Lifespan Development Psychology

Catalog description

The development of the individual is an exciting process, beginning with the rapid metamorphoses of cells at the conception and continuing through intricate changes of growth and aging. The study of development is also intriguing because each of us, and everyone we care about, is constantly developing. This course therefore embraces both scientific discoveries and personal insights. It is important to remember that each of us analyzing the developing individual is only human, and thus our interpretation of behavior and change is filtered through our own biases. So that you may identify biases where they occur, we will spend time becoming familiar with the major theories of human development and the terms these theories use, paying special attention to the research that supports or contradicts each perspective. Critical thinking, as well as mastery of the material, is a goal of this course. Probably no other field of study abounds with more free advice than child rearing, yet much of this advice has been handed out in ignorance of the available experimental data and/or established techniques for objective testing. We will work to develop skills for evaluating the views and advice you will continue to hear long after you close your books.