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 and social and emotional development
• give an account of and reflect on the development of antisocial behaviour and behavioural disorders

General competence

The student can

• describe and reflect on their own presentation technique
• describe and reflect on central theories in developmental psychology
• discuss 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:

• Attendance and presence throughout the subject's introduction day
• Formulation of a problem and preparing a tentative visual presentation (eg powerpoint) for presentation in a group
• Presence throughout the day of approx. 6 seminars, including participation in 1 group presentation

Written exam under supervision (school exam), 3 hours

None

Grade scale A-F.

All answers are assessed by one examiner.

An external examiner is used regularly, at a minimum of every third completion of the course. When selecting answers for external evaluation, a minimum of 10 percent of the answers shall be included, with no fewer than 5 answers. The external examiner’s assessment of the selected answers shall benefit all students.