PSY 212
TELECOURSE
CHILD DEVELOPMENT:
STEPPING STONES
Instructor:
Dr. Cindy Hutman
Telecourse information packet.
Spring Semester, 2004
WELCOME
Dear PSY212 Telecourse Student:
As your instructor, I will be assisting you through this course.
The course is structured in 20 lessons each covering a different topic in the field
of child psychology. I have tried to design the course to make your self-study
easier. The telecourse student guide outlines learning objectives for each lesson
and I have given you guidance on studying the textbook material and the videos.
Please read the syllabus that accompanies this letter. In many ways, the
syllabus is the most important document in the whole course. You will want to
refer to it often during the semester, also.
Of course, keeping up with studying, essays and tests is vital but let me stress
the importance of communication. If you are having problems, fall behind in
coursework or just need some additional feedback, please contact me.
I hope you will enjoy the course. Please contact me if you need further course
information or assistance. E-mail is the most efficient way of reaching me but all
my contact information is provided on my web page. Please identify yourself in
your e-mails and remind me that you are a telecourse student. I promise to
return e-mails within 24 hours. You are also welcome to drop by my office
anytime during my office hours (also posted on my web page) or call to make an
appointment.
Good luck.
Sincerely,
Dr. Cindy Hutman
Professor of Psychology
Elgin Community College
Elgin Community College
Spring, 2004
Psychology 212 (86)
Child Psychology
Telecourse
Cindy Hutman
Room ICT 107
(847) 214-7535
E-mail – chutman@elgin.edu
ALWAYS identify yourself in e-mails—full name and “telecourse student.”
Course Materials:
What you need to buy:
 textbook—The Developing Person Through Childhood and
Adolescence, by Kathleen Berger
 study guide—the Telecourse Student Guide for the Stepping Stones
telecourse (be sure you have the telecourse study guide.
You may want to buy the study guide for the textbook but
you MUST buy the telecourse study guide)
What I have provided for each lesson:
 guide to lessons—
 my comments that give you an overview of the reading and also
tell you what is important in the reading and what parts of the
textbook material you will not be tested on.
 my comments that give you an overview of the videos for each
lesson and what is most important from those videos
 student study guide—if I found errors in the student study guide or
there are parts of the guide you do not need to work on, I have noted
them for you.
These materials can be found on my webpage. Here’s how to get to
my webpage and to the materials for this course—
www.elgin.edu
on the ECC home page click on “Faculty” on the navigation
buttons on the bottom of the home page
search for “Lucinda Hutman” either by last name or on the list in
the drop-down menu on the upper left portion of the faculty
screen
click on “PSY212—telecourse” this will get you to the page for our
course and from there you can choose the lesson you
need and the particular document you are looking for
OR—you can get to my webpage directly at:
http://faculty,elgin.edu/chutman
If you do not have access to the internet at home, we have several
computer labs on campus or you can use the Psychology Lab
computers in ICT 118. If you are having difficulty getting to these
documents, ask a lab assistant to help you or come in during my office
hours (posted on my webpage) and I will be happy to help you.
Goals of this course:
In PSY 212, Child Development: Stepping Stones, you will be learning about the
research and theories in the area of Child Psychology. With the help of
the textbook, videos and study guide, you will come to understand how
children think, feel and learn. The many biological and environmental
factors that affect development will also be explored.
You will be viewing twenty, 30 minute videotapes, answering questions in the
study guide and reading the textbook. Grades are based on multiple
choice exams and essays. We do not have set class meetings. You
need to work on your own and ask my assistance when you need it.
Fall and spring semester students have 16 weeks (96 days) to complete the
course. Summer students have 12 weeks (48 days). Check your
telecourse ID for your completion date.
Course Requirements:
Your grade is determined by performance on 5 tests and 10 essays (see list of
essays at the end of this syllabus).
Test one—
Lesson 1: Introduction: Theories of Development (video 101)
Lesson 2: Developmental Study as a Science (video 102)
Lesson 3: The Beginnings: Heredity and Environment (video 103)
Lesson 4: The Beginnings: Prenatal Development (video 104)
answer two essays related to this material
Test two—
Lesson 6: The First Two Years: Biosocial Development (video 106)
Lesson 7: The First Two Years: Cognitive Development (video 107)
Lesson 8: The First Two Years: Psychosocial Development (video 108)
Lesson 9: The First Two Years: Summary (video 109)
answer two essays related to this material
Test three—
Lesson 11: The Play Years: Biosocial Development (video 111)
Lesson 12: The Play Years: Cognitive Development (video 112)
Lesson 13: The Play Years: Psychosocial Development (video 113)
Lesson 14: The Play Years: Summary (video 114)
answer two essays related to this material
Test four—
Lesson 16: The School Years: Biosocial Development (video 116)
Lesson 17: The School Years: Cognitive Development (video 117)
Lesson 18: The School Years: Psychosocial Development (video 118)
Lesson 19: The School Years: Summary (video 119)
answer two essays related to this material
Test five—
Lesson 21: Adolescence: Biosocial Development (video 121)
Lesson 22: Adolescence: Cognitive Development (video 122)
Lesson 23: Adolescence: Psychosocial Development (video 123)
Lesson 24: Adolescence: Summary (video 124)
answer two essays related to this material
Please Note: You will NOT be responsible for the following Lessons:
Lesson 5: The Beginnings: Special Topics
Lesson 10: The First Two Years: Special Topics
Lesson 15: The Play Years: Special Topics
Lesson 20: The School Years: Special Topics
Lesson 25: Adolescence: Special Topics
Lesson 26: Closing: Developmental Psychopathologies
1. Read the pages assigned in the textbook for each of the lessons.
My suggestion: As you start a lesson, read the learning objectives listed in
the Telecourse Student Guide and the guide to the lesson for each lesson
(available on my webpage) before you read the textbook. Go back over the
learning objectives during or immediately after the reading to be sure you are
picking up the important information.
2. View the video segments for each of the lessons. My suggestion: Read the
learning objectives and guide to lesson before viewing the video. Go back
over the learning objectives immediately after viewing to be sure you are
picking up the important information. I also recommend you take notes on
the videos so you have something to study right before you take the test.
3. Study the textbook material and go over your notes for the videos. Use the
study methods you have found most helpful from other school work you have
completed. Work through the telecourse student guide for each lesson.
4. As you work through the lessons, look at the essay questions for that
segment of the course. Choose essays you want to write on and at least jot
down thoughts from your studying to get you started on the essays.
5. Write two essays from the material for each of the tests. I recommend writing
the essays as you study for the test. Writing the essays will help you study.
Do not wait until the end of the course to go back and try to write all the
essays.
6. Submit your first essay early in the semester and get my feedback to help
you to effectively write the remaining 9 essays.
You must take AT LEAST the first test and submit the first two essays by midterm.
I reserve the right to withdraw any student who has not done this by their midterm
date.
Grading:
Your grade is determined by points accumulated on exams and essays
Exams (75 points each) x 5 = 375
Essays (20 points each) x 10 = 200
Total = 575
Grading scale—
517-575 points = A
460-516
=B
402-459
=C
345-401
=D
less than 345 = F
Exams:
Exams are 75 multiple choice questions.
Exams are taken in one of the two testing centers on campus—Main Campus in
SRC 108, or Fountain Square Rm 408.
Note: You must have your telecourse ID and a picture ID to take tests.
Essays:
Essays should be between 250 and 500 words. Please be sure your answers
reflect material you have learned in the textbook, videos and study guide. Your
answers must be IN YOUR OWN WORDS. Paraphrasing or quoting from the
textbook or any other source is unacceptable. Your answers must be in full
sentences and essay form. Do not just outline your answer or give a series of
sentence fragments roughly covering the material. Each essay is worth 20
points.
Essays must be typewritten, double-spaced. Your name (first and last) must
appear on the first page of the essay. Use font size 11 or 12. Do not bold. All
pages for an essay MUST be stapled together if you are mailing or dropping
off essays.
All essays must be numbered (1-10) and the number of the question you chose
to answer must be included.
You can submit your essays in one of the following ways:
1. mail them to my college address: Lucinda Hutman
Elgin Community College
1700 Spartan Dr.
Elgin, IL 60123
2. drop them off at my office—ICT 107. If I am not there, slide it under
my door. Remember, pages must be stapled together.
3. drop them off at the Testing Centers (make sure pages are stapled
together)
preferred-4. e-mail them to me (chutman@elgin.edu). E-mailed essays must be
in Microsoft Office Word. Attach the word file to your e-mail. Your
name—first and last—must appear IN THE FILE itself so when I
print out your essay, I know who submitted it. You must also
number your essay (1-10) and give the number of the question
you chose to answer.
Please be sure to identify yourself in the e-mail itself. For security
reasons, I will not open files attached to e-mails if the sender does
not identify him/herself. Give your first and last name and say you
are a telecourse student.
If you do not have Word on your home computer, you can use computers in the
open labs on campus or in the Psychology Lab (ICT 118). Also, most public
libraries have word processing available to their patrons.
If you don’t know how to send files as attachments to your e-mail, consult your email provider.
Feedback on your performance:
I will make every effort to give you feedback on tests and essays within one week
of submission of the materials. E-mail is the most efficient means of
communication. If I have to type out a letter and put it in the mail, feedback takes
much longer. I strongly recommend that you e-mail me as soon as you read
this syllabus. Identify yourself—first and last name—and tell me you are a
telecourse student. Then I will have your e-mail address on file and can give you
prompt feedback via e-mail.
Tests—You will simply learn how many questions you got correct on each test. I
encourage students, however, to come into my office and look over the exam
after you have received a grade. Going back over exams not only increases
learning but also helps you prepare for future exams. Check my office hours. If
those are not convenient times for you, let me know and we will try to arrange
another time to meet at my office.
Essays—On the first few essays I will give you written feedback designed to help
you write future essays. If you procrastinate and turn in several essays
altogether, you will not receive thoughtful feedback on those essays. If you need
more help with essays, again, please come in and talk to me. I am happy to go
over essays in detail with students to improve learning and future performance.
Your essays will NOT be returned to you. If you want copies of your essays, be
sure to keep your files or make copies of the papers.
Plagiarism--Plagiarism on essays will result in a zero for that essay at minimum. The
essay questions are purposely worded to reflect information and discussion
unique to this course. Consequently, it would be very difficult to find an essay
from an online paper mill that would adequately answer any of the essays. I am
very familiar with these services and how to track a student's essay to one of
these sources.
As I always tell students...If your goal is to get a good grade without really
learning anything, you don't belong in this course!!
Work Toward Success:
Each student has his/her own style and time-constraints but the students who
complete telecourses successfully keep themselves on a regular schedule of
watching the videos, reading the text and answering the study guide questions.
They make it like a classroom course in the sense that they make sure they
complete a segment of the work EVERY WEEK. Cramming the entire course
into the last couple weeks will not work.
For students who cannot easily attend a classroom course, the telecourse is a
valuable way to earn college credit. However, the openness and flexibility of the
telecourse format can spell disaster for the unmotivated, undisciplined student.
Communication is important. Contact me, if you need help.
Good Luck.
Essay Questions
Each essay is worth a possible 20 points. Make sure you answer the question
thoroughly and your answer reflects material you learned from the textbook and
videos. Drawing on personal experience in your answers is acceptable but
should supplement, not replace, substantive information from the course. (Note:
some questions specifically ask you to draw on your own experience. In those
cases, writing on personal experience is, of course, required.)
These are to be college-level essays. You must write in complete sentences and
organize your thoughts into coherent paragraphs. Paragraphs should include a
topic sentence and 3-5 supporting sentences. They should be focused around a
single topic—do not switch topics inside a paragraph. Proofread your essays
before submitting them. Make sure you have no typographical, grammatical or
punctuation errors.
Use a scholarly style. Do not make essays too conversational or personal.
Avoid using the second person (“you” or “your”). Do not refer to children as
“kids” and avoid slang.
Essays must be typed, double-spaced using font size 11 or 12. E-mailing
essays is the most efficient way to submit them. In that case, essays must be
attached to an e-mail as a Microsoft Office Word document. You must identify
yourself in your e-mail (first and last name and say you are a telecourse student).
You must include your name (first and last), the number of the essay (1-10) and
the number of the question you are answering in the file.
Lessons 1-4
Answer 2 of these essays. I strongly suggest that you write these essays as
you are studying this material. Writing the essays will help you master material
that will be covered on the first exam.
Please note the question number on your essay.
1. Give a general statement of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory. Contrast
this theory with others discussed in Lesson 1. Why is
Bronfenbrenner’s unique? In your answer be sure you have outlined
the five ecological systems Brofenbrenner emphasizes.
2. What do we mean by the term “social construction?” Discuss at least one
example covered in these lessons. Come up with your own example
of a social construction and explain why it fits this concept.
3. Explain what the correlation coefficient does and does not tell us about the
relationship between two variables. Give an example of two variables
that you believe would be positively correlated and two variables you
believe would be negatively correlated.
4. Suppose you want to investigate how abuse in early childhood affects
personality development in middle childhood, adolescence and
adulthood. Which of the following methods might you use to study this
(justify your choice or choices):
experiment
case study
survey
scientific observation
Discuss the cross-sectional and longitudinal methods and explain the
advantages/disadvantages of using each of these for this study.
5. Explain how Piaget believes we adapt cognitively to the world around us.
Give an overview of his four stages of cognitive development including
approximate ages for each.
6. By first grade, Esta has become a disruptively aggressive student in the
classroom. From the learning theory perspective, explain her pattern
of behavior. From the learning theory perspective, what could her
teacher and parents do to change her disruptive behavior?
7. Why is it important to understand genetics in a psychology course on
child development? What would be the advantages and
disadvantages of knowing your own genetic profile prior to having
children?
8. Despite the complexity of prenatal development, the large majority of all
babies are born without serious congenital abnormalities. Explain the
reasons for this high incidence of normality. What are some important
issues a pregnant woman should consider to reduce the risk of
problems for her unborn child?
9. What can infants sense in the womb? How might knowing this change the
behavior of expectant parents? How might knowing this change the
behavior of parents after the baby is born?
10. What is a teratogen? What is a behavioral teratogen? Explain the
potential effects of teratogens including in your answer the issue of
interactions, the threshold effect and the critical period.
Lessons 6-9
Answer 2 of these essays. I strongly suggest that you write these essays as
you are studying this material. Writing the essays will help you master material
that will be covered on the first exam.
Please note the question number on your essay.
11. In your own words, explain the three theories of language development
presented in your textbook. In your answer, be sure to discuss how the
three differ. You do not have to include specific research evidence for
each theory in your answer.
12. Summarize Ainsworth’s research on attachment. Describe her method of
measuring attachment, her findings regarding parental care and
attachment and concerns about children with insecure attachments.
13. Summarize the changes that occur in the brain during the first two years of
life. What experiences does a child need to properly “grow” the brain. In
your answer discuss experience-dependent and experience-expectant
brain functions.
14. Discuss concerns about proper nutrition in the first two years of life. What
are the effects of undernutrition and malnutrition. Include information
about breast feeding in your answer.
15. Summarize the psychosocial challenges that Erikson believes children face in
the first two years of development. What can parents do to assure
their child successfully meets these challenges?
16. Summarize the data on the effects of day care on development in the first two
years. Given this information, what advice would you give new parents as
they approach the issue of alternate care for their baby?
17. Discuss the cognitive development of infants from Piaget’s perspective.
Include the concepts of circular reactions and object permanence in your
answer. How might a parent test for object permanence?
18. Explain the sequence of advances children make as they go from crying as
their main means of communication to two word sentences. In your
answer, discuss motherese as a means of improving language
development. Define and give a common example of overextension.
19. Explain how advances in cognitive development and memory can account
for a young child's need for familiarity and attachment. Discuss the
emergence of stranger wariness and separation anxiety and the value of
attachment and social referencing.
20. Explain the importance of affordances to a child’s cognitive development.
What do we know about the memory abilities of children in the first two
years of life?
Lessons 11-14
Answer 2 of these essays. I strongly suggest that you write these essays as
you are studying this material. Writing the essays will help you master material
that will be covered on the first exam.
Please note the question number on your essay.
21. Discuss the forms of child maltreatment, their effects on children and some
possible interventions that might prevent or reduce the effects of
maltreatment.
22. Give an overview of brain development in the play years and discuss how
each major area of brain development helps prepare the child for formal
education at about age 5 or 6.
23. Contrast Piaget’s theory of cognitive development in the play years with
Vygotsky’s theory.
24. Explain the concept of theory of mind. Give examples of children’s behavior
that you have observed or that were discussed in the text and video that
indicate a child has a theory of mind. How does the development of
theory of mind help young children overcome their egocentric views?
25. Give an overview of the development of gender role and gender behavior
during the play years. Do you believe that the sex differences evident in
behavior are primarily biologically or socially determined? Defend your
choice.
26. Define and give examples of prosocial and antisocial behavior. Explain the 4
types of aggression covered in the book and discuss what aggression
would be expected in a preschool classroom and when the aggressive
behavior of a child might be a sign of future problems.
27. Explain the three major parenting styles covered by Baumrind. Discuss your
own upbringing and which style you feel your parents used. How do you
think your parents’ style benefited you? How do you think your parents’
style harmed you?
28. Francie is frustrated trying to tie her shoes. According to Vygotsky, how
should her parents react to this? Explain how this situation demonstrates
the interaction of the three domains of development (biosocial, cognitive
and psychosocial).
29. Give an overview of the criticisms of Piaget's perspective of the preoperational stage of development. Be specific about some abilities
children have in these years that Piaget believed did not develop until
later.
30. Pick one of the children depicted in the video for Lesson 14. Discuss this
child's development in both the cognitive and psychosocial domains. How
is this child normal for his/her age?
Lessons 16-19
Answer 2 of these essays. I strongly suggest that you write these essays as
you are studying this material. Writing the essays will help you master material
that will be covered on the first exam.
Please note the question number on your essay.
31. Explain the term “learning disability” and how academic testing can help
determine whether a child is mentally retarded or learning disabled. What
are some recommendations for educating learning disabled children?
32. What are the major causes of childhood obesity? What are some concerns
parents, teachers and counselors should keep in mind in trying to work
with an obese child?
33. Explain the difference between tests of aptitude and tests of achievement.
How would schools use each of these tests? Explain the difference
between norm-referenced and criterion-referenced tests. Give an
argument for using criterion-referenced tests in schools.
34. Discuss the advances in cognitive development in the school years and
explain how these will help a child to master school subjects like math and
science. Use specific examples of tasks children must do in science and
math class and show clearly how the new abilities will help.
35. Give an overview of the development of moral reasoning according to
Kohlberg’s theory (discuss levels but not stages). How does moral
reasoning relate to moral behavior?
36. What do psychologists mean by "control processes?" Discuss the
improvements in these over the school years. What can we expect of
school-aged children that we could not expect of preschool children as a
result of improvements in control processes?
37. Explain what is meant by "code switching" and distinguish between formal
and informal codes. To show you understand this concept, give examples
in your own everyday life when you do code switching.
38. Discuss the importance of family to children in the school years. What must
families do to help children be successful in school, with peers and in the
future?
39. What is bullying and why is this such a serious problem in the school years?
Be sure to discuss the research on bullying and discuss the concerns for
both the bully and the victim.
40. Explain the importance of family to the development of a school-aged child.
How can families help children in the important task of learning how to
cope with life's stress?
Lessons 21-24
Answer 2 of these essays. I strongly suggest that you write these essays as
you are studying this material. Writing the essays will help you master material
that will be covered on the first exam.
Please note the question number on your essay.
41. Discuss the effects of pregnancy during adolescence on female adolescents.
Be sure to include the possibility of long-term effects on their life.
42. Joanne complains that her teenage daughter is hormonally imbalanced and
constantly emotional and overreacting. She says this comes at a really
bad time for her since she is also dealing with her own divorce from her
daughter's father. Explain to Joanne why her daughter's emotionality is
not just a coincidence in this case. Include in your answer specific
biological information you learned in lesson 21.
43. Discuss the factors that affect the onset and progress of physical changes in
adolescence. Include in your answer some of the psychological
consequences of these factors, as well.
44. Discuss the changes in cognitive abilities that occur in adolescence. Give
examples of how using these abilities might make the adolescent appear
to be rebellious. Be sure you explain why your examples are related to
the new cognitive abilities.
45. Discuss both cognitive and sociocultural reasons for varying degrees of
logical reasoning on tests related to school material like science and math.
46. Contrast intuitive, emotional thought with hypothetical reasoning. When
would each be most helpful in an adolescent's life (be specific).
47. Explain adolescent egocentrism and the consequences of this egocentrism.
Give some typical examples of adolescent behavior that appear immature
to adults but can be explained by this egocentrism.
48. Pick one of the adolescents featured in the video for lesson 24. Describe
this child's situation. Using information about adolescence you have
learned from this course, discuss how the child you chose is a typical
adolescent. In what ways is this child different from most adolescents in
this country?
49. Explain the four identity statuses of achievement, moratorium, diffusion and
foreclosure. Given what you have learned about the process of identity
formation, how might you help an adolescent who had foreclosed on
his/her identity?
50. You have an adolescent friend who says he has thought about suicide
recently. Given what you learned in Chapter 16 about mood disorders
and suicidal behavior in adolescence, explain your concerns about your
friend and how you might help him.