Certificate in Child Psychological Development Course Guide

By the end of this course, you will be able to: Define key terms in the study of child psychology. Distinguish between the nature and nurture influences on a child’s development and evaluate how they are perceived by people. Discuss why correlation rather than cause is used in the of study children’s behaviour. Recognise the theories of continuity and discontinuity. Explain research methods used in psychology studies and the ethics involved in these studies.

By the end of this course, you will be able to: Describe the theories of newborn development. Discuss the genetic and environmental factors (nature and nurture) that can influence a child’s personality. Explain the affects the perinatal environment can have on a child’s development.

By the end of this course, you will be able to: Explain sensory discrimination and the various types of discrimination. Explain the infant states psychologists observe in research. Define the concept of Habituation. Give examples of Habituation.

By the end of this course, you will be able to: Define key terms associated with learning. Define and give examples of the four basic ways of learning. Discuss how the four ways of learning can be practically applied to a child’s learning. Explain the role reinforcement, consequences and punishment play in the learning and development of an infant. Identify the factors that contribute to learned helplessness. Outline how learning control can overcome learned helplessness.

By the end of this course, you will be able to: Identify the emotions displayed at different stages of an infant’s development. Explain smiling and fear using the perceptual recognition approach. Compare the different theories on mother-child attachment. Analyse the different theories on mother-child attachment by evaluating your own observations. Recognise key theories on the emotions and socialisation of babies. Explain the effects day care can have on the development of a child.

By the end of this course, you will be able to: Explain Piaget’s stages of cognitive development using examples. Recognise the different types of play and why they are important. Define the cognitive processes using examples. Recognise the connection between cognition models and computer simulation. Explain the significance of memory capacity in cognitive development. Outline the main improvement strategies.

By the end of this course, you will be able to: Discuss the different language acquisition theories. Describe the development of speech during the first two years of a baby’s life. Identify key speech- language milestones in the first 12 months of development. Discuss techniques that can aid the development of language in babies.

By the end of this course, you will be able to: Discuss the influence nature and nurture has on intelligence. Explain the different approaches to defining intelligence. Give examples of how the approaches to intelligence can be applied. Outline how intelligence is measured. Discuss the limitations of intelligence testing. Explain the impact parental influences can have on intelligence.

By the end of this course, you will be able to: Define social cognition. Discuss the key concepts of social cognition. Recognise the development of egocentrism in children. Explain the term perspective taking. Recognise how the development of social cognition is reflected in friendships children form. Discuss the types of social scripts children learn and their importance to the child’s development. Discuss the importance and relevance of pretend play for a child’s development.

By the end of this course, you will be able to: Identify the three systems of the Freud’s personality structure. Define the concepts of Piaget’s approach to morality. Compare the levels of moral judgement in Kohlberg’s theory of moral development. Recognise the difference between power-assertive discipline and inductive discipline. Discuss the strategies designed to encourage altruistic behaviour and how to apply them. Distinguish between the two types of aggression. Recognise how aggression changes with age. Recognise aggression as a stable attribute.

By the end of this course, you will be able to: Identify Freud’s key principle on child sexuality. Explain the phases of Freud’s Psychosexual development using examples. Distinguish between gender identity and sex role identity. Identify sexual behaviour displayed by children. Define child abuse. Recognise children most vulnerable to abuse. Recognise characteristics of abusers. Discuss the triggers of abuse.

By the end of this course, you will be able to: Discuss the influence and effects parental behaviour and family structure can have on a child’s development. Identify common disciplinary methods. Recognise the level of influence siblings have on a child’s development. Describe the influence and effects school can have on a child’s development. Discuss the influence of peer interaction on socialisation.