Courses

This course concentrates on cognitive and social development from conception to adolescence. Topics covered include: infant perception, attachment, cognitive development from Piagetian and information processing perspectives, aggression, and biological bases of behavior.

This course examines the development of language skills in children, asking how children so rapidly learn language. Topics include: biological bases of language development; development of phonology, syntax, and morphology; language development in atypical populations; childhood bilingualism; and development of written language skills.

This course surveys current research and theory in psycholinguistics, covering the biological bases, cognitive bases, and learning of language. We consider studies of normal children and adults, the performance of individuals with various types of language disorders, and computer simulations of language processes. Topics range from the perception and production of speech sounds to the management of conversations. Each student carries out an original research project on some aspect of psycholinguistics.

This seminar surveys current research on reading and spelling skills and their development. Students read and discuss studies that examine the cognitive and linguistic processes involved in reading, reading disorders, and educational issues.

This course surveys contemporary and seminal articles in cognitive and linguistic development, focusing on both empirical and theoretical approaches to each field. Some attention is also given to biological/perceptual development. The course provide graduate students with broad exposure to the theory and methods of cognitive areas of developmental psychology.