Child Psychology Fall 2014 Toggle navigation

This course will provide an overview of the basic principles in development from prenatal to middle
childhood. We will review trends in contemporary research on physical, cognitive, social, and emotional,
development from birth up to early adolescence and the impact of the interaction of these various aspects of development upon the individual as a whole. Major issues examined in this course include
the relation of nature to nurture, of genes to environment, of the developing individual to the changing
social context, and of mental health to school performance. We will begin with the history of developmental psychology, and research methodologies. We will discuss the contexts in which children live, with a particular focus on family, and the larger cultural context. Then, we will examine
physical, cognitive, and socioemotional development, with consideration of the cultural context, and focusing within each on examples of current research.