How much of our behaviour is learned or innate? How much does the culture in which we are raised affect the person we become? What is the relationship between our childhood behaviours and experiences and our adult self? Developmental Psychology is the study of developmental processes across the range of human experience and abilities. This course provides a broad foundation in the discipline, with a primary focus on child and adolescent development. The course takes a topic-based approach, covering: (i) Biological and Motor Development, (ii) Perceptual Development, (iii) Cognitive Development, (iv) Play, (v) Language Development, (vi) Social Development, (vii) Emotional and Moral Development, and (viii) Developmental Disorders. A particular feature of the course is a dual emphasis on research and application. Students complete a laboratory report based on original research, and apply their theoretical and empirical learnings to raising their own ‘virtual child’.
This course can be taken as an HPO.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Describe and evaluate different theoretical approaches to development.
- Outline the course of development in several domains, including perception, cognition, language, emotion, and social and motor skill.
- Identify factors which facilitate or impair typical development.
- Demonstrate research skills through the writing of a lab report.
- Demonstrate an understanding of how research in developmental psychology is relevant to understanding the behaviour of children and adolescents in daily life situations.
Indicative Assessment
- Online quizzes (10) [LO 1,2,3]
- End of semester exam (40) [LO 1,2,3,5]
- Lab report (30) [LO 1,4]
- My Virtual Child report (20) [LO 1,3,5]
- HPO assessment: students complete a research-based HPO option in place of the online quizzes (0) [LO 1,5]
In response to COVID-19: Please note that Semester 2 Class Summary information (available under the classes tab) is as up to date as possible. Changes to Class Summaries not captured by this publication will be available to enrolled students via Wattle.
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
The expected workload will consist of approximately 130 hours throughout the semester including:
- Face-to face component which may consist of 1 x 2 hour lecture per week plus 8 x 2 hour laboratory classes.
- Approximately 90 hours of self-study which will include preparation for lectures, presentations and other assessment tasks.
Inherent Requirements
To be determined
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
White, F., Hayes, B. & Livesey, D. (2016). Developmental Psychology: from infancy to adulthood (most recent edition). Pearson: Frenchs Forest, NSW
Majors
Minors
Specialisations
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 1
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2020 | $4050 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2020 | $5760 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
First Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3892 | 24 Feb 2020 | 02 Mar 2020 | 08 May 2020 | 05 Jun 2020 | In Person | View |
