatheory. Students will be able to articulate the major theories used to explain human development and be able to articulate and critically evaluate each theory.

4. Objectives: To develop an understanding of the various types of development that an individual experiences across the life-course (ie. physiological, cognitive, social, personality, etc.).
   Outcomes: Students will be able to articulate definitions for each type of development. Students will be able to critique both positively and negatively the theories and models used to explain each type of development.

5. Objective: To explore the effects of various social contexts on the development of the individual across the life-span (ie. society, family, work, etc.).
   Outcomes: Students will be able to discuss development as it relates to social context (e.g. career development, retirement, family structures, parenting, etc.).

6. Objectives: To examine some of the psychological disorders that occur throughout the life-span which are correlated with age.
   Outcomes: Students will be able to discuss the symptomatology, possible etiology, and proposed treatment for developmentally related psychological disorders such as autism, eating disorders, and Alzheimer's disease.

7. Objective: To explore development at the later end of the life-span.
   Outcomes: Students will be able to differentiate between the myths and realities of aging. Students will be able to define ageism and be able to articulate the impact that ageism and the myths related to aging have on the older adult and on society. Students will be able to differentiate between and discuss normal and non-normal aging related to the various types of development.

8. Objective: To become familiar with the rapidly growing body of literature on human development.
   Outcomes: Students will be able to read current literature related to a specific human development topic and write a paper discussing and evaluating this research.

9. Objective: To further develop writing skills in conjunction with the use of APA format.
   Outcomes: Students will be able write their paper in APA format.

Class Meetings:

The class will meet on Thursday from 5:30 - 9:30. Attendance is strongly recommended as material will be presented that is not in the book.

Course Requirements:

Three exams and a term paper.

All grades will be assigned on a scale of 0 - 10 with:

90 - 100	A-,A	Superior Work
80 - 89	B-,B,B+	Good Work
70 - 79	C-,C,C+	Satisfactory Work
60 - 69	D,D+	Passing, but less than Satisfactory
Less than 60	F	Failing

Percent of Grade:

Examinations	80%
Term Paper	20%

Examinations: Examination format will include multiple choice, short answer, fill in the blanks, and essay. They will cover material presented in lecture, readings, and discussion. Exams will constitute 80% of your final grade. POLICY STATEMENTS: All exams must be taken on the date scheduled except in case of an emergency. In case of the above, the instructor must be notified in advance that a test is going to be missed. No make-up exams will be provided if you fail to notify and discuss your situation with the instructor. No extra credit work will be made available to make-up for a poor test grade.

Term Paper: Students are required to research and write a term paper for 20% of their final grade. The specific requirements are given below:

• The purpose of the term paper is to provide you, the student, with an opportunity to explore an area of human development in depth. The paper is to be a 5 - 10 paper review of some topic pertinent to human development. NOTE: THIS IS A COURSE IN HUMAN DEVELOPMENT. THUS, YOUR TOPIC NEEDS TO RELATE TO HUMAN DEVELOPMENT.

• Paper topics must be approved by the instructor (See additional instructions below). Deadline for final acceptance of projects is February 26. NOTE: This deadline is not a suggestions. Papers accepted following the deadline will experience a drop of one letter grade for every two days late except in cases of emergency discussed in advance with the instructor. It is up to the instructor's discretion whether to accept or not accept a paper following the February 26 deadline.

• Paper topics must be approved by the instructor. NOTE: All paper proposals must be submitted via e-mail to the instructor. Paper topics that have not been approved will not be accepted. Paper topics proposals must be submitted via email (woolflm@webster.edu) for approval by January 23.
  Paper topic proposals must include the following:
  

  Topic

  Rationale for selection of topic

  List of potential references from journals

  Proposed organization

At least five references for your paper must come from refereed journals (not Psychology Today or Newsweek, for example). NOTE: Do not rely heavily on popular literature, for example, a book you happen to see at Borders Books. Often times these books are not empirically based. Also, do not take the bulk of your paper from one source or from secondary sources. I want an integration, analysis, and critique of all of your readings, in particular, the current research in the area you have chosen to study.

Click here for some rules of thumb regarding literature reviews/papers. I've also placed a document about writing literature reviews and a sample paper on eReserves.

All papers must be typed, double-spaced, 1 inch margins, and in APA style format.

If you are in doubt as to what this means, see me for details.

or

• Purchase or go to the library to view a copy of the APA 6th Edition Publication Manual

• Go to OWL Purdue Online Writing Lab

Note that one of the major purposes of the paper is to facilitate your learning of APA format. Thus, you will need to become familiar with this publication format. We will discuss the format in class but you will also need to consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.) (the library has copies). Note that all journal articles for APA journals such as the American Psychologist are written and referenced in APA format. Twenty percent of your grade will be related to your use of APA format.

The paper should be submitted electronically in Word format to woolflm@webster.edu. Hard copies of the paper will not be accepted.

Policy Statements:

Use of Electronic Devices in the Classroom: Please respect others in the class by turning off all cell phones and pagers before entering the room. Text messaging during class is not acceptable. Laptops may be used in class but are only to be utilized for class related activities (e.g., taking notes). If it becomes apparent you are using the computer for non-class activities (e.g., checking your email, playing games) then you may be asked to turn off your computer and refrain from bringing it into class in the future. Laptop use is restricted to the back or sides of the classroom so that other students are not distracted during lecture.

Plagiarism (attempting to pass off the work of another as one's own) is not acceptable. Plagiarism includes copying all or part of another's writings (even a single sentence), inappropriate paraphrasing, using another student's paper as your own, submitting a paper for more than one class. All papers will be submitted to the university's plagiarism database for review. Plagiarism, either intentional or unintentional, will result in a grade of 0 for that assignment but also may be turned over to the appropriate university source for disciplinary action and a grade of F for the course. In addition, cheating on exams will also result in the same fate.

Here are some Web sites that will help you avoid the problem of plagiarism particularly plagiarism resulting from paraphrasing too closely to the original source. -

• Establishing Authorship by Paul C. Smith, Alverno College

• How to Avoid Plagiarism Tutorial

• The University of Indiana's Online Plagiarism Tutorial - You can print out a certificate of completion!

Late withdraws from this class will not be approved by the instructor except in cases of emergency discussed with the instructor. No late withdraws will be approved on the basis of poor class performance.

This syllabus is subject to change at the instructor's discretion. All changes concerning course requirements will be provided in writing. Changes concerning exam dates may be made at the instructor's discretion and communicated verbally to the class.

It is understood that remaining in this course (not dropping or withdrawing from this course) constitutes an agreement to abide by the terms outlined in this syllabus and an acceptance of the requirements outlined in this document.

COURSE OUTLINE
Date		Topic	Reading
January	13	Introduction to class Introduction to life-span development Research methodology	Chapter 1
January	20	Theories of human development Heath and physical development Sensation, perception, and attention	Chapter 2 Chapter 5 Chapter 6
January	27	EXAM I (Chapters 1, 2, 5, 6) Cognition	Chapter 7
February	3	Intelligence and creativity Self and personality	Chapter 9 Chapter 11
February	10	Gender roles and sexuality Social cognition and moral development	Chapter 12 Chapter 13
February	17	EXAM II (Chapters 7, 9, 11, 12, 13) Attachment and social relationship	Chapter 14
February	24	The family Developmental psychopathology	Chapter 15 Chapter 16
March	3	Fitting the pieces together EXAM III (Chapters 14, 15, 16)	No Readings

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