Psyc 307: Child Dev
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Psychology 307: Child Development
Hartwick College
Spring 2012, MWF 0905-1000, Clark 244
Professor Availability
Dr. Katharine Blackwell (BlackwellK@hartwick.edu, x 4123)
Office Hours: Mon. 2:45-3:45, Weds. 10-11 & 12:30-1:30, Thurs. 1-2, Fri. 10-11 (Clark 214).
Feel free to drop in at other times.
Email Policies
I check email frequently 9am-4pm, and not at all 8pm-8am. I will try to respond within the hour
to straightforward questions, but may take up to 24 hours for more complex emails.
If at all possible, you should limit emails to factual questions and meeting requests; I am much
more receptive to requests for help or exceptional circumstances if you come to me in person.
Whatever email you send, please include an informative subject line (e.g., "Psyc 307 paper") and
compose your message in complete sentences with a proper salutation and closing.
Catalog Description
Psychology 307 Child Development (3 credits). This course investigates the cognitive and social
development of children from infancy to middle childhood (birth to 8 years). The first half of the
course will consider infant and toddler development with the goal of understanding the origins of
knowledge and how nature and nurture interact in development. The second half of the course
will consider the qualitative shifts in thinking and interacting with others that occur during the
preschool and early elementary school years, such as changes in how we remember events from
our lives and how we understand what other people think.
Textbook
Gauvain, M. & Cole, M. (2008). Readings on the Development of Children, 5th Ed. New York:
Worth Publishers. ISBN: 1429216494
What You Will Learn in this Course (Learning Outcomes)
Throughout the course, students will apply scientific thinking to the major questions and ideas of
child development. By the end of the course, students will be able to:
1. Describe fundamental principles of child development, such as how nature and nurture
interact to influence development and how children's perception of the world is qualitatively
different from adults'.
2. Describe key developmental aspects of language, memory, executive function, personality,
morality, and peer relations.
3. Evaluate whether studies of child development use appropriate methods for infants and
children (such as habituation and longitudinal vs. cross-sectional analysis) and what
reasonable conclusions can be drawn from their results.
4. Interpret scientific claims and evidence about child development for a general audience.
5. Recognize aspects of psychological development in children, and evaluate how "real world"
development compares to the theories and scientific findings discussed in class.
Psyc 307: Child Dev
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How You Will Be Graded (Outcomes Assessment)
Participation/Engagement (20%)
Students are expected to remain engaged in the course material throughout the semester. This
involves more than physical attendance; students should plan on engaging through some
combination of asking questions, participating in class discussions and group activities, and
visiting office hours. Any absences from class will hurt your participation grade. Make-up
activities are possible for classes missed due to illness, family emergency, or college sponsored
events; these activities will take at least as long as the missed class(es). (Outcomes 1-5)
Reading Analysis (20%)
Students will answer comprehension and critical thinking questions about each reading on the
syllabus. These questions can be found on the last page of each reading from the textbook, and
will be provided electronically for supplementary readings. Answers to the questions must be
numbered, typed and double-spaced. Each of the 26 readings is worth 1% of the final grade, so
students may either take six "free passes" or use the extra articles as extra credit. Even if you are
skipping the reading analysis, you are expected to have read the article. (Outcomes 2 & 3)
Head Start Service Learning (30%)
To help make child development "real" and provide hands-on interactions with children, all
students will participate in service-learning with Head Start. Students will volunteer at least 20
hours with Head Start over the course of the semester, and complete a portfolio of 5 reflections
(~1 reflection per 4 hours of volunteering). Initial drafts of the reflections will be brought to class
alternating Fridays, beginning Friday, March 9, for discussion and peer review before being
submitted to the professor the following Friday (March 16, April 6, April 20, May 4 & May
18). More details on Pages 6-7. As partial compensation for the service learning hours, class will
not meet on three days (March 16th, and 2 days to be announced). (Outcomes 2, 4, & 5).
Final Project (30%)
Students will explore an aspect of child development that they find interesting, and create a final
product that analyzes, applies or enriches the current scientific understanding of that topic.
During the semester, students will submit a project proposal (March 21) and annotated
bibliography (April 30). Final products will be presented in a science fair during the final exam
period (date and time to be determined). Details are provided on Pages 8-9. (Outcomes 1-4)
You Are Unlikely To Enjoy This Course If…
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


You want to be lectured at, and to have all the information you are supposed to learn spelled
out explicitly on slides for you to memorize.
You are hesitant to venture ideas or interpretations about course content in front of fellow
students, because you are concerned about being wrong or any other reason.
The phrase “It’s a Psychology class, not an English class” reflects your attitude toward paper
writing practices and standards.
You have a hard time meeting deadlines, and tend to put off work until the last minute.
You think you deserve an "A" for putting in some time and checking off all the official
requirements of an assignment – in this class, simply meeting requirements is a "C".
Psyc 307: Child Dev
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Additional Readings
Baron-Cohen, S. (2002). Is Asperger Syndrome necessarily viewed as a disability? Focus on Autism
and Other Developmental Disabilities, 17, 186-191.
Bruck, M. & Ceci, S. (2004). Forensic developmental psychology: Unveiling four common
misconceptions. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 13, 229-232.
Christakis, D. A. (2008). The effects of infant media usage: What do we know and what should we
learn? Acta Paediatrica, 98, 8-16.
Diamond, A., Barnett, W. S., Thomas, J., & Munro, S. (2007). Preschool program improves
cognitive control. Science, 318, 1387-1388.
Haith, M. M. (1998). Who put the cog in infant cognition? Is rich interpretation too costly? Infant
Behavior and Development, 21, 167-179.
Moore, C. (2009). Fairness in children's resource allocation depends on the recipient. Psychological
Science, 20, 944-948.
Nelson, K. (1993). The psychological and social origins of autobiographical memory. Psychological
Science, 4, 7-14.
Perner, J., Ruffman, T., & Leekam, S. R. (1994). Theory of mind is contagious: You catch it from
your sibs. Child Development, 65, 1228-1238.
Course Schedule, Part I – The Origins of Knowledge
Feb. 13
The Why & How of Child Dev
Wednesday: #3, Bell. Parent, child, and reciprocal influences.
Friday: #8, Reiss The interplay between genotypes and family relationships
Feb. 20
Methods of Studying Child Development
Monday: #4, Werner. Children of the Garden Island
Friday: Haith (1998). Who put the cog in infant cognition?
Feb. 27
Infant Cognition
Monday: Head Start guest speaker
Wednesday: #16, Baillargeon & Wang. Event categorization in infancy.
Friday: #7, Bauer. Recall in infancy.
Mar. 5
The Social Infant
Monday: #11, Kagan. Temperament and reactions to unfamiliarity.
Wednesday: #18, Campos. Early experience and emotional development.
Friday: Head start reflection initial draft (for discussion)
Mar. 12
Language Acquisition
Monday: #7, DeCasper & Fifer. Of human bonding.
Wednesday: #15, Werker. Becoming a native listener.
Friday: NO CLASS. Head Start reflection (for grading) by 12 noon.
Mar. 19
Infancy in the 21st Century
Monday: Christakis (2008). The effects of infant media usage.
Wednesday: Final project proposal
Friday: Head start reflection initial draft (for discussion)
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Course Schedule, Part II – Becoming Human
Apr. 2
Autobiographical Memory
Mon: Nelson (1993). Psychological and social origins of autobiographical memory
Wednesday: Bruck & Ceci (2004). Forensic developmental psychology.
Friday: Head Start reflection final reflection (for grading)
Apr. 9
Cognitive Development
Monday: #5, Piaget. Development and learning.
Monday: #6, Vygotsky. Interaction between learning and development.
Friday: Diamond et al. (2007). Preschool program improves cognitive control.
Friday: Head start reflection initial reflection (for discussion)
Apr. 16
Intelligence & Creativity
Monday: #13, Hermann et al. Humans have evolved specialized skills.
Wednesday: #1, Bjorklund. The adaptive nature of cognitive immaturity.
Friday: Head Start reflection final reflection (for grading)
Apr. 23
Play & Peers
Monday: #22, Farver & Howes. Cultural differences in pretend play.
Wednesday: Perner et al. (1994). Theory of mind is contagious.
Friday: Head start reflection initial reflection (for discussion)
Apr. 30
The Moral Child
Monday: #21, Bandura et al. Transmission of aggression.
Monday: Final project annotated bibliography
Wednesday: Moore (2009). Fairness in children's resource allocation.
Friday: Head Start reflection final reflection (for grading)
May 7
Development in Other Cultures
Mon: #10, Hewlett et al. Culture and early infancy among central African foragers.
Wednesday: #20, Vinden. Understanding minds and evidence for belief.
Friday: NO CLASS (Scholar Showcase)
May 14
Atypical Development
Mon.: #12, Rutter et al. Specificity and heterogeneity in children's responses.
Weds.: Baron-Cohen (2002). Is Asperger Syndrome necessarily a disability?
Friday: Head Start reflection final reflection (for grading)
Final Exam Period – TBA. Presentation of final projects.
This is the master schedule for this course. If there is any conflict in dates on this syllabus, the
dates on this page and the previous one are the dates to be followed.
This schedule is subject to change. Students will receive at least one week’s notice for any
changes, and an updated schedule will be posted on Blackboard for reference.
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Administrative Policies
Assignment Policies
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Papers must be submitted as hard copies, typed and stapled. Assignments are not
accepted over email without explicit, advance permission due to personal emergencies.

Assignments are due in the first 5 minutes of class; late work may be accepted at the
professor's discretion within 48 hours, with at least 1 letter grade penalty.

Papers must follow formatting guidelines; a template will be provided on Blackboard.
Papers that are not double spaced with 12-point Times New Roman font will not be
accepted; other formatting deviations will receive up to 1 letter grade penalty.

I should never be the first person to read your paper. Papers that have enough errors to
suggest that they have not been proofread will be returned ungraded; students can
resubmit within 48 hours with a 25% penalty.

I am always willing to read and provide help with drafts, as long as they are provided in
hard copy during office hours or with 48 hours notice.
Academic Honesty
The College’s policy on Academic Dishonesty can be found from the “Current Students”
homepage under the Policy and Handbooks tab. Pay particular attention to the notion of
plagiarism. All ideas and words contained in a work to which you sign your name must be
your own, or must be cited as the idea or words of others. Changing a few words to
synonyms or rearranging parts of sentences is not paraphrasing. A handout on "Avoiding
Accidental Plagiarism" will be distributed in class, and students will be required to sign that they
have read and understood plagiarism before any assignments can be submitted.
Special Accommodations
If you have a documented disability who will require academic accommodations, please inform
me as soon as possible. You will need to work with Jennifer Morgenstein, the Coordinator of
Disability Services, 5th floor Library, and 607.431.4546.
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Head Start Partnership
The partnership between Head Start and the Child Development course is a mutually beneficial
arrangement that provides student with an opportunity to observe real children and give back to
the community, and provides Head Start with “in-kind” donations that support federal funding.
I. Volunteer Hours (10% of final grade – each hour worth 0.5%)
The Head Start partnership will begin on Monday, February 27th when director Jane Couden
will visit the class to describe Head Start's goals and background, and to help students set up
volunteer hours for the semester.
Students are required to complete 20 hours with Head Start, spread out over the course of the
semester. I recommend scheduling 2-3 hours per week beginning the week of March 5th, but any
arrangement that completes 20 hours and provides new observations for each reflection
assignment is acceptable.
One way to pick up additional hours is to help chaperone a field trip to the Farmer's Museum in
Cooperstown from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 8th. The field trip is a fun chance
to interact with children outside of the typical day care classroom. Official permission slips will
be provided to excuse absences from any Tuesday classes.
Head Start is located on River Street. Students are responsible for getting themselves to and from
this location to complete their hours. Oneonta Public Transit has a River Street route that leaves
from the downtown bus terminal every hour, and a chance to arrange carpools will be provided.
II. Reflections (20% of final grade – each initial draft worth 1%, final draft worth 3%)
Students will write five (5) service learning reflections that describe an experience from the
volunteer hours and connects it to course content. Students will bring initial drafts to discuss
with classmates on alternating Fridays beginning Friday, Mach 9th, and will then have a week
to reflect further and revise before submitting final drafts (with initial drafts attached) on the
due dates listed on Pages 3-4.
A sample reflection will be provided in class; the grading rubric is provided on Page 8. As a
general guideline, in your reflections you should:

Open with an introduction to the general topic you will cover, and a thesis statement that
conveys the ultimate message of your reflection, to be supported in the rest of the paper.

Write a brief (1-2 paragraph) factual account of an experience you had, explaining so it
will make sense to someone who wasn't present, without getting bogged down in detail.

Interpret the events you described (2-3 paragraphs); make connections to specific
concepts or findings from readings or class, noting what is similar and what is different.

Conclude with your own opinions or feelings: what did you learn about the course,
children in general, or yourself?
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Service Learning Guidelines
Adapted from “Faculty Toolkit for Service-Learning in Higher Education”
As you work with Head Start, you are representing your professor and Hartwick College. You
are expected to abide by the following guidelines:

Be flexible. What you are doing from visit to visit and how much interaction or help you
will receive varies.

Know your limits. Never make promises or commitments that you cannot keep.

Dress neatly, comfortably, and appropriately for a preschool classroom. You should be
able to sit on the floor and interact with the children, but should also appear professional.
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Be punctual and responsible. Head Start is counting on you to help in the classroom at
certain hours of the day, and the children are probably looking forward to it to. Plan to
arrive on time and remain for the full length of your visit.
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Call ahead if you will be late or absent. Notify Head Start if you are running late, or are
ill and need to reschedule your volunteer hours. Head Start is counting on your presence
and will be at a loss if you don’t come in as scheduled.
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Behave professionally. Use formal names (Mrs., etc) for teachers and staff unless invited
to use first names. Never report to Head Start under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
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Respect professional boundaries. Never give or loan money or personal belongings to the
children, take them out of the classroom by yourself without permission of the teacher, or
give a ride in your personal vehicle.
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Respect the Head Start agency. You are serving them, but they are also serving you (by
allowing you to gain hands-on experience) and the community (by offering a needed
service to families).
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Respect the privacy of all children. Use pseudonyms for each child (try to be consistent
across the semester) so that children’s identities remain privileged and private.
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Ask for help when in doubt. If you are ever uncertain how to respond or what to do in a
particular situation, check with the classroom teacher or Head Start director before acting.
Breaking these guidelines will hurt the service learning component of your grade. Students who
repeatedly arrive late, miss their Head Start hours without notice, or behave
inappropriately may receive a 0 for the service learning component of their grade. Signing
the syllabus contract (final page) and remaining enrolled in this course indicates that you agree to
follow these guidelines as you complete the service learning.
Psyc 307: Child Dev
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Head Start Reflections – Grading Rubric
Reflection
Analysis
Relevance
Clarity
A (Reflective)
B (Aware)
C (Descriptive)
D (Unacceptable)
Uses clear and expressive
language so the reader can
visualize the situation
described. Explanation of
concepts is accurate and
would make sense to an
uninformed reader.
Uses mostly clear language
to completely describe the
situation and analysis, but
explanations require some
background knowledge or
inferences by the reader.
Attempts to describe situation
and analysis clearly, but
explanations of events or
concepts are incomplete and
only clear if the reader
already knows them.
Language is unclear and
confusing. Experiences and
concepts are either not
discussed or are presented
inaccurately.
Experience being reflected on
is clearly relevant and
insightfully connects to
course content and goals.
Experience being reflected on
is clearly relevant, with
straightforward connections
to course content and goals.
Experience being reflected on
relates to child development
broadly, but connections to
specific course concepts are
tenuous or unclear.
Most of the reflection is
irrelevant to the course
learning goals (does not
focus on understanding social
and cognitive development).
Moves beyond description to
analyze how the experience
contributed to understanding
course concepts and children.
Analysis has breadth
(multiple perspectives) and
depth (claims supported by
evidence).
Attempts to analyze, but
lacks depth or breadth. Either
takes one claim or theory as
read without questioning, or
does not support claims with
evidence or detailed logic.
Student attempts to analyze,
but lacks depth and breadth.
States one general claim or
theory that is connected, and
does not describe in detail or
support with specific
evidence.
Does not move beyond
simple description of events;
no analysis of what they
mean.
Thoughtfully questions
student’s own biases,
preconceptions, or
assumptions.
Begins to question student's
preconceptions/assumptions,
but does not do so in depth.
Identifies student’s own
preconceptions/assumptions,
but doesn’t seem to connect
them to the events described;
they just “are”.
Does not mentions student’s
own preconceptions or
assumptions about child
development, and how they
relate to the experience
described.
Adapted from rubric by Stephen Jones, IUPUI Center on Service and Learning, from the Service-Learning Research Primer.
Psyc 307: Child Dev
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Final Project
Purpose
Students will explore an aspect of child development that they find interesting, in greater depth
than is possible in the confines of the classroom. Students will create a final product that
analyzes, applies or enriches the current scientific understanding of that topic.
Examples



Investigate the effects of concussions in child athletes. Produce a public service
announcement to share with parents and coaches explaining the dangers.
Design a program to improve children’s literacy in poor neighborhoods. Create a website
advertising and explaining that program.
Investigate the typical features and causes of autism. Write a children's book explaining
autism to siblings or classmates.
Final Product Requirements
Students will turn in a 2-3 page project proposal on Wednesday, March 21st. This proposal
should describe the question the student is interested in investigating, the planned format of the
final product, one peer-reviewed resource the student has already identified, and an outline of
what questions or information the student will need to investigate to complete this project.
Students will turn in an annotated bibliography (10% of final grade) on Monday, April 30th.
The annotated bibliography will contain at least 6 peer reviewed research publications, with a
paragraph-long description of each resource describing the main claims or findings and briefly
analyzing those claims, in general or in relation to the final product.
Students will display their final product (20% of final grade) in a "science fair" held during the
final exam period. All students should be prepared to showcase their final product to their
professor and their peers and to answer questions about their work.
Final Product Evaluation
Final products will be evaluated according to the rubric provided on the reverse. In brief, to
receive an "A" the student must (in order of importance)

Demonstrate mastery of the relevant scientific literature, so the audience is always clear
how the product is based on scientific findings.

Communicate to the intended audience in a clear and organized fashion, so the audience
is always aware of the author's message and how each aspect of the product supports it.

Demonstrate substantial original thinking.

Present a polished final product representing a substantial time investment.
Psyc 307: Child Dev
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Final Project – Grading Rubric
Content
(40%)
Product demonstrates expertise in the
relevant scientific literature. The
included information is a thorough
reflection of scientific ideas and
findings without being overwhelming,
and indicates no gaps in student
thoughts and understanding.
Product demonstrates thorough
understanding of the relevant scientific
literature. All content is connected to or
based on findings and ideas from the
scientific literature with only minimal
gaps in student understanding.
Product is informative and
demonstrates some understanding of
the relevant science. Most content is
connected to findings and ideas from
the scientific literature, although the
links may be tenuous or demonstrate
some gaps in student understanding.
Clarity
(30%)
C (Meets Requirements)
The audience is always aware of the
author's purpose, and how each feature
supports the main message. The
product has clear organizational
structure that is apparent from the
beginning of the piece and is supported
throughout the piece in both the flow
from one idea to the next and how each
idea connects to the main message.
The audience easily understands the
author's purpose or overall message,
and can understand the main claims and
scientific basis of the product with
minimal gaps or inferences. The
product is easy to follow and flows
smoothly and logically from one point
to the next.
The intended audience will get an
overall idea of the product's purpose,
but there may be some difficulty in
understanding how specific features of
the product support that message. The
product demonstrates and executes
some overall plan, but flow from start
to end may be choppy or blunt.
Creativity
(15%)
B (Exceeds Requirements)
Product is unique, exciting and fresh. It
demonstrates substantial original
thinking in both content (inferences
from and connections between sources)
and execution (unique voice).
Product demonstrates original thought
in content and/or execution, primarily
in the form of combining existing ideas
or materials in new ways rather than
generating new ideas and materials.
Product offers glimpses of original
thought and novel ideas, although the
majority of the product describes or
recycles ideas and materials from
existing resources.
Execution
(15%)
A (Exceeds Expectations)
Product is clear and polished, holding
audience's attention and making them
want to linger and learn more. The final
work clearly demonstrates a substantial
time investment and skill.
Product is interesting and informative,
and student appears confident in both
the information and how it is presented.
The final work represents a reasonable
time investment and skill.
Product is acceptable, though it still
shows sign of needing additional work.
An audience that is already interested
in the topic would find the product
interesting. The final work suggests a
minimal time investment.
Psyc 307: Child Dev
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Psyc 307: Child Development
Student-Faculty Contract
For any course to succeed, the students and the professor need to be committed to the course. I
have identified the key principles I believe make for a successful class, and placed them in this
contract. If, following a class discussion of this contract, you cannot initial each item and abide
by them for the rest of the semester, you should strongly consider dropping the course.
_____ 1. I will arrive on time to every class, having completed all readings and assignments.
_____ 2. I will remain present throughout class, in body (not leaving except during designated
breaks) and mind (not distracted by my cell phone or other work).
_____ 3. I will take responsibility for meeting all deadlines and adhering to all policies and
requirements in the syllabus, even if the professor does not remind me about them.
_____ 4. I will put my full effort into all assignments, as if each one were the determining factor
for my final grade, even those marked "rough draft" or graded pass/fail.
_____ 5. I will complete my assignments with time to overcome any technological problems
(printer offline, e-mail attachment failure, etc.), and will not present technology
problems as an excuse for late or incomplete work.
_____ 6. I will ask questions when I am uncertain about class content or assignment
requirements, even if I think I am the only one with that question, and even if I think I
am interrupting the professor.
_____ 7. I will approach the professor in person immediately I think circumstances should allow
me to break this contract. I understand that if I do not have prior approval, breaking this
contract will reduce my participation grade by at least 4 percentage points, on top of
specific reductions (e.g., late penalty).
Name: __________________________ Signature: ___________________________________
Date: ___________________
In return, I as the professor will make corresponding commitments:
I will arrive on time with a complete lesson plan and all materials I need to help students meet
that day's learning goals. I will remain present throughout class, in body and mind. I will
provide official breaks during long or intense class meetings. I will return all assignments with
grades within one week of their submission, with thorough feedback so that students can see why
they received a specific grade and how they can improve their grade on future assignments. I
will make time for student questions, listen to all questions respectfully, and answer all questions
to the best of my ability. I will carefully consider all extenuating circumstances presented when
students ask for exceptions or extensions.