How much of our behaviour is learned or innate? How much does the culture in which we are raised affect the person we become? What is the relationship between our childhood behaviours and experiences and our adult self? Developmental Psychology is the study of developmental processes across the range of human experience and abilities. This course provides a broad foundation in the discipline, focusing on early lifespan development. This course takes a topic-based approach, covering: (i) Biological and Motor Development, (ii) Perceptual Development, (iii) Cognitive Development, (iv) Play, (v) Language Development, (vi) Social Development, (vii) Emotional and Moral Development, and (viii) Developmental Disorders. A particular feature of this course is a dual emphasis on research and application. Students complete a laboratory report with a teamwork component.

Honours Pathway Option:

Students enrolled in the Honours pathway option (HPO) will be required to do some alternative assessment (as listed in the Indicative Assessment). The material will be set at a higher conceptual level, requiring more advanced and extensive research.

Participation in the HPO must be approved. Students opt in to the HPO by registering on the Learning Management System (LMS). Details of the HPO requirements and approval process for each course will be provided on the LMS at the start of the semester.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Comprehend and apply a broad and coherent body of knowledge of developmental psychology, with depth of understanding of underlying principles, theories and concepts in the discipline, using a scientific approach.
2. Critically analyse and synthesise theory and evidence to explain how nature and nurture interact across the course of human development, with an emphasis on individual and cultural universalities and differences.
3. Demonstrate an ability to apply research in developmental psychology to real-world questions and scenarios. 
4. Contribute effectively to a major team-based project through active participation, cultural sensitivity, and respectful peer-to-peer learning and feedback.

Research-Led Teaching

The major assessment piece for this course is a lab report, supported by lab exercises. You will analyse and write-up data on a topic of key interest in developmental psychology.

Field Trips

N/A

Additional Course Costs

N/A

Examination Material or equipment

Unannotated paper-based dictionary (no approval required).

Required Resources

• Good access to the internet for online Q&A sessions with your lecturer is essential.
• White, F., Hayes, B. & Livesey, D. (2016). Developmental psychology from infancy to adulthood. Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson. 4th Edition. (Textbook confirmed for 2025.)
• Access to JASP software for lab exercises. JASP can be downloaded from: https://jasp-stats.org/

Recommended Resources

Recommended student system requirements 

Whether you are on campus or studying online, there are a variety of online resources and activities including:

• video material, similar to YouTube, for lectures and other instruction
• two-way video conferencing for interactive learning
• email and other messaging tools for communication
• interactive web apps for formative and collaborative activities
• print and photo/scan for handwritten work and drawings
• home-based assessment.

ANU outlines recommended student system requirements to ensure you are able to participate fully in your learning. Other information is also available about the various Learning Platforms you may use.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• written comments
• verbal comments
• feedback to whole class, groups, individuals, focus group etc

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). Feedback can also be provided to Course Conveners and teachers via the Student Experience of Learning & Teaching (SELT) feedback program. SELT surveys are confidential and also provide the Colleges and ANU Executive with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement.

Other Information

Honours Pathway Option (HPO) (10%, in place of first five quizzes)

This course has an Honours Pathway Option. Students who are completing the Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) must complete 24 units of HPOs throughout their degree. Students studying other degrees are not required to take any HPOs but are encouraged to do so if they wish.

The HPO assignment will develop your skills in translating current research to a lay audience. You will be required to write a 750-word popular science article on a current topic in developmental psychology and produce a three-minute video on the same topic.

Note: If you enrol in the HPO option, your marks for quizzes 1-5 will not count toward your final grade (i.e., your total mark across the first 5 quizzes = maximum possible score of 10% to be replaced with HPO). Students who enrol in the HPO may choose not undertake quizzes 1-5 or complete them to help revise/monitor progress. HPO students must complete quiz 6.

To enrol in the HPO, simply email psyc3202.enquiries.rsp@anu.edu.au and state that you intend to complete the HPO component of the course.

To Withdraw from the HPO - You can only withdraw from the HPO before you submit your assignment. Once you have submitted the assignment, your grade will constitute 10% of your final grade. If you wish to withdraw from the PSYC3202 HPO, simply do not complete or submit the HPO assignment.

Additional Referencing Requirements

In Psychology, we use a referencing style endorsed by the American Psychological Association. You can find out how to reference appropriately using the following guide:

American Psychological Association. (2019). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Also see: http://www.apastyle.org/

And: https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/paper-format/sample-papers  

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	1x pre-recorded lecture, 1x live online Q&A with lecturer	Quiz
2	1x pre-recorded lecture, 1x live online Q&A with lecturer, 1x lab	Quiz, lab exercise
3	1x pre-recorded lecture, 1x live online Q&A with lecturer, 1x lab	Quiz, lab exercise
4	1x pre-recorded lecture, 1x lab	Quiz, lab exercise
5	1x pre-recorded lecture, 1x live online Q&A with lecturer, 1x lab	Quiz, lab exercise
6	1x pre-recorded lecture, 1x lab	Quiz, lab exercise
7	1x pre-recorded lecture, 1x live online Q&A with lecturer, 1x lab	HPO, lab exercise
8	1x pre-recorded lecture
9	1x pre-recorded lecture, 1x live online Q&A with lecturer, 1x lab	Lab exercise
10	1x pre-recorded lecture, 1 x live online Q&A with lecturer	Lab report
11	1x pre-recorded lecture, 1x live online Q&A with lecturer
12	1x pre-recorded lecture, 1x live online Q&A with lecturer, 1x lab	Lab exercise

Tutorial Registration

ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Learning Outcomes
Online quizzes	12 %	*	1,2
Lab Exercises	18 %	*	1,3,4
Major Written Report	30 %	07/05/2025	1,3,4
End of Semester Examination (40%)	40 %	*	1,2,3
HPO assessment: Students complete a research-based HPO option in place of some online quizzes	0 %	*	1,3

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines , which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Integrity Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Extenuating Circumstances Application
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure
• Code of practice for teaching and learning

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Skills website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

The University has returned to on campus only delivery for in person courses.

Students are expected to attend lectures and contribute to discussions. In addition to lectures, attendance and participation in laboratories/practical's is crucial to successful completion of your course. The School of Medicine and Psychology considers the laboratory/practical components to be an integral part of each course. Laboratory/practical classes may supplement and consolidate material covered in lectures and/or they may introduce entirely new material pertinent to the objectives of the course.

Lab attendance includes participating in the experiments, interacting with other students face-to-face, and completing tasks on your computer. Students who attend the live Q&A sessions with the lecturer must keep their video on for the duration of the session.

Examination(s)

The final examination for this course will be administered in-person during the semester 1 final examination period. Students must be on campus to attend the exam. Information about the scheduling of the examination will be posted by the University at http://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/assessments-exams/examination-timetable

The final examination is a hurdle requirement. A Pass mark (50% or greater) is required in the final examination before the course can be passed as a whole.

Those failing to achieve this, but who otherwise have an overall grade of 45% or better, will be offered the opportunity to sit, and pass, a further (supplementary) invigilated examination.

Students achieving a passing grade (50% or better) in that supplementary invigilated examination will be eligible to pass the course overall, but their final recorded course mark will be 50%. 

Assessment Task 1

Online quizzes

In Weeks 1 to 6, you will be required to complete a weekly multiple-choice quiz on that week’s lecture and reading. Each quiz is worth 2% and will be on Wattle. Each quiz will include 5 questions (0.4% per question x 5 questions = 2% per quiz x 6 weeks = 12% total). You will have only one chance to answer each question. Each quiz will go live at 9am on Tuesday of the lecture week and close at 9am the following Tuesday. Quiz marks and feedback will become available online when each quiz closes.

Value: 12%

For students undertaking the HPO, please see the "Other information section" for additional details.

Assessment Task 2

Lab Exercises

You will work through an exercise in each lab class that aims to scaffold the main assessment item for this course, i.e., the lab report. There are 8 x 2% exercises due by the end of each lab class: plus 1 additional 2% exercise due by the start of your usual lab class time, in week 7. All exercises must be submitted via Turnitin. You will be awarded full marks for the exercise if you hand it in on time, unless the work does not meet the basic standard required (e.g., you would be awarded zero marks if you handed in a list of five references if the exercise asked for a list of ten, but would not lose any marks if you made some minor formatting errors). Some lab exercises will be done individually, but some may involve collaborating with other students. Feedback will be provided in summary form to the lab class, not individually. Note, extensions are not available for this assessment task because it is completed as part of the lab classes, often requiring teamwork.

Value: 18%

Assessment Task 3

Major Written Report

Research is the backbone of Psychology, informing both theory and application (e.g., therapy). In this course, you will write a lab report based on research that you will complete in your lab classes. The report will allow you to delve deeper into an area of developmental psychology and hone both your analysis and report-writing skills.

The word count for the report is 3,000 words. Note, you must adhere to the word limit for each assessment. There is no 10% leeway. Anything written beyond the word limit will not be assessed (and thus will not be included in your mark). Word limits include in-text citations, but not the reference list.

Value: 30%

Due Date: 7 May 2025

Assessment Task 4

End of Semester Examination (40%)

The exam is based on content in the lectures, labs, and required readings. Further details about the format of the exam will be provided throughout the course.

The final examination for this course will be administered in-person during the semester 1 final examination period. Students must be on campus to attend the exam. Information about the scheduling of the examination will be posted by the University at http://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/assessments-exams/examination-timetable

The final examination is a hurdle requirement. A Pass mark (50% or greater) is required in the final examination before the course can be passed as a whole.

Those failing to achieve this, but who otherwise have an overall grade of 45% or better, will be offered the opportunity to sit, and pass, a further (supplementary) invigilated examination.

Students achieving a passing grade (50% or better) in that supplementary invigilated examination will be eligible to pass the course overall, but their final recorded course mark will be 50%. 

Assessment Task 5

HPO assessment: Students complete a research-based HPO option in place of some online quizzes

This course has an Honours Pathway Option. Students who are completing the Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) must complete 24 units of HPOs throughout their degree. Students studying other degrees are not required to take any HPOs but are encouraged to do so if they wish.

The HPO assignment will develop your skills in translating current research to a lay audience.

You will be required to write a 750-word popular science article on a current topic in developmental psychology and produce a three-minute video on the same topic.

Note: If you enrol in the HPO option, your marks for quizzes 1-5 will not count toward your final grade (i.e., your total mark across the first 5 quizzes = maximum possible score of 10% to be replaced with HPO). Students who enrol in the HPO may choose to undertake quizzes 1-5 or complete them to help revise/monitor progress. HPO students must complete quiz 6.

To enrol in the HPO, simply email psyc3202.enquiries.rsp@anu.edu.au and state that you intend to complete the HPO component of the course.

To Withdraw from the HPO - You can only withdraw from the HPO before you submit your assignment. Once you have submitted the assignment, your grade will constitute 10% of your final grade. If you wish to withdraw from the PSYC3202 HPO, simply do not complete or submit the HPO assignment.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. The University’s students are an integral part of that community. The academic integrity principle commits all students to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support, academic integrity, and to uphold this commitment by behaving honestly, responsibly and ethically, and with respect and fairness, in scholarly practice.

The University expects all staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle, the Academic Integrity Rule 2021, the Policy: Student Academic Integrity and Procedure: Student Academic Integrity, and to uphold high standards of academic integrity to ensure the quality and value of our qualifications.

The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 is a legal document that the University uses to promote academic integrity, and manage breaches of the academic integrity principle. The Policy and Procedure support the Rule by outlining overarching principles, responsibilities and processes. The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 commences on 1 December 2021 and applies to courses commencing on or after that date, as well as to research conduct occurring on or after that date. Prior to this, the Academic Misconduct Rule 2015 applies.

 

The University commits to assisting all students to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. All coursework students must complete the online Academic Integrity Module (Epigeum), and Higher Degree Research (HDR) students are required to complete research integrity training. The Academic Integrity website provides information about services available to assist students with their assignments, examinations and other learning activities, as well as understanding and upholding academic integrity.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

No submission of a quiz or lab exercise after the due date will be permitted.

Late submission of the lab report without an extension is penalised at a rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of the lab report is not accepted more than 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item.

Referencing Requirements

The Academic Skills website has information to assist you with your writing and assessments. The website includes information about Academic Integrity including referencing requirements for different disciplines. There is also information on Plagiarism and different ways to use source material. Any use of artificial intelligence must be properly referenced. Failure to properly cite use of Generative AI will be considered a breach of academic integrity.

Returning Assignments

Assignments that have been submitted on time will be marked and available to download from the Turnitin link on Wattle, approximately three weeks after the due date. The exact return date will be posted on Wattle.

Late assignments (even those with formal extensions) will not be marked within this timeframe; our priority will be to mark the assignments that were handed in on time. We will aim to get the late assignments back before the end of semester. Marking of the late reports will commence once all on-time Laboratory Reports have been marked and returned.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Resubmission of Assignments

Resubmission of assignments not permitted.

Re-marking Policy

From the time, your assignment is available on Wattle; you have 10 working days in which to request a formal re-mark.

1. If you have any questions about the assessment of a submitted piece of work, or wish to have some of the comments clarified, email your questions to the course functional email account, this is on Wattle.
2. If you think, your assignment deserves a higher mark:  It is your responsibility to outline in writing why, in your opinion, the original mark does not reflect the true worth of the work.  Submit your request by email to the functional email account.
3. If the Course Convener agrees to a remark of your work, and as a result, the mark is altered, and you accept this change, then the procedure ends, and you will not be eligible for any further re-marking of this work.
4. If you remain unhappy with the outcome, you can formally request a re-mark by an independent marker by sending your request to the functional email account for this course. 
5. The mark awarded by the independent marker for your assessment will become your final mark regardless, if it is higher, lower or the same as your original mark.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Accessibility for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents all ANU students