OVERVIEW

The first part of this course and the readings at points (a) and (b) below present an epistemological and conceptual framework of scientific debate on cognitive development, and a brief overview of the currently available factual knowledge. The second part of the course and the reading at point (c) below are focused on neo-Piagetian theories. The lab provides some knowledge (also practical) of techniques for the assessment of cognitive development used in research and in professional practice.

AIMS AND CONTENT

TEACHING METHODS

In the "lab" (max 25 students per group) there will be 20 hours of group meetings and activities and approximately an equal time of independent exercises and activities of the individual students. See the section “laboratori” of thedept website for more details on the organization and time schedule of the groups.

The course proper will comprise lectures of 2 hours each; it is advisable to attend it regularly.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The "lab" takes place in the Autumn term and is worth 2 CFU credits. It concerns the assessment of intelligence, working memory, language, and other, specific cognitive abilities, as well as some research techniques used to study aspects of cognitive development in children of different ages. This year the lab will be held by another teacher; nevertheless, it will remain closely connected to the course.

The course proper takes place in the Spring term and is worth 4 CFU credits. It will not comprise a sequence of lectures on isolated topics, one separate from another, but on the contrary, an effort will be made to highlight their connections. The topic of the lectures are divided in two parts.

Part I. The big questions of cognitive development. Epistemological bases of the main theoretical frameworks regarding mental development: innatism, empiricism, and constructivism. Generality or specificity of development. Continuity and discontinuity of development. (These topics are covered in about 1/3 of the lectures).

Part II. Neo-Piagetian theories of cognitive development. Theories of Pascual-Leone, Halford, Fischer, and Case. Specific models. (These topics are covered in about 2/3 of the lectures).

Normally, a student is expected to attend both the lab and the course, for a total of 6 CFU credits. In case a foreign student (e.g., Erasmus exchange students) has a learning agreement that includes only the lab or only the course, this exception will be accepted.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

The following list of readings is prescribed for Italian students; because the books (a) and (b) only exist in Italian, foreign students who have difficulties with the Italian language may ask the professor about possible alternative readings in English that cover approximately the same content.

(a) an introductory text: L. Barone (a cura di), Manuale di psicologia dello sviluppo, Roma, ed. Carocci, 2009. (chapters 5 and 6).

(b) a short manual: V. Macchi Cassia, E. Valenza, F. Simion, Lo sviluppo della mente umana: dalle teorie classiche ai nuovi orientamenti, Bologna, ed. Mulino, 2012. (or alternatively: V. Macchi Cassia, E. Valenza, F. Simion, Lo sviluppo cognitivo: dalle teorie classiche ai nuovi orientamenti, Bologna, ed. Mulino, 2004. The content of the two books is very similar)

(c) a book on neo-Piagetian theories, at choice between: C. Gobbo, S. Morra, Lo sviluppo mentale: prospettive neopiagetiane, Bologna, ed. Mulino, 1997 (read chapter 1, which is not a topic of specific exam questions but enables better understanding of the following, and study chapters 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, and 10) and S. Morra, C. Gobbo, Z. Marini, R. Sheese, Cognitive development: Neo-Piagetian perspectives, N. York, Erlbaum, 2008 (also in this case, read chapter 1, which is not a topic of specific exam questions but enables better understanding of the following, and study chapters 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, and 10. The English book keeps the same structure of the Italian book, but its content is more up-to-date)

(d) notes from the lectures.

The working students who cannot attend the course, and the foreign students who are not able to understand lectures in Italian, may replace the notes from the lectures with two chapters from an advanced handbook: W. Damon, D. Kuhn, R.S. Siegler (eds.), Handbook of child psychology. Volume two: Cognition, perception, and language, 5th edition, New York , Wiley, 1998 (Chapters 5 and 15). This book is available in our dept with the catalog number Coll. 28.A.419. (Make sure that you are not using an edition different from the 5th. Chapter 15 is entitled "The development of conceptual structures". If you find a chapter 15 with a completely different title, that means that you are not consulting the 5th edition. Please look for this one.)

Textbooks, articles, or other materials in English will be made available on request to international students.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

SERGIO MORRA (President)

SABRINA PANESI

ALESSIA BANDETTINI (Substitute)

LORENZO MUSCELLA (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

The lab starts in the first term and the lectures start in the second term.

Class schedule

PSYCHOLOGY OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT (WITH WORKSHOP)

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Oral exam.

(Alternatively and optionally, for the students who regularly attend the course, a written exam at the end of the course).

Textbooks, articles, or other materials in English will be made available on request to international students.

The exam can be taken in English in the prescribed manner.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

For the lab, there is no grade on a 0-30 scale, but only a "pass" is given if the student takes part regularly in the group meetings and carries out adequately the individual exercises and activities.

A grade in 30thies is assigned after an oral exam on the course and related readings, in which the student's comprehension, argumentative ability, and critical spirit are particularly valued. The students who regularly attend the course may opt for a written exam with open questions on the course and related readings, evaluated with similar criteria.

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

Students are invited to sign in the page of this course on AulaWeb (the e-learning portal of our university) and visit that page from time to time.