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