BERGAMO
Overview
Date/time interval
Syllabus
Course Objectives
The course aims to introduce students to the knowledge and in-depth study of the main explanatory models of psychological development, understood as a complex and multidimensional process that spans the entire life cycle. The course intends to provide basic epistemological knowledge and methodological tools to understand the main developmental processes within the individual (motor, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, relational, moral development) and to stimulate reflection on how the individual and the environment interact in shaping the subject’s developmental trajectories and learning performance.
At the end of the course, it is expected that students will have acquired a solid foundation of basic knowledge regarding the main topics in developmental psychology and strengthened their ability to study in depth and to elaborate on the proposed texts.
Course Prerequisites
No specific prerequisites are required.
Teaching Methods
Teaching will be conducted mainly through lectures and interactive activities, in order to provide an appropriate framework for the theoretical and knowledge foundations of the discipline. Particular attention will also be given to discussion and direct dialogue with students, who, during classes, will be able to propose topics for further exploration or debate.
Assessment Methods
The exam includes a written test (duration: 90 minutes).
The written test consists of 4 open-ended questions, aimed at assessing the ability for critical elaboration.
For each of the first 3 questions, from 0 to 9 points are awarded; the test is graded according to the following criteria:
a) the relevance and correctness of the answer with respect to the question;
b) logical coherence in the presentation;
c) appropriate use of language.
The fourth question is worth 3 points and requires an independent intertextual line of reasoning starting from a topic of the student’s choice.
The maximum total score achievable in the written test is 30/30 (plus possible honours).
Any points obtained through the answer to the fourth intertextual question will be counted only if the overall pass threshold for the exam has been reached (18 points) through the answers to the first 3 questions.
In particular cases, and only if the professor deems it appropriate, the exam may include an oral component. The oral component cannot be requested by students.
Contents
The development of psychological and physical dimensions will be addressed in light of the main theoretical models and their potential applied implications in the school context.
In particular, physical-motor, emotional, affective, cognitive, communicative-linguistic, social and moral development will be addressed in the age groups:
Early childhood (0-2 years):
Prenatal period and development of the nervous system
Sensory and behavioral capacities of the newborn
Cognitive development in early childhood (introduction to Piaget’s theory, development of play and imitation. The HIP approach - Human Information Processing
Language development: preverbal and verbal communication, phonological and morphosyntactic development
Emotional development: development of the self and self-awareness, theories on emotional development, emergence of fundamental emotions and development of social emotions, emotion regulation, empathy, individual differences and temperament
Social development: main theories of social relations, J. Bowlby’s attachment theory, Strange Situation and types of attachment, Internal Working Models (IWMs), the first social games
Early childhood (2-6 years):
Development of symbolic play and drawing, preoperational stage (Piaget), naïve theories about reality
Self-concept, knowledge of emotions and self-conscious emotions, emotions and morality
Moral behavior, moral disengagement, obedience, self-control. Moral judgment according to Piaget. Lies, altruism and prosociality
social understanding: Theory of Mind (ToM), ecological systems theory and the family
Social role, group (critical reinterpretation of Zimbardo’s and Milgram’s experiments), peer relationships, play and development, theories on sexual typing
Middle childhood (6-11 years):
Drawing (Luquet’s stages) and writing
Concrete operational thought (Piaget)
Encounter between naïve theories and school subjects, teaching techniques, relationship with the teacher, self-concept
Dodge’s model of social competence. Aggressiveness, conflict, competition. Bullying. Friendship and group relationships.
Educational styles and their effects, parenting
Adolescence:
Characteristics of puberty and consequent physical and psychological changes.
Formal operational stage (Piaget)
Development of moral judgment (Kohlberg)
Relationship with peers and parents
Adolescent groups, conformity, romantic relationships, delinquency and deviance
Search for identity: Erikson’s stages, identity formation (Marcia)
A further focus on learning performance, motivation, self-regulation, affective neuroscience will also be provided.
Online Resources
More information
1) All of the above applies to both attending and non-attending students.
2) Students for whom a PDP/PEI are invited to contact the professor, who may schedule an introductory meeting, in order to review the documentation and agree on the most appropriate examination arrangements. This meeting must take place no later than 15 days before the exam date.
3) Should the course be delivered in blended or distance mode, changes may be introduced with respect to what is stated in this syllabus in order to make the course and exams accessible also under these modalities.
4) For Erasmus students, under certain conditions and by email contact well in advance, it is possible to agree with the professor, to take the exam orally and in English.