Human Development Program 1 Fall, 2005

All slides are online

People Instructor: Jeff Elman CSB 271; M: 9-10; Th: 9-10 TAs:Iris An AP&M Annex 2839E; W: 2-3 Alycia Cummings APM prime 1856; Tu: 1-2 Beth Peterson AP&M Annex 2840; Tu: 9:30-10:30 Elizabeth Rodrigues LBR 405; Tu 12:30-1:30

A02M 9:00a - 9:50a SEQUO 147Beth Peterson A03 M 1:00p - 1:50p CENTR 217BBeth Peterson A04 M 2:00p - 2:50p CENTR 217BElizabeth Rodrigues A05 W 3:00p - 3:50p CENTR 217BAlycia Cummings A06 W 4:00p - 4:50p CENTR 217BIris An A08 W 8:00a - 8:50a HSS 2150Iris An A09 F 2:00p - 2:50p HSS 2150Alycia Cummings A11 W 12:00p - 12:50p HSS 2154Elizabeth Rodrigues

Website Contains:Explanation of requirements Schedule of lectures & exams On-line readings On-line powerpoint of lectures

Requirements Midterm: 30 pts. (Tu, 11/1) Final: 45 pts. (Tu, 12/6; 11:30am-2:30pm) Homework: 15 pts. (approx. 1/week) Section 10 pts. (attendance & participation) Section attendance is required. No sections this week

HDP and this course What is the Human Development Program? This course: –Structure (lectures & sections) –Issues we will be dealing with

Human Development Program Anthropology Biology Cognitive Science Communication Ethnic Studies History Linguistics Literature Psychology Sociology Teacher Education Program Urban Studies.

Human Development Program What underlies the development of human knowledge? To what extent is the capacity to know, indeed the concepts themselves, encoded in the genes? How is the role of learning and environmental influences accounted for? How do we learn? What are the ways in which children become competent participants in their social groups? What is the origin and nature of social interaction and organization?

Website: Office: AP&M Annex 2938 phone: Program requirements: Human Development Program

Course schedule WEEK 0 Th 9/22Introduction to course (Jeff Elman, Dept. of Cognitive Science)Jeff Elman WEEK 1 Tu, 9/27Infancy and Evolution (Jim Moore, Dept. of Anthropology)Jim Moore Th 9/29The History of Childhood (Stefan Tanaka, Dept. of History)Stefan Tanaka WEEK 2 Tu 10/4Genes, Brain Development and Behavior (Leslie Carver, Dept. of Psychology)Leslie Carver Th 10/6Brain Development: The Basics (Joan Stiles, Dept. of Cognitive Science)Joan Stiles

WEEK 3 Tu 10/11Motor Development (Joan Stiles, Dept. of Cognitive Science)Joan Stiles Th 10/13Development of Visual Perception (Karen Dobkins, Dept. of Psychology)Karen Dobkins WEEK 4 Tu 10/18Conceptual Development (Gedeon Deak, Dept. of Cognitive Science)Gedeon Deak Th 10/20Social Development (Gail Heyman, Dept. of Psychology)Gail Heyman WEEK 5 Tu 10/25Autism (Aubyn Stahmer, Children’s Hospital) Th 10/27Midterm Review

WEEK 6 Tu 11/1MIDTERM Th 11/3First Language Acquisition (Farrell Ackerman, Dept. of Linguistics)Farrell Ackerman WEEK 7 Tu 11/8Cross-cultural perspectives (Mike Cole, Dept. of Communications)Mike Cole Th 11/10Evaluating educational reform (Julian Betts, Dept. of Economics)Julian Betts WEEK 8 Tu 11/15Brain Development and Plasticity (Joan Stiles, Dept. of Cognitive Science)Joan Stiles Th 11/17Second Language Acquisition (Grant Goodall, Dept. of Linguistics)Grant Goodall

WEEK 9 Tu 11/22Modeling Development (Jeff Elman, Dept. of Cognitive Science)Jeff Elman Th 11/24 THANKSGIVING WEEK 10 Tu 11/29Aging (Jeanne Townsend, Dept. of Neurosciences) Th 12/1REVIEW FOR FINAL EXAM Final exam Tu 12/611:30am – 2:30pm in York 2722

Issues in this class What is development? Development occurs at many levels Nature vs. Nurture ← Emergentism Why development? Implications for public policy

What is development? Maturation Learning Adaptation Evolution

Development occurs at many levels Biological –genes; nervous system; motor system Ontogenetic –Intellectual; emotional; linguistic; social Socio-cultural (and evolutionary) From conception to death…

Nature & Nurture What is nature? What is nurture? What do genes do? What is the effect of experience?

3 lessons

The “Gene for X” fallacy

More DNALess DNA

pyramidal cells mossy cells muscle cells sperm cells Purkinje cell

Genetic conservatism

The power of the environment

from butterfly hostfrom alderfly host Trichogramma (wasp)

from butterfly hostfrom alderfly host Trichogramma (wasp)

Emergentism The whole is greater than the sum of its parts Interactions create complexity Outcomes are not easily predictable Multiple sources of causation A prime example: Language

Why development? Is development inevitable? –Precocial vs. Altricial species Development is costly & dangerous Does development solve any problems?

Implications for policy Development matters… Adults and society matter… What is beneficial? What is harmful?