Domain 3: Developmental
General Description
Domain 3 is defined by the intersection of three themes and three stages. Themes are integrative dimensions, ideas which allow the individual student to pull together relevant information about people who are seen as changing in qualitative and quantitative ways as they age. Stages are age ranges in which significant, noticeable qualitative and quantitative changes occur in the social, affective, and cognitive thematic areas of functioning.
The specific themes are social, affective, and cognitive. The specific stages are, in order, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood and aging.
Courses
Detailed statements of the contents, objectives, and assigned reading for each course can be examined in the departmental office (SZB 504) or on the course descriptions webpage. Additional information can also be obtained from the instructor who teaches the course.
| P/S | EDP # | Topic | Usual Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | 385.2 | Child & Adolescent Social and Cognitive Development | Suizzo |
| Primary | 385.1 | Individual Through the Life Cycle | Neff |
Topics
Primary course titles indicate areas of major domain interest. However, specific topics covered in Domain 3, which have been culled from several primary courses, are as follows:
Stage: Childhood
- Behavioral genetics theory
- Classical and social learning theory
- Piagét's theory
- Information Processing theory
- The critical examination of the aforementioned three theoretical approaches as these pertain to cognitive development.
- Erikson's theory
- Knowledge of psychoanalytic theory and ego psychology
- Knowledge of attachment theory
- Knowledge of maturational theory
- Knowledge of ecological theory
- Knowledge of research design and methodology commonly used in child development
- Knowledge and comprehension of issues and research in:
- social cognition
- peers, school, and family as influences on social development
- atypical social, emotional, and behavioral development as compared with normal or typical development
- Application of developmental theory and research to handle practical issues in education, clinical practice, and social policy
- Development of aggression and/or impulse control and prosocial behavior
- Sex role development
- Moral development
- Achievement motivation
- Child rearing practices and their effects
- Development of temperament
- Mediators of normal and abnormal development
Stage: Adolescence
- Theories of adolescence as a stage, such as by Piagét, Adler, Havighurst, Conger, Adelson, etc.
- Physiological development
- Cognitive development
- Moral, sex role, social development
- Personality development
- Development of a sense of self and identity
- Issues of school, life, love, work, delinquency, drugs, family, peers, etc.
- Atypical social, emotional, and behavioral development
Stage: Adulthood and Aging
- Theories of Erickson, Havighurst, and Lowenthal
- Physiological development
- Intellectual development
- Personality development
- Developmental issues such as physical health, mental health, self, love, sex, family, peers, work, leisure, and retirement
- Developmental Research Approaches and Design
Domain Exam
For those who elect this avenue for fulfilling the domain requirement, the three-hour domain examination consists of five essay questions from the readings below from which the student chooses and answers three. At least two faculty members who are familiar with the content of the questions will evaluate the responses and grade the exam on a Pass/Fail basis. If the Pass/Fail recommendations of the two readers differ, a third reader will evaluate the student’s responses and resolve the discrepancy. Students must pass all three questions to be considered as having passed the domain exam. Students may not retake the exam if they do not pass: a student who fails the examination must satisfy the domain requirement by coursework.
Readings
Many books can be studied to prepare for the domain exam. Classic key examples include:
Baldwin, A. L. Theories of Child Development. New York: John Wiley, 1968.
Damon, W. Social and Personality Development (especially Chapters on Piagét's theory). Essays on the growth of the child. New York: Norton, 1983.
Damon, W. Social and Personality Development: Infancy through Adolescence. New York: Norton, 1983.
Gardiner, H. Developmental Psychology.
Grusec, J. & Lytton, H. (1988). Social Development. New York: Spring-Verlag.
Lewis, M. & Miller, S.M. (eds. ). Handbook of Developmental Psychopathology. New York: Plenum, 1990.
Manaster, G. (1989). Adolescent Development. NY: Peacock.
Mussen, P. (ed.) Handbook of Child Psychology. Socialization, Personality, and Social Development. New York: Wiley, 1983.
Turner, J.S., & Helms, D.B. Lifespan Development, 5th edition. Fort Worth, TX: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1995.
Wolman, B. (ed.) Handbook of Developmental Psychology. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1982.
Newer books covering the same general materials as those listed above should also serve to prepare for the domain exam (contact the course instructors for more information). Reading the most recent works by leading theorists is always advisable.
