Developmental Psychology

This course focuses on the basic concepts, principles, theories, and research methods in Developmental Psychology. The development of key cognitive processes will be studied using modern theoretical perspectives, with an emphasis on infancy, toddlerhood, and the preschool years. Specifically, in this course we will examine in detail major theories of cognitive development and describe key methods for studying cognitive functions and processes in young children. Also, we will review recent research on neurological development during early childhood, including the development of perception (visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, gustatory, and kinesthetic), attention, and memory (memory capacity growth, childhood amnesia, etc.), and conceptual development (knowledge representation, concept acquisition, etc.). Early modules will focus on physical, motor, cognitive, social, and emotional development in infancy. Later modules will present Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s theories of cognitive development as well as critiques of these theories. We will also cover the development of metacognitive awareness and self-regulation in children, from preschool to the first grade, and their progression in acquiring Theory of mind. Finally, theoretical approaches on moral development by Piaget and Kohlberg, and Erikson’s theory on social development will be discussed.