Development of the Thinking Child (PSYC30019)
Undergraduate level 3Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
For information about the University’s phased return to campus and in-person activity in Winter and Semester 2, please refer to the on-campus subjects page.
About this subject
Contact information
Semester 2
Please refer to the LMS for up-to-date subject information, including assessment and participation requirements, for subjects being offered in 2020.
Overview
| Availability | Semester 2 |
|---|---|
| Fees | Look up fees |
The subject will provide students with an opportunity to evaluate the relationship between cognitive and neuropsychological typical and atypical development in pre-adolescent children.
Contemporary theory and research methods for investigating cognitive and neuropsychological development will be reviewed. The focus will be on the adequacy of research methods for answering questions about typical and atypical cognitive and neuropsychological development. Subject themes will include:
- Characterizing the development of thinking and reasoning abilities.
- Characterizing neuropsychological development in pre-adolescent children.
- Understanding links between the adequacies of research questions, research methods and data analyses.
- Understanding the meaning and significance of variability in cognitive and neuropsychological change in pre-adolescent children.
- Formulating research questions that investigate typical and atypical development.
- Writing research reports that reflect an awareness of differences in typical and atypical developing pre-adolescent children.
The overall aim of the subject is to help students acquire an understanding of the issues associated with identifying typical and atypically cognitive and neuropsychological development in preadolescent children.
Intended learning outcomes
Upon completion of the subject students will be able to demonstrate the following learning outcomes:
Knowledge
On completion of the subject students will demonstrate knowledge of:
- Differences in the methods and analytic techniques used to study cognitive and neurocognitive development.
- The difficulties associated with identifying different patterns of cognitive and neuropsychological changes in preadolescent children.
Skills
On completion of the subject students will have developed skills to:
- Evaluate the adequacy of research methods used to study cognitive-neuropsychological development.
- Interpret cognitive-neuropsychological development research data
- Understand analytic issues associated with studying variability in development.
- Describe typical and atypical developmental patterns and change trajectories
Application of knowledge and skills
On completion of this subject students will be able to apply their knowledge and skills to:
- Design hypotheses to answer research questions about children’s cognitive-neuropsychological development.
Generic skills
On completion of this subject students will have had the opportunity to develop skills to:
- Relate theory to practice.
- Understand the relationships between theoretical and methodological claims.
- Present, develop and support an argument for a position.
- Write reports that reflect an understanding of core issues in cognitive-neuropsychological development.
Last updated: 5 April 2025
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
None
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
512370 Cognitive and Neuropsychological Development 3
512308 Development of the Thinking Child
Recommended background knowledge
Prior coursework in at least two Level 2 psychology subjects, including Cognitive Psychology and/or Developmental Psychology, is recommended. Level 2 psychology subjects are: Biological Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Developmental Psychology, and Personality & Social Psychology.
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 5 April 2025
Assessment
Due to the impact of COVID-19, assessment may differ from that published in the Handbook. Students are reminded to check the subject assessment requirements published in the subject outline on the LMS
| Description | Timing | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
1 Letter to A Parent
| Week 5 | 34% |
1 written assignment
| Week 9 | 33% |
1 Neuropsychological Report
| Week 12 | 33% |
| Hurdle requirement: Each piece of assessment must be submitted. | Throughout the teaching period | N/A |
| Hurdle requirement: Attendance of at least 80% of the laboratory classes. In case of failure to meet the attendance hurdle requirement, additional work related to the missed class activities (e.g., short 500 word essay on missed topic) will be required before a passing grade can be awarded. | Throughout the teaching period | N/A |
Last updated: 5 April 2025
Dates & times
- Semester 2
Principal coordinator Katherine Johnson Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours 36 Hours Total time commitment 170 hours Teaching period 3 August 2020 to 1 November 2020 Last self-enrol date 14 August 2020 Census date 21 September 2020 Last date to withdraw without fail 16 October 2020 Assessment period ends 27 November 2020 Semester 2 contact information
Time commitment details
Estimated total time commitment for this subject is 170 hours.
Last updated: 5 April 2025
Further information
- Texts
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Course Graduate Diploma in Psychology Informal specialisation Science-credited subjects - new generation B-SCI Major Psychology Major Psychology Informal specialisation Selective subjects for B-BMED - Breadth options
This subject is available as breadth in the following courses:
- Bachelor of Arts
- Bachelor of Commerce
- Bachelor of Design
- Bachelor of Environments
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Animation)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Dance)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Film and Television)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Music Theatre)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Screenwriting)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Theatre)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Visual Art)
- Bachelor of Music
- Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Please note Single Subject Studies via Community Access Program is not available to student visa holders or applicants
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
Additional information for this subject
subject coordinator approval required
- Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
Last updated: 5 April 2025