96836 Development Across the Lifespan
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particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source
of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.
Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 6 cp
Result type: Grade and marks
Requisite(s): 96832 Introduction to Psychology Foundations AND 96833 Introduction to Psychological Science
There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Description
Psychological, biological, social, and cultural factors influence developmental changes in brain, behaviour and mental processes. From embryo to older age, the brain and human mind continue to grow, develop and change. In this subject, students gain an understanding of psychological development across the lifespan, from babies and children to adolescence, adulthood and into older age. Students learn about developmental disorders as well as healthy ageing and cognitive decline.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
| 002. | Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of development across the lifespan |
|---|---|
| 017. | Justify preferences for different theoretical orientations in psychological science based on perceived advantages and limitations |
| 044. | Critically evaluate research communications from varied sources with regard to how they differ in credibility and objectivity |
| 050. | Articulate and demonstrate the value of interacting sensitively with people of diverse abilities and backgrounds |
| 051. | Recommend ways to reduce ageism |
| 076. | Critique the characteristics and relative value of different kinds of information sources (e.g., primary vs. secondary, peer reviewed vs. non-reviewed, empirical vs. nonempirical) |
| 078. | Identify and evaluate the biases and errors that appear in various media |
| 083. | Use technology to create engaging, effective, and professional documents and presentations |
| 084. | Demonstrate effective teamwork and interpersonal skills including participation, delegation, and leadership |
| 087. | Collaborate effectively on team-based projects |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
The learning outcomes for this subject are as follows:
- Culturally Appropriate: Evaluate knowledge and skills required for research and professional practice that is sensitive to diversity of individuals, culturally appropriate, and cognisant of the impacts of ongoing colonisation on the health and wellbeing of Indigenous Australians. (1.1)
- Psychological Literacy: Apply psychological science to meet personal, professional, and societal goals. (2.1)
- Research and Communication: Analyse, critique, and communicate theory and research in psychology. (2.2)
- Interpersonal and Teamwork: Practice effective intrapersonal, interpersonal, and teamwork skills. (2.3)
- Values, Skills, and Ethics: Employ appropriate knowledge, values, and ethical standards in psychological research and practice. (4.1)
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
This subject contributes to the development of the following graduate attributes:
Culturally responsive
Graduates of the Graduate Diploma in Psychology are culturally responsive professionals, able to reflect on and explain their own cultural perspectives and cultural differences, particularly in the context of working with and for Indigenous Australians.
Psychologically and technologically literate
Graduates of the Graduate Diploma in Psychology understand psychology and behaviour from an evidence-based perspective, can apply psychological science to real-world problems, and are competent in the analysis and critique research.
Global citizen
Graduates of the Graduate Diploma in Psychology possess respectful attitudes that allow them to contribute meaningfully to society as global citizens who promote and support fairness and social justice, and who are sensitive to the diversity of individuals.
Teaching and learning strategies
Orientation activities
Preparation for the session - You are expected to undertake activities during orientation week. These activities are designed to introduce you to the subject and your peers and will assist you to prepare for the subject's assessment tasks.
Independent learning activities
Relevant readings, videos and activities will be made available online relevant to the topic of the week. This will support your ability to progress successfully throughout the subject and complete assessment items effectively. The online material aims to enhance your understanding of the topic or delve deeper into a more specific area, compare experiences and ideas with others and gain feedback. Information and links to all these learning activities can be accessed via Canvas as well as the subject outline.
Zoom meetings
You are strongly encouraged to attend all scheduled Zoom meetings as they will prepare you for the subject’s assessment tasks. Additionally, they provide opportunities for group activities, discussion, self-assessment, peer review and formative feedback from the subject coordinator and your teaching team. The schedule for this subject’s zoom meetings is provided on Canvas.
Feedback
Feedback in this subject takes several forms including self-assessment, peer review, automatic feedback from interactive activities and from the teaching team. Formative feedback throughout the subject aims to increase your performance in summative assessments.
Feedback and changes from previous subject offering
This subject has been revised based on student feedback. We will be collecting further feedback from you in several forms to evaluate the design, relevance and depth of the content and its delivery. We appreciate you taking part in this process to ensure we are delivering subjects that are contemporary and meet your needs.
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Nature vs. Nurture debate
| Intent: | This assessment provides students the opportunity to evaluate different theoretical orientations within developmental psychology and develop their communication and teamwork skills. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This task is aligned with the following subject learning objectives: 002, 017, 083, 084 and 087 This task is aligned with the following course learning outcomes: 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 |
| Type: | Presentation |
| Groupwork: | Group, individually assessed |
| Weight: | 40% |
| Length: | Part A: 10 questions Part B: 5 minutes |
| Criteria: | Marking criteria are available on Canvas |
Assessment task 2: Psychology in the news
| Intent: | The intention of this assessment is for students to harness their critical thinking skills to evaluate how research findings on a developmental psychology topic are communicated. An over-arching intention is to develop skills required to assess credibility and the relative value of different sources of information. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This task is aligned with the following subject learning objectives: 044, 076 and 078 This task is aligned with the following course learning outcomes: 2.2 |
| Type: | Essay |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 20% |
| Length: | 500 words |
| Criteria: | Marking criteria are available on Canvas |
Assessment task 3: Investigating ageism
| Intent: | The intention of this assessment is to foster intergenerational understanding in the context of an ageing population. Students will develop skills required to articulate the value of interacting sensitively with people of diverse abilities and backgrounds, and to promote positive change. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This task is aligned with the following subject learning objectives: 017, 050 and 051 This task is aligned with the following course learning outcomes: 1.1 and 4.1 |
| Type: | Presentation |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 40% |
| Length: | Part A: 3 minutes Part B: 500 words |
| Criteria: | Marking criteria are available on Canvas |
Recommended texts
Sigelman, C. K., De George, L., Cunial, K., Kohler, M., Ballam, N., & Rider, E. A. (2021). Life Span Human Development: Australian and New Zealand 4th Edition. Cengage Learning.
American Psychological Association (2020). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition.
O’Shea, R. & McKenzie, W. (2021). Writing for Psychology. Cengage Learning.
References
University of Technology, Sydney (UTS). (2020). Assessment of coursework subjects policy and procedures, UTS.
A comprehensive list of references and other resources are available in this subject in Canvas.
Other resources
UTS Student Centre
Building 10
Monday to Friday: 9am - 5pm
Tel: 1300 ASK UTS (1300 275 887)
For other resources/information refer to the Faculty of Health website and Canvas.
UTS Library
The Library has a wide range of resources, facilities and services to support you including textbooks, subject readings, health literature databases, workshops and bookable study rooms. There is also a team of librarians to help you with your questions available via online chat, phone and in person. W: lib.uts.edu.au, Facebook: utslibrary, Twitter: @utslibrary Tel: +61 2 9514 3666.
Improve your academic and English language skills
Marks for all assessment tasks such as assignments and examinations are given not only for what you write but also for how you write. If you would like the opportunity to improve your academic and English language skills, make an appointment with the HELPS (Higher Education Language & Presentation Support) Service in Student Services.