Advanced Developmental Psychology
(PSYC611)
Spring, 200
Time: Thursdays, 2:00-4:30
Location: BPS 1103
Instructor: Amanda Woodward

awoodward@psyc.umd.edu

BPS 2147B

Office Hours: Thursday 12:00-2:00 or by appointment 301-405-1258

jcassisdy@psyc.umd.edu

BPS 2147C

Office Hours: Thursday 12:00-2:00 or by appointment (301) 405-4973

Course Description

This course surveys classic and current work in Developmental Psychology. We will consider the foundational work of Piaget, Kohlberg, Bowlby, and others, as well as state of the art approaches and findings. We will cover development across a broad range of domains, including cognitive, linguistic, moral, social and emotional development. Across these domains, we will consider the contributions of nature and nurture to developmental trajectories, continuity and discontinuity in development, the mechanisms that give rise to developmental change, and the insights that can be gleaned from studies of both general patterns and individual differences. The course will consist of lectures, group discussion, videotape viewings, and observations of babies, children, and parents during in-class demonstrations. Readings will be primary empirical and theoretical works. Assignments include contributions to class discussion as well as midterm and final examinations.

Attendance

Because this seminar will rely on the active analysis of course readings during class discussion, attendance and participation are essential both to getting something from the class and for the course grade.

Assignments

Readings

Each week 3-5 primary papers or chapters are assigned. Students are to complete all the readings for the week prior to class, and should come to class prepared to discuss the readings. Readings will be made available at McKeldin library on the electronic reserve..

Questions

Each week, students will devise two questions that can be used as the basis for classroom discussion. Questions should be based on the readings of the week and should spark thoughtful, interesting discussion. Students should be prepared to lead the discussions for their questions. Questions should be submitted by email to the instructor by 8:00 a.m. the day before class. Late submissions will not be accepted. The instructor will select a few of the questions from the pool of those submitted and will hand out copies for class discussion. Students will receive weekly feedback about their submitted questions (noted as either ÒgoodÓ or Ònot acceptableÓ). At the instructorÕs discretion, there will be occasions when an alternate brief writing assignment will replace the weekly question assignment. .

Grading

The final grade will be based on weekly assignments and classroom participation (20%), the mid-term exam (40%), and the final exam (40%). Permission to take an exam at an alternate time must be requested in advance, and will be granted only in the case of serious personal or family emergency.

Academic integrity

The Student Honor Council respectfully requests that faculty members place the following passage in their course syllabi in order to inform students of the consequences of academic dishonesty: "The University of Maryland, College Park has a nationally recognized Code of Academic Integrity, administered by the Student Honor Council. This Code sets standards for academic integrity at Maryland for all undergraduate and graduate students. As a student you are responsible for upholding these standards for this course. It is very important for you to be aware of the consequences of cheating, fabrication, facilitation, and plagiarism. For more information on the Code of Academic Integrity or the Student Honor Council, please visit http://www.studenthonorcouncil.umd.edu/whatis.html.

Students with Disabilities

If you are a student with a documented disability, please contact me by the first week of class so that we can make arrangements for the necessary accommodations.

Course schedule

(This is a working version. Revisions may occur as the semester unfolds.)

January 26, 2006: Introduction

Shonkoff, J. P. & Phillips, D. A. (Eds.) (2000).). From Neurons to Neighborhoods Introduction (pp. 19-32). National Academy Press, Washington, DC.

February 2, 2006: The Infant Mind

Piaget, J. (1986) The neonate and the infant. Six Psychological Studies (pp. 9-17).New York: Vintage Books.

Current perspectives on the infant the infant mind

Spelke, E. S. (1998). Nativism, empiricism and the origins of knowledge. Infant behavior and development. 21, 181-200.

Keen, R. (2003). Representation of objects and events: Why do infants look so smart and toddlers look so dumb? Current Directions in Psychological Science, 12(3), 79-83.

February 9, 2006: Cognitive Development in Childhood: Piaget and Current Approaches

A classis analysis: Piaget

Piaget, J. (1964). Development and learning. In R.E. Ripple and V.N. Rockcaselt (eds). Piaget rediscovered, a report on the Conference on Cognitive Studies and Curriculum Development, (pp. 228-237).

Ginsberg, H., & Oper, S. (1979). PiagetÕs theory of intellectual development (2nded.). NJ: Prentice-Hall. Chapter 4, ÒThe years 2 through 11: PiagetÕs later workÓ, pp. 113-152.

Current Perspectives

Gathering knowledge about the nonobvious

Gelman, S. (2003). The essential child. Oxford: Oxford University press. Chapter 3: Hidden, nonobvious properties (pp. 60-88).

Symbolic tools for thought

DeLoache, J. S. (2004). Becoming symbol-minded. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 8, 66-70..

Variability and Development

February 16, 2006: Understanding the Social World

An overviewWellman, H. R. (2002). Understanding the psychological world: Developing a theory of mind. In U. Goswami (Ed.) Blackwell handbook of childhood cognitive development (pp. 167-187). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.

Cross cultural evidenceAvis, J. & Harris, P. L. (1991). Avis, J. & Harris, P. L. (1991). Belief-Desire Reasoning among Baka Children: Evidence for a Universal Conception of Mind. Child Development, 62, 460-467

Parental contributionsMeins, E., Fennyhough, C., Wainwright, R. Das Gupta, M., Fradley, E. & Tuckey, M. (2002). Maternal mind-mindedness and the attachment security as predictors of theory of mind understanding. Child Development, 73, 1715-1726.

Infant's view of the social worldJohnson, S. C. (2000). Maternal mind-mindedness and the attachment security as predictors of theory of mind understanding. Child Development, 73, 1715-1726.

February 23, 2006: Empathy and Morality

A classic modelKohlberg, L. The development of childrenÕs orientations toward a moral order: Sequence in the development of moral thought. In W. Damon (Ed.), Social and personality development, (pp. 388-407). New York: W.W. Norton..

New approachesHelwig, C. C. & Turiel, E. (2002). ChildrenÕs social and moral reasoning. In P.K. Smith & C. H. Hart (Eds.) Blackwell handbook of childhood social development (pp. 475-490). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.

Zahn-Waxler, C. , Radke-Yarrow, M., Wagner, E., Chapman, M. (1992). Development of concern for others. Developmental Psychology. 28(1) 126-136.

Kochanska, G., et al. (2004). Conscience in childhood: Past, present and future. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 50 (3), 29-310..

March 2, 2006: Language Development

Becoming a native speakerWerker, J. F., & Desjardins, R. N. (1995). Listening to speech in the first year of life: Experience influences on phoneme perception. Current Direction in Psychological Science, 4, 76-81.

Acquiring a lexiconWoodward, A. (2000). Constraining the problem space in early word learning. In R. Golinkoff, K. Hirsh-Pasek, L. Bloom, L. Smith, A. L.Woodward, L. Akhtar, M. Tomasello, & G. Hollich (Eds.) Becoming a word leaner: A debate on lexical acquisition. (pp. 81-114). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Becoming a rule-governed speakerMarcus, G. (1996). Who do children Say ÔBreakedÕ? Current Directions in Psychological Science, 5, 81-85.

Language-learning at different times in the lifespanNewport, E. S. (1991). Constraining concepts of the critical period for language. In S. Carey & R. Gelman (Eds.), The epigenesist of mind: Essays on biology and cognition, (pp. 111-130) Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum..

March 9, 2006: Individual Differences in Cognitive Development

An overviewSternberg, R. J. (2002). Individual differences in cognitive development. In U. Goswami (Ed.) Blackwell handbook of child cognitive development (pp. 600-619). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.

Genetic contributions to intelligencePlomin, R. (1999). Genetics and general cognitive ability. Nature, 402, C25-C29.

Effects of early experienceRamey, C. T. Ramey, S. L., & Lanzi, R. G. (2001). Intelligence and experience. In R. J. Sternberg & E. L. Grigorenko (Eds.). Environmental effects on cognitive abilities (pp. 83-115). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Self concept, concepts of intelligence, and cognitive performanceDweck, C. S. (1986). Motivational processes affecting learning. American Psychologist, 41(10), 1040-1048.

Ambady, N., Shih, M., Kim, A., & Pittinsky, T. L. (2001). Stereotype susceptibility in children: Effects of identity activation on quantitative performance. Psycholoical Science, 12, 385-390.

March 16, 2006: Midterm Exam

March 20-24, 2006: Spring Break

March 30, 2006: Attachment Theory

An evolutionary approachBowlby, J. (1988). The origins of attachment theory. In J. Bowlby, The secure base chapter 2, pages 20-38. New York: Basic Books.

Cassidy, J. (1999). The nature of the childÕs ties. In J. Cassidy & P. R. Shaver (Eds.), The Handbook of Attachment: Theory, Research, and Clinical Applications (pp. 3-20). New York: Guilford.

Attachment disruptionsKobak, R. (1999). The emotional dynamics of disruptions in attachment relationships: Implications for theory, research, and clinical intervention. In J. Cassidy & P. R. Shaver (Eds.), The Handbook of Attachment: Theory, Research, and Clinical Applications (pp. 21-43). New York: Guilford.

Theory of individual differences in attachment qualityWeinfield, N., Sroufe, L. A., Egeland, B., & Carlson, E. A. (1999). The nature of individual differences in infant-caregiver attachment. In J. Cassidy & P. R. Shaver (Eds.), The Handbook of Attachment: Theory, Research, and Clinical Applications (pp. 68-88). New York: Guilford

April 6, 2006: Attachment in Infancy and Childhood: Methods and Research

Measurement in infancySolomon, J., & George, C. (1999). The measurement of attachment security in infancy and childhood. In J. Cassidy & P. R. Shaver (Eds.), The Handbook of Attachment: Theory, Research, and Clinical Applications (pp. 287-296 only [section on infancy]). New York: Guilford..

Measurement in childhoodMain, M., & Cassidy, J. (1988). Categories of response to reunion with the parent at age six: Predictable from infant attachment classifications and stable over a 1-month period. Developmental Psychology, 24, 415-426.

Precursors of securityBelsky, J. (1999). Interactional and contextual determinants of attachment security. In J. Cassidy & P. R. Shaver (Eds.), The Handbook of Attachment: Theory, Research, and Clinical Applications (pp. 249-264). New York: Guilford..

Sequellae of securityThompson, R. (1999). Early attachment and later development. In J. Cassidy & P. R. Shaver (Eds.), The Handbook of Attachment: Theory, Research, and Clinical Applications (pp. 265-286). New York: Guilford.

Thompson, R. (1999). Early attachment and later development. In J. Cassidy & P. R. Shaver (Eds.), The Handbook of Attachment: Theory, Research, and Clinical Applications (pp. 265-286). New York: Guilford.

Thompson, R. (2000). The legacy of early attachments. Child Development, 71, 145-152.

April 13, 2006: Attachment in Adolescence and Adulthood: Methods and Research

Attachment across the lifespanAinsworth, M. D. (1989). Attachments beyond infancy. American Psychologist, 44, 709-716.

Romantic relationships as attachmentsHazan, C., & Zeifman, D. (1999). Pair bonds as attachments: Evaluating the evidence. In J. Cassidy & P. R. Shaver (Eds.), The Handbook of Attachment: Theory, Research, and Clinical Applications (pp. 336-355). New York: Guilford.

Measurement of adult attachmentShaver, P. R., & Mikulincer, M. (2004). What do self-report attachment measures assess? In W. S. Rholes & J. A. Simpson (Eds.), Adult Attachment: Theory, Research, and Clinical Implications (pp. 17-54). New York: Guilford.

Hesse, E. (1999). The Adult Attachment Interview: Historical and current perspectives. In J. Cassidy & P. R. Shaver (Eds.), The Handbook of Attachment: Theory, Research, and Clinical Applications (pp. 395-433). New York: Guilford.

April 20, 2006: The Family System

Families as systemsCox, M., & Paley, B. (2003). Understanding families as systems. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 12, 193-196.

Cox, M., & Paley, B. (1997). Families as systems. Annual Review of Psychology, 48, 243-267.

Parke, R. (2004). Development in the family. Annual Review of Psychology, 55, 365-399.

Intergenerational transmissionMacfie, J., McElwain, N., Houts, R., & Cox, M. (2005). Intergenerational transmission of role reversal between parent and child: Dyadic and family systems internal working models. Attachment and Human Development, 7, 51-65.

April 27, 2006: Understanding the Social World II

Internal working modelsBretherton, I., & Munholland, K. A. (1999). Internal working models in attachment relationships: A construct revisited. In J. Cassidy & P. R. Shaver (Eds.), The Handbook of Attachment: Theory, Research, and Clinical Applications (pp. 89-114). New York: Guilford.

Main, M., Kaplan, N., & Cassidy, J. (1985). Security in infancy, childhood, and adulthood: A move to the level of representation. In I. Bretherton & E. Waters (Eds.), Growing points in attachment theory and research, Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 50, (1-2, Serial No. 209), pages 74-79 only [section on internal working models].

Secure base scriptsDykas, M., Woodhouse, S., Cassidy, J., & Waters, H. (2005). Narrative assessment of attachment representations: Links between secure base scripts and adolescent attachment. Manuscript under review..

Social information processingLemerise, E. A., & Arsenio, W. F. (2000). An integrated model of emotion processes and cognition in social information processing. Child Development, 71, 107-118..

May 4, 2006: Peer Relations

OverviewHay, D., Payne, A., & Chadwick, A. (2004). Peer relations in childhood. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 45, 84-108.

FriendshipHartup, W. (1996). The company they keep: Friendships and their developmental significance. Child Development, 67, 1-13.

LonelinessAsher, S. R., & Paquette, J. (2003). Loneliness and peer relations in childhood. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 12, 75-78.

Agression in preschoolCrick, N., Casas, J., & Mosher, M. (1997). Relational and overt aggression in preschool. Developmental Psychology, 33, 579-588.

May 11, 2006:Theoretical and Empirical Summary