Course code Psih2029

Credit points 3

Developmental Psychology

Total Hours in Course81

Number of hours for lectures16

Number of hours for seminars and practical classes16

Independent study hours49

Date of course confirmation21.05.2013

Responsible UnitInstitute of Mechanics and Design

Course developer

author

Regīna Baltušīte

Dr. paed.

Prior knowledge

Psih2019, General Psychology

Course abstract

The course provides knowledge about the processes of personality development and the methods of its investigation The course involves the fields of personality development, ontogenic interaction of biological and social processes, and from the point of view of different psychological schools The students learn about human life cycles with emphasis on physical, cognitive and social peculiarities of development within each period of life.

Learning outcomes and their assessment

Knowledge about the interpretation of human development in the context of various schools of psychology, as well as the knowledge about the factors affecting human development in certain age periods – a quiz, practical works, independent works.
Skills to analyse the factors affecting the development of a human being in various age periods and to use it in a holistic characterisation of a certain age period – practical works.
Competence – the ability to use the skills and knowledge about the development of a human being and the respective affecting factors in a bachelor thesis and to recognize the role of the lifelong education in the pedagogical professional activity – practical works, independent works.

Course Content(Calendar)

1. History and Methods of Developmental Psychology.
2. Biological Foundations of Development.
3. The Context of Development.
4. Theories of Human Development.
5. Infancy. Prenatal Development. Postnatal Development.
6. Perceptual Development in Infancy.
7. Physical, Emotional and Cognitive Development in Early Childhood.
8. Early Childhood. Symbolic Representation in Play and Drawing.
9. Social, Personality and Cognitive Development in Middle Childhood.
10. Middle Childhood: the Impact of School.
11. Late Childhood: Social, Personality and Cognitive Development.
12. Social, Personality and Cognitive Development in Adolescence.
13. Theories of Adult Development.
14. Adult’s Development stages: Early Adulthood, Middle Adulthood, Late Adulthood.
15. Developmental Psychopathology.
16. Life crisis: Threats or Opportunity.

Requirements for awarding credit points

90% lesson attendance, successful evaluation of the quiz, 4 independent works and practical works.

Description of the organization and tasks of students’ independent work

Independent work No.1 – explanation of the developmental psychology terminology (50 terms); independent work No.2 – characterisation of one age period; independent work No.3 – lifetime quality development of one human being; independent work No.4 – one book review. The works must be submitted electronically.

Criteria for Evaluating Learning Outcomes

The assessment of the study course examination depends on the cumulative evaluation of the quiz, practical works and 4 independent works. The quiz is passed successfully if at least 50% of the questions have been correctly answered.
The independent works and practical works are assessed in accordance with the criteria laid down therein.
The examination mark is an arithmetic mean among the quiz, 4 independent works and the practical works.

Compulsory reading

1. Ēriksons Ē. Identitāte: jaunība un krīze. Rīga: Jumava, 1998. 2. Lally M., Valentine–French S. Lifespan Development: A Psychological Perspective. USA: San Francisco, 2017. Pieejams: https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/540 3. Shaffer D.R., Kipp K. Developmental Psychology: Childhood and Adolescence. 8th Edition. Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2010. 4. Svence G. Pieaugušo psiholoģija. Rīga: RaKa, 2003. 5. Болотова А.К., Молчанова О.Н. Психология развития и возрастная психология. Москва: Издательский дом Высшей школы экономики, 2012. 6. Психология человека от рождения до смерти Под редакцией А.А.Реана. Москва: АСТ, 2015.

Further reading

1. Čapmens G. 5 mīlestības valodas pusaudzim. Rīga: Zvaigzne ABC, 2017. 2. Frīls D., Frīla L. Pieaugušie bērni: disfunkcionālo ģimeņu noslēpumi. Rīga: Zvaigzne ABC, 2016. 3. Irbe A., Lindenberga S. Bērns runāt mācās ģimenē. Rīga: RaKa, 2014. 4. Pērvisa K., Kross D., u.c. Bērns jaunā ģimenē. Rīga: Zvaigzne ABC, 2018. 5. Svence G. Dzīvesspēka kategorija pozitīvās psiholoģijas skatījumā. Rīga: Zinātne, 2015. 6. Zuili R. Kā izprast mūsu bērnu emocijas vecumā no 0-10 gadiem. Rīga: Liegra, 2018.

Periodicals and other sources

1. International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction. ISSN: 2212-8689 2. Emotion, Space and Society. ISSN: 1755-4586 3. Trends in Neuroscience and Education. ISSN: 2211-9493