Child Psychology

PSY 2301, SPRING 2014

Instructor:  Pa Her, Ph.D.	Email: pher@citytech.cuny.edu
Office:  N624	Office Hours: Weds: 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM, Thursdays 12 to 2PM, and by appointment

Course Description: This course will provide an overview of the basic principles in development from prenatal to adolescent. We will review trends in contemporary research on physical, intellectual, emotional, and social development from birth up-to 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, peers, and the larger cultural context.  Then, we will examine physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional development, with consideration of the cultural context, and focusing within each on examples of current research.

Course Objectives:

• Familiarity with major developmental periods and relevant issues
• Understanding of the transactional/gene x environment approach
• Discussion of current developmental issues and debates
• Exposure to important research areas in field
• Critical evaluation of research and conclusions drawn from research
• Exposure to service learning projects

Suggested Text:

Harwood, R.  Miller, S. A., R. (2008). Child Psychology: Development in a Changing Society. John Wiley & Sons Inc.

ISBN: 978-0471706496

Required:

Shenk, D. (2010). The Genius in All of Us. New York: Doubleday/Random House.

All of the tests will be textbook, lecture, and discussion based.

Technology Aided –Online Component:

This class will be online 3 times during the semester on Blackboard (BB) or via OpenLab. If you do not already have an account, you must sign-up for an account. All lectures are on PowerPoint and are accessible through BB. All written assignments will be sent via BB—typically due at the end of the week Sunday, 11:59PM.

Learning Objectives and Assessment:

Learning Objectives	Assessment: Instructional Activity,Evaluation Methods and Criteria
To examine the theoretical approaches that underlie child development	Classroom discussion theoretical approaches; assignments and exams to identify factual material; in-class and online participation activities on identification and application of theories, individual project/presentation
To describe and understand the importance of child development from social and cultural perspectives.	Class discussion examining current research articles and projects examining social and cultural perspectives; in-class or on-line group discussion and participation activities on the implications of these perspective; assignment Preschool in Three Culture
Familiarity with major developmental periods and relevant issues	Classroom discussions comparing the different developmental periods; assignments, in-class and online participation activities.
Understanding of the transactional/gene x environment approach	Classroom discussions examining gene x environment approach; exam, in-class and online participation activities.
Discussion of current developmental issues and debates	Classroom discussions examining peer-reviewed articles; in-class and online participation activities.
Exposure to important research areas in field	Classroom discussions examining past and current peer-reviewed articles; in-class and online participation activities.
Critical evaluation of research and conclusions drawn from research	Classroom discussions examining peer-reviewed articles; in-class and online participation activities.

General Education Goals and Objectives:

Learning Objectives	Assessment: Instructional Activity,Evaluation Methods and Criteria
Knowledge: To develop an understanding of the key concepts and methods of analysis used in developmental research; to develop analytical and critical thinking capabilities through comparing and contrasting the application of various theories and concepts to the understanding child development	Discussion of theories and concepts with a focus on developing the ability to distinguish their major differences; Students should be able to articulate these through class and on-line discussions, in written assignments, participation activities, and the individual project
Skills: Develop and apply the requisite tools and skills necessary to identify and understand the types of theories and methods best suited for investigating different types of child development.	Students should be able to demonstrate an understanding of the basic types of research methods and to assess which would be most suited for a particular research problem or investigation. They should be able to clearly express in writing and in class discussions, their research design and theory and why it the most effective method to address their individual project’s goals.
Integration: Development of student’s ability to create research questions that is based upon and builds upon a critical appraisal of existing research across disciplines.	Students should be able to formulate the kinds of questions that would be used in different types of research projects in related disciplines; assessment of this ability would be measured through the individual project, on exams and in class discussions and participation activities focused on this learning outcome.

Assignments and Grading Policy:

Evaluation and Percentage of Grade from Course Requirements

(1) EXAMS=60%

You will be required to take 4 exams. I will drop the lowest exam. Your top 3 exams will be worth a total of 60% of the course grade. Exam dates are indicated on the course schedule.  Each exam will cover about one-third of the course material and will consist of 40 multiple-choice questions, t/f, and/or essay. Course materials consist of text, class lectures, and any other information (e.g., videos) presented and discussed in class and online.

All exams will consist of multiple-choice, T/F questions, and 1 essay.

*If you cannot take the final exam during the scheduled day, please let me know at least 1 week in advance so that you can take the exam early.  If you miss the exam—there are absolutely no make-up. Missing an exam will result in a zero (0) and it will count as your lowest exam dropped.

(2) PARTICIPATION/ASSIGNMENTS=20%

Your participation in this class will be determined by your in/out-of class assignments and discussions. These are short assignments and/or discussions worth up to 60 points. Because these are participation points, there are NO make-ups if you miss class.

(3) INDIVIDUAL SERVICE LEARNING PROJECT=20%

You will conduct one individual service-learning project worth 100 points. The project is meant to be a fun and interesting way to increase your comprehension of course material and to help you apply child development principles to everyday life within your community. It is also meant to work in a creative and innovative manner in integrating multiple psychological concepts.  Below are 5 potential projects to choose from, although you are not limited to these 5 potential projects and may choose your own idea. If you choose your own idea, you must receive approval from me first. Choose projects which you will enjoy (i.e., which fit your own interests, skills, and creativity level) and which will stimulate your thinking about topics in this course. A brief description of potential projects is listed below. Be aware that some projects may require you to read ahead in the text or get outside sources. You must send me a proposal (briefly describing the project you will do and any relevant details), due week 7 –midnight,  via Blackboard. Please note that these projects can require several days to a week to complete, so plan accordingly (i.e., do not procrastinate!). All projects must have a community-service impact. We will discuss this more in detail throughout the semester. You will write a summary of the project and/or findings and present the project/findings to the class.

Proposal (5 points)—Week 7, BB

• Send a 1 paragraph proposal describing your selection and choice of theory(ies) to be used and potential community service of interest.

Draft 3 page paper (15 points)—Week 14 BB

• Send a draft 3-page paper, including one peer-reviewed research article that supports your project. This is on a pass/fail—that is turn in the FULL three pages, and you automatically receive the 15 points (as long as it is not plagiarized).

FINAL PRODUCT DUE ON LAST DAY OF CLASS (4 to 5 pages final paper)

Content (50 points)

• Identified the community service component
• Identified the appropriate child development principles
• Link with and extend beyond class/text material are appropriate with “product”
• Insights, comments, and interpretations

Clarity & Organization (10 points)

• Overall organization and structure of your project
• Clarity of explanations (use of examples, clear descriptions)
• Clear flow of information
• Spelling/Punctuation

Presentation (20 points) —Please note, I will not accept your work unless you are present during the final presentation day

• Post your project on OpenLab

• Present your work

Examples of Potential Individual Projects

Project #1: Create a blog …note: if you choose this, you must start blogging early on the semester. IT MUST BE LIVE on the Internet. This option will not be possible to choose if selected after week 8.

For this project, you will create a blog (that means it’s your voice and your ideas on the blog and what you think) devoted to a specific topic (s) or theory (ies) in child development over the semester time period that will inform your local community about the topic(s). The overall goal of the tutorial is to inform and educate your targeted visitor on the blog about your chosen topic and inform them of your thoughts. You should assume that your visitor is intelligent but not necessarily familiar with the field of psychology (i.e., aim at the level of an introductory psychology student). Your site should be both useful and visually interesting, and should contain (a) pictures or graphics, (b) hot links to related information or relevant sites, and (c) references.

Note that students are responsible for getting their projects up and running on the web. The day the assignment is due, you will simply turn in the correct URL, and I will grade it directly on the web. Summarize a 4-5 page paper on your topic, why it was chosen, who is the audience, and how will this help the audience develop or learn better.

Project #2: Write a children’s story

Write a short story for children that will be focused in the needs of children in your community (at least 10 pages or more) (e.g., include acts of altruism, aggression and discrimination, etc.)  Make sure to look at a few children’s stories in order to get an idea of how to proceed.  You can aim your story at any age level below 10 (but be sure to specify your story’s target audience).  Write a 4-5 page paper explaining (1) whether any of the acts committed in the story might be emulated by the readers of your community, (2) which events would have the created impact on the readers, given past research/theory, and (3) describe how your story concepts and ideas illustrate the theories and what we have learned in class.  Make appropriate references to the textbook and articles you have read. Please note that your story should be neatly presented (i.e., like an actual book) and should contain illustrations.  Bring your book on presentation day.

Project #3: Design a Toy

Design a toy or game that fasters the healthy development of children within your community (e.g., social, cognitive, physical development). Write a 4-5 page paper (1) discussing the theory (ies) you used to help create the toy, (2) describing the toy, and articulating the positive and negative (if any) aspects of your toy, including the developmental stage for which the toy was designed for (e.g. infancy, early childhood, etc), and (3) discuss how the toy promotes social, cognitive, and or/physical development. Bring the toy to class on presentation day.

Project #4: Design a public service campaign

For this project, imagine that you are a professional specializing in persuasive communications and letter you have been hired to bring about a positive change in children’s behavior within the community (e.g., you might want to get them to exercise more, to adopt one or more healthy behaviors, to volunteer, to be more compassionate, or to decrease bullying in school or cyber-bullying, etc.) Your final product will consist of a 4-5 page typed paper that includes a list of your specific goals, an outline of the steps you would take to achieve them, and a thorough discussion of the theoretical principles (e.g., modeling, reinforcement, dissonance) that underlie your persuasive techniques/strategies. You are to provide tangible evidence of your campaign (e.g., a video-clip, pamphlet, etc.) on presentation day.

Project #5:  Conduct an experiment (e.g., cartoons and aggression or anything else that might be of interest) Conduct the following experiment on observational learning. For example, videotape a television cartoon (or rent one) that contains a lot of violence and one that contains virtually no violence.  Then recruit 6 participants (either Parents of children; or children) to watch the violent cartoon, and 6 participants to watch the mild cartoon.  Choose any group but make sure to get all 12 individuals from the same group.  You should also try to have the same number of males and females in each group.  After participants watch the cartoon, give them a sheet of paper and ask them to write a one paragraph story about a boy named Tim.  Read these stories (taking care not to see which condition each participant is in), and code them on a 4-point scale from “not much aggression in story” to “a lot of aggression in story.”  Next, see if your mean rating of the stories in the two groups is different (using a t-test)—I can help you with this.  (If you would prefer to use another measure of aggression, that’s OK, but check with me first). Did you find more aggression in one of the groups?  Use your findings to educate your community by explaining both why you choose this community, and describing the results of your experiment in a 4-5 page paper, including a section on whether or not your findings are consistent with past research. You must collect your data and include them with your project. On the final day you present the results on a poster board or via a power point presentation with your data.

GRADING RUBRIC FOR PROJECTS:

Below is a grading rubric for A-C grades on both your group and individual projects, a more detailed rubric will be handed out later

A C project is one that answers the questions adequately, without being particularly innovative.  A project receiving this grade may not properly draw on child development concepts, nor integrate them in a logical fashion.  Projects that are not well-thought out, do not reflect a great deal of effort, are not well written, and/or include noticeable carelessness, will receive this grade.  Projects that seem to “take the easy way out” are more likely to receive this grade.

A B project addresses the question in an interesting, logical manner.  Concepts and relevant research are applied accurately and cleverly integrated.  Such projects are also well written, do not reflect much carelessness, and reflect a fair amount of thought and effort.  Novel approaches are not necessarily taken, but the project satisfactorily addresses the question in a thoughtful way.

An A project is one that approaches the question in a creative, innovative manner.  Several child development concepts are clearly and logically integrated, and links (in some case, novel links) are made to current research on the topic.  Such papers reflect extremely careful attention to detail, are very well written, and often offer interesting new approaches to a community problem at hand.  Projects earning this grade usually reflect an impressive amount of though and rigor.

GRADING SCALE: The grading scale will be based on the total percentage of points earned throughout the course.

93-100    = A

90-92.9   = A-

87-89.9   = B+

83-86.9   = B

80-82.9   = B-

77-79.0   = C+

70-76.9   = C

60-69.9   = D

59.9 and below   = F

Access to Blackboard:

You need to logon to the CUNY Portal in Blackboard. Go to www.cuny.edu and click Portal Log-in, which is on the lower left hand column on CUNY homepage.  (If you do not have an account, click on Register Now to create a new student account.  Click on Student and fill out the requested information.) Type in your user name and password.  Once you have logged in, you will find a link on the right side of the page named Blackboard.  When you click on it, you will be redirected to your Blackboard homepage.  Then click on your course.  You may also access BlackBoard via the City Tech website (www.citytech.cuny.edu) by clicking on the Blackboard link under “Quick Links.”

Please make sure to download the outlines for each lecture (found under POWER POINTS) and bring them to class.

Help with BlackBoard: If you need assistance with BlackBoard, you can go for help in the student lab, G-600, at any time during its hours of operation.  Additionally, free workshops in Blackboard are offered in G-604.  You do not need to register for these workshops; just drop in.

Additional information about the CUNY portal and BlackBoard may be found at Websupport 1:

1.  Go to http://websupport1.citytech.cuny.edu

2.  On the left-hand side, scroll down to “Instructional Technology” and click.

3.  On the right-hand side, scroll down to “Beginner’s Guide to Blackboard Course Info” and click.

4.  Select “Beginner’s Guide to Blackboard Course Info.”

Attendance and Lateness

Regular attendance is required to master the course material and you are expected to attend each class meeting.  You may be absent without penalty for 10% of the number of scheduled class meetings during the semester as follows:

Class Meets	Allowable Absence
1 time per week	2 classes
2 times per week	3 classes
3 times per week	4 classes

More than two absences may result in a WU grade, and will result in 5% off your participation grade. If extenuating circumstances arise (e.g., medical and/or family emergencies), you are responsible for informing me as soon as possible.  Documentation pertaining to the emergency may be required as well.  Attendance will be taken for every class.

Lateness:

Please note that three lateness will count as one absence.

CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity Policy

Plagiarism is the presentation of another’s work as one’s own. In this course the presentation of someone else’s work without attribution at any time—online posts—will be prosecuted under the terms outlined in the The City University of New York and at New York City College of Technology and is punishable by penalties, including failing grades, suspension, and expulsion.  Please refer to the Student Handbook for more information on academic dishonesty.

If you are found guilty of plagiarism, the penalties include an F on the assignment, an F in the course, and having the infraction noted on your official transcript. Two forms of plagiarism are of special concern in Psychology. The first is copying someone else’s words without using quotation marks and proper parenthetical referencing (“verbatim plagiarism”). The second is taking several others’ writings and translating them into your own words without acknowledging the sources (“mosaic plagiarism”). That said, of course, the skill itself – paraphrasing – is an important tool to learn how to use. But the original author must always be cited according to the standards outlined in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.

 There will be zero tolerance for plagiarism or other forms of cheating. You will receive a zero should this occur.

 There will be zero tolerance for cell phone use or texting. You will receive a warning the first time. Incidents thereafter will be deducted 5 points per incident from your overall participation points.