Course Resources Archive

This module aims to investigate human development throughout the lifespan focussing on changes to biological, cognitive, and emotional elements of psychological functioning.  Individual and group differences in development will be explored and expanded to specifically include personality and intelligence. Different theories within development psychology, personality and intelligence will be examined together with associated historical and contemporary debates. The module also aims to investigate psychological measurement including the strengths and limitations of psychometric measures including the design and application of such measure. This will include the design of psychological questionnaires.

Topics to be covered by this module include: -

Introduction to understanding human development and individual differences.

Discussion of contemporary debates within human development and individual differences

Approaches to studying human development and individual differences.

Child, adolescent, and adult development will be considered across a full range of aspects to include biological, cognitive, social, emotional, personality, intelligence, and language and communication.

Group and individual differences in minority areas e.g. sex/gender, race, ethnicity, culture etc.

Psychological measurement e.g. psychometric measurement of personality and intelligence, questionnaire design and evaluation including validity and reliability.

A student passing this module should be able to

1.  show an understanding of the approaches and associated key theories applied to the study of human development and individual differences
2. identify and evaluate the ongoing debates in lifespan development and individual differences, including but not limited to nature/nurture, idiographic/nomothetic, state/trait?
3. demonstrate familiarity with current research in both individual differences and developmental psychology arenas
4. show an understanding of psychological measurement including but not limited to the importance of validity and reliability as both underlying constructs and demonstrable properties within measures.
5. display familiarity with the range of research methods used in contemporary individual differences and developmental research
6. critically evaluate psychological measures and questionnaires, including but not limited to the strengths and weaknesses of the underpinning theoretical principles related to specific constructs , and the design processes involved in generating such measures

The Library Catalogue contains full details of the current reading list for this module. Further details may also be found in the Module Guide.