Revised 04/2013
PSY 231 - Life Span Development I (3 CR.)
Course Description
Investigates human behavior through the life cycle. Describes physical, cognitive, and psycho-social aspects of human development from conception to death.
Part I of II. Lecture 3 hours per week. (Students who take either PSY 231 or PSY 232 cannot receive credit for PSY 230.) (Students who take PSY 231 cannot receive credit for PSY 235.)
General Course Purpose
The purpose of this course is to provide an understanding of how behavior is shaped by the interaction of maturational and environmental variables throughout life.
Course Prerequisites/Corequisites
None.
Course Objectives
- List advantages and disadvantages of various developmental research methods and critically evaluate the validity of research findings
- Interpret the complexity of factors, including culture, that influence development and behavior.
- Explain the various environmental influences on development and behavior through the early school years
- Describe the major theories (e.g. Piaget, Erikson) of human development and articulate examples of how they might apply in everyday life
- Interpret developmental stages from various psychological perspectives (psychodynamic, cognitive, bio-social, behavioral, and psychosocial).
- Evaluate the usefulness of norms in understanding human development -“normal” is a relative term and that normalcy can be different for different cultures and ethnic groups, and that what is defined as normal can change over time
- List the stages of human development through early school years and describe the key changes and their resulting behaviors at each stage
Major Topics to Be Included
- Genetics
- Prenatal development
- Infancy
- Preschool development
- Middle childhood
- Early adolescence
- Psychological needs of children in hospital and other institutionalized settings
- Attention Deficit Disorders and behavior problems in children
- Cultural differences and development