UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT ____ FALL 2012

UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT
____
FALL 2012
Psychology 262: Social Development
Meets:
Instructor:
Office:
Phone:
Email:
Office Hours:
Tuesday /Thursday 4:00-5:15 p.m. in Living/Learning B Room B132
Sue Fenstermacher, Ph.D.
334 John Dewey Hall
802-656-0882
[email protected]
Wednesdays 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. in Dewey 334
Required Text:
Shaffer, D. (2009). Social and Personality Development (6th edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Additional readings (see course schedule) will be posted on Blackboard.
Overview of the course:
This course is intended to provide an overview of both classical and contemporary theory and research in social and
personality development. In this course, we will explore a variety of topics related to how both biological and
environmental factors, including contextual factors such as media, family, peer influences, and culture, can impact social
development in children. A second goal of this course is to familiarize students with the methods used in social
developmental research, to train students to approach this research with a critical eye, and to stimulate discussion and
creative thinking by encouraging applications of the material to ‘real world’ situations and experiences.
Course requirements:
Assignments in this course will primarily focus on application and integration of basic theoretical concepts and research
related to social development. You will have opportunities to review and distill research findings on topics that interest
you, to apply theoretical constructs to ‘real world’ examples, and to propose your own research questions based on
what you have learned. Your mastery of the material will be assessed through a combination of brief applied writing
assignments and activities, a research article presentation, and three exams.
Please note that emailed submissions of assignments will not be accepted. All written work should be submitted in
hard copy format (typed, double spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman font and one-inch margins) at the beginning
of class on the day it is due.
Exams (3), 45%
There will be three exams in this course: two midterm exams and a final exam administered on Tuesday, December 11
from 4:30 - 7:15 p.m. These exams will be primarily in multiple choice format with some short answer questions. The
midterms and final exam are NOT cumulative.
Weekly Reading Responses, 30%
Every Friday afternoon, I will post one or more thought questions on Blackboard that ask you to reflect on and apply
material from the following week’s assigned readings. You will be asked to choose one of these questions and to write a
thoughtful, succinct response of a few paragraphs (no more than 1-1.5 pages total) due at the start of class the following
Tuesday. Each of these response papers will be worth 3 points total (3 = thoughtful response that effectively utilizes and
may attempt to build upon, apply or integrate material from various sources; 2 = thoughtful response that adequately
addresses the question and shows good evidence of having done the readings; 1 = satisfactory response that indicates a
cursory examination of the readings, i.e., only those paragraphs pertaining to the question; 0 = no evidence of having
done or considered the readings). Your lowest two grades will be dropped.
Group presentation and writeup, 20%
During some weeks, small groups of 4-5 students will present research of their own selection related to one of the broad
topics in the course. Groups will be selected during the first week of class based on shared interests. I will ask all
students to submit their first, second, and third choice of topic area during our first class meeting. Based on these
choices, I will put together groups of students with similar interests. I will post these group assignments on Blackboard.
Please note that while I will try my best to assign students to their first choice, this may not always be possible. In cases
where there are more than five students with the same first choice topic, I will randomly assign students to that topic’s
group and try to accommodate remaining students with their alternate choices.
Your responsibilities for this assignment are as follows: First, the group members will decide together on a specific topic
(for example, if your group’s broad topic area is emotional development/temperament, your group might choose to
focus on inhibitory control in young children) and area of research (for example, research examining adult outcomes
related to high or low inhibitory control in childhood). Next, each member of the group will select one recent (i.e.,
published in the last 15 years) article from a peer-reviewed scholarly journal (e.g., Child Development, Adolescence,
Infant Behavior and Development, etc.) relating to the group’s specific topic, for which that student will be primarily
responsible. Note that while review articles can be very helpful in finding primary sources of research and in preparing
your overall presentation, I am asking each student to find an empirical article describing a specific piece of original
research, including hypotheses, methods, results, etc. Each member of the group will need to submit his or her chosen
article to me, either in hard copy form or via email, as an attached PDF or Word document(not a link or citation) no
later than one week prior to the scheduled presentation date for approval.
The group will then prepare a 30-40-minute presentation (using either PowerPoint or overheads) incorporating
information from the articles. Each group member should plan to present the material on his or her own chosen article
and will be considered the ‘expert’ on that material; however, all group members should plan to contribute equally to
class discussion of their topic during the presentation. The group’s task as a whole for the presentation is to integrate
the information that each member has gathered individually into a coherent overview of research on a single topic area
related to the week’s assigned readings. Your group should propose a solid thesis statement or theme regarding your
chosen topic, and should present evidence from the collected articles in support of this group thesis. A second goal of
the group is to encourage class involvement in the presentation by providing the class with open-ended questions for
discussion. Each group should prepare questions and examples to encourage class discussion during the presentation,
and should be prepared to field questions from both me and your classmates.
On the day of your presentation, each member of the group is responsible for turning in the following:
1. A hard copy of your PowerPoint slides or overheads and notes from the presentation.
2. A 3-4 page presentation writeup. This writeup should include:
a. An overview of the chosen article including a brief summary of hypotheses, methods, and results,
critique (e.g., any parts of the methodology that you thought were especially good or not so good, what
could have been done differently to answer the research questions), and any questions raised by the
article that you will share with the class to stimulate discussion.
b. A statement describing the thesis or theme of your presentation and how each of the articles presented
by you and your group members supports this thesis or theme. How does the research described in
your selected article relate to those of your group members and to the week’s topic? You may also
choose to include an overall evaluation of the group collaboration process.
Finally, the group will be responsible for turning in a list (a single list compiled collaboratively by the group) of three or
more multiple choice questions pertaining to your presentation. I will review these questions and select at least one to
be used on an upcoming midterm exam, so it is to your advantage to construct your questions carefully and
thoughtfully. You should focus on main themes covered in your presentation rather than small details from the articles
– in other words, the ‘take home points’, rather than statistics or facts that are not a focal point of the presentation.
In addition to group members’ overall ability to synthesize and integrate their articles into a coherent, interesting and
insightful presentation, your grade for the presentation will be based on the quality of your writeup, preparation and
clarity of your individual article and group presentation, generation of thoughtful questions for discussion, and ability to
respond to comments and questions from me and from the class.
Class Contributions, 5%
The final 5% of your grade will be based on your contributions to the class. In addition to attendance and regular
participation in lecture discussions, your class contributions include your attention, thoughtful feedback and
contributions to discussion during classmates’ presentations.
Tentative Course Schedule
(please note that topic dates/readings are subject to change pending addition of presentations).
Week
Date
Topic
Readings
Introduction to the course and overview; submit and discuss
August 28
Text, pages 1-12
presentation topic interests
1
August 30
Classic and contemporary theoretical perspectives on social
Text, pages 13-36; Text, pages 82-98
and personality development
September 4
2
September 6
Research Methods; evaluating research
Text, Chapter 2
September 11
3
September 13
Text, pages 101-132
Emotional Development and Temperament
Article:
Caspi, 2000
September 18
4
September 20
Attachment
Text, pages 133-166
September 25
5
September 27
TBA
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
FINAL
October 2
October 4
October 9
October 11
October 16
October 18
October 23
October 25
October 30
November 1
November 6
November 8
November 13
November 15
November 20
November 22
November 27
November 29
December 4
Tuesday,
December 11
4:30 - 7:15p.m.
Midterm Exam 1
Development of Self and Social Cognition
Gender Development
Text, pages 168-205
Article: Bronson & Merryman, 2009
Text, pages 239-282
TBA
Aggression
Text, pages 284-321
Article: Crick, Casas, & Mosher, 1997
Midterm Exam 2
Moral Development and Prosocial Behavior
Parent and Peer Influences
Text, pages 325-367
Text, pages 370-404
Articles: Gibbs, 2009; Berndt, 2002
Achievement and School
THANKSGIVING BREAK – NO CLASS MEETINGS
Text, pages 207-238; 433-449
Article: Doskosh, 2005
Achievement and school
Media Influences
Final Exam in Living/Learning B Room B132
Text, pages 413-430
Course Expectations and Responsibilities
You are responsible for knowing and following the course policies listed below.
1. Prerequisite: This is an advanced course in social development designed for students in psychology and related fields who
have completed General Psychology (Psyc001). Please see me if you have not taken this prerequisite but you believe you have
a sufficient background in psychology to be prepared for this course.
2. Attendance: Please come to each class ready to engage in the day’s lesson. This includes having the assigned reading
completed and any assignments ready to turn in at the start of class.
3. Special Accommodations: Students with special needs that affect their ability to participate fully in class, to meet all course
requirements, or that require special exam administration should contact Accommodation, Consultation, Counseling &
Educational Support Services (ACCESS; A170 Living/Learning Center; phone: 656-7753) and me within the first two weeks of
class. I will provide reasonable accommodations for documented disabilities in accordance with college policies.
4. Grade Concerns: If you have concerns regarding your grade at any point, please make an appointment to see me to discuss
ways to improve your mastery of the course material. The sooner you contact me regarding concerns, the better. I will not be
able to accommodate students who contact me at the end of the semester with concerns about their grade. I also encourage
students to visit the Learning Co-op (Living/Learning Center, 244 Commons) for help with writing, study skills, and exam-taking
skills. The Learning Cooperative in Living & Learning Commons Room 244 has peer tutors available for this course. Cost is
$10.00 per hour (free for some students), and appointments can be arranged at convenient sites on campus at a wide variety
of days and times, even after hours and on weekends. Please call the Co-op (656-4075), visit their web site
http://www.uvm.edu/~subtutor/, or stop by M-Th 8a-9p, F 8a-5p, Sun 6p-9p for additional information.
5. Makeup Exam Policy: Make-up exams will be administered ONLY in the case of a valid, documented excuse (e.g., illness for
which you can provide a doctor’s note, car accident or family emergency for which I will be notified by the Dean’s Office) and
MUST be accompanied by official written documentation from a physician, therapist, and/or the Dean’s Office. If you do not
have this documentation, you will not be permitted to take a makeup exam. Please note that events such as sleeping
through your alarm or traveling to a family wedding, vacation, or similar event do not constitute valid or acceptable excuses
for missing an exam in this course. Please do not expect to receive permission to make up an exam if you lack the required
written documentation described above.
6. Returned Assignments: Hold on to all graded assignments after they have been returned until the end of the semester.
They will help you keep track of how you are doing in the course and will serve as your record of your grade. In the case that a
grade is missing for an assignment that you turned in and that was returned to you, you will need to produce a copy of the
graded assignment.
7. Late Assignments: Late assignments will be docked 10% of total points for each day late. If you need to submit an
assignment outside of class, it should be hand-delivered to a member of the Psychology Department staff in the main
Psychology office, where it will be held for me or placed in my mailbox. Please note that the faculty mailroom is off-limits to
students. Papers submitted via email or slipped under the office door will NOT be accepted. If you are submitting a paper
outside of class, you must also contact me by email to let me know that you have turned in the assignment.
8. Extensions. In the rare case that you feel you need an extension, please discuss this with me as soon as you anticipate a
problem. Extensions will be granted only in cases of extenuating circumstances for which students must be able to provide
written documentation.
9. Academic Misconduct: The University of Vermont requires academic honesty from all students, and academic misconduct
will not be tolerated. Academic misconduct includes cheating on assignments or exams, plagiarizing (misrepresenting
someone else’s work as your own), submitting the same or similar papers for more than one course without the permission of
all instructors involved, submitting work on which you have collaborated with other students except in cases when this is
specifically encouraged or required, or sabotaging another student’s work or access to necessary class resources. Please
remember that plagiarism occurs whenever you present another person’s ideas as your own. In written assignments,
students must NOT duplicate passages of more than five words from another source without quotation marks AND proper
attribution. If you paraphrase someone else’s words, you do not use quotation marks, but you still need to give the reference.
See the following resource for additional information on plagiarism: http://www.uvm.edu/~agri99/plagiarism.html. Please
avoid problems by understanding what behaviors constitute academic misconduct and asking me for any clarification. You are
responsible for knowing and understanding the Plagiarism policies of the University Vermont, which are available in the Code
of Academic Integrity on-line at http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmppg/ppg/student/acadintegrity.pdf. If a student engages in
academic misconduct, the case will be forwarded to the Center for Student Ethics & Standards and may involve sanctions such
as receiving a zero on the assignment or failing the course.
10. Religious Holidays: Students have the right to practice the religion of their choice. Each semester, students should
submit in writing to their instructors by the end of the second week of classes their documented religious holiday schedule
for the semester. Faculty must permit students who miss work for the purpose of religious observance to make up this work.
UVM Department of Psychology Code of Classroom Conduct
Faculty and students will at all times conduct themselves in a manner that serves to maintain, promote, and enhance the highquality academic experience befitting the University of Vermont. The essential characteristic of this policy is respect.
Student responsibilities
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Students are expected to attend every class, arriving promptly and remaining alert and involved until dismissed by the
instructor.
Students are expected to come having not only read and completed assignments but also having thought about them,
and be prepared to engage in discussion and pose meaningful questions.
During class, students will refrain from using laptop computers or other web-enabled devices. While the use of
laptops, tablets and smart phones in the classroom has potential benefit, the Department of Psychology does not
allow the use of these devices in classrooms for courses that enroll 100 or more students. This policy may be waived
at an individual faculty member’s discretion.
Faculty and student responsibilities
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Faculty and students will promote academic discourse and the free exchange of ideas by listening with civil attention
to all individuals.
Faculty and students will treat all members of the learning community with respect and will not discriminate on the
basis of characteristics that include race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, marital
status, disability, or gender identity or expression.
Mutual respect extends to turning off cell phones or other web-enabled devices prior to the beginning of class,
refraining from leaving the room in the middle of class, and, when authorized, using laptops for course-related
activities only.