Thursday, Dec. 5: Debate -- AS SCHEDULED: Do Fathers Really Matter?

PRO: Aaron Green, Justin Kurland
CON: Veena Agnihotri, Deja Amos

Readings:
Doherty et al., Responsible fathering…(D&D)
Walker & McGraw, Who is responsible for responsible fathering? (D&D)

Readings (from Dec. 2):
Patterson, et al.,  A Developmental Perspective on Antisocial Behavior (G&C)
Hartup, The company they keep (class hand-out)
Crick & Ladd, Children's Perceptions of Their Peer Experiences… (G&C)

Internet article (click on link): Harris, J. R (1995).  Where Is the Child's Environment? A Group Socialization  Theory of Development

Dr. Judith A. Hudson,
Tillett Hall 425, 53 Avenue E, Livingston Campus, (732) 445-3172, e-mail: jhudson@rci.rutgers.edu
Office hours: Monday, 11:15-12:00 and 1:00-2:00; by appointment

1. Gauvain, M., & Cole, M. (2000). Readings on the development of children. W. H. Freeman Co.
2. Merrens, M R., & Brannigan, G. C. (1996). The developmental psychologists. New York: Mc-Graw Hill.
3. DelCampo, D. S., & DelCampo, R. L. (2002). Taking sides: Clashing views on controversial issues in childhood and society.
                    Guilford, CT: McGraw-Hill/Dushkin.
4. Additional articles are available on electronic reserve.

You will be graded on the basis of 4 components:
 

Class Participation (20%) Every student is expected to finish the assigned readings for each class and to come to class prepared to discuss the articles. In preparation for class discussion, write down at least 1-2 questions/comments for each article. I may collect these at any time. Questions can address issues that you are unclear of or areas where you were confused. Comments and questions may also involve your own critique of the article or reflections on its significance, originality, rigor, or ethics.

Discussion leader/Expert (10%) In addition to regular class participation, for designated topics, two students will be assigned as discussion leaders. It is their responsibility to review the articles closely and to raise issues and questions for class discussion. They are also responsible for finding one additional empirical article by one of the assigned authors and reporting the results of the research to the class. These informal reports can last no more than 10 minutes and should provide additional insight into the line of investigation reported in the assigned reading.

Take-home essay (20%) On October 7 you will be given a question to address in a 4-5-page essay due October 21. In your essay, you will use the class readings to support your views. This is a type of take-home essay exam.

Debate (20%). We will hold 4-5 in-class debates. More details will follow. There will be two teams with 3 people on a team for each debate. Each team must prepare arguments and find evidence to support both positions because the side you will be debating (pro or con) will be determined by a coin flip on the day of the debate. In addition to participating in the debate, each student will submit an annotated bibliography of at least 10 references that they used in doing research for the debate. An annotated bibliography consists of the list of references with a paragraph summarizing the main points of each article and how the evidence was used to support a position on the issue. No more than 2 articles can be class readings on the topic.
 

For more information on debate structure, preparation and grading.

Research Paper (30%) Each student will submit a final research paper (12-15 pages) on an approved topic. The paper will review and critique recent empirical research on the topic and will discuss how the research addresses important issues in the field. Topics must be approved in advance. A paragraph describing the focus of the paper and a list of at least 3 relevant empirical articles is due on October 24. Individual meetings will be scheduled on Oct. 31 and Nov. 4 in lieu of regular class meetings to discuss the focus and scope of the paper and use of empirical research. A bibliography of at least 10 references is due on November 18. The final paper is due on Dec. 9.
 

How to search the library catalog for Psychological research

For more information on how to write a literature review paper in Psychology, check out the following links:
 

General guidelines for a literature review -- how to organize the paper

Very detailed guide to researching and writing a literature review paper

Information on how to cite references in paper; checklist of important elements for the paper

Please consult Rutgers University guide to academic integrity and make sure that you properly cite all references -- plagiarism is a serious offense and will be dealt with in accordance with University policy: http://teachx.rutgers.edu/integrity/index.html

(R) -- Electronic Reserve
(G&C) -- Gauvain and Cole text
(M&B) -- Merrens & Brannigan text
(D&D) -- DelCampo & DelCampo text

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Sept. 5:  Course Overview

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Sept. 9: Theories and Issues; Piaget's theory
Miller, Chapter 1 : Introduction (pp. 1-23)(R)
DelCampo & DelCampo, Introduction: Children in society (D&D)
Piaget, The stages of intellectual development of the child (G&C)

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Sept. 12: Theories – Vygotsky & Contextual Approaches
Vygotsky, Interaction between learning and development (G&C)
Bronfenbrenner, Ecological models of human development (G&C)
Rogoff, Perspectives on children's development from cultural psychology (G&C)

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Sept. 16: No Class -- Yom Kippur

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Sept. 19:  Genetics *
Discussion Leaders: Veena Agnihotri and Marisol Pichardo
Plomin, Nature and nurture (M&B)
Segal, Behavioral aspects of intergenerational human cloning (G&C)

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Sept. 23: Prenatal development
Kail, Children and their development, (58-81; 104-111): Prenatal Development; The developing nervous system (R)
Hunt et al., Mothers’ alcohol consumption during pregnancy …(R)
Werner, Children of the garden island (G&C)

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Sept. 26: Physical and motor  development
Discussion Leaders: Crystal Pond and Devon Clement
Miller, Developmental neuroscience ; Dynamic systems theory (pp. 429-436)(R)
Nelson, Neural plasticity and human development (G&C)
Thelen, The improvising infant: Learning about learning to move  (M&B)

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Sept. 30: Infant perception*
Discussion Leaders: Erica Lam and Nikita Bharatia (find another article by Brazelton or Campos)
DeCasper & Fifer, Of human bonding: Infants prefer their mothers' voices(G&C)
Brazelton et. al, Neonatal behavior among urban Zambians and Americans (G&C)
Campos et al., Early Experience and Emotional Development… (G&C)

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Oct. 3: Language development*
Discussion Leaders: Aaron Green and Jennifer Su (find another article by Bohannan)
Werker, Becoming a native listener (G&C)
Bohannan, In pursuit of receptive language (M&B)
Bruner, From communication to talking (G&C)

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Oct. 7: Cognitive development: Information Processing*
Discussion Leader: Neha Dalal (find another article by DeLoache)
Miller, Information processing theory (213-277) (R)
Siegler, Cognitive variability: A key to understanding cognitive development (G&C)
DeLoache et al., The credible shrinking room (G&C)

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Oct. 10: Core knowledge theories
Baillergeon, How do infants learn about the physical world? (R)
Miller, The theory theory ; Modularity nativism (422-429) (R)
Gelman, Categories in young children’s thinking (R)
Avis & Harris, Belief-desire reasoning among Baka children (G&C)

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Oct. 14: Social Interaction and Cognitive Development*
Discussion Leaders: Jessica Floyd and Denise Miller (find another article by Gauvain)
Nelson, The psychological and social origins of autobiographic memory (R)
Hudson, What are we going to do this summer?…(R)
Duran & Gauvain, The role of age versus experience in peer collaboration…(G&C)

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Oct. 17: Debate: Can Memories of Childhood Sexual Abuse Be Recovered?
Loftus, Creating false memories (R)
Benetar, Running away from sexual abuse: Denial revisited (D&D)
Robbins, Wading through the muddy muddy waters of recovered memory (D&D)
Fivush, Children’s recollections of traumatic and non-traumatic events (R)

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Oct. 21:  Intelligence and Academic Achievement
Discussion Leader: Michael Lupi (find another article by Elkind)
Neisser et al.,  Intelligence: Knows and unknowns (G&C)
Elkind, The uses of academic conflict (M&B)
Stigler & Stevenson, How Asian teachers polish each lesson to perfection (G&C)
Take-home essay due

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Oct. 24: Temperament *
Discussion Leaders: Tiffany LaBarbera and Kate Kapner (find another article by Kagan)
Lerner , The contextual history of my research on adolescent temperament (M&B)
Kagan, Temperament and the reactions to unfamiliarity (G&C)
Research paper topic due

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Oct. 28: No Class -- Individual Meetings

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Oct. 31: No Class -- Individual Meetings

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Nov. 4:  No Class -- Individual Meetings

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Nov. 7:  Genie: A Modern-Day Wild Child
Pines, The civilizing of Genie (R)

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Nov. 11:  Attachment *
Discussion Leaders: Melissa Polashock and Tennille Miller (find another article by Thompson or Egeland)
Thompson, Attachment and emotional development (M&B)
Egeland, Looking backward and forward for the causes and consequences of child maltreatment (M&B)
Yarrow et al, Patterns of attachment in two- and three-year-olds (G&C)

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Nov. 14 Debate: Does Maternal Employment Have a Negative Effect on Infant Development?
Scarr, Facts, fantasies, and the future of child care in the United States (G&C)
Belsky & Eggenbeen, Early and extensive maternal employment … (D&D)
Clarke-Stewart, A home is not a school (D&D

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Nov. 18 Development of Self Concept
Lewis article (R)
Self review article (R)
Brooks-Gunn, Unexpected opportunities: Confessions of an eclectic developmentalist (M&B)

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Nov. 21 Debate:  Does Transracial Adoption Harm a Child's Development?
Hollingsworth, Symbolic interactionism, African American families …(D&D)
Alexander & Curtis, A review of empirical research involving the transracial adoption of African American children (D&D)
Research paper bibliographies due

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Nov. 25 Moral development *
Discussion Leaders: John Kollonitsch and Michelle Remolde (find another article by Eisenberg)
Damon, The moral development of children (R)
Walker, Is one sex morally superior? (M&B)
Eisenberg, In search of the good heart (M&B)

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Nov. 26 (Tues.) Gender roles*
Discussion Leaders: Deja Amos and  Pauline De La Cruz (find another article by Fagot)
Fagot , Falling into gender-role research (M&B)
Maccoby, Gender and Relationships: A Developmental Account (G&C)
Davis, Gender Differences in Masking Negative Emotions: Ability or Motivation? (G&C)

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Dec. 2 Family and Peers *
Discussion Leaders: Justin Kurland and Rebecca Greenbaum(find another article by Patterson or Hartup)
Patterson, et al.,  A Developmental Perspective on Antisocial Behavior (G&C)
Hartup, The company they keep (R)
Crick & Ladd, Children's Perceptions of Their Peer Experiences… (G&C)

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Dec. 5  Debate: Are fathers really necessary?
Parke article (R)
Doherty et al., Responsible fathering…(D&D)
Walker & McGraw, Who is responsible for responsible fathering? (D&D)

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Dec. 9  Do parents matter?
Harris, J. R (1995).  Where Is the Child's Environment? A Group Socialization  Theory of Development
Baumrind article
Research papers due

Oct. 17: Can Memories of Childhood Sexual Abuse Be Recovered?

Neha Delal, Jessica Floyd, John Kollenitsch, Tiffany LaBarbera, Tenille Miller, Crystal Pond

Pauline DeLaCruz, Rebecca Greenbaum, Kate Kapner, Michael Lupi, Marisol Pichardo, Michelle Remolde

Nikita Bharatia, Devon Clement, Erica Lam, Denise Miller, Melissa Polashock, Jennifer Su

Veena Agnihotri, Deja Amos, Aaron Green, Justin Kurland