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PSYC3981: Development of Cognition

Please ensure you check the module availability box for each module outline, as not all modules will run in each academic year. Each module description relates to the year indicated in the module availability box, and this may change from year to year, due to, for example: changing staff expertise, disciplinary developments, the requirements of external bodies and partners, and student feedback.

Type Open
Level 3
Credits 20
Availability Available in 2025/2026
Module Cap
Location Durham
Department Psychology

Prerequisites

  • 60 credits from Level 2 Psychology

Corequisites

  • None

Excluded Combinations of Modules

  • None

Aims

  • To learn about how cognition develops through the lifespan, with reference to both empirical evidence and developmental theories. Students taking this module will develop an understanding of neural and behavioural development.

Content

  • This module will look at the development of cognition. Exact content may vary and example content could include:
  • Fetal cognitive development
  • Fetal vision
  • The development of hearing and the effects of sound on speech
  • Language learning and early word learning in infancy
  • Early literacy and links to language
  • Numeracy through childhood
  • The development of cognition and perception and its basis in the brain
  • Related conceptual and historical issues in developmental cognitive neuroscience.
  • Perceptual (visual and multisensory) development
  • Appropriate developmental techniques including neuroimaging and pre-natal research methods

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:

  • Detailed knowledge of key theories and research in relation to the development of specific aspects of cognition.

Subject-specific Skills:

  • Ability to review critically and consolidate understanding of a coherent body of psychological knowledge and apply it appropriately.

Key Skills:

  • Good written communication skills.
  • Good IT skills in word processing.
  • Ability to work independently in scholarship and research within broad guidelines.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • Students' acquisition of detailed knowledge will be facilitated by lectures, within lecture interactive elements such as discussions, audio-visual materials, and reading lists.
  • These modes of teaching provide students with detailed knowledge of the key theories and the skills needed to evaluate different theoretical positions in light of current evidence.
  • The examination will assess students' detailed subject knowledge.
  • An assessment of the range, recency and appropriateness of sources will be included in the overall assessment of the examination.
  • Lectures and online materials will also give students the opportunity to interpret and evaluate the significance of empirical work.
  • The summative examination will also assess students' written communication skills.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

ActivityNumberFrequencyDurationTotalMonitored
Lectures221 per week2 hours44 
Preparation and Reading156 
Total200 

Summative Assessment

Component: AssignmentComponent Weighting: 40%
ElementLength / DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
Essay2,000 words100
Component: ExaminationComponent Weighting: 60%
ElementLength / DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
Online Examination2 hours100

Formative Assessment

None

More information

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