Developmental Psychology (PSYC2030)

Course overview

This introduction to lifespan developmental psychology focuses on key issues in development and ageing, including early social development, the role of early input in language acquisition, attachment and intimate relationships, child-rearing, moral reasoning, memory and problem-solving. A cross-cultural focus is adopted wherever possible.

This course provides an introduction to lifespan developmental psychology, emphasising recent theory and research. It is not possible to cover all aspects of human lifespan development within any one course, and so lectures will feature key issues, sometimes focusing on some age ranges more than others, but using examples from other ages. Throughout, the course will emphasise developmental psychology as a research discipline. Students will learn to understand and think critically about theoretical issues and empirical research and to communicate this understanding.

EXPECTATIONS

A typical week in PSYC2030 will consist of a 2-hour lecture (RECORDED) and a 2-hour tutorial (NOT RECORDED), both of which will be delivered in person. All information presented in lectures and tutorials are assessable, and students are expected to be available to attend and engage with lectures and tutorials each week.

Tutorials will not be recorded, as they are designed to be highly interactive. A significant portion of the tutorial hours will be dedicated to group work. Therefore, you will need to be present in class for the duration of each tutorial, and we expect that you will engage with your classmates and tutors. Given that tutorials are not recorded, information presented in tutorials will only be available through attending the tutorial sessions. You must sign on to a tutorial session using the standard UQ signon procedure via Allocate+.

You will need to spend between 6 to 10 hours per week engaging with the lectures and tutorials, completing relevant readings for tutorials, and preparing for and completing assessments for this course. Theﾠactivities and assessments are designed to build on your learning throughout the semester.ﾠThere is no final exam, so you cannot delay your study until the end of the semester.

Course requirements

Assumed background

Students are strongly advised not to undertake PSYC2030 unless they have completed PSYC1030. PSYC2030 assumes a basic knowledge of developmental topics covered in PSYC1030, as well as familiarity with searching for research articles and writing research papers. Students who disregard this warning may find some of the material difficult, and will not be given special help to compensate.

Recommended prerequisites

We recommend completing the following courses before enrolling in this one:

PSYC1020 or PSYC1030

Companion or co-requisite courses

You'll need to complete the following courses at the same time:

PSYC1040, if not taken in first year

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Aims and outcomes

(1) To acquaint students with the basic concepts, theories, and research methods in lifespan developmental psychology, highlighting links between developmental processes in childhood and later life and development in socio-cultural context.
(2) To provide opportunities for students to develop an understanding of research methods used in developmental psychology and an awareness of ethical considerations when conducting research.
(3) To provide opportunities for students to develop written and oral communication skills.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.

Assessment details

Online knowledge acquisition tests

• Online

Mode

Written

Category

Quiz

Weight

36%

Due date

20/08/2024 12:00 pm

17/09/2024 12:00 pm

22/10/2024 12:00 pm

In each week of the test, you will be able to log into Blackboard to access the test between 12PM noon on Monday and 12PM noon on Tuesday. Once you open the test on Blackboard, you will have 60 minutes to complete the test. Please note that each test will only be available for 24 hours. Tests must be submitted BEFORE Tuesday 12PM sharp (noon 12:00.00) in each week of the test.

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05

Task description

Submission guidelines

Once you open the test on Blackboard, you will have 60 minutes to complete the test. Tests must be submitted BEFORE Tuesday 12PM sharp (noon 12:00.00) in each week of the test.

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

No extensions will be granted for this assessment, given that only 2 of the 3 tests count towards your final mark. You can miss a test and still get full marks on this piece of assessment. We strongly encourage students experiencing significant interruptions or chronic illnesses of greater than two weeks to contact UQ Student Services to seek information and/or assistance: http://www.uq.edu.au/student-services/

Late submission

There is no opportunity for late submission. Tests submitted after Tuesday 12PM will be awarded zero marks.

Literature search + review

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Essay/ Critique

Weight

38%

Due date

18/09/2024 12:00 pm

It is each student's responsibility to COMPLETE the submission BEFORE 12PM (12:00:00 noon) of the due date via the Blackboard TurnitIn submission portal.

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06

Task description

Submission guidelines

To submit your assignment electronically, log into http://learn.uq.edu.au with your UQ username and password, then click on PSYC2030 >> Assessment >> Assignment submission portals, and then use the appropriate assignment submission link for the assignment. No emailed submissions will be accepted. Full instructions on how to submit your assignment through TurnitIn can be found under 'Assessments' on Blackboard. You will be required to keep evidence that your assignment was submitted successfully by downloading the digital receipt confirming submission provided in the TurnitIn Assignment dashboard.

Note. You will not receive an automatic submission receipt from TurnitIn confirming your assignment has been received. Failure to provide proof of submission may result in your assignment not being accepted. If your assignment was submitted successfully, you should be able to download a digital receipt of submission from the Assignment Dashboard. Please make sure to check that you have submitted the correct document and download a copy of the digital receipt. 

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 7 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

Assignments will not be accepted for marking after results have been released to the rest of the class.

Group project presentation

• Hurdle
• Team or group-based
• In-person

Mode

Oral, Written

Category

Creative Production/ Exhibition, Presentation, Product/ Design, Project

Weight

26% Compulsory to pass the course

Due date

23/10/2024 - 25/10/2024

Group presentations will take place in the Week 13 tutorial sessions. You will need to attend your allocated tutorial session in Week 13 to take part in your group's presentation.

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

The task sheet with more details about this assessment, along with instructions for the submission of additional documents leading up to the group presentations will be available on the course Blackboard site.

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

There are no extensions available for this piece of assessment. If you are unable to attend your tutorial for the presentation, please discuss directly with your tutor and/or course coordinator to arrange an alternate time.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item will be applied for every day or part thereof past the submission deadline, including weekends and public holiday. Assignments submitted more than 7 calendar days after the submission deadline, without an approved extension, will receive 0%. Assignments will not be accepted for marking after results have been released to the rest of the class.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Additional course grading information

Students cannot pass the course without participation and completion of the group project presentation assessment.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Additional assessment information

Appealing assignment marks

If you are unhappy with your mark for the written assessmentﾠin the course, or would like more feedback, you must correspond withﾠyour tutor first. We askﾠthat you take your assignment away for at least 48 hours and read the comments carefully before you contact your tutor.

If you still feel that there are points of contention after taking the time to reflect on your work in light of your tutor's comments, we ask that you write an email to your tutor specifying (i) the specific marking criteria you are unsure about; and (ii) your justification for why you believe your mark for the criteria should be re-evaluated. Tutors will NOT respond to queries that do not address these points.

If you are unable to resolve your queries via written correspondence with your tutor, you can then apply for yourﾠassignment to be remarked. Please note that, as part of your application for remark, you will be required to attach a copy of the written correspondence with your tutor. Applications without evidence for written correspondence with your tutor will not be accepted. Please consult my.UQ Websiteﾠfor information on how to apply for a remark.ﾠAlso note that this remark is final and your mark (and possibly your grade for the course) can go up or down.

Academic integrity

Written assessment in the course will be electronically screened for potential academic misconduct (e.g., plagiarism, collusion, use of AI technologies) using TurnitIn. Use of AI technologies to complete assessments in this course is strictly prohibited. Any assessments that are flagged by TurnitIn to have substantial overlap in content with other sources (including those produced by AI technologies) will be manually examined by the course coordinator and the course tutor(s). If the nature of overlap is deemed to be of valid concern by course staff, then your assignment, along with the TurnitIn report and any other relevant documentation (e.g., overlapping sources) will be sent to the UQ School of Psychology's Academic Integrity Officer to be formally investigated for academic misconduct. You will not receive any marks for the criteria (based on the marking rubric) which contain work concluded as non-original. Further penalties may apply depending on the nature of the case.

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Additional learning resources information

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

ﾠ

Do I have to sign on for a tutorial?

Yes, you need to sign on to a tutorial via Allocate+. You must attend the same tutorial session you are signed on for each week.ﾠThe tutor who runs the tutorial you sign on for is the person who will be marking your written assessment, so you want to get instruction directly from that person.

ﾠ

Should I really attend all my tutorials?

Yes! They are vital to your final result and will contain information that is separate toﾠtheﾠlectures. It’s particularly important that you attend the tutorials as the content is designed to help you prepare for the assessments in this course (i.e., quizzes, written assessment, group project). Tutorial sessions will not be recorded, given that much of the learning will take place via engagement in in-class activities and group discussions. If you want to do well in the course, you should attend all tutorials and engage.

I can’t make it to my usual tute this week.ﾠWhat can I do?

With the exception of the last four weeks of the semester (Weeks 10 to 13), if you have a legitimate reason, you may sit in on another tutorial in the same week. You will need to contact the PSYC2030 lead tutor (details on Blackboard -> Course Staff Contacts) to arrange for and receive the details for an alternative tutorial session that suits you that week. In Weeks 10, 11, 12, and 13, the option to attend another tutorial will NOT be feasible, given that in those weeks you will be completing the group project and presentation which requires you to be in the same tutorial as members of your group (i.e., your group members will be students from your assigned tutorial session). Missing your allocated tutorial in Weeks 10, 11, 12, and/or 13 will adversely impact your course marks; therefore, please plan ahead and sign onto a tutorial session which you will be consistently available for, but especially on Weeks 10, 11, 12, and 13.

ﾠ

How do I contact my tutor? Can I have their email address?

Tutors don’t have weekly consultation times outside of tutorials. You can find their email addresses on Blackboard -> Course Staff Contacts, however, you should endeavour to raise issues in class or directly afterwards. You can also use the Discussion Forum on Blackboard to raise questions about course content and to communicate your queries to your tutor and other students in your tutorial.

ﾠ

I received an overall failing grade of 3 in this course. What can I do?

You may be eligible to sit a supplementary exam.ﾠ

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy
• Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Examinations Procedure
• Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.

School guidelines

Your school has additional guidelines you'll need to follow for this course:

• School of Psychology Student Guidelines