Dr. Jason McCartney Office: HH 311

PSYC 320 (sec 003 & 004) Phone: (410) 677-5444

Infancy and Child Psychology Email: jsmccartney@salisbury.edu

TuTh Office Hours: MW 10-11am, TuTh 1-2pm

(or by appointment*)

Required Text

Papalia, Diane E., Olds, Sally W., & Feldman, Ruth D. (2008). A Child’s World (11th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Organization

This course will deal with all the developmental issues confronting an individual as he/she develops from conception to adolescence. It will focus on the physical, cognitive, social and emotional aspects of development. Over the course of the semester we will discuss topics such as heredity, prenatal stages, parenting styles, autism, theories of learning, attachment, gender roles, intelligence testing, and cultural differences.

Course Requirements

1. Attendance Policy

Class attendance is expected and will be taken regularly using the class seating chart. Research evidence and my personal experience has provided sufficient evidence that students who attend classes regularly typically score higher in my courses vs. students who attend sporadically or cut classes. The thought questions and class assignments will also be forfeited if a student misses regular class periods (*there is no make-up for missed work).

2. Exams- 400 points

There will be four noncomprehensive, multiple-choice exams as noted on the course schedule. The fourth test will be given during finals. Exams will consist of material from the readings, class handouts, and class discussions. Students who know they will miss an exam for a legitimate reason must inform the instructor so they can take the exam in advance. There will be no make up exams without documentation or significant prior notification.

3. Weekly quizzes on MyClasses course website- 140 points

(http://www.salisbury.edu/instructionaldesign/cms/)

Students will use the MyClasses course website to take weekly quizzes over the course of the semester. These quizzes will contain multiple-choice and/or true-false questions and be specifically on textbook material*. Students will take quizzes for 14 out of the 15 chapters covered in the course (14 quizzes total*).

-Every quiz will be located in the “Assessments” portion of the MyClasses website

-Students should log in to MyClasses and take the short “practice quiz” during the 1^st week of class.

-Each weekly quiz will be on textbook material to be covered in the NEXT week’s lecture. For example, the first week’s quiz will contain questions from week two’s assigned chapter. The second week’s quiz will be on week three’s chapter, etc., etc.

-Each quiz will be open or available from Wednesday thru Monday. For example, the first quiz for week 2 readings will be open from Wednesday Sept. 2 thru Monday Sept. 7 (midnight*).

-Students can take each quiz TWICE and the highest score will be the one that is counted in the total quiz points.

*Deadlines for quiz completion: each chapter quiz must be completed by Monday 12am (midnight). Students are responsible for taking the chapter quizzes in a timely fashion and no late quiz results will be accepted or included in the final point total.

4. Short response papers to MyClasses articles- 50 points

There are 2 articles from peer-reviewed journals for students to read during the semester. Each article can found on the MyClasses course website under “Assignments”. Each of the articles is accompanied by 4 questions requiring paragraph style answers.

(Suggested Length: 1-2 pages per paper)

-Papers are to be submitted via MyClasses by the start of class.

(Paper #1 is due Sept. 17^th, Paper #2 is due Nov. 12^th)

-Each reaction paper will be evaluated using the following 0-25 point scale: (0 points-no submission, 5 points-confusing and extremely brief response, 10 points- short answers with NO detail or content from article, 15 points-papers with little original input and only minimal content from the article, 20 points-better than average, adequate details with some personal input and/or critical reflection, 25 points-exemplary answer, completely addresses all the included questions using appropriate sentences and shows critical thinking)

(*Key Aspects to “Critical thinking”: 1) question simplistic answers, 2) consider alternate hypotheses, 3) avoid egocentric or anecdotal arguments (examples, “That would never be true for me.” Or “I have a friend who has a child who….”), and finally 4) use clearly stated arguments to develop fair, logical, and thoughtful responses.)

4. Thought Questions- 50 points

Writing and critical thinking are an essential part of this course. To this end, you will be asked to type up answers to questions the instructor gives you during the semester. All the questions will relate to material discussed in the text, in films, or from lecture. Your answers can be informal, but you should write using proper grammar and punctuation.

Here are the basic requirements:

-The question must be included at the top of your answer sheet

-Answer the question that is asked completely

-Write a one to two paragraph response (minimum)

-ALL ANSWERS MUST BE TYPED!

Each thought question will be worth up to 5 points and will be graded based on the above requirements. If you miss a question, a score of zero (0) will be given for that item. There are no make-up questions & I do not grade work found unexpectedly under my office door.

5. Brief Literature Review -100 points

Students will select a topic of interest from any chapter in the text (e.g., prenatal development, self regulation, autism, teen drug use, etc.) and perform a brief literature review. Scientists and researchers conduct literature reviews regularly to keep informed and aware of work in their area of interest. This activity will provide students with an opportunity to: utilize information technology, identify and locate scholarly articles (using PsycArticles, PsycINFO, etc.), review and process those articles, and finally, summarize and compare two selected research articles. Only scholarly journal articles are to be selected for this review (no texts, no popular websites, no newspapers, etc.). If students have questions about an article or potential source they should see the instructor for clarification*.

a. Students must select their topic of interest. by: _ September 22_ (5 points)

b. Submit an APA style reference list for a minimum of 5 articles

by ____October 15___ (20 points)

c. Submit summaries of two articles: 2 pages each by ____November 3__ (25 points)

c. Submit final brief literature review, 4-5 pages in total length

by ____November 24th (50 points)

Further information about the final 50-point summary assignment will be presented later in the semester (suggestions, opportunity for questions and answers, etc.) All late work will be penalized one full grade for each day late*(this includes weekends).

In addition, and consistent with the psychology department’s curriculum enhancement related to helping students master the APA writing style, students are expected to view an interactive, online tutorial at http://isites.harvard.edu/apa_exposed (Harvard Graduate School of Education, August 26^th, 2007). This tutorial has extremely valuable content regarding APA style and citations and 4 different "Learning Check" assessments that must be completed before the viewer can continue. There is also a link to this tutorial on the psychology department’s website.

**All papers should contain appropriate APA style citations, any paper submitted without APA citations will not be graded.*

If you have questions about APA style refer to:1) the above harvard website, 2)course handouts found on the MyClasses website, or 3) see the instructor for further information.

At the University Writing Center (directly above the Fireside Lounge in the Guerrieri University Center), trained consultants are ready to help you at any stage of the writing process. It is often helpful for writers to share their work with an attentive reader, and consultations allow writers to test and refine their ideas before having to hand papers in or to release documents to the public. In addition to the important writing instruction that occurs in the classroom and during teachers’ office hours, the center offers another site for learning about writing. All students are encouraged to make use of this important service. For more information about the writing center’s hours and policies, visit the writing center or its website at www.salisbury.edu/uwc.

6. Class activities/Take home assignments (up to 20 points*)

Over the course of the semester students may periodically take part in group activities. In addition, the instructor may distribute handouts or readings that apply course material to current events. These activities and assignments will be collected and scored for class credit. There are no make ups for missed assignments.

7. Extra Credit - (up to 20 points*)

A student can earn up to 20 points for active and appropriate class participation throughout the semester. (Thus, it benefits you if I know your name!) A student with more than 4 absences will receive no participation extra credit points.

Grading

I will determine the final grade according to the total points over the semester, based on the following percentage scale: A (90-100%), B (80-89%), C (70-79%), D (60-69%), F (<60%).

Academic Integrity: Please review pages 22-23 of the Undergraduate Catalogue. ALL CHEATING AND PLAGIARISM WILL BE TREATED SERIOUSLY.

Writing Across the Curriculum

All writing assignments, both formal and informal, are in support of Salisbury University’s Writing Across the Curriculum Program.

Campus Emergency Policy

In the event of a flu epidemic or other emergency that results in suspension of this class, I will be communicating with you about this course and its requirements via Groupwise e-mail. Students must verify that they can gain access to their e-mail through the web. To verify that you can do this, go to and click “campus e-mail” at the top of the page. If you cannot access your e-mail see the Help Desk located in TETC 113 or go to website www.salisbury.edu/helpdesk/.

All revisions to assignments, quiz and exam dates, and class and grading policies that would occur during such an emergency will be communicated via e-mail. You will be responsible for completing all these assignments in accordance with class policies.

General Comments

1. Do not sleep in class, if you are that tired just stay home.

2. Do not come to class more than 5 minutes late or leave early unless you give the

instructor prior notification.

3. Don’t ask the instructor for missed lecture notes, your classmates are your best resource*.

4. The instructor will not discuss any grading issues during the last 2 weeks of the semester.

5. Turn off your cell phones.(*Text messaging during class is distracting and inappropriate, any student texting during class will be asked to leave and will be counted absent for the day -No exceptions-)

*In general all of these items involve respect for the instructor and your fellow classmates. When students leave early, receive personal calls, or sleep they are insulting anyone who is involved or prepared to participate in class.
Course Outline and Readings

Days Chapter(s) Topic

September 1 and 3^rd 1 Go over Course Syllabus; The “Bonding Myth”,

Major Issues in Child Psych

September 8, 10 2 Theories of Development, Research Methods

September 15, 17 3 Conception and Heredity Issues

*Sept. 17^th short paper 1 due : “Teacher or Playmate” reading

September 23 4 Pregnancy and Prenatal Development

September 24 Test #1 on September 24 (chapters 1-4)

September 29, October 1 5 Childbirth and the Neonate

October 6, 8 6 Postnatal Period: brain and sensory skills

October 13, 15 7 Cognitive and Language Development (1st Three years)

October 20 8 Psychosocial Development (1^st Three Years)

Temperament & attachment

October 22 Test #2 on October 22 (chapters 5-8)

October 27, 29 9 Early Childhood: Physical Development:

November 3, 5 10 Early Childhood: cognitive development

November 10, 12 11 Early Childhood Psychosocial: Self-concept, play, gender

*Nov. 12^th short paper #2 due : “Autism Epidemic” reading

November 17 13 Middle Childhood: cognitive skills

November 19 Test #3 Nov. 19th (chapters 9, 10, 11, 13)

November 24 14 Middle Childhood: psychosocial development

December 1, 3 15 Adolescence: Physical development

December 8, 10 16 Adolescence: Cognitive development

December 14-18 Test #4: Final Exam week (chapters 14-16)

Date and time to be announced in class

*The above schedule is subject to change according to the discretion of the instructor.*