Cognitive development in infancy and early childhood
About the course
The course can be taken as a singular course.
Recommended prerequisites: PSY-1001 Introduction to psychology
Do infants and young children understand cause and effect? Can they remember what they did last summer? How do they learn what a fork or a remote control is for? When do they start to understand that people have thoughts and feelings? And perhaps most interestingly, how can we find out what they know and think, if we cannot just ask them?
These and similar questions will be discussed in this course in order to provide a comprehensive overview of cognitive development from infancy to preschool age. Following a theoretical introduction on constructivism (Piaget's theory) and neoconstructivism, the lectures will focus on a few prominent areas of cognitive developmental research, such as conceptual development, categorization, language development, naïve physics, reasoning about objects, action understanding, imitation, memory, and theory of mind. Findings about young children's knowledge and reasoning in these areas will be discussed with an emphasis on the most common experimental paradigms in developmental research. In addition, students will get an opportunity to develop their science literacy and communication skills by reading and presenting original research articles and engaging in discussions.
Content learning: In this course, early cognitive development will be discussed in far more detail than what is possible in the scope of the developmental psychology lectures.
Skill learning: This course will help students develop their critical reading and efficient presentation skills, which are not only essential in academia, but also beneficial in a wide range of occupational areas.
Admission requirements
Objectives of the course
Successful completion of the course will lead to the following learning outcomes:
Knowledge:
Students will have
- an understanding of the methods used in research on cognitive development
- knowledge about theories and empirical findings in some prominent areas of cognitive development
Skills:
Students will have developed their ability to
- critically read scientific articles and identify the main arguments
- give a short and efficient presentation about a research topic and engage in a productive discussion
General competence:
Students will have developed their ability to
- work independently
- speak in front of an audience
Prerequisites
Anbefalte forkunnskaper
PSY-1001 Introduction to psychology
Teaching methods
Language of instruction and examination
The lectures and the exam questions will be given in English, but students will be allowed to answer the exam questions in Norwegian. Student presentations should be given in English.Recommended reading/syllabus
Du kan se og få tilgang til deler av pensum via Leganto.
Pensumliste for PSY-2028 Cognitive development in infancy and early childhood (VÅR 2025)Examination
| School exam | Date: 22.05.2025 09:00 Duration: 4 Hours |
Grade: A–E, fail F |
To take an examination, the student must have passed the following coursework requirements
| Short presentation | Grade: Approved – not approved |
| Active participation in the discussion | Grade: Approved – not approved |
Everything you need to know about before, during, and after the exam; registration, absence, appeals, and diplomas: UiT Exams homepage
More info about the coursework requirements
Short presentation - Each student will give a presentation based on 1 - 2 research papers. Presentation topics and dates will be agreed on in the first meeting of the class.
Active participation - Students are requested to attend at least six lectures (50%) and actively participate in the discussions.