Human Growth and Development
CPSE 649
Course Syllabus
General Information:
Instructor: Jenny Cannon
Email: jenny_cannon@byu.edu
Office phone: (801) 422-9232
Office: 1513 WSC
Office Hours: by appointment
Class Time: Wed. 9:00 – 11:50 AM
Co-Instructor: Joy Cox
Email: joywcox@gmail.com
Phone: (719) 357-1767
Office Hours: by appointment
Course Description:
This course is intended to provide a thorough review of the basics of lifespan development.
Development can be described as systematic changes and continuities that occur in the individual
between conception and death. The three broad areas of developmental psychology are 1) physical
development, 2) cognitive development, and 3) psychosocial development. We will then apply this
knowledge of human development specifically to the field of psychology and explore in-depth ways in
which developmental psychology can be applied to different areas of practice as a psychologist.
Course Objectives:
 Students will be able to articulate the fundamental assumptions of developmental psychology.
 Students will be able to differentiate developmental psychology from other models of
psychology.

Students will be able to articulate the process of human development across “stages” of the
human lifespan.

Students will be able to articulate the characteristics of each progressive “stage” of human
development.

Students will be able to identify processes and characteristics in case studies.

Students will be able to apply developmental psychology to specific problems in the human
condition.
Required Reading:
o
Santrock, John W. (2011). Life-Span Development (13th Edition). New York: McGraw-Hill.
o
Additional readings and materials will be distributed via Learning Suite during the course.
Class Requirements:
Participation/Contribution: We expect each student to be personally accountable for their own learning
and growth in this class. I will serve as a mediator for that to happen, but as such, your participation
inside and outside of class is essential. The quality of each class and your grade is linked to your class
participation. Students are expected to come to every class having read the assigned readings and to
participate actively (if you have problems or concerns about talking in class or asking questions please
let me know) in class lectures, discussions, and activities. I look for class contributions that move the
discussion forward, add new information, strategic insight or critical thinking. The grade is based less on
quantity and more on quality of contribution. The participation grade will be primarily my evaluation of
your participation—but you will also write a summary at the end of the semester about how you feel
you contributed and participated in class.
Class Quizzes: Throughout the semester twelve quizzes (worth 10 points each) will be administered and
cover the text, discussion, or assigned readings. The lowest two quizzes will be thrown out. You cannot
make up quizzes.
Autobiographical/Personal Reflection Papers: These assignments are to help you identify key
components of your own developmental history. Please refer to autobiographical/personal reflection
paper descriptions page for more details (found at the back of this syllabus and on Learning Suite).
Experiential Activities and Observations: This assignment is intended to give you opportunities to do
activities or observations outside of class that will allow you to apply specific developmental psychology
principles to real-life situations. You are responsible for completing two activities/observations (from
provided list or as suggested by you and approved by instructors) and for documenting your experience
in the form of a short paper describing what you did and what you learned from it. Please refer to
experiential activities and observations description page for more details (found at the back of this
syllabus and on Learning Suite).
Case Study: You will be responsible for writing a case study using developmental psychology as a lens
about a character in a book, movie, or TV show. Please refer to case study description page for more
details (found at the back of this syllabus and on Learning Suite).
Exams: You will take a midterm and a final exam this semester. Each of these exams will be composed
of two parts. Part 1 will be composed of multiple-choice, true/false, and short-answer questions and
Part 2 will be composed of essay prompts. The first part of each of these exams will come primarily from
questions that you and your study groups will create on your reading and in-class discussions. You will
be responsible for submitting one question after each class period. The second part of each of these
exams will be essay prompts provided for you by your instructors asking you to apply your knowledge of
developmental psychology to case studies. You will be given the opportunity to address two of three
prompts provided for you (2-3 page responses each) and then a longer prompt (4-5 page response). Part
1 of your exams will be “closed book, notes, and other outside material” and Part 2 will be “open notes
and book.” You are expected to complete Part 1 of each exam in one sitting; however, you may work on
Part 2 of each exam over the course of several days and in as many sittings as you would like. Please
submit each part of each exam separately as instructed on Learning Suite.
Other Classroom Issues:
Turning in Assignments. All assignments will be turned in electronically by the time provided for you on
Learning Suite. Any assignment turned in more than 5 minutes late after the time due will be considered
late and will subsequently be marked down for this.
Late Work: Late work will be accepted but will be marked down. There will be a 10% deduction for each
day that the assignment is late up until 5 days. You may not turn in assignments if they are more than 5
days late. Please notify the instructors as early as possible if you have any extenuating circumstances
that you believe will necessitate turning an assignment in late. If you experience a death in the family,
severe illness, or other more extreme extenuating circumstances, the instructors may decide not to
mark your assignment down for being late. However, do not assume that this will be the case and please
communicate as early with the instructors as possible if you believe you qualify for this accommodation.
Extra Learning (credit): Occasionally you will be given the opportunity to answer an additional question
on a quiz that will count as extra-credit. You also will be given the opportunity to create and answer
your own essay prompt on each exam for extra-credit. In addition, if you fill out an online
teacher/course evaluation during the middle of the semester and at the end of the semester (make sure
you check the box giving permission for your name to be included in a list for me) and we see that your
grade is within just a couple of points short of a higher grade, we will bump your grade up.
Class Room Etiquette. Cell phones, iPods, and any other handheld device should be turned off in class.
Laptop computers (including iPads and other tablets) can be used in this class to take notes. We may ask
you to put your laptop away occasionally if we find them to be distracting while we’re teaching. Food
and drinks are allowed (and welcomed, if you share ), but please try not to distract others.
Grading Policy:
Your grades will be calculated according to weights assigned to each portion of your course
responsibilities.. Plan on spending up to 2 hours studying for every hour you are in class.
We will use the following grading scale:
93-100% = A
90-92.99% = A87-89.99% = B+
84-86.99% = B
80-83.99% = B-
77-79.99% = C+
74-76.99% = C
70-73.99% = C67-69.99% = D+
60-66.99% = D
below 60% = F
Breakdown of Grade:
Exams
Midterm
Part 1
Part 2
Final
Part 1
Part 2
Assigned Weight
50%
20%
6.5%
13.5%
30%
10%
20%
Papers
Autobiographical/Personal Reflection 1
Autobiographical/Personal Reflection 2
30%
15%
15%
Quizzes
Each of 10 quizzes
10%
1%
Experiential/Observation Activities and Write-up
5%
Case Study
5%
TOTAL
100%
COURSE SCHEDULE
Date
8/29
9/05
9/12
9/19
9/26
10/3
(disclaimer: this schedule can be changed by the instructors at any time)
Topic
Assignments
Introductions
Review of Syllabus
Theorists/theories Index
Divide into study groups
The Life-span Perspective
Review of Study Group Requirements
House-keeping Items
Beginnings (biological concepts, prenatal development, and
birth)
Infancy
Early Childhood
Middle and Late Childhood
Adolescence
10/10
10/17
NO CLASS—work on midterm
Extended Adolescent Case Study
10/24
10/31
11/7
11/14
11/21
11/28
12/5
12/12
Read Section 1 (chapter 1)
Review Theorists/theories Index
Take Quiz 1 (on
Theorists/theories index)
Read Section 2 (ch. 2, 3)
Take Quiz 2
Read Section 3 (ch. 4, 5, 6)
Take Quiz 3
Read Section 4 (ch. 7, 8)
Take Quiz 4
Read Section 5 (Ch. 9, 10)
Take Quiz 5
Read Section 6 (ch. 11, 12)
Take Quiz 6
Autobiographical Paper 1 Due
Working in public schools with Adolescents and Children
Working with children and adolescents in clinical
environments
Early Adulthood
Clinical/Counseling work with Young Adults
NO CLASS (Thanksgiving break)
Middle Adulthood
Late Adulthood
Death, Dying, and Grieving
Review for FINAL
FINAL
Take Quiz 7 (review of
previously quizzed content)
Midterm Due by 9 AM
Take Quiz 8
Read Section 7 (ch. 13, 14)
Take Quiz 9
Read Section 8 (ch. 15, 16)
Take Quiz 10
Read Section 9 (ch. 17, 18, 19)
Take Quiz 11
Autobiographical Paper 2 Due
Read Section 10 (ch. 20)
Take Quiz 12
Final Due by 5 PM
BYU Policies:
Academic Dishonesty: All students sign the honor code which obligates them to not engage in
plagiarism or cheating; clear instances of cheating on exams or plagiarism on papers will be noticed
and due action taken. We do understand that you may need to learn how to correctly cite sources
and that access to the internet has made it easy to cheat in a variety of ways. Thus, we will take time
in class you systematically lead you through the paper-writing process and give you support in your
assignment. See http://www.byu.edu/honorcode for specific examples of intentional plagiarism,
inadvertent plagiarism, and fabrication and falsification.
Discrimination: Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits sex discrimination against
any participant in an educational program or activity that receives federal funds. The act is intended
to eliminate sex discrimination in education. Title IX covers discrimination in programs, admissions,
activities, and student-to-student sexual harassment. BYU’s policy against sexual harassment
extends not only to employees of the University but to students as well. If you encounter unlawful
sexual harassment or gender-based discrimination, please contact the Equal Employment Office at
422-5895 or 367-5689 (24-hours) or contact the Honor Code Office at 422-2847.
Students with Disabilities: BYU is committed to providing a working and learning atmosphere which
reasonably accommodates qualified persons with disabilities. If you have any disability which may
impair your ability to complete this course successfully, please contact the Services for Students
with Disabilities (SSD) office at 422-2767. Reasonable academic accommodations are reviewed for
all students who have qualified documented disabilities. Services are coordinated by the SSD office.
If you need assistance or feel you have been unlawfully discriminated against on the basis of
disability, you may seek resolution through established grievance policy and procedures. You should
contact the Equal Employment Office at 422-5895, D-282 ASB.
Plagiarism. It is an act of plagiarism to "borrow" ideas or quotes from former students' old papers
and from the papers of students presently taking the course with you. Plagiarism also includes
quoting or paraphrasing passages from any of your references without giving proper credit to the
real authors (i.e., an APA-style citation), because doing so implies that this information came from
you. Presenting the ideas of others as one's own is called plagiarism. Plagiarism, as defined by the
BYU Honor Code, is a form of intellectual theft. It is an act of fraud; it is dishonest, deceitful,
unethical, and can lead to serious and lasting negative consequences for your academic and
professional career. For this reason, please follow the course guidelines for when and when not to
read other 378 students’ papers (including those from other sections) or have them read yours. In
addition, please use only those sources that meet the course criteria for acceptable reference
materials.
Preventing Sexual Discrimination and Harassment. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
prohibits sex discrimination against any participant in an educational program or activity that
receives federal funds. The act is intended to eliminate sex discrimination in education and pertains
to admissions, academic and athletic programs, and university-sponsored activities. Title IX also
prohibits sexual harassment of students by university employees, other students, and visitors to
campus. If you encounter sexual harassment or gender-based discrimination, please talk to your
professor; contact the Equal Employment Office at 801-422-5895 or 1-888-238-1062 (24-hours), or
http://www.ethicspoint.com; or contact the Honor Code Office at 801-422-2847.
Autobiographical/Personal Reflection Paper Description Page
Autobiographical/Personal Reflection Paper 1:
Write a 10+ page paper (double-spaced, Times New Roman font) addressing the following areas of information:
·
Biological factors of import (any know biological pieces that play into your life experience)
·
Prenatal development (teratogen exposure, how much did your mother attend to things like teratogens—
maybe ask about knowledge they had at time regarding over-the-counter med use, etc., maternal stress, easy
or hard pregnancy and why, etc.)
·
Birth experience (i.e., any complications, natural or not, at home or hospital, etc.)
·
Development in infancy (physical, cognitive, socioemotional)
·
Development in early childhood (physical, cognitive, socioemotional)
·
Development in middle and late childhood (physical, cognitive, socioemotional)
Please address any connections you make between all of this and your memories or memories of others from the
time (e.g. you might remember being worried because you knew one of your siblings was really sick during your
middle childhood—connect this with report from others about what was occurring at that time and how it might have
played into your functioning and development in different ways; another example would be describing what your
relationship was like with your father during early childhood as far as you can piece it together and then relate this to
what you know about how this might affect development and whether it is a typical experience for a child of that age
from your particular culture and SES group).
Gather this information from as many sources as possible including ones such as your own memories, memories of
siblings, info from parents, grandparents, etc. Some of you will have access to much more outside information that
others, and that is expected. Just gather what you can and address as much as you are able. Please let us know if
you have special circumstances that are making this assignment hard for you, and we will find a way to address your
needs and adjust the assignment as necessary.
Please submit this paper by the time class starts on the day it is due (Oct 17, 9 AM). Your paper is considered late if it
is turned in after this. It will be marked down 10% for each day it is late, and will count as a day late on the day it is
due if it is turned in after class begins (i.e. Paper turned in 20 minutes after class starts is marked down 10%, paper
turned in after that same time the next day is marked down 20%, etc.). Submit your paper online through Learning
Suite.
Autobiographical/Personal Reflection Paper 2:
Write a 10+ page paper (double-spaced, Times New Roman font) addressing the following areas of information:
·
Your own adolescent development (physical, cognitive, and socioemotional)
·
Your own early adulthood development (physical, cognitive, and socioemotional)
·
If you are currently in middle or late adulthood, please address these areas of development as well (physical,
cognitive, socioemotional)
Please address any connections you make between all of this and your memories or memories of others from the
time. Please address areas of development as discussed in your text, but also include information about your
development from different theorists’ perspectives that are not in your book, but are covered in class, such as
Chickering and Perry.
Gather information from as many sources as possible including ones such as your own memories, memories of
siblings, info from parents, grandparents, spouses, significant others, roommates, children, etc. Some of you will have
access to much more outside information that others, and that is expected. Just gather what you can and address as
much as you are able. Please let me know if you have special circumstances that are making this assignment hard
for you, and we will find a way to address your needs and adjust the assignment as necessary.
Please submit this paper by the time class starts on the day it is due (Nov 28th, 9 AM). Your paper is considered late
if it is turned in after this. It will be marked down 10% for each day it is late, and will count as a day late on the day it
is due if it is turned in after class begins (i.e. Paper turned in 20 minutes after class starts is marked down 10%, paper
turned in after that same time the next day is marked down 20%, etc.). Submit your paper online through Learning
Suite.
Experiential Activities and Observations Description Page
*You are responsible for completing two of these activities/observations and for turning in your documentation of your
learning by the beginning of class on December 5, 2012. Please turn them in electronically via Learning Suite. Total
documentation length should be approximately 3-6 type-written pages (double-spaced, 12-pnt font).
Activity
Point Value
Documentation of Learning
Write
a
reflection
paper
that discusses what you learned. What
50
Observe a preschool class,
surprised you? What developmental levels did you observe? What
an elementary classroom, or
were the behavioral manifestations of the developmental levels of the
a secondary classroom for 45
(per
children? How did the environment/teacher appropriately meet the
minutes.
observation) developmental needs of the children?
What developmentally appropriate/inappropriate behaviors did you
Observe a youth sporting
observe? What adult behaviors did you observe that contributed to
event such as a soccer
healthy child development? Was the behavior of the children gender
50
game, dance, other
consistent? What recommendations would you give to the coaches and
presentation
parents to create a developmentally responsive experience for the
children?
What were the parent’s experiences with a child with special needs?
What are the joys and challenges of having a child with special needs?
What community or school services have contributed to helping this
Interview a parent who has a
50
child reach appropriate developmental levels? What are the parents’
child with special needs
expectations for the future of this child? If they could change one thing
about being the parent of a child with special needs, what would they
change?
How have dances changed since you were a youth? What cultural
Chaperone a jr. high or sr.
influences have contributed to these changes? What socially
50
high school dance
appropriate/inappropriate behaviors did you observe? What would you
do to make the dance more enjoyable for all students?
What social behaviors did you observe? Were they within the normal
behavior range? What gender specific behaviors did you observe?
Eat school lunch
50
What influence did culture have on the behaviors of the students you
observed?
What developmental levels did you observe? What behaviors were
Volunteer to help in the
inside/outside the normal development range? How do you know?
nursery at your church or
50
What adult behaviors contributed to healthy child development? What
other community center
recommendations or commendations would you give the nursery
leaders or parents?
Interview a speech language
pathologist to determine how
Write a reflection paper discussing the role of language in
he/she works with children
50
development? What are frequently occurring speech delays? How can
and how caregivers can help
caregivers help children develop healthy language skills? Other?
children develop language
skills.
Interview an occupational
therapist and a physical
Write a reflection paper discussing the role of occupational and
therapist. What are their roles
physical therapists in helping children experience optimal
50
in the schools? How do they
development? How do they work with parents/families? How do they
help children develop
identify which children need their services?
appropriately?
Observe at least two recess
Write a reflection paper that documents how social development
periods and document how
theories were played out during your observation? Did children of
50
the children interacted
different cultures play similarly or differently? How? What behaviors
socially.
seemed developmentally appropriate? Developmentally inappropriate?
Interview parents or
Write a reflection paper that discusses how your culture and the other
caregivers from a culture that
50
culture are different? Similar? How does the culture influence parenting
is different from your culture
styles? How does the culture influence child development?
Observe a special education
Ask the teacher about the disabilities of the youngsters. What was the
50
classroom for 45 minutes and
role of the school counselor or school psychologist in identifying the
Activity
interview the teacher
Other
Point Value
Documentation of Learning
student as disabled? What was their role in developing interventions?
How does this classroom structure differ from a general education
classroom? What aspects of the classroom were developmentally
appropriate? How did the apparent development of the students in this
classroom differ from the students in a general education setting.
Check with professor
Case Study Description Page
Write an in-depth analysis of the development of a character in a movie or book (of your own choosing). Note the
ways in which you see evidence of different developmental milestones (or lack thereof) in multiple domains. Is your
character developing in ways that seem developmentally typical? Why or why not? How did you determine this? How
would you describe the psychological functioning of this character? How would you address this psychological
functioning in psychological terms? You may outline the development of your character throughout many years and
domains in a more general fashion or you can focus on a very specific time in a character's life and very specific
domains of development, but go much more in-depth. Your analysis should be at least 4 pages, double-spaced, 12
point font. Please turn it in electronically through Learning Suite.
Additionally, you have the option of presenting your case study to the class for up to 10 points of extra credit. These
presentations should last anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes long and clearly demonstrate the development of the
character you analyzed. If you choose this extra-credit option, please be aware that you must turn an outline in for
approval before you wish to present and you also may not be able to present if you wait until the last few sessions of
class and there is not enough time.