Developmental Psychology
PSY 220
Michael Hoerger
Overview
 Syllabus:
Last Page
 Background Information
 More Syllabus
 Class Discussion
 Note Cards
Syllabus: Last Page
 Your
information & voting for lecture topics
 My information:
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
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Hoerger rhymes with Burger,
but you can call me Mike
Graduate of MSU, originally
from Midland
Clinical Psychology: Personality disorders,
depression, happiness, choking under pressure
Go Pistons!
Questions?
Background Information
 What
is Developmental Psychology?
“The science that seeks to understand the ways
in which people change and stay the same as
they grow older.” --Berger, p. 3
 The study of the individual’s social, emotional,
cognitive, and biological development
throughout the lifespan
 Focus has shifted from infants and children to
people of all ages
Background Information
 Why
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
study developmental psychology?
Knowledge relevant to multiple domains
Practical information for your own life
• Bedwetting, crying babies, peer pressure, drinking,
love, sex, careers, families, healthy aging

Social policy implications
• Head Start, midnight basketball, HPV vaccine
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Critical research skills
More Syllabus
 Course
web site
 Contacting me
 Office hours
 Book 
 Typical class
 Cheating
Grades
A = 93%, A- = 90%
B+ = 87%, B = 83%, B- = 80%
C+ = 77%, C = 73%, C- = 70%
D+ = 67%, D = 63%, D- = 60%
1,000 points:
4 exams: 200 pts each
2 papers: 100 pts each
Extra credit: 40-50 pts
Grades
 Grades
in this course will be based largely
on effort. What you put in, you will get out.
 “We maximize choice and enhance power
by deciding for ourselves how much is
good enough in each and every activity we
engage in. We all have the inalienable
right to waste our potential.” –Kaufman
 Recommendations
Exams
4
regular exams; 1 make-up exam, which
is a cumulative final
 No additional make-ups
 40 multiple choice questions
 2 essays (some choice)
 Study guide?
Papers
2
papers
 Choose a personally relevant
developmental psychology question
 Paper #1: Compare popular articles
versus scientific articles
 Paper #2: Compare scientific articles
 No two people can do the same questions
 I will look very closely for plagiarism
Extra Credit
 Add
5% or more onto your grade!
 Participate in psychology research
 MLK Day – discuss next time
 Student Research and Creative
Endeavors Exhibition
 Additional extra credit
 Weekly question cards
Class Discussion
 Clarifies
ambiguous information
 Extends on vague information
 Promotes diversity and creativity
Is it better to have a
stay-at-home parent or
place children in
pre-school/daycare?
What are some effective
and ineffective ways of
disciplining children?
http://abovetheinfluence.com/
the-ads/default.aspx
Is peer pressure important? Commercials?
Is personality stable or
changeable throughout
the lifespan?
What is “intelligence” and are IQ
tests valid measures of intelligence?
What is love?
What are the keys to healthy aging?
What causes happiness?
Genetic or environmental?
Alzheimer’s
Weight
Extraversion
Alcoholism
Happiness
IQ
Depression
Note Card Assignment
 Turn
in a note card once a week with your
name, the date, and an interesting
question
 Questions from the present reading or
current events
 Last names A – L: Mondays
 Last names M – Z: Wednesdays
Michael Hoerger
To cite this lecture:
 Hoerger, M. (2007, January 8).
Introduction to Developmental
Psychology. Presented at a PSY 220
lecture at Central Michigan University.