Development & Cognition - EDU00071M
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 2025-26 |
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.
Module learning outcomes
Subject content
By the end of this module students will be able to:
- 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.
- 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.
- Evaluate the ethical implications of conducting experiments with human participants, including children.
Module content
The module content is structured so that it incrementally builds up students’ knowledge of developmental and cognitive psychology to the extent that they will be in a strong position to consider their relevance to education by the end of the module.
- Week 1 - What is Development?
- Week 2 - Development in Education and Early Years
- Week 3 - Early Childhood and Middle Childhood
- Week 4 - Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood
- Week 5 - Adulthood and Older Adulthood
- Week 6 - Development - Summary and Assessment / 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
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 50 |
| Essay/coursework | 50 |
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 50 |
| Essay/coursework | 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.).