syllabus S12 Psych 133B - Courses in Psychology - UCLA

Psychology 133B
Cognitive Development
Spring 2012
Tuesdays and Thursdays 11:00 –12:15
WG Young CS 76
Instructor: Dr. Catherine Sandhofer
Office: 2253B Franz Hall
Phone: 310-825-0624
e-mail: sandhof@psych.ucla.edu
Office Hours: Fridays 11:00 -1:00
Teaching Assistant: Elizabeth Goldenberg
Office: 2332C Franz Hall
e-mail: ergoldenb@gmail.com
Office hours: Wednesdays 3:00 – 5:00
Course Description
This course provides an overview of the major research findings and theories on the
development of children's thinking. It examines the processes through which development
occurs, as well as the nature of the changes in language, perception, memory, conceptual
understanding, and problem solving that mark cognitive development.
Learning Objectives:
At the end of this course, you should 1) know the major theories of cognitive development,
2) have an understanding of the course content (what we know about cognitive
development) through understanding the research studies that give rise to that content, and
3) know some of the methodologies specific to research with infants and children.
Text
Required: Siegler, R. S. & Alibali, M. W. (2005). Children’s Thinking Fourth Edition. Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. IBSN 0131113844. Copies are on reserve at College Library.
Readings should be completed prior to the class for which they have been assigned.
Course webpage
https://ccle.ucla.edu/course/view/12S-PSYCH133B-1
Slides are provided to assist in taking notes, and are not a substitution for coming to class.
Slides posted are subject to change at any time.
Contacting me
The most reliable way to reach me is to come to my office hours. I try to answer all email
within 48 hours.

Academic Integrity
UCLA is a community of scholars. In this community, all members including faculty, staff
and students alike are responsible for maintaining standards of academic honesty. As a
student and member of the University community, you are here to get an education and
are, therefore, expected to demonstrate integrity in your academic endeavors. You are
evaluated on your own merits. Cheating or other kinds of academic dishonesty are
considered unacceptable behavior and will result in formal disciplinary proceedings
usually resulting in suspension or dismissal.
Examinations
There will be 4 exams (3 non-cumulative exams and 1 cumulative final). All exams will
have 33 multiple-choice questions. You will receive 3 points for each question that is
answered correctly (99 total) and 1 point for filling out your name, id number, and form
number correctly on the scantron sheet.
I will count your scores on the 3 exams in which you score the highest. If you are happy
with your scores on the first three exams you may opt to take a 0 on the cumulative final
exam and I will drop that score.
Make-up exams will not be offered under any circumstances.
Review Sessions
Review sessions will be held the day before each midterm exam - room and time to be
announced. These sessions will be structured around student questions submitted prior to
the session. Please email any review questions to be addressed to the TA by 5pm the day
before the review session. We will discuss the most common questions during the review.
Attendance at review sessions is optional.
Assignment:
You need to complete and turn in 1 assignment during the quarter. To get full credit you
will need to turn in a hard copy during class and submit your paper on turnitin.com. No
late assignments will be accepted. An assignment turned in after the due date will not be
graded.

Grading
Exams
Assignment:
300 points (100 points x 3 exams)
50 points
Grades will be based on the total percentage you receive for the quarter using the following
scale:
A+ = 100 – 97%
A = 96 – 93%
A- = 92 – 90%
B+ = 89 – 87%
B = 86 – 83%
B- = 82 – 80%
C+ = 79 – 77%
C = 76 – 73%
C- = 72 – 70%
D+ = 69 – 67%
D = 66 – 63%
D- = 62 – 60%
F = < 59%
Complaints about grades must be submitted in writing on paper (not email), within 7 days
of the grades being posted. Grades are not negotiable. The only grade changes that will be
considered will be miscalculations of scores/scantron errors
There is no extra credit. If you turn in more than one assignment we will only grade your
first submission. You cannot receive a grade based on need or want – your grade can only
be based on your performance during the course. There are no exceptions.

Reading
Week 1 Tu 4/3/12 Introduction/Brain Dev pp 2-25
Th 4/5/12
Piaget 26-46
Week 2 Tu 4/10/12
Th 4/12/12
Core Knowledge
Info Processing
Selection theories
Socio cultural
46- 64
65 -75
92-106
107-118
Week 3 Tu 4/17/12 Socio cultural 118-132
Th 4/19/12 EXAM 1
Week 4 Tu 4/24/12 Perceptual dev 141-166
Th 4/26/12 Speech Perception 166-181
Week 5 Tu 5/1/12 Language dev 183-195
Th 5/3/12 Language dev 195-218
Week 6 Tu 5/8/12 Memory dev 226-243
Th 5/10/12 Memory dev 243-267
Week 7 Tu 5/15/12 EXAM 2
Th 5/17/12 Conceptual Dev 268-304
Week 8 Tu 5/22/12 Conceptual Dev/Prob Solving 313-331
Th 5/24/12 Prob. solving 341-380
Week 9 Tu 5/29/12 Prob. solving/Academic skills 381- 384
390 – 394
Th 5/31/12 Academic skills 400-413
Week 10 Tu 6/5/12
Hothouse Children
Th 6/7/12 EXAM 3
Tuesday, June 12, 2012, 9:00am-11:00am
CUMMULATIVE FINAL