Running head: PSYC30016 SUBJECT GUIDE 1

Lifespan Social & Emotional Development (PSYC30016) Subject Guide

Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences
The University of Melbourne
Last Updated: 9th July 2019
PSYC30016 SUBJECT GUIDE 2

Contents

How to Use This Subject Guide ................................................................................................... 4

Subject Information ........................................................................................................................ 5
Subject outline ............................................................................................................................ 5
Subject aim.................................................................................................................................. 5
Learning outcomes of this subject .............................................................................................. 5
Subject Reading & Resources ......................................................................................................... 5
Prescribed text............................................................................................................................. 5
Optional reading.......................................................................................................................... 5
Further reading beyond the learning materials ........................................................................... 6
Using the new LMS: Canvas ...................................................................................................... 6
Administrative information ......................................................................................................... 7
The Teaching Team ......................................................................................................................... 7
Subject coordinator ..................................................................................................................... 7
Lecturers ..................................................................................................................................... 7
Head tutor.................................................................................................................................... 7
Subject tutors .............................................................................................................................. 7
Lectures and Lab Classes ................................................................................................................ 7
Lab classes and lab rooms........................................................................................................... 7
Table 1: Lecture schedule ....................................................................................................... 8
Table 2: Lab classes ................................................................................................................ 9
Table 3: Lab timetable: All classes are in room 1005 ............................................................. 9
Assignments and Hurdle Requirements ........................................................................................ 10
Assignment 1: Reflective piece ................................................................................................ 10
Table 4: Marking guide for the reflective piece .................................................................... 11
Table 5: Marking criteria for the reflective piece and peer review ....................................... 12
Assignment 2: Lecture quizzes ................................................................................................. 13
Table 6: Marking guide for the lecture quizzes piece ........................................................... 13
Assignment 3: Subject end-of-semester exam .......................................................................... 13
What to expect ...................................................................................................................... 13
What to bring ........................................................................................................................ 13
Hurdle 1: Lab attendance .......................................................................................................... 14
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Hurdle 2: Response drafts and participation in peer reviews ................................................... 14

Table 7. Timeline for the hurdle components of the reflective assignment .......................... 15
PSYC30016 SUBJECT GUIDE 4

How to Use This Subject Guide

This subject guide provides information specific to the subject PSYC30016 Lifespan

Social & Emotional Development. It contains information about: (i) the subject outline and

learning objectives, (ii) subject reading and resources, (iii) the teaching team, (iv) the lecture and

lab class timetable, (v) assignment timetable and information about each assessment. We advise

that you read through this guide carefully at the beginning of semester, to inform your

understanding of what to expect during the subject.

This guide is intended as a complimentary guide to the Undergraduate Student Manual

and Graduate Diploma Student Manuals (aka, the Student Manuals). The Student Manuals

contains important information and policy about studying psychology at the University of

Melbourne, including: (i) contact details for the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences,

Stop1, and other university services, (ii) important university dates, (iii) how to use LMS, the

LMS discussion board and university email, (iv) the Psychology Major, pre- and co-requisites,

(v) assessment information such as submitting assessments, hurdles, late penalties, word-limit

penalties, academic integrity, requesting a re-mark of an assignment, and resubmission of

assignments if retaking a subject, and (vi) applying for temporary lab transfers, extensions,

special consideration and academic adjustment plans.

This subject guide does not replicate any of the information provided in the Student

Manuals. We encourage you to access your Student Manual for useful information on general

processes, and to use this guide for information specific to the subject. The Student Manuals can

be found on the LMS and at the following links:

Undergraduate: http://psychologicalsciences.unimelb.edu.au/study/years-1-3

Graduate diploma: https://psychologicalsciences.unimelb.edu.au/study/graduate-diploma

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Subject Information
Subject outline
This subject, PSYC30016 Lifespan Social & Emotional Development, investigates issues of
social and emotional development across all life periods of the life-span: childhood, adolescence,
young adulthood, middle adulthood, and late adulthood. Students taking this subject will learn
about major developmental tasks and issues for each life period, including: identity development,
gender and sexuality development, moral development, family and peer relationships, and
education. We anticipate that the subject topic and activities will be beneficial for students with a
variety of personal, career, and academic goals.
Subject aim
The aim of this subject is to introduce students to a variety of issues within lifespan
developmental psychology.
Learning outcomes of this subject
On completion of this subject students will be able to:
• Engage in critical reflection of competing and complimentary theories of social and
emotional development across the lifespan
• Identify the developmental tasks and challenges associated with different life periods
• Apply theories of lifespan developmental psychology to personal, interpersonal, and
cultural contexts of development
Students will further develop generic skills in:
• Reflective practice
• Peer-review: especially developing and responding to feedback
Subject Reading & Resources
Prescribed text
The prescribed text is the textbook described below:
Hoffnung, M., Hoffnung, R. J., Seifert, K. L., Hine, A., Pausé, C., Swabey, K., Yates K, &
Burton Smith R. (2016). Lifespan development: Third Australasian Edition. John Wiley &
Sons Australia, Ltd.
The textbook is available in the University of Melbourne Co-op. An electronic resource of each
chapter is available through the University’s library website (https://library.unimelb.edu.au/) and
in the relevant Canvas LMS module.
Optional reading
Optional readings include studies and reviews that are not part of the textbook and are presented
in the lectures and labs. These readings can be found in Readings Online, via the Lectures and
Readings tab. Ideas from these readings are examinable only insofar as all content presented in
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the lectures and lab classes will be examinable. The examinable component of these optional
readings extends only to the elements of the paper or study that were presented in the lecture.
Information within a paper that are not presented in the lecture will not be examinable.
Further reading beyond the learning materials
Some students will develop interests in new concepts or ideas raised and will wish to investigate
those in more detail. They can do this by searching key words in search tools such as PubMed
and Google Scholar, and the University library web page (links below). As further guidance, we
have provided some further readings the “Further food for thought” tabs, in Readings Online.
These readings are not at all examinable. They are only provided for personal interest.
• UniMelb library journal searching: http://cat.lib.unimelb.edu.au/search/y
• PubMed: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/
• Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com.au/
Using the new LMS: Canvas
This subject is one of the first in the University to move to the new LMS platform – Canvas
(https://canvas.lms.unimelb.edu.au). In 2020, all University of Melbourne subjects will be using
Canvas LMS instead of Blackboard. As such, we will be learning about this new platform at the
same time as you. This is likely to present some great opportunities and some interesting
challenges. We ask that you be open to this new platform and give it a go - and also feel welcome
and able to tell us what is working and what is not.
In Canvas LMS, you will find:
• Announcements about the subject
• Modules that are the organised content for the subject. They include:
o A Welcome module with administrative information about the subject;
o A Student Support module with student support services, help using Canvas, and
accessing lectures;
o Modules for each section of the subject (childhood, adolescence, young
adulthood, middle adulthood, late adulthood), each with specific lecture content,
readings, lab materials and assessments;
• The Syllabus for the course, including the subject guide and dates for assessments (These
can also be found in the Welcome module);
• A Discussion Board for raising issues, questions, or epiphanies with fellow students and
the teaching team;
• Your Marks for the subject, which shows your progress for all hurdles and assessments,
including grades where applicable;
• Readings Online, which provides links to lecture reading and optional reading
• Lecture Capture for all lectures;
• A customisable Calendar with important dates for the subject; and
• A message Inbox that you can use to contact other staff and students in the subject and
that you can link to your student email.
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Administrative information
Information regarding administrative processes (e.g., changing subject enrolment, access to
CREM, temporary lab transfers, withdrawing from a course, student forms, student manuals, and
subject evaluations) can be found on the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences website:
• Undergraduate: http://psychologicalsciences.unimelb.edu.au/study/years-1-3
• Graduate diploma: https://psychologicalsciences.unimelb.edu.au/study/graduate-diploma

The Teaching Team

Subject coordinator
Dr Abi Brooker (e: brookera@unimeb.edu.au; office: room 1111, 11th floor, Redmond Barry
Building (RBB))
Lecturers
Dr Chaille Breuer (e: breuer.c@unimelb.edu.au; office: room 1115; 11th floor, RBB)
Dr Michelle Stratemeyer (e: michelle.stratemeyer@unimelb.edu.au; office: room 1115; 11th
floor, RBB)
Head tutor
Ms Emma Austen (emma.austen@unimelb.edu.au)
Subject tutors
Our tutors for 2018 are to be confirmed. As soon as we know who our tutors are, we will update
their information on the “Staff Information” page in Canvas.
Lectures and Lab Classes
There are 24 hours of lectures across the semester (as two 1-hour lectures per week):
• Mondays, 11 AM - 12 PM, Rivett Theatre, RBB
• Thursdays, 1 PM - 2 PM, Rivett Theatre, RBB
We strongly encourage you to attend the lectures so that you can ask questions, confidently
discuss lecture content with class mates, and experience the learning activities of the subject in
the way they were intended to be experienced.
Lab classes and lab rooms
Lab classes will be held in Room 1005, on the 10th floor of the RBB, every fortnight. See the lab
timetable for the time of your assigned lab class. We strongly encourage you to attend your
assigned lab class. Attending the same class not only ensures that you are meeting regularly with
the same familiar cohort, but also consistency in teaching style and pace of learning.
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Table 1: Lecture schedule

Week Lecture Lecture topic Lecturer Textbook
chapter
1 1 Introduction AB 1
2 Useful theories for Lifespan Development AB 2
2 3 Childhood 1: Developmental tasks CB 6, 8
4 Childhood 2: Peers, social competence and play CB 7, 8
3 5 Childhood 3: Moral development CB 7
6 Childhood 4: Gender development CB 7
4 7 Adolescence 1: Identity & other tasks AB 10, 11
8 Adolescence 2: Family relationships AB 11
5 9 Adolescence 3: Peers & technology AB 11
10 Adolescence 4: Romantic relationships AB 11
6 11 Young adulthood 1: When are you an adult? CB 12
12 Young adulthood 2: Family & leaving home CB NA*
7 13 Young adulthood 3: Objectification MS NA*
14 Young adulthood 4: Love, partnership & fertility CB 12, 13
8 15 Middle adulthood 1: What is middle adulthood? AB 15
16 Middle adulthood 2: Intelligence & learning AB 8, 14
9 17 Middle adulthood 3: Families, relationship, divorce AB 15
18 Middle adulthood 4: Mental health & wellbeing AB 14, 15
10 19 Late adulthood 1: Optimal ageing & challenges CB 16
20 Late adulthood 2: Ageism, Identity, & the ‘grey divide’ CB 16
11 21 Late adulthood 3: Relationships CB 17
22 Late adulthood 4: Grief, loss, & end of life CB 16, 18
12 23 Review of the lifespan AB NA*
24 Subject conclusion AB NA*
* Lectures 12, 13, 23, and 24 will draw on research papers instead of drawing directly from the text book.
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Table 2: Lab classes

Lab class topic Week

Lab 1: Introduction to lifespan developmental psychology Week 2

Lab 2: Childhood Week 4

Lab 3: Adolescence Week 6

Lab 4: Young adulthood Week 8

Lab 5: Middle adulthood Week 10

Lab 6: Late adulthood Week 12

Table 3: Lab timetable: All classes are in room 1005

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Assignments and Hurdle Requirements

There are three assessment pieces and two hurdle requirements for this subject. Each piece of
assessment and each hurdle must be completed to pass the subject. Failure to meet the attendance
hurdle will result in additional assessment pieces being set before students can be considered to
have satisfactorily completed the subject. The assessments and hurdles are described below.
Assignment 1: Reflective piece
The reflective piece is a 1500-word written assessment worth 40% of your overall grade. It will
be developed throughout the semester in conjunction with two anonymous peer-review activities
(described in the section Hurdle 2). The final submission will be due 8 AM on Monday 7th
October (Week 10).
The final submission will be a .doc, .docx, or .pdf file. It will include:
• A Title Page
The title page will include your name and student number. It will confirm your word
count for each of the first three sections, and the total word of those three sections. It will
confirm that you have included the four sections outlined below.
• Section 1: Your response to Reflection Question 1 (500 words)
This response will:
• Address one of the four broad questions of lifespan developmental psychology.
More detail about this question is provided under the heading “Hurdle 2:
Response drafts and participation in peer reviews”;
• Have a word limit of 500 words. Although no penalty will be applied to each
section’s word limit, the +10% penalty will be applied to the 1500-word limit for
Sections 1, 2, and 3 combined, in accordance with the student manuals;
• Be in APA style;
• Include a minimum of two references. These could be the same two references as
used in Section 2, but keep in mind the marking criteria around use of references.
Only one reference throughout this assessment (Section 1 or Section 2) can come
from the text book;
• Be written in a reflective style, as outlined in Lecture 1.
• Section 2: Your response to Reflection Question 2 (500 words)
This response will:
• Address one of the four broad questions of lifespan developmental psychology.
More detail about this question is provided under the heading “Hurdle 2:
Response drafts and participation in peer reviews”;
• Have a word limit of 500 words. Although no penalty will be applied to each
section’s word limit, the +10% penalty will be applied to the 1500-word limit for
Sections 1, 2, and 3 combined, in accordance with the student manuals;
• Be in APA style;
• Include a minimum of two references. These could be the same two references as
used in Section 1, but keep in mind the marking criteria around use of references.
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Only one reference throughout this assessment (Section 1 or Section 2) can come
from the text book;
• Be written in a reflective style, as outlined in Lecture 1
• Section 3: A rationale explaining whether and how you have incorporated feedback
from the peer-review tasks in your final piece (500 words)
The purpose of this rationale is to highlight how the peer review has (or has not)
contributed to your ideas. The task of reviewing others’ pieces and reading feedback
about your own piece will contribute to, validate, or further ideas in your own reflection
pieces. After participating in the peer reviews, you might choose to revise your draft
responses (i.e., the feedback process might have sparked more ideas), or you might
choose to submit the same content as you submitted in the hurdle. Either approach is
reasonable, as long as you explain and justify your decision in this section. Incorporating
ideas generated from the feedback task is encouraged and will not have a negative impact
on the assessment grade. Considering this, the rationale is not only an opportunity for
further reflection and good practice in academic integrity, but also provides an
opportunity for any misconstrued ideas to be acknowledged without affecting your grade.
• An Appendix
Your Appendix must show evidence of how your thinking has changed across the
semester, in support of Section 3. That evidence might include any or all of: (i) your first-
drafts (submitted earlier in semester) and how these have or have not changed, (ii) copies
of feedback from your reviewers, (iii) copies of feedback comments you gave to others.
The 1500-word limit includes the two assessment pieces and the rationale (500 words each). It
excludes the reference list, Appendix, and title page. The Student Manuals offer advice on what
is and is not included in the word limit for an undergraduate psychology assessment.
Table 4: Marking guide for the reflective piece

Grade band (%) Meaning of grade band

H1 Excellent, all criteria were addressed to a high standard, with no issues at all.
(80-100)
H2A Very good, most criteria were addressed to a high standard.
(75-79) A few minor issues prevented this from being H1 criteria.
H2B Good, most criteria were addressed to a reasonable standard. Several minor
(70 – 74) issues may require attention.
H3 The main aim of the assessment has been addressed, but a few substantial issues
(65-69) require attention.
P The main aim of the assessment has been addressed, but many substantial issues
(50-64) require attention.
N Many issues that require attention, the main aim of the assessment has not been
(<50) addressed.
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Table 5: Marking criteria for the reflective piece and peer review
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Assignment 2: Lecture quizzes

The lecture quizzes are five multiple-choice quizzes, one released each fortnight and respectively
focusing on lectures of one of the five life periods covered in this subject: childhood,
adolescence, young adulthood, middle adulthood, and late adulthood. Each quiz is worth 2% of
the final grade; all five quizzes together are worth 10% of your final grade. Although the quizzes
are released each fortnight, they are all due 8 AM Friday 25th October (Week 12). These quizzes
can be used as regular revision exercises to check your progress throughout the semester, or they
can be used as a larger revision exercise at the end of semester.
Table 6: Marking guide for the lecture quizzes piece

Grade band / range Meaning of grade band for each quiz

H1 (80-100) Over 80% of the questions were answered correctly
H2A (75-79) Between 75% and 79% of the questions were answered correctly.
H2B (70-74) Between 70% and 74% of the questions were answered correctly.
H3 (65-69) Between 65% and 69% of the questions were answered correctly.
P (50-64) Between 50% and 64% of the questions were answered correctly.
N (<50) Fewer than 50% of the questions were answered correctly.

Assignment 3: Subject end-of-semester exam

A written examination to be completed at the end of Semester. This exam will consist of five
short reflection questions. The marking criteria for these will be the same as used in the peer
review activities and the reflective piece due during semester (excluding criteria about APA
style). Each exam question will be worth 10% of your final grade; the total exam is worth 50%
of your final grade. The lectures, the required readings for each lecture, the lab content, and any
required readings set for the lab classes are all assessable in the final exam. More information
about expectations for the exam will be released during Lecture 24, in Week 12.
What to expect
You will have 2 hours to complete the exam, with 15 minutes of reading time beforehand. The
link below leads to the University’s policy regarding exams:
http://policy.unimelb.edu.au/MPF1326
What to bring
• You may bring a bilingual dictionary
• Bring a pen and a pencil
• Bring your student card
• Calculators and hand-written notes are not permitted
PSYC30016 SUBJECT GUIDE 14

Hurdle 1: Lab attendance

Attendance at 80% or more of the laboratory classes is required to pass the subject. This
corresponds to attendance at a minimum of five of the six lab classes, where one of those five
can include a lab transfer or medical certificate. Failure to meet this hurdle will result in
additional assessments offered at the end of semester.
Hurdle 2: Response drafts and participation in peer reviews
There are two peer-review activities in the first half of semester. These are peer reviews of
students’ drafts for two of the three sections in the final written reflective piece (described in the
section Assignment 1). Each peer-review activity includes:
(i) Submitting for peer-review a draft response to a set topic:
• The draft response to Topic 1 will be due 8 AM Friday 16th August (Week 3); the
draft response to Topic 2 will be due 8 AM Friday 13th September (Week 7). Each
response can be submitted as a .doc, .docx, or .pdf file.
• This draft response will have a 500 word-limit. Although no penalty is applied to this
piece, keep in mind that your peers are giving you feedback: Longer pieces will
create a burden on them. Adhering to the 500-word limit is demonstrating respect for
your peers and their workload.
• This draft will include at least two citations.
• No particular formatting style is required for this draft submission. However,
considering that the final assessment piece is in APA style, it would be a good idea to
format the draft in the same style, to get feedback on your APA style and save
yourself work at the end of semester.
(ii) Completing an anonymous review of two other students’ draft responses:
• The first peer review will be due 5 PM Friday 23 August (Week 4); the second peer
review will be due 5 PM Friday 20 September (Week 8).
• The anonymous peer review will be completed in Canvas. Each reviewer will apply
the marking criteria to the written piece and leave an overall comment.
Please keep in mind that this is only a draft – any low scores from peers are not
intended to deflate or dishearten anyone, but instead intended to highlight areas for
improvement and with the aim of strengthening the piece.
• The anonymous peer review will also include a final comment from the reviewer
about what they have learned from reading the piece. This final comment is also
intended to inspire new ideas for both the reviewer and the reviewee.
In total, meeting the peer-review hurdle involves submission of two drafts (500 words each) and
completing four peer reviews. Students’ participation in these activities is monitored using online
peer review software in Canvas. Neither the submitted drafts nor the peer review comments are
graded, however the drafts and the peer reviews can be used to guide students’ final written
reflective piece due in Week 10 (which is assessed). Failure to meet the peer-review hurdle will
result in additional assessment pieces being set before students can be considered to have
satisfactorily completed the subject.
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Table 7. Timeline for the hurdle components of the reflective assignment

Week Date Activity Assessment type
1 Monday 29 July Reflection Topics 1 & 2 released in -
Lecture 1

2 Write your draft response to Topic 1

3 Friday 16 August 8 AM: Topic 1 draft is due Hurdle

12 PM: Topic 1 Peer review opens

4 Friday 23 August 5 PM: Topic 1 peer reviews are due Hurdle

5 Monday 26 August Topic 2 reminder in Lecture 9 -

6 Write your draft response to Topic 2 -

7 Friday 13 September 8 AM: Topic 2 draft is due Hurdle

12 PM: Topic 2 peer review opens

8 Friday 20 September 5 PM: Topic 2 peer reviews are due Hurdle

9 Revise your drafts, write Section 3, -

compile Appendix

10 Monday 7 October 8 AM: Final reflection piece is due Assessment piece