Psychology assignmentAssignmentsAssignment Preparati.docx

Psychology assignment
Assignments
Assignment Preparation and Submission Instructions
PSYC 2131: Introduction to Childhood and Adolescence has
four assignments. Each assignment is divided into various parts,
which include questions assessing your understanding of your
course text material, responses to exploratory activities you are
asked to complete, and discussion postings.
Preparing Your Assignments
The following suggestions will help you to prepare your course
assignments successfully. Read them carefully before you
begin:
· Refer to the Suggested Schedule for direction as to when to
submit each assignment. While you are free to work through the
course at your own pace, you will learn more effectively and
increase your likelihood of success if you spread the work out
evenly throughout the duration of the course.
Note: If your goal is to complete the course in 16 weeks, you
should meet the timetable set out in the Suggested Schedule.
· Read all assignment directions and questions before you begin
preparing your answers.
· Multiple questions can be answered by including the question
number and the letter of your selected answer, e.g., 1. A; 2. B.;
etc.
· Ensure that you develop your answers to the written questions
using your own words. Do not provide answers that include
information copied directly from your course material. While it
can be a difficult process, writing answers that express concepts
and issues in your own words has direct learning benefits: this

strategy will ensure that you understand the course material at a
deep level, and it will increase the likelihood that you will
remember the information.
· Be sure that your assignments are clearly written and that the
material is organized in a logical fashion, using correct sentence
and paragraph structure. Be sure to double space your lines and
include your name and the assignment number at the top of the
first page.
· Proofread your final copy. Although electronic spell checkers
will find most errors, they are not foolproof and can, at times,
mislead you. It is still necessary to proofread your work to
catch certain types of mistakes and grammatical errors. By
correcting your grammar and spelling errors, you can polish
your assignments and bring clarity to your ideas.
Criteria for Grading Assignments
Your written course work, including the module activities,
should be independently developed and reflect your best efforts.
The grade that is assigned to your assignment work is based on
evidence that you have:
· Addressed the questions or assignment posed.
· Developed responses that are clear and well-reasoned.
· Demonstrated clear understanding and application of the
course material.
· Met university-level expectations for written communication,
including logical organization and correct sentence structure,
grammar, and spelling. Students can contact the TRU Writing
Centre for help with written work
athttps://www.tru.ca/writingcentre/Open_Learning_Writing_Cen
tre_Support.html.
Please refer also to any additional criteria that may be included
in the individual assignments.
Sending Your Assignment to Your Open Learning Faculty
Member
As soon as you have completed an assignment, save your
document on your computer and then send a copy to your Open
Learning Faculty Member for marking. Follow the instructions

in the "Assignments" section of your course.
See "How to Submit an Assignment Using Assignment Tool" in
the "Assignments" section of your course.
Be sure to include your name, the course code, assignment
number, and the date of submission on the title page of your
assignments, so they can be easily identified, and you get credit
for all your work. Use headers in the body of your written
assignments to make sure all components of your assignments
are clearly identified (course code, your surname, assignment
number, date [day, month, year]).
Name your assignment file as follows: course number_your
surname_assignment number_date. For example, if your name is
Jan Martin and you are submitting Assignment 2, name your
file: PSYC2131_Martin_Assignment2_14June2015.
Note: Always keep a copy of each assignment you submit so
that you have a copy to refer to in the event of a telephone or
email conference with your Open Learning Faculty Member. In
addition, many student writing manuals recommend that
students keep copies of early drafts of their work to protect
them against potential charges of plagiarism.
As soon as you have submitted your assignment, and while
waiting for your Open Learning Faculty Member to return it,
begin the next module.
When your marked assignment is returned, review your Open
Learning Faculty Member’s comments and queries. Take the
time to carefully go over the marked assignment. If necessary,
reread sections of the textbook or unit commentary that gave
you trouble. What lessons can you apply to your next
assignment? Contact your Open Learning Faculty Member by
phone if you have any questions or problems.
Your Open Learning Faculty Member is responsible for the
grade you receive on an assignment. If you disagree with a
mark, discuss it with her/him right away. Also, he/she alone
decides whether you may or may not rewrite and assignment.
You should know, however, that it is not customary to allow
revisions of already graded work unless you make a formal

appeal. This is why telephone contact with your Open Learning
Faculty Member before an assignment submission is important,
particularly if you are having difficulty.
Module 4: Adolescence
Overview
Your final module in this course covers adolescence, the
developmental period that bridges childhood and adulthood.
Regardless of their age, students often report that memories of
adolescence are still quite vivid. It can be revealing to look
back on this time from the perspective of, one hopes, greater
maturity!
Module 4 is divided into three topics, one topic for each of the
textbook chapters you will be reading:
· 4.1 Physical Development in Adolescence
· 4.2 Cognitive Development in Adolescence
· 4.3 Socioemotional Development in Adolescence
Learning Objectives
After you have successfully completed this module, you will be
able to:
· Summarize the major physical changes that occur during
pubertal maturation.
· Summarize the impact of pubertal change on emotions, sleep,
social relationships, and sexual behaviour.
· Discuss research findings regarding the risk factors and impact
of disordered eating, teenage pregnancy, substance abuse and
risky behaviour.
· Summarize the major cognitive and social cognitive
developments that occur during adolescence.
· Summarize the factors associated with academic success and
failure in teens.
· Discuss the research findings on the impact of part time work
during adolescence.
· Describe the factors associated with the emergence of
adolescence as a distinct life period.

· Summarize the major socioemotional developmental changes
that occur during adolescence.
· Contrast the role of parents, peers, friendships and dating
partners in teen social adjustment.
· Summarize the factors associated with teen delinquency,
depression and suicide.
· Contrast the major patterns of child-caregiver attachments that
have been identified and the patterns of caregiver behaviour
associated with each.
· Demonstrate, using research evidence, the impact of contexts
such as family and daycare upon children’s development during
adolescence.
Resources
Dittmar, H., Halliwell, E., & Ive, S. (2006). Does Barbie make
girls want to be thin? The effect of experimental exposure to
images of dolls on the body image of 5- to 8-year-old
girls. Developmental Psychology, 42(2), 283–292.
Henry, K. B. (2011) Study guide for Steinberg, Vandell, &
Bornstein’s Development: Infancy through Adolescence.
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Steinberg, L., Vandell, D. L., & Bornstein, M.
(2011). Development: Adolescence through adolescence.
Belmont CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
4.1 Physical Development in Adolescence
Other than infancy, no other phase of life involves as much or
as rapid physical development as puberty. But unlike an infant,
the pubertal teen is profoundly self-aware of the awkwardness
and fraught moments associated with these bodily
transformations. Your study in this lesson will highlight the
intricate process of pubertal development and the psychological
and social changes this engenders in the young person.
Activity 4.1: Text Reading and Self-Test Exercises
1. Read Chapter 13 from the text.
2. Complete the Study Guide self-test exercises to accompany

Chapter 13.
3. Reread the “Tips for Study and Exam Preparation” document
found on the course Home Page.
4. Drawing from the course material you have studied in
Chapter 13, and the module learning objectives, develop four or
five potential exam questions. Close your books and try to
answer these questions on your own. Check for accuracy and
thoroughness. Refer to your books to see if your answers are
correct. Review and repeat the exercise, if necessary.
4.2 Cognitive Development in Adolescence
Much of what we associate with the apex of human intellectual
abilities emerges in the teen years. The human capacity for
hypothesis generation and philosophical abstraction, criticism
and invention, idealism and speculation can all be traced to the
cognitive changes that emerge during adolescence.
Activity 4.2: Text Reading and Study Guide Exercises
Chapter 14.
Assignment 4 – Adolescence (Part A): Exploration Activity 1—
Barbie Dolls and Body Image
Go to the “Assignments” section on the course Home Page and
complete Part A: Exploration Activity 1—Barbie Dolls and
Body Image.
4.3 Socioemotional Development in Adolescence
Because the young person is undergoing the myriad physical

changes that lead to sexual maturation, developments relating to
emotion and self have particular significance. Constructing and
maintaining a coherent sense of self in the midst of these
profound biological changes is a major developmental task for
teens. Your reading for this topic will provide you with an
understanding of the developmental changes that take place in
self-concept and identity during the teen years.
Your final lesson in the course explores the changing and
expanding contexts that frame adolescent development
including family, peers, friendships and romantic relationships.
Research findings that illuminate factors associated with teen
depression, suicide and delinquency are also presented.
Chapter 15.
Assignment 4 – Adolescence (Part B): Discussion 4—
Reflections on Adolescence
complete Part B of Assignment 4.
Assignment 4 – Adolescence (Part C): Written Questions
complete Part C of Assignment 4. Your now completed
Assignment 4 should be submitted to your Open Learning
Faculty Member for marking at the end of Module 4.
Assignment 4 – Adolescence (100 marks, 14%)
Introduction
This assignment is based on Module 4. It will be graded out of
100 marks and is worth 14 per cent of your final course grade.
This assignment has three parts:

· Part A: Exploration Activity (30 marks)
· Part B: Discussion 4 (20 marks)
· Part C: Written Questions (50 marks)
If you have any questions about the assignment, consult your
Open Learning Faculty Member. You are encouraged to submit
your completed assignment for grading by the end of Week 13
of the course.
Your assignments should be independently developed and
should reflect your best efforts. The grade that is assigned to
your assignment work is based on evidence that you have:
course material.
grammar, and spelling.
in this individual assignment.
Instructions
Part A: Exploration Activity—Barbie Dolls and Body Image (30
marks)
As your textbook authors point out, many adolescent girls
struggle with body dissatisfaction, disordered eating, and
dieting. The causes for this state of affairs are complex and
multifaceted. Even though body image issues are normative in
western females, males are not immune. For example, young
males with body image issues may engage in steroid abuse and
exercise addictions. In this activity, you will read about the
findings of a team of researchers interested in this issue. This
group set out to research the impact of Barbie dolls on the body
image of young girls.
Locating the Article at the TRU Library
For Module 1, you located and explored a variety of published
articles from an electronic or e- journal. For this final course

exploration activity, you will need to locate the following
research article from the electronic holdings at TRU library:
Dittmar, H., Halliwell, E., & Ive, S. (2006). Does Barbie make
girls want to be thin? The effect of experimental exposure to
images of dolls on the body image of 5- to 8-year-old
girls. Developmental Psychology, 42(2), 283–292.
If necessary, you can contact a TRU librarian to help you to
access this article, but the following set of instructions should
enable you to locate this resource on your own:
1. Go to the TRU library web site at http://www.tru.ca/library/.
2. Click Index & Databases.
3. Click PsycARTICLES.
4. Type “Barbie doll” into one of the search boxes and the
Dittmar et al. article should appear in the results.
5. To see the full text of the article, click either the HTML or
PDF Full Text links.
Pre-reading
Before beginning the exploratory activity, you may find it
helpful to re-read “Library Research 101—Doing Research at a
Distance” available at http://libguides.tru.ca/c.php?g=193957.
This exploratory activity will give you an opportunity to see
how research findings on child development are reported and
communicated to other scientists. The Dittmar et al. article is
written for a professional audience, and so you can expect that
sections of it will be difficult to read and follow. There is
neither a requirement nor an expectation that you understand the
more complicated sections of the paper, e.g., the statistical
analysis of the findings. Instead, aim to understand the paper in
terms of the question(s) investigated, the methodology used to
study this research question, and the implications of the study
findings. You may be surprised at how much of the paper’s
“Introduction and Discussion” section you can understand and
follow.
Reading and Summarizing the Article
Read the Dittmar et al. (2006) article and then write a one–two
page summary of it in your own words. Include:

1. An explanation of why the researchers felt it was important
to investigate the impact of Barbie dolls. The nature of the three
experimental conditions used in the study.
2. The nature of the three experimental conditions used in the
study.
3. The size and age of the children who participated in the
study.
4. The major finding of the study.
5. Your assessment of whether the study findings provide
convincing support for the promotion of more realistically
shaped and sized dolls, such as Emme.
Part B: Discussion 4—Reflections on Adolescence (20 marks)
Go to the “Discussions” area on the left-hand navigation menu
and complete the discussion posting entitled “Discussion 4:
Reflections on Adolescence.”
In the reading for this module, you were introduced to the
notion that the concept of adolescence was invented. While the
biological changes associated with puberty and sexual
maturation are quite clear cut, the demarcation between the life
periods of childhood, adolescence, and adulthood are more of a
social construction and have varied historically as a result of
economic conditions, war periods, etc.
In your posting, describe how your memories of your own teen
years compare to present day teens and the adolescent
experiences of your parents? Grandparents? In your view, what
demarcates the passage from childhood to adulthood? Is it
separation from the parental household, entry into the job
market, completion of education, financial independence, a
serious romantic partnership, or a combination of these? Are
there other criteria? Explain. (15 marks)
Also comment or respond to a fellow student’s input. (5 marks)
Part C: Written Questions (50 marks)
Write a response in your own words to each of the following
questions:
1. Parents, usually nervous about their children entering
adolescence, anticipate a period of “storm and stress.” Discuss

to what extent this expectation is valid. (10 marks)
2. Read the following passage from Trenton Lee Stewart’s
(2007, pp. 56–57) book The Mysterious Benedict Society in
which the 11–year-old protagonist Reynie tries to find his way
through a house:
“Well,” he said aloud, to bolster his courage, “there’s no time to
waste, so here goes.” He plunged through the doorway ahead of
him (this ought to be the most direct path to the rear of the
house) and, as if by magic, seemed to walk into the very room
he has just left. It was cramped, brightly lit, painted black, and
he could see a dark doorway in each wall.
“What in the world!” he said, turning to look behind him, then
in confusion turning round again. If he hadn’t turned around, he
might have kept his bearings, but now he’d lost them. He was in
a maze of identical rooms. Everything looked exactly the same
in every direction.
His confidence was quickly draining away.
“Now, think,” he told himself. “When you enter a room, its light
must turn on automatically, and when you leave it, it goes off.
But there are light switches by each door. Perhaps if you throw
a switch, the light stays on. It might be as simple as that.”
With a quick inspection of the nearest doorway, however, the
hope vanished. What Reynie supposed were light switches were
only decorative wooden panels. He was about to turn away and
retrace his steps when it occurred to him that the panels
themselves might be important. He took a closer look at one.
About the size of a playing card, the panel had four arrows
etched into it, pointing in different directions and painted
different colors. A blue arrow pointed to the right, a green one
to the left, a wiggly-shaped yellow one straight ahead, and a
purple one down.
Of course, Reynie thought feeling foolish. The arrows weren’t
for decoration —they were meant to show the way. But which
was he to believe? After going round to every panel he was no
better off. Four doorways with four arrows meant sixteen arrows
to choose from, and there was no apparent pattern. Reynie

racked his brain: Should he follow the green ones? Green
arrows on a traffic signal mean “Go.” But perhaps that was too
obvious. Perhaps the red arrows were the ones to follow—
perhaps that was the trick. Yet that hardly seemed fair. What if
he’d been color-blind and couldn’t even tell the difference.
No sooner had this occurred to him than he knew the secret.
Using the textbook’s discussion of cognitive development, show
how Reynie’s thinking illustrates aspects of both Piaget’s
theory and information processing theory as they apply to young
teens. (10 marks)
3. A group of teenagers is having a party. Describe how
adolescent egocentrism, imaginary audience, and personal fable
concepts could lead to a party with lots of problems. (10 marks)
4. Describe each of James Marcia’s four identity statuses and,
for each, provide a brief description of a hypothetical first-year
university student who typifies each status. (10 marks)
5. You have now reached the end of your course, having
covered child development from conception to adolescence.
Reflect on what you have learned and identify one topic or
research finding in the course that you found particularly
valuable. In your own words, identify and briefly describe the
topic/research finding and discuss why it has been significant to
you. What question or area of research would you like to learn
more about in the future and why? (10 marks)
Submission Instructions
Read the “Assignment Preparation and Submission Instructions”
section carefully. As soon as you have completed all parts of
Assignment 4, name and save your document, and send it to
your Open Learning Faculty Member for marking. It is
recommended that you submit this assignment by the end
of Week 13 if you are following the 16-week Suggested
Schedule.
Module 3: Middle Childhood
Overview
When we think of middle childhood, we are apt to picture a

school playground filled with running, shouting children. Full
of energy and vitality, children make enormous strides
cognitively, emotionally, and socially during these years. In this
module, you will explore many developmental themes
pertaining to middle childhood, including gender socialization,
the emergence of logical reasoning, and the influence of
developmental contexts ranging from family, close friends, and
peers, to school.
Module 3 is divided into three topics, one topic for each of the
· 3.1 Physical Development in Middle Childhood
· 3.2 Cognitive Development in Middle Childhood
· 3.3 Socioemotional Development in Middle Childhood
Learning Objectives
able to:
middle childhood and early childhood including brain
development and motor abilities.
· Explain and provide examples of the impact of obesity, sleep
shortages, accidental injuries and illness up children in the
middle years.
· Summarize the major cognitive and linguistic developments
that occur during middle childhood.
· Differentiate the different approaches taken to the
measurement of intelligence and factors that contribute to IQ
scores.
· Describe the educational challenges that children may face and
factors associated with educational success.
that occur during middle childhood including self-concept,
gender concepts and moral reasoning and behaviour.
· Demonstrate the impact of contexts such as family life, peer
groups and friendships, school and media on development
during middle childhood.
· Compare the perspectives taken by the major theoretical

perspectives on cognitive development.
· Demonstrate, using research evidence, the impact of
developmental contexts such as family life, daycare, and peer
groups upon children’s development during early childhood.
Resources
Government of British Columbia, Ministry of Children &
Family Development website
at http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/organization
al-structure/ministries-organizations/ministries/children-and-
family-development.
Mitra, S. (2010). The child-driven education. Retrieved from
TED
at http://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_the_child_driven_edu
cation.html.
(2011). Development: Middle childhood through adolescence.
Belmont CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
The Roots of Empathy website
at http://www.rootsofempathy.org/.
3.1 Physical Development in Middle Childhood
While brain and physical changes of the middle years are less
dramatic than that seen in the younger years, this continuing
maturation underpins the expanding capacity of the youngster to
explore and engage with the world.
Chapter 10.

3.2 Cognitive Development in Middle Childhood
Cognitive development during middle childhood can be
described using the image of cursive loops. Cognitive advances
occur on one front, loop back, and create opportunities for
learning in other areas. For example, as children move into
middle childhood, their thinking changes qualitatively from
what was evident in early childhood. Now, the child is able to
reason with more coherence and logic about events in his/her
world. These logical advances open new possibilities for the
child in terms of questions he or she can ask and the answers he
or she can understand. Similarly, an improved ability to pay
attention, to remember information, and to reflect on one’s
thought processes feeds back and facilitates the mastery of a
host of academic and non-academic skills. In short, it is during
this period that the child begins, in earnest, to master the skills
that he or she will carry throughout life.
Chapter 11.
3.3 Socioemotional Development in Middle Childhood
As students, team members, young performers and volunteers,
the school-age child exerts more presence in public life.
Expanded participation in the broader world goes hand in hand
with enhanced psychological development in the child. The
inner world of the child deepens and becomes more textured.

Your text reading covers changes in the school-age child's
perspective-taking abilities, awareness of gender expectations,
emotional and moral understanding.
Chapter 12.
Assignment 3 – Middle Childhood (Part B): Exploration
Activity 2—Babies as Teachers
complete Assignment 3, Part B: Exploration Activity 2.
Assignment 3 – Middle Childhood (Part C): Discussion 3—
Children and Families in BC
complete Part C of Assignment 3.
Assignment 3 – Middle Childhood (Part D): Written Questions
complete Part D of Assignment 3. Your completed Assignment
3 should be submitted to your Open Learning Faculty Member
for marking at the end of Module 3.
Also, please remember to check the Exam Department for
available final exam dates, choose one that suits you, and
complete an exam application form by the deadline.
Assignment 3 – Middle Childhood (100 marks, 12%)
Introduction
This assignment has four parts:
· Part A: Exploration Activity 1 (15 marks)
· Part B: Exploration Activity 2 (15 marks)

· Part C: Discussion 3 (15 marks)
· Part D: Written Questions (55 marks)
your completed assignment for grading by the end of Week 10
of the course.
course material.
Instructions
Part A: Exploration Activity 1—Sugatra Mitra’s Hole in the
Wall Project (15 marks)
Your textbook authors devote attention to the developmental
context of schools during middle childhood. Although schooling
is a common experience for many youngsters around the globe,
this is not the case for children growing up in extreme poverty
and isolation. As well, questions are arising about the changing
nature of education in our connected world. In this exploration
activity, you will learn about a scientist who has catalogued the
potential of children to learn when they are linked with
computers, and who suggests some rather radical innovations in
education.
View the video Sugata Mitra: Build a School in the
Cloud at https://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_build_a_schoo
l_in_the_cloud?language=en#t-1321256.
After watching Mitra’s presentation, develop answers in your

own words to the following questions:
1. Why does Mitra argue that teachers do not need to be present
for children to learn? What evidence does he have for this
assertion?
2. Does that mean teachers are obsolete? Explain.
3. In what ways does Mitra think education will change in the
future? How might this impact the children who already are in
school?
4. What would Lev Vygotsky have thought about Mitra’s talk?
5. What would Jean Piaget have thought about Mitra’s talk?
Part B: Exploration Activity 2: Babies as Teachers (15 marks)
Roots of Empathy (ROE) is an innovative program in which
babies and school age children are brought together for a most
valuable purpose.
Go to The Roots of Empathy website
at http://www.rootsofempathy.org/. This well-organized website
contains information about the program and findings from
research studies documenting its impact. Included are links to
scores of news and media reports, documenting the program and
its impact on children. You are encouraged to explore any of the
information and resources on this website.
For a good overview of the program, point your cursor
over Newsroom in the main menu at the top of the home page.
Click Media Kit/Key Information and then Watch the Roots of
Empathy video and view the video. After watching it, answer
the following questions in your own words:
1. Describe what takes place in a classroom where a Roots of
Empathy (ROE) program is being run.
2. Three primary goals of the ROE program are encouraging
emotional literacy, problem solving, and the acceptance of
diversity in children. Briefly explain what is meant by each of
these goals.
3. Refer back to the findings regarding bullies and victims
discussed in your module text reading. Why do you think
schools that participate in a ROE program report lowered rates
of bullying amongst students?

Part C: Discussion 3—Children and Families in BC (15 marks)
and complete the discussion posting entitled “Discussion 3:
Children and Families in BC.”
Go to the Healthy Families BC website
at https://www.healthyfamiliesbc.ca/. The range of topics,
resources, and links located on this site reflect the type of
issues that are concerns for parents.
Select one resource or link pertaining to a school-aged
child that interests you. In the Discussion, post a description of
the information related to your interest, including any
recommendations. Relate the material to theory or research in
your textbook. Pose at least one follow-up question that you
have after reading the resource. (10 marks)
As well, comment or respond to a fellow student’s input. (5
marks)
Part D: Written Questions (55 marks)
questions:
1. One of the causes of traumatic brain injury in children is
head impacts sustained while playing sports. Middle childhood
is a time when many children play organized sports, often at
increasingly competitive levels. Choose any sport where an
injury causing concussion could occur, and explore how that
sport’s governing body has taken steps to prevent and reduce
the number of concussions in children. Examples might be
hockey, lacrosse, boxing, mountain biking, etc. Summarize your
findings, including descriptions of why that sport poses a
concussion risk and what steps the sport is taking to prevent
concussion in children. Speculate about what further steps are
needed. Make sure you give a credible reference for your work;
typically, this will involve the governing body for the sport in
question. (10 marks)
2. Age is no guarantee of better memory. Child “experts “can
outperform adults. Why might children perform better than an
adult on a memory task such as knowledge of a specific topic,

or classification and identification of things like models of
cars? What strategies might children be knowingly or
unknowingly using that contribute to superior memory? Provide
an example. (5 marks)
3. Applying what you have learned about Sternberg’s Triarchic
Theory of Intelligence, describe how a Grade 5 teacher might
teach his/her class about the basic structure and function of
bodily systems, such as the circulatory system or the digestive
system. Show how the teacher appeals to and uses children’s
analytical, practical, and creative intelligences. (15 marks)
4. The concept of family is discussed at length in your textbook.
Family can include people related to you by blood, marriage,
and adoption. It includes two parents, single parents,
stepparents, same-sex parents, grandparents, and so on.
Children can have siblings, no siblings, step-siblings, and half-
siblings. Family structure is fluid over time as adults marry,
divorce, and remarry. Many couples live together without
marrying. Describe your own family structure during your
childhood, including any changes over time, and a brief
description of the effects each member had, if any, on your
development. (5 marks)
5. Discuss how children’s ideas about friendship and behaviour
toward their peers change between early childhood and the end
of middle childhood. (10 marks)
6. Explain why interactions with parents and peers are
important contributors to advancements in moral reasoning. (2
marks)
7. Construct an original scenario placing a child in a realistic
moral dilemma. Examples might be discovering another child
cheating at school; shoplifting candy from the corner store;
telling a lie to parents. Your scenario should end with a
question about what the child should do. Provide both “should
do” and “shouldn’t do” responses for the scenario from all
three of Kohlber’s levels of moral reasoning (6 responses in
total). (8 marks)

Schedule.
Module 2: Infancy and Early Childhood
Overview
As a student of human development, you are learning about the
period of infancy at an exciting time. We know more about the
infancy period now than at any other time in history. Advances
in brain imaging techniques and video recording technologies
along with the cumulative efforts of researchers have revealed
that, behind all their gurgling, arm movements, and cute facial
expressions, babies are doing important work.
Children leave infancy, bursting with energy and curiosity,
ready to learn about the environment around them. The material
covered in this module will provide you with a deeper
understanding of how the world is viewed through the eyes of a
young child. With resourcefulness and effort, children make
tremendous cognitive, linguistic, social, and emotional advances
during early childhood. But ask any parent of a preschooler and
you will learn that children at this age do and say and think the
“darndest things.” Research discussed in this module will shed
some light on why young children make the charming errors in
understanding and speech that are so characteristic of this age.
Module 2 is divided into six topics, one topic for each of the
· 2.1 Physical Development in Infancy
· 2.2 Cognitive Development in Infancy
· 2.3 Socioemotional Development in Infancy
· 2.4 Physical Development in Early Childhood
· 2.5 Cognitive Development in Early Childhood
· 2.6 Socioemotional Development in Early Childhood

Learning Objectives
able to:
infancy and early childhood, including neurological, motor,
sensory and perceptual abilities
· Summarize the major cognitive and linguistic developments
that occur during infancy
that occur during infancy
· Contrast the major patterns of child-caregiver attachments that
have been identified and the patterns of caregiver behaviour
associated with each.
· Demonstrate using research evidence the impact of contexts
such as family and daycare upon children’s development during
infancy.
· Summarize the major physical changes that occur during early
childhood including neurological, motor, sensory and perceptual
abilities.
· Explain and provide examples of the common health risks
faced by young children.
· Summarize the major cognitive, linguistic and socioemotional
developmental changes that occur during early childhood.
· Compare the perspectives taken by the major theoretical
perspectives on cognitive development.
· Demonstrate using research evidence the impact of
developmental contexts such as family life, daycare, and peer
groups upon children’s development during early childhood.
Resources
Kuhl, Patricia, (2010). Linguistic Genius of Babies. Retrieved
from
TED http://www.ted.com/talks/patricia_kuhl_the_linguistic_gen
ius_of_babies.html.

Nicolopoulou, A. (2010). The alarming disappearance of play
from early childhood education. Human Development, 53, 1–4.
(2011). Development: Infancy through adolescence. Belmont
CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
2.1 Physical Development in Infancy
Your reading for this topic will give you insights into what
researchers now understand about the “tool kit” with which
infants come into the world. Here you will learn about the
sensory, perceptual, and learning capabilities of infants and the
neurological developments that support these capabilities.
1. Read Chapter 4, pages 105–121 from the text.
Chapter 4. Omit self-test items that pertain to the omitted pages
95–105.
3. Reread the study and exam preparation advice you have been
previously given.
2.2 Cognitive Development in Infancy
As adults, we live with the conviction that objects and people
that are out of sight continue to exist independently of our line
of vision. The understanding that objects such as our bathtub
continue to exist when out of view is self-evident to us as
adults. Hence, it is hard to imagine how one could ever think
otherwise. But according to the famous developmentalist, Jean
Piaget, this understanding is not found in newborns. Instead, the
child only gradually constructs an understanding of the concept

of the permanent object over the course of the infancy period.
In this topic you will learn about Piaget’s description of the
development of the object concept. You will also learn that his
theory has not gone without challenge. Nonetheless, Piaget’s
view of infancy as a period in which profound cognitive
advances take place irrevocably changed how psychologists
look at this early period of life.
Chapter 5.
Assignment 2 – Infancy and Early Childhood (Part A):
Exploration Activity 1—Researching the Linguistic Abilities of
Infants
complete Part A: Exploration Activity 1.
2.3 Socioemotional Development in Infancy
“Getting to know you” would describe many of the themes
developed in this topic. Infancy is the time in which children
become intimately acquainted with their parents and other close
caregivers. This “getting-to-know” process leads to the
development of the child’s first attachments. Similarly, as they
care for their newborn, parents discover the unique
temperamental qualities of their child and observe firsthand the
gradual flowering of his/her emotional expressiveness and
sociability. The reading in this topic includes a discussion of
the normal course of emotional and social advances and the
factors associated with healthy and less than optimal attachment

and emotional development.
Chapter 6.
2.4 Physical Development in Early Childhood
Young children learn to run and climb, manipulate, open,
uncover, approach, and explore their environment. The physical
advances that enable the child to achieve all this as well as
some of the health challenges that mark this time period are the
focus of your readings for this topic.
Chapter 7.
2.5 Cognitive Development in Early Childhood
A student related the following story about his young preschool
daughter:
This father observed his daughter staring down at the remains of
a squashed bug. To discourage her from touching the dead

insect, the father explained to his daughter that the bug was
dead as a result of being stepped on. Sometime after this
exchange, the father and daughter were looking at a family
photo album. The daughter expressed some puzzlement over a
particular picture. The photo depicted her as a young infant
being held by an elderly man. Her father noted that the man in
the photo was her grandfather and that her grandfather was now
dead, having passed away several months after the picture was
taken. The daughter remained silent for a while and then turned
to her father and asked, “But who stepped on him?”
This story illustrates some of the themes that will be introduced
in this topic’s reading on cognitive development in early
childhood. Young children discover much about their world by
observing and participating in events. Moreover, they work hard
to make connections, however misguided, between what they
are learning in the different contexts of their daily life.
1. Read Chapter 8 of the text.
Chapter 8.
Assignment 2 – Infancy and Early Childhood (Part B):
Exploration Activity 2—The Disappearance of Play
complete Assignment 2, Part B: Exploration Activity 2.
2.6 Socioemotional Development in Early Childhood
The sociologist, Talcott Parsons, once described newborns in
hospital nurseries as “recurring hordes of barbarians.” This
rather unconventional description of babies is meant to
dramatize the following reality. Children do not come into the

world hardwired with the knowledge and skills needed for
effective social interactions. Like the barbarians, identified
historically as the antithesis of civilized life, young children
must gradually learn the social skills, manners, and emotional
control that will enable them to form friendships and to have
satisfying group interactions. This work starts in earnest during
early childhood as the child’s social world expands to include
settings such as preschool, daycare, playgroups, and community
life. In the reading and activities for this topic, you will
examine in detail the social and emotional advances made
during early childhood.
1. Read Chapter 9 of the text.
Chapter 9.
Assignment 2 – Infancy and Early Childhood (Part C):
Discussion 2—Gender Messages Directed at Children
complete Assignment 2, Part C: Discussion 2—Gender
Messages Directed at Children.
Assignment 2 – Infancy and Early Childhood (Part D): Written
Questions
complete Part D of Assignment 2. Your completed Assignment
2 should be submitted to your Open Learning Faculty Member
for marking at the end of Module 2.
Assignment 2 – Infancy and Early Childhood (100 marks, 12%)
Introduction

This assignment has four parts:
· Part B: Exploration Activity 2 (15 marks)
· Part C: Discussion 2 (20 marks)
your completed assignment for grading by the end of Week 7 of
the course.
course material.
Instructions
Part A: Exploration Activity 1—Researching the Linguistic
Abilities of Infants (15 marks)
As noted linguist Noam Chomsky has pointed out, language is
what describes “the human essence.” In your Module 2 textbook
reading, you learned how the process of language acquisition
begins during infancy. For this exploration activity, you will
listen to a short talk by the language researcher Dr. Patricia
Kuhl. The title of Dr. Kuhl’s talk is the “Linguistic Genius of
Babies,” which you can find
athttp://www.ted.com/talks/patricia_kuhl_the_linguistic_genius
_of_babies.html.
Note that subtitles and a transcript are available for Dr. Kuhl’s
talk on the TED website. Another example of the type of

research Dr. Kuhl has described to determine if babies can
detect particular sounds is available
at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXWGnryjEaY. This
YouTube video features Canadian researcher Janet Werker.
After listening to Dr. Kuhl’s presentation, develop answers for
the following questions in your own words:
1. Why does Dr. Kuhl refer to babies as “citizens of the world”?
Also, what does she mean by the expression a culture-bound
listener?
2. The term critical period is similar to the term sensitive
period that is discussed in your textbook. What is the critical
period for sound perception?
3. Describe the technique that Dr. Kuhl and Werker used to
investigate the critical period for sound perception.
4. Summarize the research that led Dr. Kuhl to conclude that
babies need humans to learn. What comment would you make to
parents who were considering purchasing language DVDs or
audiotapes for their infants to listen to and learn from?
5. Describe the technological innovation that Dr. Kuhl argues is
responsible for the start of a “golden age” for knowledge about
infant brain development. What can researchers now easily
study that they could not do before?
Part B: Exploration Activity 2—The Disappearance of Play? (15
marks)
Childhood is synonymous with play. Recently, however, child
development experts point to a marked reduction in the amount
of time children spend in unstructured play activities. In 2000,
this decline prompted the American Pediatrics Association to
publish a paper highlighting research findings linking play with
a host of positive developmental outcomes. Smartphones,
tablets, and video gaming systems have waylaid children even
further. An article by Witherspoon and Manning (2012) reviews
the decline in play, the decline in outside play specifically, and
the increase in children’s playful use of technology in recent
years.
Read the following article that is available online through

PsycARTICLES at the TRU library:
Witherspoon, L., & Manning, J. P. (2012). Active gaming: The
future of play? American Journal of Play, 4(4), 464–487.
Answer the following questions, in your own words, based on
your reading of the textbook and the Witherspoon and Manning
article:
1. What six factors define play? How do online or technology-
based games fail to meet these definitional criteria?
2. In what ways is play critical to child development?
3. Parents are often concerned that their children do well
scholastically. How sympathetic are you to the view that
educational activities are of more value for youngsters than
unstructured playtime?
Part C: Discussion 2—Gender Messages Directed at Children
(20 marks)
and complete the second formal discussion posting entitled
“Discussion 2: Gender Messages Directed at Children.”
Children’s emerging understanding of gender is one of the
developments discussed in this module’s reading. The
environment around a child is a rich source of gender-based
information. For this discussion, you are asked to locate an
example of media directed at young preschool children, for
example, a television program, video, book, video game, or
website. Consider the media resource you have selected in terms
of its gender messages. Does your example present gender
stereotypes or more neutral or cross-gendered messages, e.g.,
girls taking part in stereotypically boy activities and vice versa?
In the Discussions area, post a brief description of the resource
you identified. Present your observations regarding the gender
messages embedded in your media example. How does the
content and messages in your selection differ from, or mirror,
the media influences you were exposed to as a child? Finally,
describe how exposure to your resource might impact a child’s
gender socialization and gender schemas. (15 marks)
Comment or respond to a fellow student’s input. (5 marks)

questions:
1. Draw from your course reading to describe two examples of
how the perceptual capacities of infants match those of adults,
and one example of how they differ. Note that perceptual
capacities are those related to the senses, such as sight. (10
marks)
2. Teaching a child to tie his/her own shoes can be a difficult
task for both parents and child. It can take many sessions of
practice. Explain how a parent might use scaffolding in this
process. (10 marks)
3. In many cultures, stories about magical figures are told to
children by caregivers. Describe the features of pre-operational
thought that would explain why children in this age group
willingly believe such stories. Explain your choices. (10 marks)
4. Suppose you are the parent of a child with
a difficult temperament (see the discussion in the textbook).
Describe the difficulties that your child has that relate to
temperament. Explain what the parenting challenges would be
associated with your child’s temperament and describe how you
would meet those challenges. Give some practical examples of
parenting strategies that would help to build secure attachment
in your child, and would help your child get along with his/her
peers. (20 marks)
Schedule.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXWGnryjEaY
Module 1: Foundations
1.3 Conception, Prenatal Development and Birth

You are now ready to begin the study of human development
itself. And how does it all begin? The material covered in this
topic will answer this question. You will learn about the
fascinating story of prenatal development. You will also gain an
appreciation of how the physical and mental health of the
newborn is intimately tied to a variety of maternal and
environmental influences.
1. Read Chapter 3 of your text.
2. Complete Study Guide self-test exercises to accompany
Chapter 3.
Assignment 1 – Foundations (Part C): Exploration Activity 2—
Extending the Healthy Pregnancy Quiz
complete Assignment 1, Part C: Exploration Activity 2.
Assignment 1 – Foundations (Part D): Written Questions
complete Part D of Assignment 1. Submit your completed
Assignment 1 to your Open Learning Faculty Member for
marking at the end of Module 1.
1.2 Nature with Nurture
Understanding how the unique genetic inheritance of youngsters
interacts with their environments is the focus of this module
topic. The environments in which children develop can vary
widely. A challenge for researchers is how to adequately
describe and inventory this variation in child-rearing contexts.
Part of your reading for this topic will introduce you to a
descriptive model that addresses this task. This model,
developed by psychologist, Urie Bronfenbrenner, positions each

individual child within a series of concentric circles, or
“spheres of influence.” Each circle represents the various
interconnected contexts in which the developing child matures.
While conceptually simple, the value of Bronfenbrenner’s
model is that it draws attention to both the obvious contexts that
impact upon child development, such as parents and home life,
as well as influences we are apt to overlook, such as family
income, school quality, exposure to media, community
affiliations, and cultural values.
Chapter 2.
Assignment 1 – Foundations (Part B): Discussion 1—We Were
All Children Once
complete Assignment 1, Part B: Discussion 1.
1.1 The Study of Child Development
The focus of your learning in this first topic relates to the basic
concepts, theories, research strategies, and debates that
characterize research in human development.
Activity 1.4: Viewing Text Citations
It may seem strange to begin a course by reading the last pages
of a textbook but this is exactly what you are asked to do.
Before you proceed, turn to the section titled “References” at
the back of your Steinberg, Vandell and Bornstein textbook.
Take a moment or two to flip through these pages. What you
find here is a long list of alphabetically-ordered citations. Now
read some of the citations. Hidden in each of these journal

citations is a story. And each story begins with a curious
researcher asking a question about child development. What
follows is hundreds of hours of intense work as the researcher
and his/her team design and conduct a study that they hope will
provide an answer to their question. Each story ends with a
published paper in which the findings from the study are
communicated to other curious researchers and the world at
large. Each of the research investigations listed in the
references pages of your text thus represents a small advance in
our understanding of child development.
Chapter 1.
3. Reread the study and exam preparation advice you have been
previously given.
five potential written exam questions. Close your books and try
to answer these questions on your own. Check for accuracy and
Activity 1.6: Reading Research Report and Accessing e-Journals
1. As noted above, research findings are published in journals
or periodicals. Different periodicals specialize in different areas
of research. One of the best known journals for research relating
to child development is titled appropriately enough, “Child
Development”. Part of your Assignment 1 work involves some
library work. Here, you will be perusing a sample of published
research papers found in the electronic versions of the journal
“Child Development”.
Familiarize yourself with the information found in the
“Guidelines for Reading a Research Report” document now. It
is important that you read this document before starting work on
Assignment 1.
2. The TRU library website has a wealth of resources to assist

students, like you, who are accessing this material at a distance.
Click Web Links and then go to the TRU Library link. On the
library’s home page, click the How do I . . . ? tab at the top of
the screen to get an idea of the type of help available to you.
For information on how to access an article or database, and
how to locate specific articles from a citation, take a look at the
TRU Library’s “Library Research 101: Research at a Distance
Guide”. This useful guide is available via the Library’s
Distance, Regional & Open Learning (DROL) Library Services
page at http://www.tru.ca/library/distance.html.
3. For the purposes of Assignment 1, you will only need to
locate the periodical, Child Development, and scan any of the
journal editions published from 2005 onward. You will only
need to examine the title and abstracts of these research reports.
Remember, if you are ever prompted to log in or sign in to
access library resources, you will need your student number and
your library PIN number to do so. Read the “How to locate the
Child Development Journal” document and follow the steps
outlined.
Congratulations if this is your first time accessing electronic
library resources! You can see that an entire library of academic
and professional scholarship is available to you as a student. If
you are having problems locating the journal, or would like
some guidance on how to locate research materials more
effectively, please contact the TRU Library’s Distance,
Regional and Open Learning Library Services department. You
can ask for help via online chat, email, Facebook, or phone.
There is a Contact the Library tab at the top of the Library home
page which gives contact information that Open Learning
students can use.
Assignment 1 – Foundations (Part A): Exploration Activity 1—
E-Journal Scavenger Hunt
complete Part A: Exploration Activity 1 of Assignment 1. Read
the directions for the assignment carefully.

Overview
Welcome to PSYC 2131, an introductory course on child and
adolescent development. All of us are aware that humans change
and develop. In our daily lives, we see evidence of this change
in the infants, children, and youth who populate our families,
schools and communities. And all of us have lived firsthand
through our own development and maturation. However, it has
been said that science is about seeing the unfamiliar in the
familiar. By the end of this course, it is hoped that your
knowledge and understanding of what lies behind the familiar
reality of human development will deepen. In this course, you
will be introduced to what research has revealed about the
complex, rich, interconnected, and, at times, surprising facts of
human development.
In this first module of PSYC 2131, you will learn about the
theories, research strategies, and themes that inform the
psychological study of human development. Equipped with this
background material, you will then start learning about human
growth at the very beginning of life—the moment of
conception—through to the birth of the child. Here you will
learn how both genetic and environmental factors contribute to
the overall health of the human newborn.
This module is divided into three topics:
· 1.1 The Study of Child Development
· 1.2 Nature with Nurture
· 1.3 Conception, Prenatal Development and Birth
Learning Objectives
able to:
· Explain the basic concepts, guiding principles and goals that
inform the study of human development.
· Differentiate among and critically compare the major
theoretical perspectives that inform the scientific study of
human development.
· Explain the basic ethical standards used in research with

children.
· Differentiate among and critically compare the strengths and
limitations of the different methods and designs that researchers
use when doing research in human development.
· Explain and illustrate with examples basic concepts from the
field of behavioural genetics.
· Differentiate among and identify the different developmental
contexts that make up the ecological perspective.
· Describe and illustrate with examples, the various ways in
which genetic and environmental influences interact.
· Summarize the three stages of prenatal development.
· Compare different types of prenatal testing.
· Provide research-supported recommendations for optimal
prenatal development.
· Explain what happens at birth, identifying the more common
birth complications and the measurements used to assess
newborn health.
Resources
Public Health Agency of Canada (n. d.). Healthy pregnancy
quiz. Retrieved from http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/hp-
gs/quiz/quiz-eng.php.
(2011). Development: Infancy through adolescence. Belmont
Learning Activities
Your work in this course will consist of the following activities:
Textbook Readings
Each module will have assigned chapter readings from the
course textbook.
Study Guide
Each textbook chapter has an accompanying chapter in
the Study Guide, which includes detailed learning objectives
and chapter outlines, key terms, and a variety of self-test

multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions to facilitate your
comprehension and review of material.
Note
You can omit the “Applied Learning and Critical Thinking”
sections found within each Study Guide chapter.
In addition to the Study Guide exercises, you are encouraged to
create short at-home exams based on the learning objectives for
each module topic. This activity will provide you with feedback
on your comprehension and retention of course concepts, and is
an excellent preparation for the final exam.
Exploration Activities
These enrichment activities will direct you to a variety of web-
based resources pertaining to child development issues and
research.
Student Café
An informal discussion space called the ”Student Café“ has
been set up for you to easily communicate with other learners in
the course about matters of mutual interest regarding your
studies and professional development. This is an informal
gathering area to help build a learning community, and you
will not be graded on these postings. For more information
about online discussions and netiquette
see http://www.tru.ca/distance/services/learner/netiquette.html.
Course Guide
Overview
Welcome to PSYC 2131: Introduction to Childhood and
Adolescence.
The Course Guide contains important information about the
course structure, learning materials, and expectations for
completing the course requirements. It also provides
information about how to contact your Open Learning Faculty
Member, an expert in the course content, who will guide you
through the course. Take some time to read through the Course
Guide to familiarize yourself with what you need to do to
successfully complete your course.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your Open
Learning Faculty Member. We hope you enjoy the course.
Course Description*
Students are introduced to developmental psychology: the
branch of psychology devoted to the study of human
development and change. As change and development are an
intrinsic part of the human experience, this course is designed
to foster a lifetime interest in the process of human
development, as students explore key issues, methods, theories
and research findings in this field. The content of the course is
organized chronologically-beginning at the point of conception
and following the trajectory of human development through to
the teen years. The interconnectedness of developmental
processes is a major theme, and includes the interrelations
between a child’s physical, cognitive, social, and emotional
development. The intricate relation between children and the
contexts that support their development are also emphasized,
such as family life, peers, and culture.
Prerequisites*
Recommended: Provincial Grade 12 Diploma or equivalent
Exclusions*
PSYC 3151: Developmental Psychology of Children or PSYC
3451: Adolescent Development
Learning Outcomes*
After you have successfully completed this course, you will be
able to:
· Discuss the major theoretical perspectives and research
strategies researchers employ in the scientific study of human
development.
· Explain the major physical, cognitive, and socioemotional
developments that occur across development from conception to
the teen years.
· Discuss the impact of developmental contexts such as family
life, schooling, peer groups, and media on children’s
development.
· Critically reflect on developmental issues and research

findings as presented in published articles, scholarly
presentations, and web resources devoted to child development
concerns.
* Approved
Course Guide
Course Topics
The course is divided into four units, which are further divided
into topics of study:
· 1.1 The Study of Child Development
· 1.2 Nature with Nurture
· 1.3 Conception, Prenatal Development and Birth
· 2.1 Physical Development in Infancy
· 2.2 Cognitive Development in Infancy
· 2.3 Socioemotional Development in Infancy
· 2.4 Physical Development in Early Childhood
· 2.5 Cognitive Development in Early Childhood
· 2.6 Socioemotional Development in Early Childhood
· 3.1 Physical Development in Middle Childhood
· 3.2 Cognitive Development in Middle Childhood
· 3.3 Socioemotional Development in Middle Childhood
· 4.1 Physical Development in Adolescence
· 4.2 Cognitive Development in Adolescence
· 4.3 Socioemotional Development in Adolescence
Course Guide
Course Materials
This section describes the course materials you will need. You
will be consulting a variety of resources throughout the course,
including articles and web resources.
Required Textbooks
The following textbook and companion study guide are the
primary resources you’ll need for the course:

(2011). Development: Infancy through adolescence. Belmont,
Style Guide
TRU Open Learning Social Sciences Style
Guidehttp://www.tru.ca/library/pdf/socscistyle_ol_2005.pdf
Note
If you have any questions about course textbooks or other
materials, please contact Enrolment Services
at [email protected] or 1.800.663.9711 (toll-free in
Canada), 250.852.7000 (Kamloops, BC),
and 1.250.852.7000 (International).
Required Hardware, Software, Computer Skills, and Other
Resources
You can find detailed information about the hardware, software,
and computer skills requirements for your course
at http://www.tru.ca/distance/services/online_courses.html.
Assignment 1 – Foundations (100 marks, 12%)
Introduction
It has four parts:
· Part B: Discussion 1 (15 marks)
· Part C: Exploration Activity 2 (20 marks)
your completed assignment for grading by the end of Week 3 of
the course.

course material.
grammar, and spelling. Students can contact the TRU Writing
Centre for help with written work
at https://www.tru.ca/writingcentre/Open_Learning_Writing_Ce
ntre_Support.html.
Instructions
Part A: Exploration Activity 1—E-Journal Scavenger Hunt (15
marks)
Your Module 1 text reading provided an overview of the major
research designs used to answer research questions about child
development. You will now embark on a scavenger hunt to
locate examples of published research that exemplify some of
these research strategies.
As noted before, research findings in developmental psychology
are typically published in journals. The TRU Library contains
databases that index these articles. Some of the databases such
as PsycARTICLES provide links to full-text articles, which
allow you to download the complete article and save it to your
own computer. Others such as PsycINFO provide only the
abstract, which gives a brief summary of the article, but not
access to the full text. For this activity, you are required to
peruse a few issues of the well-known developmental
journal Child Development for a web-based version of a
scavenger hunt. For any of you unfamiliar with this term,
a scavenger hunt is a game in which participants seek to gather
all items on a list. You will use the TRU Library website to
access PsycINFO where you will find the journal Child
Development. For this part of Assignment 1, you will only need
to examine the title and abstracts of research reports.

Note
TRU library carries several periodicals that have the phrase
“Child Development” in their title. Be certain you are drawing
from the correct journal. Child Development is the complete
title of the journal published by the Society for Research in
Child Development. If necessary, reread the instructions “How
to locate the journal, Child Development.”
Locate Child Development published by the Society for
Research in Child Development. Focusing on articles published
from 2010 onward, search through their titles and abstracts, and
locate the citation and abstract for a study that used a:
1. Longitudinal Design (4 marks)
2. Cross-sectional Design (4 marks)
3. Cross-sequential Design (sometimes called an accelerated
longitudinal or simply a sequential design) (4 marks)
4. Experimental Study (4 marks)
Hint: The type of design is sometimes provided in the research
title.
For each study you select, identify the following:
1. Reference for the article as it would appear in the
"References" section at the end of a research report. The most
reliable online source for current and accurate information on
American Psychological Association (APA) documentation style
(which is updated regularly) is at the Online Writing Lab at
Purdue
University: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
. APA style is specific about all aspects of a reference,
including punctuation, italics, etc., so you are advised to
consult the Purdue resource. Following is an example of a
reference using APA style:
Camione-Barr, N., & Smetana, J. (2010). “Who said you could
wear my sweater?” Adolescent siblings’ conflicts and
associations with relationship quality. Child Development,
81(2), 464–471.
2. Abstract (the paragraph summary of the research found at the
beginning of a research article)

3. Explanation about how the study you selected illustrates the
research design in question.
Part B: Discussion 1—We Were All Children Once (15 marks)
and complete the first formal discussion posting entitled
“Discussion 1: We Were All Children Once.”
Introduce yourself to your Open Learning Faculty Member and
fellow classmates. Explain where in the world you spent your
childhood and the general time period. Give an example of a
personal observation; an item from news media, magazine,
website; etc. that you feel highlights a feature of life for a
present day child that differs from your own childhood
experiences. Identify what level of Bronfenbrenner’s
“ecological perspective” is captured in your reflection. Explain
your choice. (10 marks)
Even though you may have started this course at a different time
than your peers, you can read the postings and respond to at
least one fellow student’s input. It helps to start building a
community of learners, since you are all taking the same course.
Reply to a posting made by another student in which you
provide your reflections on the issues raised in their post. (5
marks)
Part C: Exploration Activity 2—Extending the Healthy
Pregnancy Quiz (20 marks)
1. Download The Sensible Guide to a Healthy
Pregnancy published by the Minister of Health available
at http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/hp-gs/guide/assets/pdf/hpguide-
eng.pdf.
2. To check your understanding, complete the Healthy
Pregnancy Quiz located at the Public Health Agency of Canada
website at http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/hp-gs/quiz/quiz-eng.php.
3. Consider the range of topics covered in your textbook
readings and in The Sensible Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy and
propose three additional questions that could be included in this
quiz. Along with each of your proposed questions, include an
answer with a rationale, including a link to further reading at a

reputable and credible website. (20 marks)
questions:
1. Watch a 15-minute video entitled Giant turnip from the BBC
children’s program Mr. Bloom’s Nursery available
at http://www.cbeebies.com/global/mr-blooms-nursery#activity-
265006. As you watch the episode, make note of how social
learning theory and Piaget’s theory apply to what is being
demonstrated and experienced by the children in this video.
Then, summarize how the episode integrates both of these
perspectives into its portrayal of how children learn, and what
is likely to facilitate learning. (10 marks)
2. Researchers report finding a significant correlation between
measures of family stress and levels of aggression found in
children. The correlation is positive, meaning that in families
under stress, more stress is associated with greater aggression in
the children. Note that the correlation also can be stated in the
opposite way: aggressiveness in children is associated with
more stress in the family. Although we know that correlations
cannot be interpreted as cause and effect, it would be common
for people to conclude from this finding that family stress
causes children to be aggressive. What other causal
explanations are possible for this correlation? Explain your
answer. (10 marks)
3. Read the following passage from J. K. Rowling’s (2000, p.
9) Harry Potter and the Chamber Of Secrets:
Harry looked nothing like the rest of the family. Uncle Vernon
was large and necklace, with an enormous black moustache;
Aunt Petunia was horde-faced and boney; Dudley was blond,
pink and porky. Harry, on the other hand, was small and skinny,
with brilliant green eyes and jet black hair that was always
untidy. He wore round glasses, and on his forehead was a thin,
lightening-shaped scar.
It was this scar that made Harry so particularly unusual, even
for a wizard. This scar was the only hint of Harry’s very

mysterious past, of the reason he had been left on the Dursley’s
doorstep eleven years before.
At the age of one, Harry had somehow survived a curse from the
greatest dark sorcerer of all time, Lord Voldemort, whose name
most witches and wizards still feared to speak. Harry’s parents
had died in Voldemort’s attack, but Harry had escaped with his
lightening scar, and somehow – nobody understood why –
Voldemort’s powers had been destroyed the instant he had
failed to kill Harry.
So Harry had been brought up by his dead mother’s sister and
her husband. He had spent 10 years with the Dursleys, never
understanding why he kept making odd things happen without
meaning to, believing the Dursley’s story that he had got his
scar in the car crash which had killed his parents.
And then, exactly a year ago, Hogwarts had written to Harry,
and the whole story had come out. Harry had taken up his place
at wizard school, where he and his scar were famous . . .
Use this passage and your reactions to it to illustrate the
following concepts (10 marks):
1. Passive gene-environment interactions
2. Evocative gene-environment interactions
3. Active gene-environment interactions
4. In this question, you will reflect on how Bronfenbrenner’s
ecological model applies to children in different social,
economic, and cultural contexts. Specifically, use the following
examples of children in traditional Inuit culture (go
to http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/ssognc/inuitlifestyle/) and
in traditional Bedouin culture
(see http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Bedouin.aspx). List
some of the elements of the microsystem, mesosystem,
exosystem, and macrosystem for children in each culture. (10
marks)
5. Your textbook discusses several types of teratogens. Choose
any one, and create a one-page (one-sided) infographic aimed at
informing women about the potential harmful effects of
teratogens. For more information about teratogens,

see http://www.aboutkidshealth.ca/en/resourcecentres/pregnanc
ybabies/pregnancy/healthcareinpregnancy/pages/things-to-
avoid-during-pregnancy-
teratogens.aspx and http://www.hss.gov.yk.ca/teratogen-hp.php.
Your infographic would be suitable for information campaigns
targeting women’s washrooms in public buildings, restaurants,
etc. You could create a handmade infographic and submit a
scanned photograph or an online or electronic document. You
can find many examples by Googling “baby infographic” and
many online templates are available that you are welcome to
use. Your infographic will be graded on visual interest (images,
well-organized) and accurate information about the timing and
effects of a teratogen. (10 marks)
Schedule.

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