B027254 - PSYCHOLOGY OF CHILDHOOD (for elective activities only)

Italian

The development of language and communication. Text comprehension. Elements of cultural psychology applied to psychological development.

D’Amico, S. & Devescovi, S. (2013). Psicologia dello sviluppo del linguaggio. Il Mulino.
Oakhill, J., Cain, K., & Elbro, C. (2021). La comprensione del testo: dalla ricerca alla pratica (Edizione Italian). Carocci.
Slides provided by the lecturer on Moodle.

Knowledge and comprehension skills. The course aims to:
- Expose students to systematic and up-to-date knowledge about psychological, cognitive processes in childhood;
Applied knowledge and comprehension skills. The course aims to:
- Promote theoretical-operational skills relating to the methods and techniques of psychological investigation in the field of development.
Autonomy of judgement. The course aims to:
- Promote adequate knowledge of methods and procedures of scientific investigation in developmental and educational psychology.
Communication skills. The course aims to:
- Lead students to be able to argue their case for action in the field of developmental and educational psychology.
Learning skills. The course aims to:
- Promote skills and tools for information management;
- Promote intermediate skills for the written and oral use of the English language in the specific field of developmental and educational psychology.

No specific prerequisites are required.

Knowledge and understanding: Lectures. Studying suggested material.
Applying knowledge and understanding: Exercises, individual or small groups work and discussions in the class.
Making judgments: Research paper analysis, group discussions and group presentation.
Communication skills: Presenting group work studies/research in an oral and written form. Use of a correct vocabulary for the studied topics.
Learning skills: This competence will be promoted through the analysis of research papers, group study/search activities and exercises.

The course program, the timetable of course activities, suggested readings, learning activities, teaching methods and type of assessment will be presented at the beginning of the course. All students are invited to be present at the beginning of the course. Course frequency is highly recommended.

The exam will be in written form. Students will be asked:
10 multiple-choice questions (1 point for each right answer, 0 points for missed or wrong answers) and two short questions (5 points each) on the contents of the textbook "Psicologia dello Sviluppo del linguaggio" and in the slides, for a maximum of 20 points.
One open question to be answered through a short argumentative essay on the contents of the textbook " La comprensione del testo: dalla ricerca alla pratica ", for a maximum of 10 points.
The essay will be evaluated with the following criteria:
Definition (4 points): main concepts are defined.
Argumentation (3 points): The question is answered with proper justification provided.
Conclusion (3 points): Educational implications and open issues are discussed.
The final grade will be calculated through the sum of the scores obtained in the two parts of the exam. The questions will assess students' acquisition of knowledge (multiple-choice questions), ability to apply knowledge (short questions), judgment autonomy and communication skills (short essay). The questions will be on the topics discussed in class, and included in the textbook.
During the course there will be activities in which the people who follow the course will participate in an optional way. Through participation, students can achieve bonus points for the final exam.

Psychology of Language Development:
- Communication and Language;
- Theories of language development;
- Neurobiological bases of language development;
- Prelinguistic communication;
- The role of the adult in language development;
- Vocabulary development
- Grammar development;
- Written language;
- Risk and pathology in language and communication development.
Text comprehension:
- Defining text comprehension;
- Skills and processes underlying text comprehension;
- Assessing text comprehension;
- Defining and evaluating the processes underlying text comprehension.
Cultural psychology in development:
- Enculturation;
- Intercultural competence.

Quality of education