PSYCHOLOGY
475/575
COGNITIVE
DEVELOPMENT: WINTER 2002
146 Straub,
Mondays & Wednesdays 2:00-3:20
Professor:
Dr.
Lou Moses
Phone: 346-4918
E-mail: moses@darkwing.uoregon.edu
Class
Web Page: http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~moses/475.htm
Office: 397 Straub
Office
Hours: Tuesdays and Fridays 11-12, or by appointment.
Course Description:
This course is devoted to the study of children’s thinking
and intellectual growth. We will
consider different theoretical accounts of how mental abilities develop, as
well as the scienitific methodologies psychologists use to study cognitive
development. Reflecting the current
state of the field, we will emphasize the latest breakthroughs in the study of
cognition in infancy and early childhood, areas where rapid scientific progress
is currently being made.
Textbook:
Flavell, J.H., Miller, P.H., & Miller, S.A.
(2002). Cognitive Development (4th
ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice
Hall.
Course Prerequisites:
Psychology
302 and 303
Readings:
A
list of lecture topics and reading assignments follows. The chapters refer to the chapters in your
textbook, and the additional readings refer to the readings listed on the last
page. The lecture topics will generally
supplement rather than retrace materials presented in the text and readings,
and will reflect topical issues of contemporary interest in the field. The course readings will be available for
purchase at the Bookstore. The reading
packet will also be on reserve at the library.
Grading:
There
will be two midterms, a final, and a paper, each counting 25% towards the final
grade. The exams will have a short
answer and essay format and will not be cumulative. Midterm 1 will cover lectures and readings
up to and including January 23; Midterm 2 will cover lectures and readings
between January 28 and February 18; and the Final exam will cover lectures and
readings from February 20 onwards. You should note that make-up exams will only
be given in extreme circumstances (e.g., serious illness). In addition to exams, each student will
write a 5-6 page critique of a journal article relevant to cognitive
development (details will be provided later).
The critique is due in class on Wednesday, March 6. For graduate students taking Psychology 575
the paper requirement involves a research proposal in addition to the critique.
OUTLINE
OF LECTURE TOPICS
|
Date |
Topic |
Reading |
|
Jan 7 |
Introduction to
Cognitive Development |
Ch. 1 |
|
Jan 9-14 |
Perceptual
Development |
Ch. 2 |
|
Jan 16 |
Folk Physics:
Objects |
Ch. 3 (pp. 63-86);
Rdg. 1 |
|
Jan 21 |
Martin Luther King
Day |
|
|
Jan 23 |
Folk Physics:
Causality |
Ch. 3 (remainder);
Rdg. 2 |
|
Jan 28 |
Number Concepts |
Ch. 4 (124-135);
Rdg. 3 |
|
Jan 30 |
MIDTERM 1 |
|
|
Feb 4-6 |
Language |
Ch. 8; Rdg. 4 |
|
Feb 11 |
Representation |
Ch. 4 (pp. 99-108);
Rdg. 5 |
|
Feb 13-18 |
The Self |
Ch. 6 (pp. 220-224);
Rdg. 6 |
|
Feb 20 |
Folk Psychology |
Ch. 6 (remainder);
Rdg. 7 |
|
Feb 25 |
MIDTERM 2 |
|
|
Feb 27 |
Folk Psychology
(continued) |
Ch. 5; Rdg. 8 |
|
March 4-6 |
Folk Biology |
Ch. 4 (remainder);
Rdgs 9 & 10 |
|
March 11 |
Memory Development |
Ch. 7; Rdgs 11 &
12 |
|
March 13 |
Conclusions |
Ch. 9 |
|
March 19 |
FINAL (3:15-5:15) |
|
READINGS
1.
Baillargeon, R. (1994). How do infants
learn about the physical world? Current
Directions in Psychological Science, 3, 133-140.
2.
Schlottmann, A. (2001) Perception
versus knowledge of cause and effect in children: When seeing is
believing. Current Directions in
Psychological Science, 10, 111-115
3.
Wynn, K. (1995). Infants possess a system of numerical knowledge. Current
Directions in Psychological Science, 4, 172-177.
4.
Baldwin, D.A. (2000). Interpersonal understanding fuels knowledge acquisition. Current
Directions in Psychological Science, 9, 40-45.
5.
DeLoache, J.S., Miller, K.F., & Rosengren, K.S. (1997). The credible
shrinking room: Very young children's performance with symbolic and nonsymbolic
relations. Psychological Science, 8, 308-313.
6.
Mischel, W., Shoda, Y., & Rodriquez, M.L. (1989). Delay of gratification in
children. Science, 244, 933-938.
7.
Carlson, S.M. & Moses, L.J. (2001). Individual
differences in inhibitory control and children's theory of mind. Child Development, 72,
1032-1053.
8.
Woolley, J.D. (1997). Thinking about
fantasy: Are children fundamentally different thinkers and believers from
adults? Child Development, 68,
991-1011.
9.
Plomin, R., Fulker, D.W., Corley, R., & DeFries, J.C. (1997). Nature,
nurture, and cognitive development from 1 to 16 years: A parent-offspring
adoption study. Psychological Science, 8, 442-447.
10.
Notaro, P.C., Gelman, S.A., & Zimmerman, M.A. (2001). Children’s
understanding of psychogenic bodily reactions. Child Development, 72,
444-459.
11.
Siegler, R.S. (2000). Unconscious insights.
Current Directions in Psychological Science, 9, 79-83.
12.
Bruck, M. & Ceci, S.J. (1997). The suggestibility of young children. Current Directions in Psychological
Science, 6, 75-79.