Overview

This unit aims to provide students with an understanding of human development. Students will gain familiarity with the main theories of human development and the processes, periods, and issues in development. The unit will also address topics in relation to the physical, cognitive and socioemotional development of individuals from infancy to adulthood. Students will be given the opportunity to develop professionally relevant skills and experience in applying statistical knowledge to answer research questions relevant to developmental psychology.

Requisites

Prerequisites
STA10003 Foundations of Statistics
PSY10003 Psychology 100
PSY10007 Brain and Behaviour
PSY10004 Psychology 101
PSY10008 Fundamentals of Psychology
PSY10005 Introduction to Research Methods

Rules

Pre-requisite
STA10003 Foundations of Statistics and Admission into BA-SSCPSY2S Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology) OR BA-SSPSY6 Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology) OR BA-BEHP Bachelor of Behavioural Studies (Psychology)
and PSY10003 Psychology 100
OR
PSY10007 Brain and Behaviour and PSY10004 Psychology 101
OR
PSY10008 Fundamentals of Psychology
OR
PSY10003 Psychology 100
OR
PSY10007 Brain and Behaviour and PSY10004 Psychology 101
OR
PSY10008 Fundamentals of Psychology and STA10003 Foundations of Statistics and PSY10005 Introduction to Research Methods

Equivalent
HAY206 - Developmental Psychology; HAYG420 - Developmental Psychology; LSY201 - Developmental Psychology; LSY521 - Developmental Psychology; PSS250(C) - Developmental Psychology; SLSY201 - Developmental Psychology

Teaching Periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 1
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
26-February-2024
26-May-2024
Last self-enrolment date
10-March-2024
Census date
31-March-2024
Last withdraw without fail date
12-April-2024
Results released date
02-July-2024
Teaching Period 2
Location
Online
Start and end dates
08-July-2024
06-October-2024
Last self-enrolment date
21-July-2024
Census date
02-August-2024
Last withdraw without fail date
23-August-2024
Results released date
29-October-2024
Teaching Period 3
Location
Online
Start and end dates
04-November-2024
09-February-2025
Last self-enrolment date
17-November-2024
Census date
29-November-2024
Last withdraw without fail date
27-December-2024
Results released date
04-March-2025

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Describe the main theories of human development
  • Evaluate how research on the lifespan is conducted using different research designs and methods
  • Identify the most important processes, periods and issues in development
  • Describe biological, cognitive and socioemotional development in infancy, childhood, adolescence and adulthood
  • Apply statistical knowledge to a human development-related research question and communicate this in a clear and concise manner

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
On-campus
Lecture
2.00 12 weeks 24
On-campus
Class
1.00 12 weeks 12
Specified Activities
Various
3.00 12 weeks 36
Unspecified Activities
Various
6.50 12 weeks 78
TOTAL150

Swinburne Online

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Live Online
Class
1.00 4 weeks 4
Online
Directed Online Learning and Independent Learning
12.17 12 weeks 146
TOTAL150

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
AssignmentIndividual 40% 1,2,3,4 
ReportIndividual 25% 2,3,5 
Research ReportIndividual 35% 1,2,5 

Content

  • Introduction to the lifespan perspective
  • Theories of human development
  • Research designs and methods related to human development
  • Physical development in infancy, childhood, adolescence and adulthood
  • Cognitive development in infancy, childhood, adolescence and adulthood
  • Socioemotional development in infancy, childhood, adolescence and adulthood
  • Contemporary issues in developmental psychology
  • Graduate Attribute 1 (Communication 1 - Verbal Communication)
  • Graduate Attribute 2 (Communication 2 - Communicating using different media)
  • Graduate Attribute 5 (Digital Literacies 1 - Information literacy)
  • Graduate Attribute 6 (Digital Literacies 2 - Technical literacy)

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.