PSYK3400 Developmental Psychology Course description

The course provides an introduction to how general learning principles are relevant in connection with developmental psychology concepts, such as social, emotional and cognitive development.

The course places particular emphasis on modern theories in developmental psychology, where development is seen as an interaction between biological preconditions, learning history and different environmental conditions.

Admission to the programme.

After completing the course, the student is expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and competence:

Knowledge 

The student can

• explain developmental psychology and modern development theories
• explain behaviour analytic approaches to developmental psychology and modern development theories
• describe development in the prenatal/birth/postnatal periods

Skills 

The student can

• give an account of and reflect on key developmental theories related to cognitive development, communication, personality, social and emotional development
• give an account of and reflect on the development of antisocial behaviour and behavioural disorders
• conduct and reflect on discrete trials training
• describe, conduct and reflect on precision teaching

General competence 

The student can

• describe and reflect on their own presentation technique
• describe and reflect on central theories in developmental psychology
• describe the controversies related to the contributions of nature and nurture

Work and teaching methods used in the course are lectures, seminar with presentations and coursework related to teaching parts of the syllabus to fellow students. The seminar presentations will be assessed according to given criteria.

In order to sign up for the final examination the following has to be approved:

• Minimum 80 % participation at the seminars
• Present 1-2 seminar assignments
• Identify an area with room for improvement in presentation techniques and evaluate this in the students’ own presentations
• Evaluate 1-2 presentations by fellow students (both academic content and presentation technique)
• Teach fellow students topics from the syllabus using flash cards (discrete trials training) and establish flow (precision teaching)

Portfolio examination comprising four tests and a supervised written examination lasting four hours. All four tests must be approved before the student can take the digital, supervised written examination. All the components must be awarded a pass grade before the examination as a whole can be passed.

If the student fails one test, the student can retake this test. Resit/rescheduled attempts at the four tests can be taken once before the ordinary, digital, supervised written exam. Before the resit/rescheduled digital, supervised written examination, students will be given a third and final attempt at one or more of the tests.

None

Grade scale A-F. A grade will be awarded on the basis of the tests taken during the course (60%) and the result of the final written exam (40%). The student has a right to appeal the overall examination grade for the whole portfolio.

One internal and one external examiner.