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Intro to Lab

Fall Semester 2012

DevelopmentalPsychology

+Contact:

Lab Instructor: Janea Layes

Office: Annex 114F

Email: jlayes@stfx.ca

Web: www.stfx.ca/people/jlayes

+Each day in Lab:

We will build on the topic of Language Acquisition

Discuss a development linked to language

Participate in research-simulating activity e.g. Score/analyze clips of infant activity

Conduct basic data analysis e.g. Make a graph, compare numbers (Full instruction and help provided)

Portions of these activities will be turned in for credit.

+Schedule of Topics

Week 1: Research Method and Design

The basics of doing Developmental research how to create studies that are

capable of answering our questions

about child development

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Week 2: Still-Face Effect

Discuss and score an infant’s

behavior during Still-Face study

Exercise: Create graph based on behavior changes

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Week 3: Joint Attention (JA)

Discuss and analyze JA

development across cultures

Exercise: Compare JA in videos of infants from India and Canada; use computer program to see if they differ.

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Week 4: Pointing

Discuss development of

pointing in relation to language

acquisition

Exercise: Watch video of infant and parent and count the number of points for each. Use program to determine if amount of pointing is related.

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Week 5: Mean Length of Utterance (MLU)

Discussion of speech

development with videos

at ages 3 and 5.

Exercise: Transcribe a child’s speech at 3 and 5 years. Calculate MLU scores, and use a computer program to look for differences as children age.

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Week 6: Child-Directed Speech (CDS)

Discuss and look for differences

in the way adults speak to younger

vs. older children

Exercise: Watch and analyze a video of woman speaking to a 2- and then 8-year-old. Use computer program to determine if there are differences in MLU and pronouns used.

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Week 7: Lab Exam

Multiple choice (50) based on

lab discussions and activities

Value: 5%

+Lab Grade Determination:

In-class Exercises: 5%

Lab Exam: 5%

+Lab Attendance:

Exercises may only be submitted at the end of labs you attend (unless otherwise stated)

Exceptions will only be made when lab is missed for serious and valid reasons. (e.g. illness, death in family, class/team trip)

If this is the case, please contact me as soon as you know you will be missing lab

If you are able to attend an alternative lab block you may be temporarily moved rather than miss a week.

+Moodle

We will likely begin using Moodle as a way to submit exercises.

At some point this week:

Please go to moodle.stfx.ca and login See if your 260 Lab shows up in your Course list

If it does not, email me, and include what section you are enrolled in

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Questions?