III – Semester

Developmental Psychology - I
Number of Hours: 60
Number of Credits: 4

Course Objectives:
1. To understand basic concepts, issues and debates in the field of developmental psychology.
2. To appreciate principal theories of developmental psychology.
3. To understand the methods of studying human development.
4. To see the role of gene and environment in human development.
5. To exhibit knowledge about stages in prenatal development along with influential factors.
6. To comprehend human development from the perspective of different domains such as physical, motor, cognitive, language and psychosocial.

Unit I: Introduction (11 Hours)
Defining development;
Domains of human development: physical, cognitive, social and emotional development;
Issues in human development: nature and nurture, goodness and badness of human nature, activity and passivity, continuity and discontinuity, universality and context specificity; Baltes’ principles of life-span approach;
Developmental research designs – longitudinal, cross-sectional, sequential, microgenetic.

Unit II: Heredity and Environment (10 Hours)
Concepts;
Principles of heredity- the genetic code, mechanisms of inheritance, mutations, genetic and chromosomal abnormalities;
Role of heredity and environment on development of physiological traits, intelligence, personality.

Unit III: Prenatal Development (11 Hours)
Pre-natal development - meaning, principles, stages;
Environmental influences on pre-natal development;
Possible hazards in the perinatal environment - anoxia, complicated delivery, medications.

Unit IV: Infancy (14 Hours)
Physical development - physical growth, early human reflexes - moro, grasping, tonic neck, babinski, rooting, pupillary, sucking, swallowing, stepping, walking and swimming;
Early sensory capacities - touch, taste, smell, hearing and vision (sight);
Motor development - milestones of motor development: gross and fine motor skills - head control, hand control and locomotion;
Emotional development - stranger anxiety, separation anxiety, social referencing;
Language development - sequence of language development, early vocalization, recognizing language sounds, gestures, first words, first sentences;
Social development – developing attachments, implications of early attachments, first peer relations.

Unit V: Childhood (14 Hours)
Physical development - bodily growth and change, nutrition and oral health, sleep patterns and problems;
Motor skills - gross motor skills, fine motor skills and handedness;
Emotional development - understanding emotions;
Language development - vocabulary, grammar, syntax, pragmatics and social speech, private speech, delayed language development;
Social development – parent-child attachments, peer networks, play (meaning, types, significance), peer acceptance and popularity, friendships.

References:
1. Papalia D.E., Olds S.W., & Feldman R.D. (2004). Human Development. 9th Edn. New Delhi: Tata McGraw Hill Publishing Company Ltd.
2. Sigelman, C.K. (1999). Life-Span Human Development. 3rd Edn. New York: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.
3. Shaffer D.R. (1996). Developmental Psychology. New York: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.
4. Zanden, Vander. (1997). Human Development. 6thEdn. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
5. Hurlock, E.B. (1978). Child Development. New Delhi: McGraw Hill Series.

List of Practicals
1. The Levels of Aspiration and Achievement.
2. College Student Problem Checklist.
3. Emotional Maturity Scale.
4. Guidance Needs Inventory.
5. Family Environment Scale.

Statistics: SPSS - Correlation Analysis