Developmental Psychology

Course Overview

Discover how we grow as people.

How do individual personalities develop? What roles do nature and nurture play?

The Cengage Education Developmental Psychology course introduces students to theories of personality development. You’ll gain a grounding in developmental psychology, a useful reference point in understanding your own behaviour and that of others.

The course covers each stage of development and milestone from infancy through to old age. You’ll have the chance to examine the passage of human life and become acquainted with the major theories of adulthood.

The Cengage Education Developmental Psychology course is a module within the Australian College of Applied Psychology's Diploma of Counselling and Communication (90822NSW), which is accredited by VETAB (Vocational Education and Training Accreditation Board).

On completion of your course:

Upon successful completion of the Developmental Psychology Statement of Attainment course you will receive a nationally recognised Statement of Attainment for the module: Developmental Psychology. This course is a module within the Australian College of Applied Psychology's Diploma of Counselling and Communication (90882NSW).

Cengage Education is a Registered Training Organisation registered by VETAB (Vocational Education and Training Accreditation Board).

Austudy approved

This course is Austudy approved, please apply directly to Centrelink to receive this benefit.

Key areas of learning:

• Exploring the lifespan
• Theories of developmental psychology
• Prenatal, perinatal and postnatal development
• Physical changes throughout the lifespan
• Cognitive changes throughout the lifespan
• Learning throughout the lifespan
• Social and moral changes throughout the lifespan
• Development of self and personality throughout
• the lifespan
• The role of the family: Nature and nurture together in action
• Gender and sexuality throughout the lifespan
• The final stage of the lifespan
• Fitting it all together

Course Duration

18 months

Study Hours

102 hrs

Qualification

Statement of Attainment

Prerequisites

No previous knowledge or experience is required to take this course.

Assessment details

4 written assessments

Extra learning materials included

• Human Development: A Lifespan View - Textbook
• Student Diary

Subjects You’ll Cover

Exploring the lifespan
Define development
List the six areas of development
Identify the key ways that researchers explore lifespan development issues
Identify four of the main debates in the area of lifespan research
Explain how interruption to development may occur

Theories of developmental psychology
Explain classical conditioning

Explain operant conditioning
Describe Freud's psychosexual stages and name the three parts of the personality
List the stages and main issue for each of Erikson's psychosocial stages
Describe Piaget's stages of cognitive development

Prenatal, perinatal and postnatal development
Identify several genetic diseases

Define genotype and phenotype
Explain the role of genetics in our lives
Describe the parental development of a baby
List and describe the three stages of labour

Physical changes throughout the lifespan
Describe the interplay between nature and nurture in physical development
Introduce the notion of the 'new brain'
Identify the key changes throughout infancy
Identify the key changes throughout childhood
Identify the key changes throughout adolescence
Identify the key changes throughout adulthood

Cognitive changes throughout the lifespan
Describe post-formal thought
Define creativity
Describe Piaget's stages of cognitive development
Define scaffolding and zone of proximal development
Explore several approaches to language development
List and explain the traditional view of intelligence, Gardner and Sternberg's models

Learning throughout the lifespan
Describe classical, operant and observational learning
Describe the two schools of microanalytic and macroanalytic
List the neurodevelopmental systems identified by Levine
Explain the connection between memory and problem solving
Define creativity

Social and moral changes throughout the lifespan
Describe the theory of the mind

Define attachment
Define the role of social cognition in social development
Describe the five types of attachment
List the three components of morality

Development of self and personality throughout the lifespan
Explain the concept of the self
Define self concept and self esteem
Describe the connection between personality and identity
Explain the psychoanalytic, psychometric trait and social learning theory approaches to the development of self
Describe three types of temperament

The role of the family: Nature and nurture together in action
Define the family as a system
List and describe four couple attachment styles
List and describe four styles of parenting
Explore the concept of a family life cycle
Identify some of the events that place the couple under stress

Gender and sexuality throughout the lifespan
Define sex
Define gender
Explain the connection between sex and gender
Explain the gender-related behaviour from several models
List some variations on the traditional male and female

The final stage of the lifespan
Describe the three different types of death

Define ego integrity
Explain the notions of reminiscence, activity and disengagement, and successful ageing
Identify the patterns of retirement
Explain the different theories of social, psychological and physical ageing

Fitting it all together
Identify several factors that affect our ability to cope
Describe five main types of social support
Identify the lifespan issues that people may encounter
Explore the developmental changes throughout the lifespan
List the lifespan themes identified by Sigelman and Rider

Payment Options - Developmental Psychology

Pay Upfront

Choose this convenient option and receive the $200 Study Grant, plus, get a further 10% off the total cost of the course.

Pay Monthly

Choose this option to start learning with a low deposit followed by affordable, interest–free monthly instalments. Plus, enrol online now and receive the $200 Study Grant.