Accessibility statement

Development & Cognition - EDU00071M

« Back to module search

  • Department: Education
  • Module co-ordinator: Miss Sarah Wild
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: M
  • Academic year of delivery: 2024-25

Module summary

This module will introduce both developmental and cognitive processes applied to different aspects of learning. These aspects of psychological development will bring together foundational theories and new research in each domain to give students a well-rounded basis of knowledge. This module will explore lifespan development focusing on key aspects of development from birth through to old age and then move on to a multitude of cognitive processes, such as language, memory, emotion and attention.

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Semester 1 2024-25

Module aims

This module aims to develop students’ knowledge and understanding of the cognitive and developmental processes involved in learning (broadly understood), and the capacity to reflect on their possible implications for education.

Students will be introduced to the key theories that underpin our current understanding of development and cognition. For example, students will be introduced to theoretical perspectives on development, including cognitive, socio-emotional, behavioural, ecological and lifespan perspectives, and prominent methodological approaches. They will consider how these perspectives can account for development in different domains (i.e. social, emotional and cognitive), at different ages (i.e. childhood, adolescence and adulthood) and in different contexts (i.e. cultural and cohort effects).

Students will also consider key elements of cognition including memory, perception, attention, and language, evaluating how our knowledge in this area has been informed by the field of cognitive neuropsychology, and by the introduction of new technologies and methodologies.

Students will be supported in developing the skills required to identify and critically evaluate relevant literature, and to compare and contrast alternative means of gathering and evaluating cognitive and developmental data. They will also be exposed to an in-class cognitive psychology experiment and will have the formative opportunity to write a report of the findings in APA style.

Module learning outcomes

Subject content

By the end of this module students will have developed:

· Broad knowledge, and a nuanced understanding, of key theories and findings in developmental psychology, including cognitive, socio-emotional, behavioural, ecological and lifespan perspectives.

· Broad knowledge, and a nuanced understanding of key theories and findings in cognitive psychology related to memory, perception, attention and language.

· In-depth understanding of the developmental processes that occur at different stages (e.g. childhood, adolescence and adulthood) and in different domains (e.g. social, cognitive, and emotional).

  • The capacity to analyse the development of cognitive processes and systems (e.g. memory, perception and language) and to consider how they relate to learning.
  • A knowledge base that will allow them to apply theoretical and empirical research in developmental and cognitive psychology to educational issues and questions.

Academic and graduate skills

Students will have learned how to:

  • Use effective literature searching techniques to identify cognitive and developmental psychology research that is relevant to particular topics or questions.
  • Formulate and present a persuasive and articulate academic argument that is well structured and well supported.
  • Critically evaluate existing research and assess its reliability and validity.
  • Draw out practical implications of existing theoretical and empirical research.
  • Synthesise arguments from different areas of psychology and understand how they inform each other.
  • Write up the findings of an in-class cognitive psychology experiment in APA style.
  • Evaluate the ethical implications of conducting experiments with human participants, including children.

Module content

Week 1 - What is development?

Week 2 - Infancy and Early Childhood

Week 3 - Prosocial Behaviour and Assessment

Week 4 - Middle Childhood and Adolescence

Week 5 - Emerging Adulthood and Adulthood

Week 6 - Development - Older Adulthood and Summary / Cognition - Auditory perception

Week 7 - Attention and Memory

Week 8 - Memory 2 and Visual perception

Week 9 - Emotion and Language

Week 10 - Language 2

Week 11 - Summary

Assessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Critical Review 2000 words		 N/A 50
Essay/coursework
Research Report 2000 words		 N/A 50

Special assessment rules

None

Reassessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Critical Review 2000 words		 N/A 50
Essay/coursework
Research Report 2000 words		 N/A 50

Module feedback

Individual written feedback reports, with follow-up tutor meeting if necessary. The feedback is returned to students in line with university policy. Please check the Guide to Assessment, Standards, Marking and Feedback for more information.

Indicative reading

Gillibrand, R., Lam, Virginia, & O'Donnell, Victoria L. (2016). Developmental Psychology (Second ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson.

Leman, P., Bremner, Andrew J, Parke, Ross D, & Gauvain, Mary. (2012). Developmental Psychology. London: McGraw-Hill.

Boyd, D., & Bee, Helen L., author. (2015). Lifespan Development (Seventh edition; Global ed.).

Quinlan, P., Dyson, Ben, & Dyson, B. J. (2008). Cognitive Psychology. Harlow: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Eysenck, M., & Keane, Mark T. (2015). Cognitive Psychology : A student's handbook (7th ed.).


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University is constantly exploring ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary by the University. Where appropriate, the University will notify and consult with affected students in advance about any changes that are required in line with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.