BSc Psychology

This course unit builds upon the developmental psychology unit introduced in the first year. In this course, we will explore higher order developmental processes from infancy through to adolescence. We will first focus on how children acquire language, beginning with the early social and cognitive precursors to language development, then moving on to early word learning and later combinatorial speech. The second half of this course focuses on social and cognitive development, specifically the development of the concept of self, exploration during play, morality, and theory of mind in early childhood.   

The unit aims to:

• Introduce students to empirical research relating to linguistic, social, and cognitive development in the early years.  
• Examine different theoretical accounts and methodological issues relating to language acquisition and the development of higher order social and cognitive processes. 

This course will include 10 hours of lectures and two 1-hour seminars. E-learning provision: Lecture content, supplementary reading and resources, and a monitored discussion board will be provided via Canvas. 

• Draw on empirical research in developmental psychology to explain how children’s knowledge can be assessed in age-appropriate ways
• Explain the cognitive and social abilities and understanding of children at different ages
• Describe empirical evidence about communicative and socio-cognitive development in the five years of life of typically developing children.
• Describe a variety of sentence types and grammatical categories using appropriate linguistic terminology 

• Contribute to group discussions and collectively solve problems
• Explain a clear conclusion on the basis of an evaluation of appropriate empirical evidence
• Evaluate developmental research with reference to methodological considerations
• Evaluate theories of children’s development using appropriate empirical evidence 

• Independently gather and select the most relevant information from a body of work by using online and library sources 

• Explain complex topics in a written format
• Practice self-directed learning and supported way to achieve stated goals 

Results will be released after the semester 1 exam board. The students will receive a summative mark and cohort level feedback.

The suggested reading list will be made available on Canvas.