Psychology of the Development

This subject is intended to deal both with the acquisition of knowledge about data and concepts of the discipline and with the practice of skills related to that knowledge and the acquisition of valuation dispositions. It is a priority for students to:

- Know the object of study of this discipline, its definition and its historical precedents.
- Know the intra- and inter-personal processes of change that take place throughout the life cycle.
- Reflect about the applicability of the knowledge on the evolutionary processes in order to optimize the development.
- Learn to analyze in a critical sense and to synthesize the scientific literature that is relevant for the subject.
- Acquire ethic interest as regards the implications of the acquired knowledge, as regards the professional exercise.

The subject is structured around two thematic blocks made up of a total of 8 topics through which the necessary knowledge will be acquired to understand development throughout the life cycle and the basic research methodology used in developmental psychology.

Block I. Introduction to Developmental Psychology.
Unit 1. Conceptual approach and main theories of development.
Unit 2. Introduction to the research methodology in Developmental Psychology.

Block II. Development throughout the life cycle
Unit 3. Prenatal development
Unit 4. Psychological development in infancy
Unit 5. Psychological development in early and middle childhood
Unit 6. Psychological development in adolescence
Unit 7. Psychological development in early and middle adulthood
Unit 8. Psychological development in late adulthood or old age

Basic

Palacios, J., Marchesi, A. & Carretero, M. (2004). Desarrollo psicológico y educación. Vol. I. Psicología evolutiva. Alianza.
Papalia, D. E., Feldman, R. D., & Martorell, G. (2012). Desarrollo humano. Mc Graw-Hill.
Papalia, D. E., Oold, S. W. & Feldman, R. D.(2009). Psicología del desarrollo: de la infancia a la adolescencia. McGraw-Hill.
Santrock, J. W. (2006). Psicología del desarrollo. El ciclo vital. Mc Graw-Hill.
Shaffer, D.R. (2007). Psicología del desarrollo: infancia y adolescencia. Thomson.

Complementary

Berger, K.S. (2016). Psicología del desarrollo: infancia y adolescencia. Médica Panamericana.
Brioso, A. (2005). Psicología del desarrollo y de la educación. Vol. I. Psicología del desarrollo. UNED.
Craig, G.J. (2009). Desarrollo psicológico (9ª ed.). Prentice-Hall.
Feldman, R.S. (2008). Desarrollo en la infancia. Prentice Hall.
García, J. A. (2019). Psicología del desarrollo I. UNED.
Gutiérrez, F. & Vila, J.O. (2015). Psicología del desarrollo II. UNED.
Lizaso, I., Acha, J., Reizabal, L. & García, F.J. (2017). Desarrollo biológico y cognitivo en el ciclo vital. Pirámide.
Mariscal, S., Giménez-Dasí, M., Carriedo, N. & Corral, A. (Coords.) (2009). El desarrollo psicológico a lo largo de la vida. UNED/McGraw-Hill.
Rice, F.P. (2000). Adolescencia. Desarrollo, relaciones y cultura. Prentice Hall
Triadó, C. & Villar, F. (2006). Psicología de la vejez. Alianza
Triadó, C., Celdrán, M., & Villar, F. (2019). Desarrollo adulto y envejecimiento, 2ª edición. Alianza.

Basic and general competences

CB1 - That the students demonstrate that they can understand knowledge in an area of study that is based on general secondary education, and reach a level that, even though it is supported by advanced textbooks, also includes some aspects that involve knowledge coming from the vangarda of his field of study.
CG1 - To know and understand academic and scientific basis of the formative and professional field, with capacity to analyze critically theories, methodologies and intervention contexts of Social Education.
CG2 - To be able to analyze sociopolitical, economic, educative, cultural and linguistic realities in which professional task of social educators is developed, both in diagnostic and prospective terms.
CG-4 To promote and develop educative and/or socioeducative actions in different institutional and community contexts, in direct and indirect work with persons and groups, as well as in advice, mediation, management, organization, coordination, accompaniment and assessment of intervention efforts.

Transversal competences

CT1- To express oneself and communicate using different linguistic, material and technologic codes and resources.
CT2- To establish relations with other persons and groups, with special emphasis in team work and cooperation with other professionals.
CT3- To develop a self-critical attitude, as well as a reflexive, analytic and synthetic attitude with respect to knowledge, tasks and aims undertaken.

Specific competences

CE1.3 – To evaluate the personal, institutional and social circumstances that constitute the human being as the subject of education and its professional practices, from infancy till old age.

The methodological proposal will combine the lectures with active and participatory methodologies, as well as autonomous work and self-learning.

The face-to-face activities in the lecture classes will have the objective of introducing and explaining the meaning of the topics, clarifying the important concepts, guiding the carrying out of work, giving a global vision of the contents of the different blocks and relating knowledge to facilitate the significance of the learning, so it will be accompanied, when appropriate, by previous organizers, definitions, synoptic tables, diagrams ... Visual material support and online resources will be used to clarify the contents covered and serve as a reference and starting point for the group work and activities.

The interactive seminars intend to delve into specific aspects of the theoretical classes; The activities to be carried out will include reading and commenting on documents, answering questions, analyzing practical situations, viewing videos, case studies, debates and carrying out work. With them it is intended that students learn to handle different sources of information, promote the transfer of theory to practice, learn to prepare and present reports, confront different points of view and be able to build shared meanings helped by the mediating work of the teacher. The completion of the required tasks and the necessary materials will be presented to the students in the corresponding class sessions. There is also de possibility to make field trips/visits to complement the class sessions.

In the tutorials the specific needs of each student will be addressed and the pertinent orientations will be carried out to guide their teaching-learning process.
To support teaching there will be the Virtual Classroom of the subject through which the students will have the basic material for the work and study of the theoretical topics, as well as for the realization of interactive work. The Virtual Classroom will also serve as a meeting place, debate and participation through forums and questionnaires. Likewise, through it, the delivery of certain tasks and evaluation tests may be requested.

Performance and learning will be assessed through continuous and final evaluation activities. Both the learning results and the effort and progress during its development will be valued, encouraging critical reflection and constant dedication to the subject throughout the semester. It is intended that the student demonstrate not only declarative but procedural and attitudinal mastery of the contents, through the analysis of examples and the articulation of relationships between concepts.

Student work must be original. The same work may not be used for several subjects, except in activities scheduled in a coordinated way.

The evaluation of the subject includes the following modalities:

1) TESTS (75% of the qualification): An exam, whose modality will be defined in due course, that assesses the fundamental knowledge of the subject, both theoretical and practical. The contents of the exam are those related to the aspects developed by the teacher in the theoretical classes as well as the recommended readings. The student must obtain a minimum grade in it, which is set at 3,75 points, so that the rest of the grades can be added.

2) WRITTEN REPORTS AND OTHER PRODUCTIONS (25% of the qualification): Evaluation of reports, case analysis, text comments or other written productions mainly resulting from the work in the interactive seminars. These works will usually be carried out in small groups and must be presented in writing or in the form of oral presentations, as established in each case. The student must obtain a minimum grade in it, which is set at 1,25 points, so that the rest of the grades can be added.


Clarifications on the evaluation
1. CONDITIONS TO PASS THE SUBJECT: To pass the course, students must achieve a minimum score of 5 final grade points. This score must be obtained from a minimum of 3,75 points (out of 7,5) in the exam, and a minimum of 1,25 points (out of 2,5) in the reports derived from the interactive seminars. The other grades will only be added if both parts are passed.
2. ATTENDANCE: Attendance in face-to-face sessions will be controlled. The number of absences will be an important consideration to be able to pass the subject, so that exceeding 20% of unexcused absences will lead to not being graded in section 2 (written reports and other productions). The evaluation will fall exclusively on the exam that will be scored out of a maximum of 7 points, the approved one being 5 points.
3. STUDENTS WITH DISPENSE OR EXMPTION OF ATTENDANCE: You must contact the teacher in the first two weeks of class to specify an alternative assessment plan.
4. STUDENTS WHO DO NOT PASS THE SUBJECT IN THE FIRST OPPORTUNITY (ORDINARY PERIOD): the scores obtained -during the ordinary period- in section 2 of the evaluation will be respected. Works outside the ordinary period will not be accepted.
5. STUDENTS WITH FUNCTIONAL DIVERSITY. Students with functional diversity or difficulty in normal monitoring of the subject must justify their situation through a document issued by the service accredited by the USC, and inform the teacher within the first two weeks of the affected semester, in order to agree as soon as possible on a work plan adapted to be able to attend to each particular situation.

Classroom activities (total: 51 hours)

- Expositive sessions: 24 hours
- Interactive sessions: 24 hours
- Group tutorials: 3 hours

Student autonomous work (total: 99 hours)

- Reports of practices: 30 hours
- Reports of seminars: 30 hours
- Study: 39 hours

- Active implication in the class dynamics.
- Punctual carrying out of the compulsory works.
- Continuous follow up of the subject.
- Integration of the information that is managed in the different contact and non-contact activities.

Important issues

1. Since USC is a Face-to-Face University, attendance at a minimum of 80% of class sessions is mandatory, regardless of those students with an attendance dispensation.

2. Students with exemption or dispense from attendance must respect the delivery dates of work established by the teacher, and it is recommended and necessary that they maintain contact with her through tutorials, virtual classroom, mail, etc., to guarantee the optimal development of matter and overcoming it.

3. Environmental responsibility: all the reports should be uploaded to the Virtual Campus.

4. Gender perspective: The use non-sexist or inclusive language is recommended, both in daily classroom work as in the coursework. For more information: https://www.usc.es/export9/sites/webinstitucional/gl/servizos/oix/desca…

5. Students must use the institutional email account.

6. It is mandatory the use of institutional technological tools (Virtual Campus, Microsoft Office 365) and other tools provided by the Faculty and authorized by the USC (Lifesize, etc.).

7. It will not be possible to use the mobile phone, except when it is used as a working instrument following the indications given by the teacher. The students will be responsible for the legal and academic consequences that may arise from using it.

8. Take into account that the teaching-learning process (class, tutorials) is a private process of communication and interchange between the students and the teacher.

9. Compliance with data protection regulations is mandatory. https://www.usc.gal/es/politica-privacidad-proteccion-datos.

10. For cases of fraudulent completion of exercises or tests, the provisions of the Regulations for the evaluation of students' academic performance and review of qualifications will apply.