Course Objectives:

1. Be able to demonstrate a broad working knowledge of developmental psychology by providing an overview of basic principles related to biosocial, cognitive and psychosocial changes throughout the entire lifespan.
2. Be able to demonstrate an understanding of different stages of development through the lifespan.
3. Identify and apply developmental concepts to everyday life.
4. Demonstrate improved critical thinking and communication skills.
5. Identify major theorists that contribute to the field of developmental psychology.

Terminal Objectives:

• Incorporate the nursing process to provide safe, competent, and holistic nursing care to patients/clients in a variety of settings.

Course Expectations:

Class attendance (as per policy)

Pre-reading and preparation of each class

Participating in class discussions, exercises and small group projects / presentations.

Completion of all examinations / assignments on due dates.

Satisfactory completion of laboratory work

INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY

This unit helps to orient learners to find the field of psychology and its significance in nursing profession.

At the end of the unit, learners will be able to:

1. Define psychology
2. Identify different perspectives of Psychology
3. Identify various fields of Psychology

Demonstrate understanding and its applications in nursing

INTRODUCTION TO DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY

This unit provides groundwork for understanding developmental span from conception through infancy, childhood, adolescence and adulthood ultimately ending with death. It will also orient learners to Freud, Erickson and Piaget’s view points on development.

At the end of the unit, learners will be able to:

1. Define Developmental Psychology
2. Identify various stages of development
3. Describe theories of development (Freud, Erickson and Piaget)
4. Describe interaction between heredity and environment

INFANCY (0-2 YEARS)

This unit outlines personality development during infancy.

At the end of the unit, learners will be acquainted with:

1. Growth and motor development
2. Cognitive development (learning and memory)
3. Piaget’s sensorimotor stage

4. Freud’s interpretation and parent-child relationships
5. Erickson’s stages of Psychosocial development
6. (Trust and Autonomy)

PRE-SCHOOL CHILD (2-5 YEARS)

This unit describes development of social behavior in childhood, effect of psychosexual development on behavior and personality, identifies concepts present in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development.

At the end of the unit, learners will be acquainted with:

1. Cognitive development
   1. Piaget’s pre-operational thought stage
   2. Language development
   3. Play
2. Personality development
   1. Erickson’s stages of Psychosocial development (initiative vs guilt stage)
   2. Influence of peers in personality development

Stage of psychosexual development

SCHOOL CHILD (5-12 YEARS)

This unit outlines cognitive and personality development of a school going child; discusses interpersonal relationships with people other than primary care givers.

At the end of the unit, learners will be acquainted with:

1. Cognitive development
2. Personality development
   1. Relationship with significant others and peers
   2. Types of parenting
   3. Stages of psychosexual development
   4. Types of parenting

Stages of psychosexual development

ADOLESCENCE

This unit describes major areas of personality and social development in adolescence.

At the end of the unit, learners will be acquainted with:

1. Impact of physical maturity
2. Impact of sexual maturity
3. Erickson’s identity vs role confusion stage
4. Interpersonal relationships with parents and peer groups
5. Problems of adolescence

Piaget’s stage of cognitive development

OLD AGE

This unit outlines the physical and psychological stages of aging.

At the end of the unit, learners will be acquainted with:

1. Physical changes in old age
2. Erickson’s generativity vs self-absorption and integrity vs self-despair stages
3. Quality of life and old age
4. Emotional and social changes in old age

EMOTIONS

This unit outlines the concept of emotion, describes the physiological characteristics of emotions.

At the end of the unit, learners will be acquainted with:

1. Arousal and emotion
2. Expression and emotion
3. General reactions to being in an emotional state
4. Aggression as an emotional reaction

Cultural expressions of emotions

MEMORY

This unit defines and describes memory and its types. At the end of the unit, learners will be able to:

1. Define memory
2. Defines and describe various types of memories

Demonstrate an understanding of the processes of forgetting from long term memory

LEARNING

This unit defines and describes the Principle of Learning and its application to daily life.

At the end of the unit, learners will be able to:

1. Define learning
2. Define and describe classical conditioning
3. Define and describe operant conditioning

Demonstrate an understanding of application of conditioning in daily life

INTELLIGENCE

This unit defines and describes the concept of intelligence and its significance in daily life.

At the end of the unit, learners will be able to:

1. Define intelligence

Demonstrate an understanding of the concept of measurement of intelligence

INTELLIGENCE

3. Describe the characteristics of test

Identify various measurement scales

MOTIVATION

This unit defines and describes the concept of motivation and its application to daily life.

At the end of the unit, learners will be able to:

1. Describe theories of motivation
2. Application of motivation principles to personal and professional life
3. . Demonstrate an understanding of application of motivation principles to achievement and failure