Diploma in Child and Developmental Psychology

Gain a greater understanding of how people grow and develop

Child and Developmental Psychology is the study of the factors involved with change and development throughout life. The Diploma in Child and Developmental Psychology aims to introduce students to  key theories and research, in this area. Students will explore key theories and research in Cognitive, social, emotional, and personality development, as well as their relationship to cultural and physical factors. Research and theory in this branch of psychology reflects questions concerning the extent to which growth and change can be attributed to physical and genetic factors (nature) or environmental factors such as family, culture, society,(nurture).  Related to nature and nurture are questions in relation to the extent to which personality remains stable over time or changes over the life-span.  In addition, growth areas in research and debate concern the extent to which theory and research is able to generalize across different cultures.

This course is offered from our Dublin City Centre location (South Great George’s Street, Dublin 2), from our campus in Dundrum, Dublin 16 and online.

Course Content

Introduction:
Definitions and overview, What is expected, Information on assignments/assessment. Topics to be covered, aims & purposes.

Putting Psychology in its place: Brief overview of the history/movements in psychology as it relates to developmental issues (birth of psychology and introspection, shift to what is observable and behaviourism, advent of inner processes in the form of cognition and the unconscious, shift to the social).  Includes: Grand and Emergent theories: definition of a theory and its relationship to an hypothesis and research, pre-paradigmatic and paradigmatic stages.

Discussion: individual-social, stability versus change, epistemological implications.

Cognitive Development: definition and overview of lecture: : (a) Jean Piaget’s work

(b) Lev Vygotsky; Information processing accounts of cognitive development; Implications, strengths and limitations

Social and emotional development: attachment, play and social interaction, emotional development, temperament and personality.  Critiques.

Life Span and Moral development (Kohlberg, Gilligan, Erikson, Havighurst, Bronfenbrenner etc.,)

Biological aspects: Childhood to adolescent.  Neurological and physical development;

Implications for cognitive/social emotional development; New developments (mirror cells, attunement, etc.,); Environmental mediators which can inhibit or impact on individual development

Social, cultural and Critical aspects: What the turn to the social means; Why it is important

Theories and development  in  the shift to the social. Examples of differences in expectations between allocentric and idiographic societies. Research into immigrant well-being in multi-cultural societies.  Implications.

Linking up: How to evaluate and round-up.

Assessment

A pass grade on the written assignment will be required for awarding of the Diploma. A fail grade will result in a Certificate of Attendance for the course but without the Diploma being awarded.

Students must attend at least 80% of classes to graduate with either the Diploma or Certificate of Attendance unless a serious and verifiable reason for further absence is provided. If completing the course online, attendance and participation is tracked through Moodle.

The assignment/project must be handed in on the due date unless a sound reason for lateness is provided. In such instances, an extension may be awarded at the discretion of the lecturer.