CHDV 443: The Psychology of Cognitive Development (4.0 units)
Monday & Wednesday, 11:40 – 1:20
Instructor: Gustavo Loera, Ed.D.
Fine Arts Bldg. Rm. 347
(213) 447-5591
e-mail:
Office Hours: Wednesday, 2:00 – 4:00 or by appointment
Textbook:
Bjorklund, D. F. (2005). Children’s thinking: Developmental function and individual differences (4thEd.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.
Recommended Textbooks:
American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association. Washington, DC
Jose, L. Galvan. (2004). Writing literature reviews: A guide for students of the social and behavioral sciences (2nd Ed.). Glendale, CA: Pyrczak Publishing.
Catalog Description
Pre-requisite:PSY 412A. Completion of CHDV 200 and 320 with a grade of C or better or by consent of instructor. Evolution of cognitive processes from simple organisms to adult human beings. Piaget’s theory; development of dialectic operations, perceptual and language development and apprehension of reality; relationship of social development to cognitive development.
Professional objectives
This course serves the mission of the Department of Child and Family Studies to prepare individuals to understand the relationship between developmental theory, research and practice; to motivate students to think critically about child and developmental processes; and to apply knowledge of child development to solve practical problems for individuals and families within diverse urban environments. This course fulfills requirements for subject matter in preparing candidates for the multiple subject teaching credential.
Statement of reasonable accommodation
The instructor will provide reasonable accommodation to any student with a disability who is registered with the Office of Students with Disabilities (OSD) who needs and requests accommodation. Reasonable accommodation may involve allowing a student to use an interpreter, note taker, or reader; accommodation may be needed during class sessions and for administration of examinations.
Student Conduct
The Department of Child and Family Studies assumes that all students will conduct themselves in accordance with University policies and regulations. Inappropriate conduct is subject to discipline as provided for in Title 5, California Code of Regulations (see student conduct: rights and responsibilities, and student discipline, CSULA General Catalog). Academic honesty is expected of all students in accordance with University policy. There are established university reporting procedures if a student is suspected of committing an academically dishonest act. Please make sure that you are familiar with CSULA’s Academic Honesty Policy available at This policy defines academic honesty and policies and procedures associated with it.
Technology
To participate successfully in this course, each student must own or have ample access to a computer (e.g., in CSULA computer labs); have general knowledge of word processing; have an email account (available free of charge to all CSULA students); and have a basic understanding of how to use the Internet. Students will utilize the Internet to conduct research and word processing to produce the replication of a research study related to cognitive development. Students will use their email accounts to communicate with group members about their research projects. If you do not have a computer account, apply for one at ATS office (X3-4530) in room King Hall D-140. Once you apply, your account becomes available in about 5 days.
Student Outcomes
The Department of Child and Family Studies expects that at the completion of this course
students will (1) identify the major issues in cognitive development, (2) identify the role of
culture in cognitive development, (3) have a deeper understanding of Piagetian, neo-Piagetian,
Vygotskian and information processing approaches to cognitive development, (4) identify
different types of memory, (5) become familiar with children’s competencies in different
domains of cognition, and (6) get first-hand experience doing developmental research and
develop an appreciation of how development proceeds in one domain.
For candidates for the multiple subject teaching credential, this course is designed to satisfy the standards in the following content domains for subject matter understanding and skill in human development as identified by the California Commission on Teaching Credentialing:
1.1 Cognitive Development: Candidates for Multiple Subject Teaching Credentials define basic concepts of cognitive and moral development. They identify stages in cognitive and language development and use them to describe the development of individuals, including persons with special needs. Candidates identify characteristics of play and their influence on cognitive development. They recognize different perspectives on intelligence and their implications for identifying and describing individual differences in cognitive development.
3.1 Candidates for Multiple Subject Teaching Credentials identify potential impacts on the development of children and young adolescents from genetic or organic causes, sociocultural factors, socioeconomic factors, and sex and gender. They also identify sources of possible abuse and neglect and describe their impact on development.
In addition to the content domain standards, candidates understand the subject matter skills and abilities applicable to the above content domains, as described by the CTC: “apply knowledge of cognitive, social, and physical development to understanding differences between individual children. They interpret similarities and differences in children’s behavior with reference to concepts of human development. They use developmental concepts and principles to explain children’s behavior (as described anecdotally or viewed in naturalistic settings, on videotape, etc.).”
This course also relates to the following standards of quality and effectiveness for the CTC’s Professional Teacher Preparation programs:
5a The program prepares candidates to effectively teach diverse students by increasing their knowledge and understanding of the background experiences, languages, skills and abilities of student populations; and by teaching them to apply appropriate pedagogical practices that provide access to the core curriculum and lead to high achievement for all students.
9h Each candidate demonstrates competence in the use of electronic research tools and the ability to assess the authenticity, reliability, and bias of the data gathered.
11a Through planned prerequisite and/or professional preparation, each candidate learns major concepts, principles, theories and research related to the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional and physical development of children and adolescents. In the program, each candidate begins to use this knowledge to create learning opportunities for candidates to learn and apply developmentally appropriate teaching strategies during the supervised fieldwork experience.
11b Through planned prerequisite and/or professional preparation, each candidate learns major concepts, principles and research associated with theories of human learning and achievement. In the program, the candidates begin to rely on knowledge of human learning in designing, planning and delivering instruction.
Assessment Procedures
Students will demonstrate learning and the achievement of outcomes stated above through a midterm and final exam that will consist of multiple choice items. In addition, students will work in small groups to produce a group research project and a group in-class poster presentation.
Student performance on the following assignments will determine the final grade, which will be measured on a 100 point scale:
70 points: 2 multiple choice and short answer exams will be administered.
Midterm = 30 points
Cumulative Final = 40 points
20 points: Group Project
10 points: Group Oral Presentation
Grading Procedures
Grades are based on a numeric score and assigned as follows:
Numeric ScoreLetter Grade Level of Attainment of Student Outcomes
Above 95% ASuperior
91% - 94% A-Outstanding
88% - 90% B+Very Good
84% - 87% BGood
81% - 83% B- Better than average
78% - 80% C+Above average
70% - 77% CAverage
65% - 69% C-Below average
60% - 64% D+ Weak
55% - 59% DPoor
50% - 54% D- Barely passing
Below 50% FNon-attainment
Course Schedule
June 18 & 20
Introduction to Concepts and Issues of Cognitive Development
Discuss Group Project
Read Chapter 1
June 25 & 27
Sociocultural Perspectives on Cognitive Development
Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development
Read Chapter 3 4
July 2 &4
Information Processing Approaches
Strategies in Cognitive Development
Read Chapter 56
July 9 & 11
Perception
Spatial Cognition
Read Chapter 78
Selection of a Research Topic and Organization of Groups
How to analyze empirical research
July 16
Midterm
July 18
Representation
Read Chapter 9
July 23 & 25
Memory Development
Language Development
Read Chapter 10 & 11
July 30 & August 1
Problem Solving and Reasoning
Social Cognition
Preliminary draft due of group project
Read Chapter 12 & 13
August 6 & 8
Schooling and Cognition
Read Chapter 14
August 13 & 15
Presentations
View video: Polished Stones
August 20 & 22
Review for Final Exam
Final Exam
Group Research Project
Description and Purpose: This assignment is designed to provide the student with some experience in conducting research on children’s cognitive development. Students will be required to work on the project in groups and will focus on any one domain of cognition infancy through adolescence. Each group will develop and execute their respective projects, provide the class with a brief oral presentation (less than 15 minutes), a provide a poster display which will include a detailed write-up of the literature review, methods involved, and results obtained.
Task: Start by reviewing some experiments described in the textbook or discussed in class. Then select a published study on some aspect of cognitive development that replicates the study with a few subjects (at least 2 per each member of the group). Provide an APA style poster write-up as well as a brief oral presentation of your results.
Preparation: Once you have selected a topic that interests the group, conduct a literature search and review relevant research. (You will have an orientation for using databases during the second week.) Be aware that in your poster you are required to summarize at least 3 relevant studies. Once you have selected the experiment to be replicated, read the article carefully, and make sure you clearly understand the hypothesis to be tested. You should carefully consider how best to adapt the procedure for your own use. Before you actually collect data, you should be able to answer questions such as, where exactly will I collect the data? Who will be present? How long approximately, will the procedure take? How to avoid problems such as order effects or response biases? How will I record the data?
Collecting Data: This should be the easiest part, if you have prepared well. As there will be more than one person collecting data, be sure to have the procedure consistent across testers. If you encounter any problems, or are struck by an interesting observation, be sure to write comments immediately. You will need permission from parents before you test their children. We will talk about this in class.
Group Presentation: A brief oral presentation is required and should include your hypothesis, method, and results; you should also discuss difficulties you might have experienced, insights you arrived at, etc. More details should be included in the poster. Your group poster presentation should include the following:
- Domain of inquiry (e.g., object permanence)
- Literature review: Minimum of 3 relevant studies should be summarized
- Characteristics of the participants in the project (age, sex, ethnicity, etc.)
- Procedures/Methods
- Results obtained, including a Table or a Graph
- Discussion of your findings with reference to the reviewed literature
Writing the Poster
- You should follow APA style in spirit, if not to the letter. You don’t have to include a running head, or a separate page with figure captions. You should include all the appropriate sections (abstract, introduction, etc.) and the writing style should be formal and similar in style to a journal article.
- You are writing for a reader who has no previous knowledge of the original article. In other words, your poster should be clear and understandable on its own.
- Your poster should include at least one table and one figure. Do not forget to give all tables and figures titles, and label all axes on figures.
- Your poster should be relatively brief, about 5 to 8 doubled spaced typed pages at about an 18 point font size. Only typed posters are acceptable.
- It is a good idea to revise and proofread your submissions; it is frequently helpful to have someone critically edit and proofread your work.
The following rubrics will be used to evaluate the relative performance of students on the group poster project.
Excellent All aspects of the project are addressed, very well detailed, organized and extensive. Tables and graphs are included that relate well to the data. APA style is accurately applied. Sentences are clear and there are no spelling, punctuation and/or grammatical errors. Poster is visually attractive and easy to read.
Good Effort All aspects of the project are addressed, adequately detailed, adequately organized and fairly extensive. Tables and graphs are good but not excellent with respect to their relationship to the data provided. APA is adequately applied with a few minor errors. Sentences are relatively clear. This work may contain a few spelling, punctuation and/or grammatical errors but not enough to detract significantly from the assessment. Poster is adequate in its visual attractiveness and relatively easy to read.
Needs Improvement All aspects of the project are not adequately detailed. Work is sketchy and it is difficult to see a logical progression of ideas. Tables and graphs are not included or poorly formulated. Sentences are not clear and this work contains many spelling, punctuation and/or grammatical errors. Poster is not visually attractive and may be sloppy in appearance.