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The Developing Child: Toddler and Preschool Years (HDCD 6320; HCS 6359)

Spring 2011; Tuesday, 8:30-11.15; FO 2.702


Dr. Toosje VanBeveren

Professor Contact Information:


Toosje VanBeveren, M.A., Ph.D. E-mail: jtv013100@utdallas.edu
Office: Green Hall, 4.820 Phone: 214-662-6789
Office Hours: Before and after class and by appointment

Course Pre-requisites: The Developing Child: Infancy (HDCD 5311) or instructor approval

Course Description: Parents, teachers, early intervention specialists, doctors, psychologists, and many others are
interested in early childhood development for two primary reasons. First, individuals who work with children of all
ages need to have an accurate understanding of young children’s behavior, thoughts, and abilities. Second, early
childhood is fascinating because it is a time of rapid growth and change. This course will explore the ways that
children change (and how they stay the same) in their physical, motor, cognitive and psychosocial development. We
will examine the development of 24-60 month old children across several domains, the mechanisms of developmental
change, individual differences in development, and the practical applications of this development.

Course Goals: Upon completion of this course, students should: 1) have knowledge about milestones in early
childhood development, 2) be able to comprehend and apply major developmental theories, 3) understand
methodologies used in early childhood research and 4) be able to critically evaluate published research in early child
development. It is also hoped that this course will promote students’ independent and critical thinking, further develop
students’ abilities to communicate more effectively, and give students greater appreciation for the science of childhood
development.

Primary Competencies: This course will also cover information relevant to the following competencies specified by
the Texas Interagency Council as required for future recognition as an early intervention specialist (EIS).
PD1- The EIS knows basic principles of child development and recognizes typical developmental milestones
in children birth to 36 months of age.
PD9- The EIS knows the types and significance of interactions among infants and toddlers, and utilizes both
spontaneous and planned activities to promote positive peer interactions.
PROF 12- The EIS understands how adult expectations influence children’s development.

Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes:


1.1. Students will identify and describe key milestones of early childhood development across several domains,
including physical, cognitive, and social development.
1.2. Students will comprehend and have the ability to apply and describe major developmental theories and themes in
early childhood development.
1.3. Students will recognize and describe social influences on development.
6.1. Students will develop the ability to critically evaluate published research in early childhood development.

Required Textbooks and Materials:


There is no formal textbook for this course. Students will be assigned readings for each topic that they must retrieve
through the electronic course reserves or through the library. Most readings do not provide comprehensive information
about the lecture topic, but provide additional perspectives on and more in-depth analysis of class subjects. Reading
these chapters and empirical articles will help the students to be an active participant in class discussions and will
promote mastery of class material. Information from these readings will also be included on exams.

Grading Policy: I am most concerned that students in this course gain skills that will help them be productive in their
future roles as students, professionals, or parents. Nevertheless, I need to qualitatively assess students’ knowledge of
course material. Thus, course requirements and how points will be distributed are outlined below. Final grades will be
calculated as follows: A = 90 points and above, B= 80-89 points, C= 70-79 points, F= below 70 points. +/- will be
given at the discretion of the professor.

Developing Child: Toddler and Preschool Years Syllabus Page 1


Class Attendance and Participation (total 10%). Students are expected to participate in class and they should be
actively involved in class discussions. To do this, course readings should be completed before coming to class.

Article Presentation and Discussion (10%). Each student will read an empirical article on specific areas of early
child development or on social influences on development (reflecting the student’s interest) and will prepare a brief
presentation for the class summarizing the research. The student will then engage his or her peers in discussion about
the article. Students should work with Dr. VanBeveren to select an appropriate article. More details will be outlined in
class.

Three Exams (each worth 20%; total 60%). Three exams are scheduled over the course of the semester. Each exam
will consist of definitions and short essays. Exams will require you to display your knowledge about information from
lectures and supplemental readings.

Final Paper (20%). You will be asked to complete a 6-10 page report that will allow you to demonstrate your mastery
of course material. More details will be provided in the coming weeks.

Course Policies:

Attendance: I cannot provide detailed notes for missed classes. If you miss a class, please get the notes from another
student.

Make-up Exams: Make-up exams will only be given under uncontrollable, special circumstances. Please contact me
as soon as possible about missing an exam (and only before an exam is given). Make-up exams are different from the
exam given on test days and are often more difficult than the regular exam. An unexcused missed exam will earn a
grade of 0.

Preparing for Class: Students are expected to come to class prepared. This means completing the assigned readings
before class, so that you can ask questions and be prepared for the day’s lecture and discussion. Remember, active
participation in this course is part of your grade. Please bring the assigned readings to class.

Quality of Work: All assignments (including the final paper) turned in for this class must be proofread, typed and on-
time! No exceptions! All assignments will lose one letter grade per day that they are late. Grades will be lowered two
letter grades if the assignments are not typed. Papers will not be accepted through e-mail.

Respect for Others in the Class: It is expected that students listen to and respect each other’s insights, comments and
suggestions during class. It is expected that students will work together in a collegial manner. Any problems or
difficulties should be brought to the course instructor for resolution.

Please turn off cell phones and pagers during class meetings, as they can be a distraction to your fellow classmates.
Also refrain from e-mailing, messaging or other forms of entertainment during class.

Developing Child: Toddler and Preschool Years Syllabus Page 2


Date Topics Required Readings
1/11 Introduction
Testing your Knowledge of Child
Development
Issues in Child Development

1/18 Physical Development: Growth, the Body Berk, L. E. (2008). Physical development in early childhood. In
and the Brain, Motor Skills and Health Infants and children (6th ed, pp. 293-317). Boston:
Pearson
Effects of Exposure to Lead.
http://ehso.com/ehshome/Lead_effects.htm
Lead Exposure in Children linked to Violent Crime (2008)
http://articles.latimes.com/2008/may/28/science/sci-lead28
1/25 Young Children’s Thinking: Denham (1991). Teaching thinking skills: The “what” and
Cognitive Development and “how” of young children’s thinking. Early Child
Piaget Theory and Development and Care, 71, 35-44
Alternative Theories DeLoache, J. S. (1987). Rapid change in the symbolic
functioning of very young children. Science, 238, 1556-
1557.
2/1 Young Children’s Thinking: Berk, L. E. (2008). Language development. In Infants and
Language, Memory, and Academic Skills children: Prenatal through middle childhood (6th ed),
355-361. Boston: Pearson.
Marcus, G. F. (1996). Why do children say “breaked”? Current
Directions in Psychological Science, 5, 81-85.
Nelson, K. (1993). The psychological and social origins of
autobiographical memory. Psychological Science, 4,
60-67.
Rosenkoetter, S., & Barton, L. R. (2002). Bridges to literacy:
Early routines that promote later success.
http://www.zerotothree.org/site/DocServer/Vol_22-
4f.pdf?docID=1182&AddInterest=1145
Ginsburg, H. P., Cannon, J., Eisenband, J., & Pappas, S. (2006).
Mathematical thinking and learning. In K. McCartney &
D. Phillips (Eds). Blackwell handbook of early
childhood development, 208- 229.
2/8 EXAM # 1 BRING BLUE BOOK
2/15 Psychosocial Development: J.P. Shonkoff & D.A. Ohillips (Eds.). (2000). Acquiring self-
Self-Regulation regulation. In Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science
The Developing Self of early childhood development. 93-123.
Emotions Verscueren, K., Marcoen, A. & Buyck, P. (1998). Five year
olds’ behaviorally presented self-esteem: Relations to
self-perceptions and stability across a three-year period.
The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 159, 273-279.
Jambunathan, S., & Burts, D. C. (2003). Comparison of
perception of self-competence among five ethnic groups
of preschoolers in the US. Early Child Development and
Care, 173, 651-660.
Kieras, J. E., Tobin, R., Graziano, W., & Rothbart, M. K.
(2005). You can’t always get what you want.
Psychological Science, 16, 391-396.
Denham, S. A., Zoller, D., & Couchoud, E. A. (1994).
Developing Child: Toddler and Preschool Years Syllabus Page 3
Socialization of preschoolers’ emotional understanding.
Developmental Psychology, 30, 928-936.

2/22 Psychosocial Development: Ruble, D., Taylor, L., Cyphers, L., Greulich, Fl., Lurye, L., &
Gender Development Shrout, P. (2207). The role of gender constancy in early
Gender Differences gender development. Child Development, 78, 1121-
Moral Development 1136.
Kochanska, G. & Aksan, N. (2204) Conscience in childhood:
Past, present and future. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 50
(3), 299-310.
3/1 Psychosocial Development: Ross, A. T. (1999). The individual child: Temperament,
Temperament emotion, self, and personality. In M. H. Bornstein & M.
Attachment E. Lamb (Eds). Developmental psychology: An
Aggression and Prosocial Behavior advanced textbook. (4th ed), 377- 409. Mahwah, NJ:
Erlbaum.
Rimm-Kaufmann, S. E., & Kagan, J. (2005). Infant predictors
of kindergarten behavior: The contribution of inhibited
and uninhibited temperament types. Behavioral
Disorders, 30, 331-347.
Thompson, R. A. (2000). The legacy of early attachments.
Child Development, 71, 145-152.
Murray-Close, D. & Ostrov, J. (2009). A longitudinal study of
forms and functions of aggressive behavior in early
childhood. Child Development, 80, 828-842.
Farver, J.A.M. & Branstetter, W.H. (1994). Preschooler’
prosocial responses to their peers’ distress.
Developmental Psychology, 30, 334-341.
3/8 Psychosocial Development Barr (2006). Social understanding in a social context. In K.
Theory of Mind McCartney & D. Phillips (Eds). Blackwell handbook of
Imaginary Companions early childhood development, 188-207.
Giftedness
3/15 SPRING BREAK NO CLASS
3/22 EXAM # 2 BRING BLUE BOOK

3/29 Social Influences on Development: Kazdin, A. E., & Benjet, C. (2003). Spanking children:
Parenting and Discipline Evidence and issues. Current Directions in
Fathers and Siblings Psychological Science, 12, 99-103.
Pratt, M. W., Kerig, P., Cowan, P. A., & Cowan, C. P. (1988).
Mothers and fathers teaching 3-year-olds: Authoritative
parenting and adult scaffolding of young children’s
learning. Developmental Psychology, 24, 832-839.
Rohner, R. (1998). Father love and child development: History
and current evidence. Current Directions in
Psychological Science, 7, 157-161.
Pike, A., Coldwell, J., & Dunn, J. (2005). Sibling relationships
in early/middle childhood: links with individual
adjustment. Journal of Family Psychology, 19, 523-532.

Developing Child: Toddler and Preschool Years Syllabus Page 4


4/5 Social Influences on Development: Vandell, D. L., Nenide, L., & Van Winkle, S. (2006). Peer
Play, Peers, and Friendship relationships in early childhood. In K. McCartney & D.
Phillips (Eds). Blackwell handbook of early childhood
development, 455-470.
4/12 Social Influences on Development: J. P. Shonkoff & D. A. Phillips (Eds.). (2000). The challenge of
Child Care studying culture. In Neurons to neighborhoods: The
Early Childhood Development in Various science of early childhood development, 57- 69.
Contexts Washington D.C.: National Academy Press.
Cultural Differences J. P. Shonkoff & D. A. Phillips (Eds.). (2000). Growing up in
childcare. In Neurons to neighborhoods: The science of
early childhood development, 297-327. Washington
D.C.: National Academy Press.
Hirsch-Pasek, K (1991). Pressure or challenge in preschool?
How academic environments affect children. In L.
Rescoria, M.C. Hyson, & K. Hirsh-Pasek (Eds.).
Academic instruction in early childhood: Challenge or
pressure? 39-46. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
4/19 Research Methods in Child Development Baum, A.C., & McMurray-Schwartz, P. (2007). Research 101:
Navigating Research Articles Tools for reading and interpreting early childhood
research. Early Childhood Education Journal, 34, 367-
370.
4/26 Finishing up and putting it all together
5/3 EXAM # 3 BRING BLUE BOOK

Topics may be rescheduled as needed during the semester.


Required readings may also be added and/or revised.

Student Conduct & Discipline


The University of Texas System and The University of Texas at Dallas have rules and regulations for the orderly and efficient conduct of their business. It is the responsibility of
each student and each student organization to be knowledgeable about the rules and regulations which govern student conduct and activities. General information on student
conduct and discipline is contained in the UTD publication, A to Z Guide, which is provided to all registered students each academic year.

The University of Texas at Dallas administers student discipline within the procedures of recognized and established due process. Procedures are defined and described in the
Rules and Regulations, Board of Regents, The University of Texas System, Part 1, Chapter VI, Section 3, and in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities of the university’s
Handbook of Operating Procedures. Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff members are available to
assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations (SU 1.602, 972/883-6391).

A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the responsibilities of citizenship. He or she is expected to obey federal, state, and local laws as well as the Regents’
Rules, university regulations, and administrative rules. Students are subject to discipline for violating the standards of conduct whether such conduct takes place on or off campus,
or whether civil or criminal penalties are also imposed for such conduct.

Academic Integrity
The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic honesty. Because the value of an academic degree depends upon the absolute integrity of the work
done by the student for that degree, it is imperative that a student demonstrate a high standard of individual honor in his or her scholastic work.

Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts or omissions related to applications for enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission as one’s
own work or material that is not one’s own. As a general rule, scholastic dishonesty involves one of the following acts: cheating, plagiarism, collusion and/or falsifying academic
records. Students suspected of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary proceedings.

Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for other classes, and from any other source is unacceptable and will be dealt with under the university’s policy on
plagiarism (see general catalog for details). This course will use the resources of turnitin.com, which searches the web for possible plagiarism and is over 90% effective.

Email Use
The University of Texas at Dallas recognizes the value and efficiency of communication between faculty/staff and students through electronic mail. At the same time, email raises
some issues concerning security and the identity of each individual in an email exchange. The university encourages all official student email correspondence be sent only to a
student’s U.T. Dallas email address and that faculty and staff consider email from students official only if it originates from a UTD student account. This allows the university to
maintain a high degree of confidence in the identity of all individual corresponding and the security of the transmitted information. UTD furnishes each student with a free email
account that is to be used in all communication with university personnel. The Department of Information Resources at U.T. Dallas provides a method for students to have their U.T.
Dallas mail forwarded to other accounts.

Withdrawal from Class

Developing Child: Toddler and Preschool Years Syllabus Page 5


The administration of this institution has set deadlines for withdrawal of any college-level courses. These dates and times are published in that semester's course catalog.
Administration procedures must be followed. It is the student's responsibility to handle withdrawal requirements from any class. In other words, I cannot drop or withdraw any
student. You must do the proper paperwork to ensure that you will not receive a final grade of "F" in a course if you choose not to attend the class once you are enrolled.

Student Grievance Procedures


Procedures for student grievances are found in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities, of the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures.

In attempting to resolve any student grievance regarding grades, evaluations, or other fulfillments of academic responsibility, it is the obligation of the student first to make a serious
effort to resolve the matter with the instructor, supervisor, administrator, or committee with whom the grievance originates (hereafter called “the respondent”). Individual faculty
members retain primary responsibility for assigning grades and evaluations. If the matter cannot be resolved at that level, the grievance must be submitted in writing to the
respondent with a copy of the respondent’s School Dean. If the matter is not resolved by the written response provided by the respondent, the student may submit a written appeal
to the School Dean. If the grievance is not resolved by the School Dean’s decision, the student may make a written appeal to the Dean of Graduate or Undergraduate Education,
and the dean will appoint and convene an Academic Appeals Panel. The decision of the Academic Appeals Panel is final. The results of the academic appeals process will be
distributed to all involved parties.

Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules
and regulations.

Incomplete Grade Policy


As per university policy, incomplete grades will be granted only for work unavoidably missed at the semester’s end and only if 70% of the course work has been completed. An
incomplete grade must be resolved within eight (8) weeks from the first day of the subsequent long semester. If the required work to complete the course and to remove the
incomplete grade is not submitted by the specified deadline, the incomplete grade is changed automatically to a grade of F.

Disability Services
The goal of Disability Services is to provide students with disabilities educational opportunities equal to those of their non-disabled peers. Disability Services is located in room 1.610
in the Student Union. Office hours are Monday and Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The contact information for the Office of Disability Services is:


The University of Texas at Dallas, SU 22
PO Box 830688
Richardson, Texas 75083-0688
(972) 883-2098 (voice or TTY)

Essentially, the law requires that colleges and universities make those reasonable adjustments necessary to eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability. For example, it may
be necessary to remove classroom prohibitions against tape recorders or animals (in the case of dog guides) for students who are blind. Occasionally an assignment requirement
may be substituted (for example, a research paper versus an oral presentation for a student who is hearing impaired). Classes enrolled students with mobility impairments may have
to be rescheduled in accessible facilities. The college or university may need to provide special services such as registration, note-taking, or mobility assistance.

It is the student’s responsibility to notify his or her professors of the need for such an accommodation. Disability Services provides students with letters to present to faculty
members to verify that the student has a disability and needs accommodations. Individuals requiring special accommodation should contact the professor after class or during office
hours.

Religious Holy Days


The University of Texas at Dallas will excuse a student from class or other required activities for the travel to and observance of a religious holy day for a religion whose places of
worship are exempt from property tax under Section 11.20, Tax Code, Texas Code Annotated.

The student is encouraged to notify the instructor or activity sponsor as soon as possible regarding the absence, preferably in advance of the assignment. The student, so excused,
will be allowed to take the exam or complete the assignment within a reasonable time after the absence: a period equal to the length of the absence, up to a maximum of one week.
A student who notifies the instructor and completes any missed exam or assignment may not be penalized for the absence. A student who fails to complete the exam or assignment
within the prescribed period may receive a failing grade for that exam or assignment.

If a student or an instructor disagrees about the nature of the absence [i.e., for the purpose of observing a religious holy day] or if there is similar disagreement about whether the
student has been given a reasonable time to complete any missed assignments or examinations, either the student or the instructor may request a ruling from the chief executive
officer of the institution, or his or her designee. The chief executive officer or designee must take into account the legislative intent of TEC 51.911(b), and the student and instructor
will abide by the decision of the chief executive officer or designee.

These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the Professor.

INTRODUCTION
Name: Jacoba, explain Toosje (Toesha)
Educational background
Explain about work at New Connections (15 years)
Phone, office at UTD, only 30-45 minutes before and after class. Use UTD
email address to make an appointment.

Substitution for Dr. Holub: Some changes in format, in exams, and in material, but I will try to offer the
same information (in general) Dr. Holub offered.

Developing Child: Toddler and Preschool Years Syllabus Page 6


Lectures: Electronically challenged.
Some lectures (from Dr. Holub) on Power Point, others (my own) I will use the
document projector. But in the end it is all the same. As long as you get the
information, the method is irrelevant.

Teaching Assistant: No teaching assistant

Course Pre-requisites: The Developing Child (Infancy (HD 6319) or special approval

Course Description
Course Goals
Primary Competencies Texas Interagency Council for standardizing and recognition requirements for
Early Intervention specialist
Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes

Required Textbooks All readings for this class should be available through the library electronic
and Material: course reserves.
All familiar with this?
Due to copyright restrictions, electronic reserve materials need a password. I
cannot publicly display this password (f.e. in this syllabus), but I can give it to
you now, so that you can write is down somewhere and use it. The password
for this class HDCD 6320 is love. Do not lose this, only your classmates and I
will know this password. The library staff does not.

Requirements for this class: Three exams


One final paper, due on the last day of class, April 26 or earlier
Article presentation and discussion
Class participation and discussion

Grading policy: Three exams 20% each


Final paper 20%
Article presentation and discussion 10%
Class attendance and participation 10%

Notes: I do NOT give out my notes. Make sure you get one of the other students email
address or phone number to get the notes if you have to miss a class.

Make-up exams: Only when the student is absolutely unable to come to school, like in case of
illness, an accident or a serious family situation. Your boyfriend or mother
coming into town on the night of an exam is not a serious family situation.
Make-up exams are different and more difficult from the original exam.

Prepare for class: I expect you to have read the assigned articles every week before you come to
class. This will help you in being familiar with some of the lecture material, in
taking part of class discussions, and it will give you an opportunity to ask
questions about the material that may be on a test.

Quality of work: Read yourself

E-learning and No idea what those are, thus that will not be part of this class.
and Turnitin.com
Developing Child: Toddler and Preschool Years Syllabus Page 7
Respect for others in class: Read yourself

No cell phones, pagers, emailing, texting, or checking your laptop for information, not related to the
material that is being discussed.

Readings: Remember each one particular class is a combination of two classes as they
were presented in other years. Thus that means that per week, there is a double
load of readings. Some weeks more than others, but again, read the articles
before you come to class. I may ask questions about the articles for class
discussion and it would not be a good idea if you had no idea what the article
was about.

Developing Child: Toddler and Preschool Years Syllabus Page 8


TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT

1 TRUE FALSE GENES HAVE BEEN FOUND TO PLAY A ROLE IN THE


DEVELOPMENT OF ALMOST ALL BEHAVIORS THAT HAVE BEEN
STUDIED

2 TRUE FALSE DARWIN’S CONCEPT OF THE “SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST”


MEANS THAT THE STRONGEST ANIMAL IS MOST LIKELY TO
SURVIVE

3 TRUE FALSE FEMALES ARE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE A GENETIC DISORDER


THAN MALES

4 TRUE FALSE WHEN A CHILD IS CONCEIVED, THERE IS A 50-50 CHANCE THE


CHILD WILL BE A MALE

5 TRUE FALSE CHILDREN WHO WERE BREAST-FED HAVE HIGHER IQ SCORES


THAN THOSE WHO WERE NOT

6 TRUE FALSE INFANTS WHO QUICKLY GROW BORED WHEN THEY ARE
REPEATEDLY SHOWN A SIMPLE OBJECT TURN OUT TO HAVE A
HIGHER INTELLIGENCE LATER IN CHILDHOOD

7 TRUE FALSE EVEN IF RESEARCH CONSISTENTLY FINDS THAT MOTHERS


WHO TALK TO THEIR CHILDREN A GREAT DEAL, HAVE
CHILDREN WITH HIGH SELF-ESTEEM, WE SHOULD NOT
CONCLUDE THAT FREQUENT CONVERSATIONS WITH PARENTS
BUILD SELF-ESTEEM

8 TRUE FALSE RESULTS FROM INTELLIGENCE TESTING INDICATE THAT


PEOPLE ARE GETTING SMARTER AND SMARTER

9 TRUE FALSE USING FLASH CARDS, REPETITION, AND WORD DRILLING IS A


GOOD WAY TO ENSURE THAT A CHILD DEVELOPS EARLY
LITERACY SKILLS

10 TRUE FALSE THE AVERAGE CHILD TODAY REPORTS MORE ANXIETY THAN A
CHILD IN PSYCHIATRIC TREATMENT IN THE 1950’S DID

11 TRUE FALSE ABOUT HALF OF CHILDREN WHO SHOW PROBLEMS WITH


AGGRESSION OR WHO ARE IMPULSIVE DURING THE

Developing Child: Toddler and Preschool Years Syllabus Page 9


PRESCHOOL YEARS WILL GROW OUT OF THEIR PROBLEMS BY

THE TIME THEY ENTER SCHOOL

12 TRUE FALSE A YOUNG CHILD SEES HIS MOTHER SMILE WHEN SHE EATS
BROCCOLI AND MAKE A FACE WHEN SHE EATS AN APPLE.
GIVEN A CHOICE, THE CHILD WILL GIVE HIS MOTHER THE
APPLE BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT HE LIKES THE BEST AND THAT
IS ALL AN INFANT UNDERSTANDS

13 TRUE FALSE THE FAST PACE USED ON THE TELEVISION PROGRAM SESAME
STREET SHORTENS THE ATTENION SPAN OF CHILDREN WHO
WATCH IT.

14 TRUE FALSE CHILDREN WHO ARE RAISED BY PERMISSIVE PARENTS ARE


MORE LIKELY TO GROW UP TO BE SELF-RELIANT, CONFIDENT,
AND EXPLORATIVE

15 TRUE FALSE IN THE UNITED STATES, ONE CHILD DIES FROM CHILD ABUSE
OR NEGLECT EVERY 4 DAYS

Developing Child: Toddler and Preschool Years Syllabus Page 10


1. True Behavioral genetics has shown that almost all behaviors studied have some genetic
components. However, different traits and behaviors are more or less heritable. Through
behavioral genomics, a genetic association for a particular behavior can be found by using
molecular genetics to identify the specific genes that may be involved in producing that
behavior.
2. False Darwin’s concept of survival of the fittest, accounts for changes in species from one
generation to the next. The “fittest” animals (or humans) or plants are not necessarily the
strongest but rather those that adapt most successfully to the environment.
3. False A number of genetic disorders are equally likely to affect males and females, but there
is an additional group of conditions that are related to the chromosome that determines the
gender of the child. Because the male chromosome is smaller than the female chromosome
with which it is paired, males are more vulnerable to the groups of recessive gene disorders.
Most genetic disorders are coded on recessive genes but most of the time the recessive gene is
paired with a dominant gene, which protect the individual from developing the disorder.
As long as the dominant gene does its job, the dysfunctional gene will likely not be noticed.
However, there is one situation in which the recessive genes will be expressed because there
is no second gene to create a pair. The Y chromosome is much smaller than the X
chromosome and contains the lowest number of genes: 231. By comparison , chromosome 1
(an autosome) contains the most genes: 2,968. In addition, only some of the 231 genes on the
Y chromosome are active. When an X chromosome pairs with the Y chromosome to create a
boy, only 54 of the X chromosome’s 1,98 active genes find a partner in the Y chromosome.
The problem that results is that any genes on the X chromosome that do no have a partner will
be expressed, whether they are normally recessive or dominant. The outcome is increased
vulnerability of boys to the effects of recessive genes that are carried on the X chromosome
that cause such problems as red-green color blindness, hemophilia, or Duchenne muscular-
dystrophy.
4. False Sperm that contain a Y chromosome are lighter than sperm that contain an X
chromosome, so they can swim faster and are more likely to reach the egg first. Consequently
there are about 107-170 male conceptions for every 100 female conceptions.
5. False Although breast feeding has many positive effects, early research showing higher IQ
scores for breast-fed infants has NOT been confirmed by subsequent studies.
6. True The rate at which infants become bored with, or habituate to simple objects shown
repeatedly, does predict intelligence later on. However, with more complex objects, as
infants get older they pay attention for longer periods.
7. True You cannot assume that two things that go together necessarily cause each other.
There may be some other factor at work that is responsible for both the mother’s talkativeness
and the child’s self-esteem.
8. True In the past century, people have scored higher and higher on standardized tests of
intelligence. As a result, the test scores have had to be readjusted to reset what level of
Developing Child: Toddler and Preschool Years Syllabus Page 11
performance is considered “average”.
9. False These techniques make the child passive learners. Children learn literacy skills much
more effectively when you use techniques that are interactive and that actively involve the
child in the process. Vygotsky introduced the concept of dialogue learning which particularly
effective in developing early literacy skills. As an adult and a child look at a picture in a book
together, they actively talk about it. The adults engages the child in the process by asking
questions and encouraging a dialogue about what is going on in the story.
10. True Although we do not know the reason why children now experience more anxiety than
they did In the past 50 years, some evidence points to an increase in threats from the
environment (such as high crime rates and terrorism), combined with less social support from
families (as indicated by factors such as divorce rates and single parenting).
11. True Although aggression and impulsivity are the most common forms of childhood
maladjustment,
half of aggressive and impulsive children will outgrow these problems by the time they are
ready for school.
12. False Within the first 2 years of life, young children begin to understand some of the basic
Aspects of other people’s mind in their interactions with them. They begin to develop a theory of
mind. Which means that they can understand the internal thoughts and feelings of another person .
In this case, even though the infant would prefer the apple, he understands what his mother likes
and would want to eat.
13 False The fast pace of Sesame Street does not seem to shorten children’s attention span. To
the contrary, children who watch this program have increased academic competence so the
pace must be working for them.
14 False Contrary to what you might think (or what permissive parents may expect),
children raised with a permissive parenting style have been described as less self-reliant, explorative,
and self-controlled than children reared by other parenting styles. Permissive parents provide a great
deal of warmth and acceptance to their children but this acceptance is coupled with few, if any, rules
or restrictions. Children are free to express their ideas and opinions (often have an equal say with
parents in decision making in the family) and parents usually do little monitoring or restricting of the
child’s activities.
15. False In fact, more than 4 children (4.7) die every single day as a result of abuse or neglect
in the U.S. That means that in 2008, 1,740 children died due to child maltreatment.

Developing Child: Toddler and Preschool Years Syllabus Page 12


WHY WE STUDY CHILD DEVELOPMENT

Take a moment to think about why you want to learn about children and their development. Most of
you are interested in child development because it may be your career goal. You may want to
1. work with children and help them overcome certain developmental delays and disabilities.
Others may want to become a
2. developmental psychologist and use the degree you obtain here as a stepping stone to get into a
Ph.D. program. Others may consider a
3. career in pediatric medicine and believe that a first step towards that goal is to learn more about
the development of typical children. Some of you may want to become
4. teachers and you feel that you need to know more about the growth and maturation of children
and there may be a few of you who just like to
5. interact with infants, children, and adolescents and you want to understand them better. And
several of you have a position
6. working with children suffering from specific disorders (autism) and you want to pursue a
degree in Early Childhood Disorders to become more an expert in the field in which you have
been working. Or your interest may be more
7. scientific and you want to focus on understanding the research that explains the processes of
development.

Your particular goal will influence how you approach the information I will give you in this class. If your
goal is
to help children, you will be trying to figure out how to use and apply the information you are going to
receive when working directly with the children. You may also want to use the information
to make changes that will help children develop in an optimum way such as advocating for children through
the passage of new laws and policies. If your goal is
to teach children you will want to take information about how children learn and grow from this course in
order to maximize how much your young students can benefit from your teaching and if your goal is to
understand the scientific research on the nature of child development you will be wondering what new
understandings of each piece of research provides and what new questions it opens up.

It is my responsibility to provide you with information and activities that will hopefully stimulate your
thinking in all these different ways. I want to share with you the excitement that I feel about the topic of
infant and child development and I want to encourage your curiosity so that you will want to learn even more
about it.

We can, of course, begin with talking about a number of theories of child development, but I assume that
most of you already know about these theories. In addition, in other classes you will undoubtedly get more
information on the different views how children develop and mature. Thus, we skip the theories here.

Instead I will begin with a number of important topics on the development of young children from about 2 to
about 5 years of age that will come up in different forms in the coming weeks.

ISSUES IN THE FIELD OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT

Several issues that reflect the way we can think about the nature of childhood and the process of child
development. Just a few

OVERHEAD: SEVERAL ISSUES IN THE FIELD OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT

1. Relative influence of Nature vs Nurture

Developing Child: Toddler and Preschool Years Syllabus Page 13


Nature – genetic makeup, Nurture – influence of environment including experiences and learning
Now we know both nature and nurture paly a role.
Example: physical development – tall parents, tall children. Ill child malnourished child may not
reach potential of being tall.
Example: language development – genetic hardwiring LAD, environment influences richness and
complexity of child vocabulary

2. Continuous vs Stagelike Development (Discontinuous)


`Is development a series of small steps or does it proceed by leaps and bounds? Freud –
Psychoanalytic theory and Cognitive Development Theory - Piaget vs Behaviorism (Pavlov and
Watson and Skinner), Ecological Theory (Bronfenbrenner)

Other way to think about this is: Quantitative Changes and Qualitative Changes:
Quantitative is amount or quantity of change (growing taller, increase in vocabulary, increase in
amount of knowledge)
Qualitative is when overall quality changes, result is altogether different (walking is different from
crawling, abstract thinking is different from concrete thinking).
Stage theories describe qualitative changesin development.

3. Stability vs Change
Related to the question how much we change during the process of development. As we grow,
develop, and mature are we basically the same people we were at an earlier age or do we change
along the way? For example, characteristics such as anxiety and aggression appear to be relatively
stable over time. However, the specific way in which these characteristics are expressed changes
with age.
Anxiety for young children – separation anxiety, school-age children – social phobia or fear of
achievement evaluation, adolescents - fear of failure and criticism.
Because some characteristics seem stable does not mean that development is on a fixed or predictable
course. Many other personality traits show variation in development.

4. Adaptive and Maladaptive Development


Some children develop in a way that is optimally adapted to the environment, while others develop
maladaptive accommodations to the environment. The field of developmental psychopathology
examines behavioral and emotional disorders as distortions of normal development. Rather than
looking at a problem such as depression separately, this approach ties the development of depression
to normal processes that have gone awry. Same example of abused and neglected children. Some
overcome the maltreatment others don’t.
In order to understand atypical development, it is important to understand normal development. The
approach focuses equally on children’s resilience and their disorders.

Developmental pathways may progress in a number of ways. Different pathways may result in the
same outcome, a process known as equifinality (equi = final, finality = ends). For example,
depression may result from biological and genetic processes, but it may also result from early
traumatic experiences.
The same pathways may also lead to different outcomes which is called multifinality. For example,
child abuse may result in many different long-term outcomes for children that can include depression
but can also include resilience or healing.

5. Individual Differences and Diversity

Developing Child: Toddler and Preschool Years Syllabus Page 14


Theories of child development aim to identify true general principles that describe typical
development. We want to make statements about what usually happens. But you cannot be around
children and observe them without recognizing how different each one is from all others.
A child’s gender, age, ethnic or racial background, and SES are some of the characteristics that
may influence the specific outcome of any given situation. For instance, maternal depression when
a child is 2 years old has a stronger effect on sons’ acting out (breaking rules, being aggressive)
than on daughters’ but by first grade the effects has become stronger for daughters than for sons.

6. The Role of the Child in Development


Theories on the effects of the environment on the development of the child initially followed the
main effects theory. This theory viewed development as either being influenced by nature alone
(genetic components) of by nurture alone (environment).
This theory was followed by the belief that the environment has a moderating effect on the child’s
development, with the combined effects of genes and environment being averaged to yield the
ecpects outcome. This theory was called the interactional model.
Then in 1975, Sameroff introduced the transactional model that stated that children have a critical
role in their own development by influencing the environment in which they live which in turn
affects their environment again.
Thus, in the transactional model, the child is seen as a active organism with a unique biological
constitution and a constantly changing environment.
Optimal development is viewed as the result of a good fit between the characteristics of the child and
the demands of the environment. For example, a child who is easily distracted may have great
difficulty in a classroom, a context that demands that children control their impulses and focus on
work. However, the same child may flourish in a family in which everyone is always physically
active.
Examples of these views are:
a. Behaviorism in which the child is seen as a passive recipient of the environment which is beyond
their control. This approach uses rewards and punishment the impact the way the child will or
will not behave.
b. However, Piaget for example in his cognitive development theory gave children a much more
active role in shaping their own development. Rather than seeing children as passively receiving
knowledge offered by others, Piaget proposed that children actively explore their environment
and in the process create their own ideas about the world and how it works.

Developing Child: Toddler and Preschool Years Syllabus Page 15


ISSUES IN THE FIELD OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT

1. THE RELATIVE INFLUENCE OF


NATURE AND NURTURE

2. CONTINUOUS VS STAGELIKE DEVELOPMENT


(DISCONTINUOUS)

3. STABILITY VS CHANGE

4. ADAPTIVE VS MALADAPTIVE DEVELOPMENT


(EQUIFINALITY – MULTIFINALITY)

5. INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES AND DIVERSITY

6. THE ROLE OF THE CHILD IN DEVELOPMENT

Developing Child: Toddler and Preschool Years Syllabus Page 16


Date Topics Required Readings
1/11 How to Think Like a Child Development
Researcher: Theory

1/13 How to Think Like a Child Development Baum, A. C., & McMurray-Schwarz, P. (2007). Research 101:
Researcher: Research Methods and Tools for reading and interpreting early childhood
Navigating Research Articles research. Early Childhood Education Journal, 34, 367-
370.
Gleason, T. R., Sebanc, A. M., & Hartup, W. W. (2000).
Imaginary companions of preschool children.
Developmental Psychology, 36, 419-428.
1/18 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day- NO CLASS
1/20 The Importance of Physical Development: J. P. Shonkoff & D. A. Phillips (Eds.). (2000). Acquiring self-
Growth, Brain and Motor Development regulation. In Neurons to neighborhoods: The science of
early childhood development. (pp. 93-103 only).
Washington D.C.: National Academy Press. (e-book
and course reserves)
Berk, L. E. (2008). Physical development in early childhood. In
Infants and children (6th ed, pp. 293-299 only). Boston:
Pearson.

Developing Child: Toddler and Preschool Years Syllabus Page 17


1/25 The Importance of Physical Development: Berk, L. E. (2008). Physical development in early childhood. In
Maintaining the Health and Well-being of Infants and children (6th ed, pp. 300-319). Boston:
Young Children Pearson.
Fisher, J. O., & Birch, L. L. (1999). Restricting access to
palatable foods affects children’s behavioral response,
food selection, and intake. American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition, 69, 1264-1272.
1/27 Young Children’s Thinking: Cognitive Denham (1991). Teaching thinking skills: The “what” and
Development and Piaget “how” of young children’s thinking. Early Child
Development and Care, 71, 35-44.
DeLoache, J. S. (1987). Rapid change in the symbolic
functioning of very young children. Science, 238, 1556-
1557.
2/1 Young Children’s Thinking: Alternative J. P. Shonkoff & D. A. Phillips (Eds.). (2000). Acquiring self-
Theories and New Research regulation. In Neurons to neighborhoods: The science of
early childhood development. (pp. 115-123 only).
Washington D.C.: National Academy Press.
Pratt, M. W., Kerig, P., Cowan, P. A., & Cowan, C. P. (1988).
Mothers and fathers teaching 3-year-olds: Authoritative
parenting and adult scaffolding of young children’s
learning. Developmental Psychology, 24, 832-839.
2/3 Young Children’s Thinking: Language Berk, L. E. (2008). Language development. In Infants and
and Memory children: Prenatal through middle childhood (6th ed, pp.
355-361). Boston: Pearson.
Marcus, G. F. (1996). Why do children say “breaked”? Current
Directions in Psychological Science, 5, 81-85.
Nelson, K. (1993). The psychological and social origins of
autobiographical memory. Psychological Science, 4, 60-
67.
2/8 Young Children’s Thinking: Early Rosenkoetter, S., & Barton, L. R. (2002). Bridges to literacy:
Academic Skill Development Early routines that promote later success.
http://www.zerotothree.org/site/DocServer/Vol_22-
4f.pdf?docID=1182&AddInterest=1145
Ginsburg, H. P., Cannon, J., Eisenband, J., & Pappas, S. (2006).
Mathematical thinking and learning. In K. McCartney &
D. Phillips (Eds). Blackwell handbook of early
childhood development (pp. 208- 229). Blackwell.
2/10 Young Children’s Thinking: Thinking Barr (2006). Social understanding in a social context. In K.
about and Engaging in the Social World McCartney & D. Phillips (Eds). Blackwell handbook of
early childhood development (pp. 188-207). Blackwell.
2/15 Special Topics in Cognitive Development Readings TBA

2/17 Exam #1

2/22 Psychosocial Development: Temperament Ross, A. T. (1999). The individual child: Temperament,
Observation Assignment Distributed emotion, self, and personality. In M. H. Bornstein & M.
E. Lamb (Eds). Developmental psychology: An
advanced textbook. (4th ed, pp. 377- 409). Mahwah, NJ:
Erlabaum.
Rothbart, M. K. (2007). Temperament, development, and
Developing Child: Toddler and Preschool Years Syllabus Page 18
personality. Current Directions in Psychological
Science, 16, 207-212.

2/24 Psychosocial Development: Temperament Rimm-Kaufmann, S. E., & Kagan, J. (2005). Infant predictors
(cont.) of kindergarten behavior: The contribution of inhibited
and uninhibited temperament types. Behavioral
Disorders, 30, 331-347.
3/1 Psychosocial Development: Self-Related Verscueren, K., Marcoen, A. & Buyck, P. (1998). Five year
Cognitions in Early Childhood olds’ behaviorally presented self-esteem: Relations to
self-perceptions and stability across a three-year period.
The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 159, 273-279.
Jambunathan, S., & Burts, D. C. (2003). Comparison of
perception of self-competence among five ethnic groups
of preschoolers in the US. Early Child Development and
Care, 173, 651-660.
3/3 Psychosocial Development: Emotion J. P. Shonkoff & D. A. Phillips (Eds.). (2000). Acquiring self-
regulation. In Neurons to neighborhoods: The science of
early childhood development. (pp.104-115 only).
Washington D.C.: National Academy Press. (e-book
and course reserves)
Kieras, J. E., Tobin, R., Graziano, W., & Rothbart, M. K.
(2005). You can’t always get what you want.
Psychological Science, 16, 391-396.
Denham, S. A., Zoller, D., & Couchoud, E. A. (1994).
Socialization of preschoolers’ emotional understanding.
Developmental Psychology, 30, 928-936.
3/8 Psychosocial Development: Gender Ruble, D., Taylor, L., Cyphers, L., Greulich, F., Lurye, L., &
Development Shrout, P. (2007). The role of gender constancy in early
gender development. Child Development, 78, 1121-
1136.
Maccoby, E. E. (2000). Gender and relationships: A
developmental account. In W. Craig (ed.). Childhood
social development: Essential readings. (pp. 201- 219).
3/10 Psychosocial Development: Moral Kochanska, G., & Aksan, N. (2004). Conscience in childhood:
Development Past, present, and future. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly,
50(3), 299-310.
Killen, M. (2007). Children’s social and moral reasoning about
exclusion. Current Directions in Psychological Science,
16, 32-36.
3/15- Spring Break – NO CLASS
3/17
3/22 Psychosocial Development: Aggression Murray-Close, D., & Ostrov, J. (2009). A longitudinal study of
and Prosocial Behavior forms and functions of aggressive behavior in early
childhood. Child Development, 80, 828-842.
Farver, J. A. M., & Branstetter, W. H. (1994). Preschoolers’
prosocial responses to their peers’ distress.
Developmental Psychology, 30, 334-341.

Developing Child: Toddler and Preschool Years Syllabus Page 19


3/24 Special Topics in Psychosocial Readings- TBA
Development
3/29 Exam # 2

3/31 Social Influences on Development: Thompson, R. A. (2000). The legacy of early attachments.
Attachment Child Development, 71, 145-152.
4/5 Social Influences on Development: Dixon, W. E. (2003). This is going to hurt you a lot more than it
Parenting and Discipline is going to hurt me. In Twenty Studies that
revolutionized child psychology. (pp. 153-166). Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Kazdin, A. E., & Benjet, C. (2003). Spanking children:
Evidence and issues. Current Directions in
Psychological Science, 12, 99-103.
4/7 Social Influences on Development: Rohner, R. (1998). Father love and child development: History
Fathers and Siblings and current evidence. Current Directions in
Psychological Science, 7, 157-161.
Pike, A., Coldwell, J., & Dunn, J. (2005). Sibling relationships
in early/middle childhood: links with individual
adjustment. Journal of Family Psychology, 19, 523-532.
4/12 Social Influences on Development: J. P. Shonkoff & D. A. Phillips (Eds.). (2000). The challenge of
Various Contexts studying culture. In Neurons to neighborhoods: The
science of early childhood development. (pp.57- 69).
Washington D.C.: National Academy Press.
Student led discussions.
4/14 Social Influences on Development: Student led discussions.
Important Factors
4/19 Social Influences on Development: Student led discussions.
Important Factors
4/21 Social Influences on Development: Student led discussions.
Changing Families
4/26 Social Influences on Development: J. P. Shonkoff & D. A. Phillips (Eds.). (2000). Growing up in
Childcare and Early Childhood Education childcare. In Neurons to neighborhoods: The science of
early childhood development. (pp. 297-327).
Washington D.C.: National Academy Press. (e-book
and course reserves)
Hirsh-Pasek, K. (1991). Pressure or challenge in preschool?:
How academic environments affect children. . In L.
Rescorla, M. C. Hyson, & K. Hirsh-Pasek (Eds).
Academic instruction in early childhood: Challenge or
pressure? (pp. 39-46). San Francisco: Jossey- Bass.
4/28 Social Influences on Development: Play, Vandell, D. L., Nenide, L., & Van Winkle, S. (2006). Peer
Peers, and Friendship relationships in early childhood. In K. McCartney & D.
Phillips (Eds). Blackwell handbook of early childhood
development (pp. 455-470). Blackwell.
5/3 Social Influences on Development:
Another Way to Look at Child
Development

Developing Child: Toddler and Preschool Years Syllabus Page 20


5/10 Exam # 3 at 2:00

Topics may be rescheduled as needed during the semester.


Required readings may also be added and/or revised.

Developing Child: Toddler and Preschool Years Syllabus Page 21

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