Undergraduate - UnitATS2260 - Developmental psychology: Behaviour across the lifespan

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2015 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

print version

6 points, SCA Band 1, 0.125 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Arts
Offered	Gippsland Second semester 2015 (Day) Gippsland Second semester 2015 (Off-campus)
Coordinator(s)	Dr George Van Doorn

Synopsis

Developmental psychology examines the lifespan perspective on human development across three domains: physical, social and cognitive. This unit acknowledges the importance of culture and the sociohistorical context. Areas of interest include prenatal and gender role development, and aging. Methods of gathering and evaluating evidence relevant to developmental phenomena will be examined and attachment and language acquisition will be discussed.

Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit students will be able to:

Demonstrate an understanding of a range of developmental theories and how they can be applied to humans;
Display an appreciation of predictable life events and crises which may occur across the lifespan;
Critically evaluate various cultural and social differences that contribute to adult development;
Discuss major theoretical perspectives that attempt to explain successful aging;
Evaluate the role of research and theory in the advancement of knowledge within the field of developmental psychology.

Assessment

Within semester assessment: 60%
Exam: 40%

Workload requirements

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. A unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

Chief examiner(s)

Dr George Van Doorn

Prerequisites

12 credit points at first year level, six points of which must come from either ATS1359, ATS1362, ATS1840 or an equivalent unit.

Prohibitions

PSS1712, BHS1340, ATS1262, GSC1307, GSC1712, PSY2031, WEL1340, PSY1011, PSY1022, ATS1360.