Child Psychology

PSYC 325
Wolf Hall, Room 100

Spring 2015
Section 010: MWF 1:25-2:15

Professor
Tamara Medina, Ph.D.
Email: tmedina@psych.udel.edu
Phone: (302) 831-4246
Office: 212 Wolf Hall
Office Hours: Thursdays 12:00 – 2:00, or by appointment

Teaching Assistant
Myrto Grigoroglou
Email: mgrigor@udel.edu
Phone: (302) 831-8827
Office: 401 Wolf Hall
Office Hours: Wednesdays 11:30 – 1:00, or by appointment

Course Description
Survey of the interactions of physiological, psychological, and environmental factors determining
psychological development. Consideration of major theories of child development.

Prerequisites
PSYC100

Credits
3.0 hours

Course Purpose and Goals

The purpose of this course is to give you an overview of the perceptual, cognitive, social, and emotional
development of the human child while considering the ways in which these topics are investigated and
applied by researchers, educators, health care workers, and policy makers.

The goals of this course are for you to:

• Be aware of different theoretical approaches to the study of human development.
• Develop skills in posing research questions as they pertain to theories of development.
• Learn how to evaluate evidence and claims as they pertain to theories of development.
• Consider the implications of findings in child development research for public health and
education policy.
Course Materials
Required Course Materials

Keil, Frank. 2014. Developmental Psychology: The Growth of Mind and Behavior. New York, NY: W. W.
Norton and Company.

i>clicker2 or i>clicker

Where to buy

The required course materials are available through the University of Delaware bookstore
(http://udel.bncollege.com).

The textbook is available in hardback, looseleaf, or online formats. You are not required to buy all
versions! Pick whichever one you prefer.

The bookstore offers the newer i>clicker2. However, if you already own the original i>clicker, you may
use it for this course.

Sakai
The course syllabus, lecture slides, UD capture recordings, and so forth will be posted to Sakai
throughout the semester. Grades will be maintained in the Gradebook in Sakai, and will be visible to
you as the course proceeds.

UD Capture and LiveMark

https://udcapture.udel.edu/2015s/psyc325-010/

Grading
Percent of Total Grade
i>clicker Class Participation 10%
Reading Quizzes 30%
Exams 60% (3 exams, worth 20% each)

i>clicker Class Participation

You are expected to attend all class meetings and to arrive on time. Class will consist of a combination
of lecture and classroom questions and activities; being present in class will be critical to your
understanding of the course material.

In order to allow all of you in such a large class to become active participants in your learning, we will be
using i>clickers. This device allows you to submit an answer to a question that I have posed to the class
as a whole, allowing us to immediately assess the level of understanding in the class and provide a
jumping off point for further discussion. You are expected to bring your i>clicker to class every day and
to respond to all i>clicker questions.

In order to get credit for your i>clicker participation, you must register your i>clicker in this course on
Sakai.
To register your i>clicker:

1. Open Sakai.
2. Open this course (15S-PSYC325010: CHILD PSYCHOLOGY).
3. Click on i>clicker on the left sidebar.
4. Enter your i>clicker remote ID (from the back of your i>clicker) in the box provided, and then click
Register.

In order to get credit for i>clicker participation on a given day, you must have answered at least 75% of
the questions presented. You will not be graded on whether your answers are correct – you will simply
get credit just for participating. Your i>clicker participation grade will be calculated as the percentage of
the number of days for which you received i>clicker participation credit, out of 30 total class meetings.
Given that there are more than 30 class meetings, this means that a few instances of missing class or
forgetting your clicker will not negatively impact your i>clicker participation grade. You may not “make
up” missed clicker questions.

Please see me privately if you have a documented disability that impedes your ability to attend class and/or
engage in activities during class time.

Reading Quizzes
You are expected to do the assigned readings from the Keil textbook (see Syllabus for schedule of
readings). At the beginning of each week (Mondays at 12:01 am), an open-book online quiz will become
available to you on Sakai. You may submit the quiz at any time during the week; the final deadline for
each quiz is Sunday night at 11:59 pm. After this time, the quiz will close. Please check back after the
quiz has closed to view the correct answers.

You must complete these quizzes by the weekly deadlines; no make-up quizzes will be offered.

Combined, these quizzes will make up 30% of your grade.

Exams
There will be three in-class, closed-book exams. The exams will be multiple-choice and are not
cumulative. You are responsible for all material covered in class as well as in the textbook reading.
Exams will cover both.

The exam dates are provided on the syllabus.

Each exam is worth 20% of your grade; therefore, combined, these exams will make up 60% of your
grade.

Make-up exams
You should make every attempt to avoid scheduling other activities on the day of an exam. However,
make-up exams will be available on the following dates and times for those who are eligible.

Please see below for dates, eligibility, and procedures.

Make up Exam Dates

Exam 1 make-up date: Tuesday, March 17 at 10:00 am
Exam 2 make-up date: Thursday, April 16 at 10:00 am
Exam 3 make-up date: Wednesday, May 20 at 10:00 am
Eligibility
You are eligible to take a make-up exam only under the following two circumstances:
• You know ahead of time that you must miss an exam because of a previously scheduled conflict
that you are not able to change (e.g., a university-sponsored sports competition that are you
participating in, surgery, a religious event), or
• In the case of illness or emergency.

Procedures
Prior to the start of the regularly scheduled exam, you must let both me and your TA know that you
will be missing the exam. We will let you know where the makeup exam is scheduled. At the time of
the make-up exam, you must provide written documentation of the reason for your absence.

Grade Scale
B+ 87-89 C+ 77-79 D+ 67-69
A 93-100 B 83-86 C 73-76 D 63-66
A- 90-92 B- 80-82 C- 70-72 F < 63

Schedule, Readings, and Quizzes/Exams

Date Topic Associated Quiz
Reading
Mon, Feb 9 Genetic and epigenetic 34-43, 67-70
underpinnings
Wed, Feb 11 Prenatal development and the 43-55
newborn baby
Fri, Feb 13 Perceiving the visual world: 56-64 Quiz 1
Development of the eye and brain due Sunday
2/15, 11:59 pm
Mon, Feb 16 Perceiving the visual world: How 79-83
well can newborns see?
Wed, Feb 18 Perceiving the visual world: The 83
role of experience with the external
world
Fri, Feb 20 Perceiving the visual world: Color 84-95 Quiz 2
and depth due Sunday
2/22, 11:59 pm
Mon, Feb 23 Perceiving the visual world: Faces 95-100

Mon, Feb 23: Last day to

register or to add courses.
After this date tuition and a
$25 processing fee will be
charged for change of
registration; students
withdrawing from courses
will receive a grade of ‘W’ on
permanent record.

Mon, Feb 23: Deadline for

completion of deferred
examinations and incomplete
work (grade I) from Fall
Semester 2014, and Winter
Session 2015.
Wed, Feb 25 Understanding the physical world: 146-155
Piaget’s theory
Fri, Feb 27 Understanding the physical world: 155-166 Quiz 3
Putting Piaget’s theory to the test due Sunday
3/1, 11:59 pm
Mon, Mar 2 Cognition: Understanding quantity 166-169
Wed, Mar 4 Cognition: Forming mental 171-177, 580
categories
Fri, Mar 6 Cognition: Awareness and 177-183, 482-496 Quiz 4
understanding of others’ mental due Sunday
states 3/8, 11:59 pm
Mon, Mar 9 Changing Knowledge and Core 305-327
Knowledge
Wed, Mar 11 Exam 1
Fri, Mar 13 Language acquisition: Learning 104-107, 261-264 Quiz 5
language sounds due Sunday
3/15, 11:59 pm
Mon, Mar 16 Language acquisition: Learning 264, 273-280
words
Wed, Mar 18 Language acquisition: Learning 200-201, 270-272
words
Fri, Mar 20 Language acquisition: Putting words 265-273, 280-284 Quiz 6
together into sentences due Sunday
3/22, 11:59 pm
Mon, Mar 23 Learning theory: Classical 136-139
conditioning
Wed, Mar 25 Learning theory: Instrumental 139-142
conditioning
Fri, Mar 27 Learning theory: Observational 131-135, 460-462,
conditioning 559-567
Fri, Mar 27: Deadline for
midterm grades to be posted
to UDSIS.

Fri, Mar 27: Spring Recess

begins after last scheduled
class; Residence halls close at
7:00 p.m. Last meal in dining
halls before Spring break –
dinner.
Sat, Mar 28 – Sun, SPRING BREAK Quiz 7
Apr 5 due Sunday
4/5, 11:59 pm
Sun, Apr 5: Residence halls
re-open at noon. First meal
in dining halls after Spring
break – dinner.

Fri, Apr 3 – Sat, Apr 11:

Passover

Sun, Apr 5: Easter Sunday

Mon, Apr 6 Memory 344-358

Mon, Apr 6: Registration for

2015 Summer Sessions
begins.
Wed, Apr 8 Attention 358-363
Fri, Apr 10 Developmental Spotlight: ADHD 363-366 Quiz 8
due Sunday
4/12, 11:59 pm
Mon, Apr 13 Exam 2

Mon, Apr 13: Last day to

change registration or to
withdraw from courses
without academic penalty.
Wed, Apr 15 Intelligence 386-409

Thurs, Apr 16: Registration

for Fall Semester 2015 begins
Fri, Apr 17 Schooling 409-417, 337-339 Quiz 9
due Sunday
4/19, 11:59 pm
Mon, Apr 20 Learning to Read 372-375
Wed, Apr 22 Learning Math 376-378
Fri, Apr 24 Attachment 135-136, 188-203 Quiz 10
due Sunday
4/26, 11:59 pm
Mon, Apr 27 Parenting and Families 203-214, 504-539
Wed, Apr 29 Friendship and Community 546-559
Fri, May 1 Social Deprivation 214-223 Quiz 11
due Sunday
5/3, 11:59 pm
Mon, May 4 Emotional Development 228-247
Wed, May 6 Self-Regulation 477-482
Fri, May 8 Personality and Temperament 247-255, 452-456, Quiz 12
496-499 due Sunday
5/10, 11:59 pm
Mon, May 11 Developmental Spotlight: Autism 587-592
Wed, May 13 Moral Thought 235, 427-431, 437-
448
Fri, May 15 Antisocial and Prosocial Behavior 448-452, 456-460, Quiz 13
462-463, 569-574 due Sunday
5/17, 11:59 pm
Mon, May 18 EXAM 3

Mon, May 18: Last class day;

classes end at 10:00 p.m.

Tues, May 19: Reading

Day; no examinations
scheduled.
Wed, May 20 –
Thurs, May 28

Sat, May 23 – Sun, May 24:

Reading Days; no
examinations scheduled.

Mon, May 25: Memorial Day

Observed – University
Offices closed.

Thurs, May 28: Final

examinations end; Residence
Halls close at 10:00 p.m.
(except for graduating
students). Last meal in dining
halls – dinner.
Fri, May 29: Honors degree
breakfast, doctoral hooding
and some college
convocations.

Sat, May 30: Commencement

followed by remaining college
convocations. Residence halls
close at 6:00 p.m. for
graduating students.

Mon, Jun 1: Deadline for

spring semester grades to be
posted to UDSIS.