Human Development PSYC 2030

In addition, this course will be taught from a life-span developmental perspective. This perspective maintains that human development occurs at all points across the life-span and that we develop within a cultural context. Thus, we will look at development from "womb to tomb" and examine different developmental patterns cross-culturally. We will examine change and consistency in human behavior across the life-span including social, cognitive, personality, emotional, and physical development.

This course is coded for the Scientific Understanding goal in the General Education program. Scientific Understanding is defined as the analysis of the concepts of a scientific discipline and its methods, limitations, and impact in the modern world.

This course is also coded for the Values goal in the General Education program. Values is defined as critical reflection on the attitudes and beliefs relevant to individual and social choices and actions.

Course Objectives and Outcomes:

1. Objective: To develop an understanding of the life-span developmental perspective and the relevance of this perspective for studying change and continuity in psychological processes over time.
   Outcomes: Students will be able to articulate the life-span developmental perspective and related the novel features of this perspective relevant to development across the life-course.

2. Objective: To become familiar with the research methodology commonly used by developmental psychologists. To become familiar with the scientific method, and examine the benefits and limitations of this method of inquiry as it relates to developmental psychology.
   Outcomes: Students will be able to differentiate between the major observational, correlational, experimental, and quasi-experimental designs used by developmental psychologists and articulate the benefits and limitations of each. Students will be able to critique various studies and theories based on this information.

3. Objective: To become familiar with the major theories of human development. To examine how these theories were formed, tested, and perhaps, validated.
   Outcomes: Students will be able to articulate the three major metatheories used by to explain human development and will be able to identify a theory exemplifying each metatheory. Students will be able to articulate the major theories used to explain human development and be able to articulate and critically evaluate each theory.

4. Objectives: To develop an understanding of the various types of development that an individual experiences across the life-course (ie. physiological, cognitive, social, personality, etc.).
   Outcomes: Students will be able to articulate definitions for each type of development. Students will be able to critique both positively and negatively the theories and models used to explain each type of development.

5. Objective: To explore the effects of various social contexts on the development of the individual across the life-span (ie. society, family, work, etc.).
   Outcomes: Students will be able to discuss development as it relates to social context e.g. career development, retirement, family structures, parenting, etc.

6. Objectives: To examine some of the psychological disorders that occur throughout the life-span which are correlated with age.
   Outcomes: Students will be able to discuss the symptomatology, possible etiology, and proposed treatment for developmentally related psychological disorders such as autism, eating disorders, and Alzheimer's disease.

7. Objective: To explore development at the later end of the life-span.
   Outcomes: Students will be able to differentiate between the myths and realities of aging. Students will be able to define ageism and be able to articulate the impact that ageism and the myths related to aging have on the older adult and on society. Students will be able to differentiate between and discuss normal and non-normal aging related to the various types of development.

8. Objective: To become familiar with the rapidly growing body of literature on human development.
   Outcomes: Students will be able to read current literature related to a specific human development topic and write a paper discussing and evaluating this research.

9. Objective: To further develop writing skills in conjunction with the use of APA format.
   Outcomes: Students will be able write their paper in APA format.

• Syllabus

Discussion List for those registered for PSYC 2030

Links for Students

• Webster University Library
• Webster University

• American Psychological Society
• American Psychological Association

• MegaPsych Page
• Psychology-Related Resources
• Wayne State University's GeroWeb - This site provides links to almost every gerontology related page on the web.

• A Guide for Writing Research Papers based on American Psychological Association (APA) Documentation
• APA Style Guide prepared by Mark Plonsky
• APA Publication format - Web Extensions

• Yahoo - the all-purpose search engine

Points of Interest which can be found on the Woolf Gerontology Page

Theoretical Perspectives Relevant to Developmental Psychology

Various theoretical perspectives within the field of developmental psychology are currently being debated. These perspectives influence one's analyses of developmental theory and research. This paper discusses the major world view and paradigms used by developmental psychologists, the plethora of terms used to describe development, research designs and their impact on developmental theory, and the impact of the context on development.

Knowledge of Aging Quiz

How much do you think you know about the aging process or older adults? For example, do you know what happens to memory or intelligence with age? Do you know what percent of older adults are suffering from some form of dementia or are living in a long-term care facility (nursing home)?

Elder Abuse and Neglect

As the number and percentage of individuals 65 and over has increased in this country, so has the incidence of elder abuse. Unfortunately, the prevalence and nature of this growing problem has generally remained hidden from public view. It is imperative that both professionals and lay persons become more aware of the scope and many issues surrounding this sensitive topic.

Long-Term Care Facility Selection Guide

Tips for Selecting a Short-Term/Long-Term Care Facility (Nursing Home) - The process of selecting a short/long-term care facility can be a difficult one. Often the decision needs to be made quickly and occurs within the context of strong emotions such as quilt, fear, and doubt. Therefore, the tips provided may serve to focus one's thoughts and enable the best decision to be made for all involved.

Ageism

American society has been described as maintaining a stereotypic and often negative perception of older adults. This negative and/or stereotypic perception of aging and aged individuals is readily apparent in such areas as language, media, and humor. The term used to describe this stereotypic and often negative bias against older adults is "ageism".

Gay and Lesbian Aging

Many myths and negative stereotypes exist concerning the aged and the homosexual. Together, the older gay or lesbian suffers from a double stigma in American society. The image of the older gay man or lesbian as depressed, isolated, desperate, and sexless is prevalent. This image, however, does not hold up empirically.

Life Review

It has been theorized that all individuals experience the life review during later life. According to Butler (1963), as individuals realize that there is limited time remaining to them, they will examine what kind of life they have lived, and whether they feel their life was a success or failure. The life review process and the knowledge of completion of being are thus, according to this theory, inextricably woven together. But does this theory hold up under empirical scrutiny? Does one's life scroll before the mind's eye as one approaches the end of their life?

Information concerning the Master of Arts degree in Applied Gerontology, Webster University:

Applied Gerontology Program (Frames Version)
Applied Gerontology Program (No Frames Version)