Developmental Psychology Syllabus
Psychology 27 Professor Olver
Developmental Psychology Fall 2007 (MWF at 9:00 am)
Texts to be purchased (available at the Jeffery Amherst College Store):
Cole, M., Cole, S., & Lightfoot, C. The Development of Children, 5th ed., Worth Pub., 2005
Lareau, A. Unequal Childhoods, Univ. of California Press, 2003
Paley, V. Boys and Girls: Superheroes in the Doll Corner, Univ. of Chicago Press, 1984
Rubin, L. Families on the Fault Line, Harper Perennial, 1994
Packet to be purchased
Articles marked P are in a packet of readings available at the Psychology Department Office (Merrill 321).
Print Reserve Readings:
One copy of each of the “texts to be purchased” has been placed on reserve in the Science Library. In addition, several copies of the assigned readings marked R on the syllabus are on reserve in the Science Library. These include:
Gilligan, C. In a Different Voice assigned for 9/12 & 10/31
E Reserve Readings:
Articles marked E are online in library e-reserve.
Articles marked E must be printed out and brought to class for discussion on the date assigned.
Films listed on the syllabus will be viewed in class.
Course requirements:
1. Regular attendance and active participation in class discussions
2. Completion of three (5-7 page) essays: due by 5 p.m. on
Wednesday, October 10
Monday, November 12
Monday, December 17
Psychology 27 Developmental Psychology
Fall 2007 Professor Olver
Syllabus
I. INTRODUCTION
9/5 (W) COURSE STRUCTURE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
9/7 (F) ISSUES IN DEVELOPMENT
Reading: Cole, Cole & Lightfoot, Development of Children, 5th ed.
Ch. 1, The Study of Human Development, pp. 1-41
Ch. 2, The Human Heritage, pp. 51-69
Ch. 3, Prenatal Development, pp. 71-93
9/10 (M) THE NATURE AND SCOPE OF DEVELOPMENT
Reading: P Erikson, E. Childhood and Society, (1963) Ch. 7, Eight ages of man,
pp. 247-274
Cole, Cole & Lightfoot, Development of Children, 5th ed., pp. 32 & 33
9/12 (W) THE NATURE AND SCOPE OF DEVELOPMENT cont’d
Reading: R Gilligan, C. In a Different Voice
Ch. 1, Woman’s place in man’s life cycle, pp. 1-23
P Akbar, N. Our Destiny, from McAdoo, H. & McAdoo, J.L. (eds.)
Black Children, (1985), pp. 17-31
E Rogoff, B. & Morelli, G. Perspectives on children’s development from
cultural psychology, American Psychologist, 1989, 44, 343-348
E Morelli, G.A. et al. Cultural variation in infants’ sleeping arrangements
Developmental Psychology, 1992, 28, 604-613
Cole, Cole & Lightfoot, Development of Children, 5th ed. p. 141
II. IN THE BEGINNING
9/14 (F) BIRTH AND THE NEWBORN
Reading: Cole, Cole & Lightfoot, Development of Children, 5th ed.
Ch. 3, Prenatal Development and Birth, pp. 94-109
Ch. 4, Infant Capacities and the Process of Change, pp. 113-139
P Thomas, A. & Chess, S. Temperament and parent-child interaction,
from A. Thomas & S. Chess, Temperament & Development, 1977,
pp. 66-81
Film: “Birth” from Joyce at 34 & Eight women’s stories
III. INFANCY
9/17 (M) EARLY INFANCY
Reading: Cole, Cole & Lightfoot, Development of Children, 5th ed.
Ch. 4, Infant Capacities and the Process of Change, pp.139-163
P Brazelton, T. & Tronick, E. Preverbal communication between mothers
and infants, from D.R. Olson, The Social Foundations of
Language and Thought, 1980.
9/19 (W) ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE FIRST TWO YEARS
Reading: Cole, Cole & Lightfoot, Development of Children, 5th ed.
Ch. 5, The achievements of the first year, pp. 165-203
Ch. 6, The end of infancy, pp. 205-222
9/21 (F) CHILD-CARETAKER RELATIONS: ATTACHMENT
Reading: Cole, Cole & Lightfoot, Development of Children, 5th ed.
Ch. 6, The end of infancy, pp. 223-241
E Tronick, E.Z. et al. The Efe forager infant and toddler’s patterns of
social relationships, Developmental Psychology, 1992, 28,
568-577
9/24 (M) INDIVIDUATION
Reading: P Mahler, M. Thoughts about development and individuation,
Psychoanalytic Study of the Child, 1963, 18, 307-324
P Mahler, M. Rapprochment subphase of the separation-individuation
process, Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 1972, 41, 487-506
Film: The Psychological Birth of the Human Infant
9/26 (W) SELF AND OTHER
Reading: P Chodorow, N. The Reproduction of Mothering, (1978) Ch. 6, Gender
Differences in the preoedipal period, pp. 92-110
9/28 (F) EARLY EXPERIENCE AND LATER LIFE
Reading: Cole, Cole & Lightfoot, Development of Children, 5th ed.
Ch. 7, Early experience and later life, pp. 243-275
IV. EARLY CHILDHOOD
10/1 (M) LANGUAGE ACQUISITION I
Reading: Cole, Cole & Lightfoot, Development of Children, 5th ed.
Ch. 8, Language acquisition, pp. 279-317
Film: Baby talk
10/3 (W) LANGUAGE ACQUISITION II
Reading: E Iverson, J.M. & Goldin-Meadow, S. Gesture paves the way for language development, Psychological Science, 2005, 16, 367-371
Film: Baby talk, continued
10/5 (F) REVIEW
Reading: none
10/8 (M) October Break
10/10 (W) THE PRESCHOOL MIND
Reading: Cole, Cole & Lightfoot, Development of Children, 5th ed.
Ch. 9, Early childhood thought:islands of competence, pp.319-357
Paper Due by 5 p.m. Wednesday 10/10
10/12 (F) ACQUIRING A SOCIAL IDENTITY
Reading: Cole, Cole & Lightfoot, Development of Children, 5th ed.
Ch. 10, Social development in early childhood, pp. 359-375
E Martin, C.L. & Ruble, D. Children’s search for gender cues, Current Directions in Psychological Science, 2004, 13, 67-70
10/15 (M) AGGRESSION AND PROSOCIAL BEHAVIOR
Reading: Cole, Cole & Lightfoot, Development of Children, 5th ed.
Ch. 10, Social development in early childhood, pp. 376-401
10/17 (W) SOCIALIZATION WITHIN AND BEYOND THE FAMILY
Reading: Cole, Cole & Lightfoot, Development of Children, 5th ed.
Ch. 11, The contexts of early childhood, pp. 403-445
10/19 (F) PLAY I
Reading: Paley, V. Boys and Girls: Superheroes in the Doll Corner, pp. v-60
10/22 (M) PLAY II
Reading: Paley, V. Boys and Girls: Superheroes in the Doll Corner, pp. 60-116
P Bettelheim, B. The Uses of Enchantment
pp. 3-19 [Introduction]
pp. 74-78 [Bringing order into chaos, The Queen Bee]
pp. 111-116 [Oedipal conflicts]
V. MIDDLE CHILDHOOD
10/24 (W) COGNITIVE AND BIOLOGICAL ATTAINMENTS
Reading: Cole, Cole & Lightfoot, Development of Children, 5th ed.
Ch. 12, Cognitive and biological attainments of middle childhood,
pp. 449-481
P Dillard, A. pp. 20-23 from An American Childhood, 1987
10/26 (F) SCHOOL AND INTELLIGENCE
Reading: Cole, Cole & Lightfoot, Development of Children, 5th ed.
Ch. 13, Schooling and development in middle childhood,
pp. 483-529
E Dias, M., Roazzi, A., Harris, P.L. Reasoning from unfamiliar premises,
Psychological Science, 2005, 16, 550 – 554
10/29 (M) POTENTIAL AND PERFORMANCE
Reading: E Sternberg, R.J. Culture and intelligence, American Psychologist, 2004,
59, 325-338
P Ogbu, J.U. Cultural model, identity, and literacy from J.W. Stigler et al.
(eds.) Cultural Psychology, (1990) pp. 520-541
P Steele, C. Stereotype threat and African-American student achievement,
pp. 109-130 and references pp.172-177 from T. Perry, C. Steele, &
A.G. Hilliard III, Young, Gifted, and Black, 2003
E Tough, P. What it takes to make a student, New York Times, November 26, 2006 (10 pages)
10/31 (W) SOCIAL RELATIONS OF MIDDLE CHILDHOOD
Reading: Cole, Cole & Lightfoot, Development of Children, 5th ed.
Ch. 14, Social development in middle childhood, pp. 531-550
R Gilligan, C. In a Different Voice
Ch. 2, Images of relationships, pp. 24-63
11/2 (F) RELATIONSHIPS
Reading: Cole, Cole & Lightfoot, Development of Children, 5th ed.
Ch. 14, Social development in middle childhood, pp. 550-573
Lareau, A. Unequal Childhoods, pp. 38-81
Ch. 3, The hectic pace of concerted cultivation: Garrett Tallinger
Ch. 4, A child’s pace: Tyrec Taylor
VI. ADOLESCENCE
11/5 (M) BIOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL FOUNDATIONS OF ADOLESCENCE
Reading: Cole, Cole & Lightfoot, Development of Children, 5th ed.
Ch. 15, Biological and social foundations of adolescence,
pp. 577-617
P Bettelheim, B. The Uses of Enchantment
pp. 225-236 [Sleeping Beauty]
P McCullers, C. Like That, pp. 48-57 from Collected Stories, 1987
11/7 (W) FORMAL OPERATIONAL THOUGHT AND MORALITY
Reading: Cole, Cole & Lightfoot, Development of Children, 5th ed.
Ch. 16, The cognitive and psychological achievements of
adolescence, pp. 619-636
E Crandall, C.S. & Tsang, J.A. Newsworthy moral dilemmas: Justice,
caring, and gender. Sex Roles, 1999, 40, 187-209
11/9 (F) REVIEW
Reading: none
11/12 (M) IDENTITY I
Reading: Cole, Cole & Lightfoot, Development of Children, 5th ed.
Ch. 16, The cognitive and psychological achievements of
adolescence, pp. 636-648
P Stern, L. Disavowing the self in female adolescence, pp. 105-117
from C. Gilligan, A.G. Rogers & D.C. Tolman Women, Girls, and
Psychotherapy, 1991
P Pollack, W. Real Boys, 1999
Ch. 1, Inside the world of boys, pp. 3-19
Paper Due by 5 p.m. Monday 11/12
11/14 (W) IDENTITY II
Reading: Cole, Cole & Lightfoot, Development of Children, 5th ed.
Ch. 16, The cognitive and psychological achievements of
adolescence, pp. 648-664
P Cross, W.E. In search of Blackness and Afrocentricity, from H.W. Harris et al. Racial and Ethnic Identity, 1995, pp.53-72
P Lee, S.J. “Are you Chinese or what?” Ethnic identity among Asian
Americans, from R. Sheets & E. Hollins (eds.) Racial and Ethnic
Identity in School Practices, 1999, pp. 107-121
VII. ADULTHOOD
11/16 (F) DEVELOPMENT IN ADULTHOOD I
Reading: E Arnett, J.J. Emerging Adulthood, American Psychologist, 2000, 55,
469-480
P Levinson, et al. The psychosocial development of men in early
adulthood and the mid-life transition, from D.F. Ricks (ed), Life
History research in Psychopathology, 1974, pp. 241-258
Thanksgiving 11/19-11/23
11/26 (M) DEVELOPMENT IN ADULTHOOD II
Reading: E Roberts, T. & Newton, P.M. Levinsonian studies of women’s adult
development, Psychology and Aging, 1987, 2, 154-163
P Marshall, J. Crossing to safety, from C. Hanauer (ed), The Bitch in the
House, 2002, pp. 23-33
11/28 (W) CHILDREN I
Reading: E Anderson, D.A. & Hamilton, M. Gender role stereotyping of parents in children’s picture books: The invisible father, Sex Roles, 2005, 52, 145-151
E Wainright, J.L., Russell, S.T., & Patterson, C.J. Psychosocial adjustment, school outcomes, and romantic relationships of adolescents with same-sex parents, Child Development, 2004, 75, 1886-1898
Film: Daddy & Papa
11/30 (F) CHILDREN II
Reading: P Chodorow, N. The Reproduction of Mothering, pp. 191-209
Ch. 12, The psychodynamics of the family
E Silverstein, L.B. & Auerback, C.F. Deconstructing the essential father,
American Psychologist, 1999, 54, 397-407
Film: Daddy & Papa (cont’d)
12/3 (M) WORK AND FAMILY I
Reading: Rubin, L. Families on the Fault Line, pp. 69-140
Ch. 4, Mother goes to work
Ch. 5, The transformation of family life
Ch. 6, When you get laid off, it’s like you lose a part of yourself
Ch. 7, Shattered dreams
12/5 (W) WORK AND FAMILY II
Reading: E Buss, D.M. Psychological Sex Differences, American Psychologist,
1995, 50, 164-168
E Belkin, L. The Opt-Out Revolution, New York Times, Oct. 26, 2003
(13 pages)
E Letters on the Opt-Out Revolution, New York Times, Nov. 9, 2003
(3 pages)
E Halpern, D.F. Psychology at the intersection of work and family, American Psychologist, 2005, 60, 397 - 409
12/7 (F) PARENTING and SOCIAL CLASS
Reading: Lareau, A. Unequal Childhoods, pp. 108 - 160
Ch. 6, Developing a child: Alexander Williams
Ch. 7, Language as a conduit for social life: Harold McAllister
P Mead, M. Blackberry Winter, 1972, pp. 243 – 258
Ch. 18, On having a baby
P Olsen, T. I stand here ironing, pp.1-12 from Tell Me a Riddle, 1961
12/10 (M) AGING
Reading P Baker, R. Growing up, 1982, pp. 1-8
P Mead, M. Blackberry Winter, 1972, pp. 273-284
Ch. 20, On being a grandmother
P Langer, E. et al. Nonsequential development and aging, from C.N.
Alexander & E. Langer Higher Stages of Human Development,
1990, pp. 114-136
P Neugarten, B. Time, age and the life cycle, American Journal of
Psychiatry, 1979, 136, 887-894
12/12 (W) REVIEW
Reading: none
Paper due by 5 p.m. Monday 12/17