HCD 6350: Social Development

Course Syllabus
Fall 2006, Tuesdays 9-11:45, Green Hall GR4.208

Instructor Contact Information

Professors: Dr. Duane Buhrmester Dr. Margaret T. Owen

Office Hours: Mon. 1-2pm or by appointment Thurs. 10-11:00 or by appointment
Office: GR4.532, 972-883-2352 GR 4.826, 972-883-6876
Email: buhrmest@utdallas.edu mowen@utdallas.edu

Course Pre-requisites, Co-requisites, and/or Other Restrictions

There are no formal prerequisites for this class, although it is highly recommended that students have taken the
following courses as an undergraduate: Introductory Psychology, Child or Lifespan Development, Personality,
Research Strategies or Design and Statistics for Psychology.

Course Description
This course provides a survey of contemporary theories and research on children's social development. It is one of
two required core courses for students in the Developmental Psychology major in the Ph.D. program Psychological
Sciences in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences. As such, the course is designed to be demanding. In
keeping with developmental science, the course organization is more topical, than chronological; that is, we will
discuss, for example, gender development one week aggression in the following week, rather than discussing infancy
in week one, the preschool age period in week 2, etc. Within topics, however, we’ll discuss what develops, when, and
how in the particular developmental domain.

Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes

After completing the course students should be able to
1. Identify and describe key milestones and complexities of social development across infancy, early childhood,
middle childhood, and adolescence.
2. Define and apply major theoretical viewpoints in understanding social development.
3. Critique and apply the research methods used in studying social development.
4. Critically evaluate conclusions derived from published research in social development.
5. Demonstrate effective writing skills in synthesizing and applying research findings on social development.
6. Effectively participate in verbal debate about different perspectives on the influence of parenting and peers.

Required Textbooks and Materials

Shaffer, David R. (2005). Social and Personality Development (5th edition). Wadsworth. This book is available for
purchase at Off-Campus bookstore.

Required readings (listed below) are from a variety of books and journals. Most assigned journal articles can be
obtained through the electronic databases at the UTD library.

Instructions for finding assigned journal articles using UTD library

1. Go to the UTD library website: www.utdallas.edu/library

2. Click “Locate Articles (Databases)” at top of left hand column. (To connect from an off campus computer, you’ll
need your Comet card number.)
3. Click “Behavioral and Brain Sciences” under Databases by Subject.
4. Click Behavioral and Brain Sciences POWERSEARCH.
5. The article is easily found by searching by author’s name and year published. Most will have a pdf file that can be
accessed. Some articles may link to the journal’s website where you will need to locate the article by volume and
issue.

Assigned readings not available through online through the library will be posted on the course’s Blackboard site under
“Course Documents.” http://blackboard.utdallas.edu/

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Assignments

Course Website: Course announcements, any revisions to assignments or the syllabus, and reading assignments
(see above) will be posted on the Blackboard site, http://blackboard.utdallas.edu/. You are responsible for checking
this site frequently to remain aware of course announcements, schedules for presentations, etc, and obtaining
readings. You also should check your UTD email frequently (see info below on UTD email policy). Email to students
enrolled in this class will be sent through this service to your UTD address.

Reading & Class participation: Your class attendance and participation in class discussions are critical for mastery
of the material and successful performance in this course. The assigned readings should be completed before each
class. The class sessions will be about 50% lecture and 50% group discussion, so it is imperative that everyone read
and study the assigned readings before class.

Journal Club: The first 15 minutes of each class will be devoted to Journal Club. Each student will be responsible for
presenting two journal articles to the class over the course of the semester. In preparation for your class session, you
are to select and read a recent journal report (of your own choosing) from Child Development or Developmental
Psychology. These journals are available in the library and through the databases noted above. After studying the
article, write a brief summary, list two or three issues that you would like to discuss with the class, and a new research
question that would extend, elaborate, and/or help verify the findings. Your description of the article can last no longer
than 5 minutes. You should choose a study pertinent to the class session’s general topic.

Exercises: We’ve devised a series of exercises that should help build your skills in developing a research project.
These will be assigned approximately every 2 weeks throughout the semester, except for the week in which you will be
writing your mid-term take-home exam. There will be a total of six writing assignments designed to help students
master the arts of finding relevant journal articles, summarizing articles, integrating literature, generating research
ideas and designing studies.

Exams: There will be two take-home exams, a mid-term and a final. These will be short essay exams, comprised of
approximately 4-5 questions. The essay questions will be posted on Blackboard. Your answers will be due
approximately 1 week later (dates are shown on schedule below).

Class Debate: It is extremely important that graduate students learn to think on their feet and feel comfortable in
verbal debate. In the last class session students will debate Judith Harris' controversial contention that parenting
practices don't matter because genes and peers are the ultimate shapers of adult personality. You will be asked to turn
in the informal notes that you prepared for the debate. The debate will last the entire last class period.

Grading Policy: Course grades will be given on the basis of an average of grades received for each assignment,
weighted as follows: 5% each for exercises 1-6 (total 30%), 10% debate, 10% for journal club presentation, and 25%
for each exam.

Course & Instructor Policies

Late Assignment Policy: Assignments are due on the designated date at the beginning of class or at 9am for the last
assignment (see schedule below). No late assignments will be accepted unless prior approval is given.
Assignments submitted later than the due date will receive an automatic half-grade reduction for every day that the
assignment is late. No assignment will be accepted more than 2 days past its due date. No extra credit work will be
available.

Class Attendance is expected and attendance and class participation will contribute to course grade.

Schedule of Topics, Assignments, and Academic Calendar

8/24 Classic Theories of Development

Shaffer, D. Social and Personality Development. Chps. 1 & 2.

8/29 Biological Models

Exercise #1 due

Shaffer (pp. 72-83 plus the box on 84-85; 122-126).

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Behavior-genetics theory. Temperament and development

Scarr, S., & McCartney, K. (1983). How people make their own environments: A theory of genotype Æ environment
effects. Child Development, 54, 424-435.

Harris, J. R. (2002). Beyond the nurture assumption: Testing hypotheses about the child’s environment. In Borkowski,
J.G., Ramey, S.L., & Bristol-Power, M. (Eds.), Parenting and the child’s world: Influences on academic, intellectual,
and social-emotional development (pp. 3-20). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Sanson, A., Hemphill, S. A, & Smart, D. (2004). Connections between temperament and social development: A
review. Connections between temperament and social development: A review. Social Development, 13, 142-165.

9/5 Emotional Development / Development of Infant Attachment

Shaffer (pp. 66-71, Chp 4 through 121, Chapter 5 through p. 147)

Cassidy, J. (1998). The nature of the child’s ties. In J. Cassidy & P.R. Shaver (Eds.), Handbook of attachment theory
and research. (pp. 3-20). New York: Guilford.

Sroufe, L.A. & Fleeson, J. (1986) Attachment and the construction of relationships. In W. W. Hartup & Z. Rubin (Eds.)
Relationships and development (pp. 51-71). Hillsdale, NJ: Ehrlbaum.

Cohn, J. F., Campbell, S. B. & Ross, S. (1991). Infant response in the still-face paradigm at 6 months predicts avoidant
and secure attachment at 12 months. Development and Psychopathology, 3, 367-376.

9/12 Attachment II: Attachment and Later Development; Multiple Attachment Relationships
Exercise #2 due

Shaffer (pp. 147-155)

Thompson, R.A. (1999). Early attachment and later development. In J. Cassidy & P.R. Shaver (Eds.), Handbook of
attachment theory and research. (pp. 265-286). New York: Guilford.

Allen, J., & Land, D. (1999). Attachment in adolescence. In J. Cassidy & P.R. Shaver (Eds.), Handbook of attachment
theory and research. (pp. 319-335). New York: Guilford.

Howes, C. (1999). Attachment relationships in the context of multiple caregivers. In J. Cassidy & P.R. Shaver (Eds.),
Handbook of attachment theory and research (pp. 671-687). New York: Guilford.

Pearson, Cohn, Cowan, & Cowan (1994). Earned- and continuous-security in adult attachment: Relation to depressive
symptomatology and parenting style. Development and Psychopathology, 6, 359-373.

9/19 Parenting

Shaffer (pp. 84-98; 352-362)

Maccoby, E. E., (1992). The role of parents in the socialization of children: A historical overview. Developmental
Psychology, 28, 1006-1017.

Parke, R.D. & Buriel, R. (1998). Socialization in the family: Ethnic and ecological perspectives. In W. Damon (Ed.),
Handbook of child psychology (pp. 464-480).

Darling, N., & Steinberg, L. (1993). Parenting style as context: An integrative model. Psychological Bulletin, 113, 487-
496.

Steinberg, L. (2001). We do know some things: Parent-adolescent relations in retrospect and prospect. Journal of
Research on Adolescence, 11, 1-19.

Collins, W., Maccoby, E., Steinberg, L., Hetherington, E. M., & Bornstein, M. H. (2000). Contemporary research on
parenting: The case for nature and nurture. American Psychologist, 55, 218-232.

9/26 Family systems

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 Exercise #3 due

Shaffer (pp. 347-351; 373-387).

Parke, R.D. & Buriel, R. (1998). Socialization in the family: Ethnic and ecological perspectives. In W. Damon (Ed.),
Handbook of child psychology (pp. 481-493).

Cox, M.J. & Paley, B. (1997). Families as systems. Annual Review of Psychology, 48, 243-267.

Coiro, M.J., & Emery, R.E. (1998). Do marriage problems affect fathering more than mothering? A quantitative and
qualitative review. Child & Family Psychology Review, 1, 23-40.

10/3 Ethnicity and Ecological Context

TAKE-HOME EXAM questions posted on Blackboard—DUE 10/9 AT 9AM

Shaffer (pp. 357-374)

Parke, R.D. & Buriel, R. (1998). Socialization in the family: Ethnic and ecological perspectives. In W. Damon (Ed.),
Handbook of child psychology (pp. 494-532).

Garcia Coll, C., Lamberty, G., Jenkins, R., McAdoo, H.P., Crnic, K., Wasik, B., & Garcia, H. (1996). An integrative
model for the study of developmental competencies in minority children. Child Development, 67, 1891-1914.

Conger, R.D., Wallace, L.E., Sun, Y., Simons, R.L., McLoyd, V.C., & Brody, G.H. (2002). Economic pressure in African
American families: A replication and extension of the family stress model. Developmental Psychology, 38, 179-193.

Clarke-Stewart, K.A., McCartney, K., Vandell, D.L., Owen, M.T., & Booth, C. (2000). Effects of parental separation
and divorce on very young children. Journal of Family Psychology, 14, 304-326.

10/10 Child Care

Shaffer (pp. 155-159)

Burchinal, M.R., Peisner-Feinberg, E., Bryant, D.M., & Clifford, R. (2000). Children’s social and cognitive development
and child-care quality: Testing for differential associations related to poverty, gender, or ethnicity. Applied
Developmental Science, 4, 149-165.

NICHD Early Child Care Research Network. (2003). Does amount of time spent in child care predict socioemotional
adjustment during the transition to kindergarten? Child Development, 74, 976-1005. [also skim two of the
commentaries in the issue: Newcomb (pp. 1050-1052); Ahnert & Lamb (pp. 1044-1029)]

NICHD Early Child Care Research Network. (2003). Does child care quality affect child outcomes at age 4 ½?
Developmental Psychology, 39, 451-469.

10/17 Developmental Methodology

Exercise #4 due

Shaffer (review chp. 1 pp. 15-34)

Hartmann, D.P., Pelzel, K.E.(2005). Design, measurement, and analysis in developmental research. In Bornstein, M.
H., & Lamb, M. E. (Eds.), Developmental science: An advanced textbook (5th ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum
Associates. (only pp. 103-133)

10/24 Gender and Achievement

Shaffer (chp. 8; chp. 7)

Martin, C. L., Ruble, D. N., Sxkrybal, J. (2002). Cognitive Theories of Early Gender Development, Psychological
Bulletin, 128, 903-933. (This is part of an interesting back and forth debate. Skim the following two articles if you want
to get the full flavor.)

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 Bussey, K., & Bandura, A. (1999). Social cognitive theory of gender development and differentiation.
Psychological Review 106, 676-713.

Martin, C. L., Ruble, D. N., Sxkrybal, J. (2004). Recognizing the centrality of gender identity and stereotype
knowledge in gender development and moving toward theoretical integration: Reply to Bandura and Bussey,
Psychological Bulletin, 130, 702-710.

Thorne, B., & Luria, Z. (1986). Sexuality and gender in children's daily worlds. Social Problems, 33, 176-190.

Thorne, B. (1993). Do girls and boys have different cultures? In B. Thorne (Ed.), Gender play: girls and boys in school.
NJ: Rutgers University Press.

Feiring, C. (1999). Gender identity and the development of romantic relationships in adolescence. In W. Furman, B.B.
Brown, & C. Feiring (eds.), Heartaches and heartthrobs: Adolescent romantic relationships. Cambridge, England:
Cambridge University Press.

Eccles, J. S., Midgley, C., Wigfield, A., Buchannan, C. M., Reuman, D., Flanagan, C., & Mac Iver, D. (1993). The
impact of stage-environment fit on young adolescents' experiences in school and in family. American Psychologist, 48,
90-101.

10/31 Aggression
Exercise #5 due

Shaffer (Chapter 9)

Dishion, T. J., & Patterson, G. R. (1997). The timing and severity of antisocial behavior: Three hypotheses within an
ecological framework. In D. Stoff, J. Brieling, & J. Maser (Eds.), Handbook of Antisocial Behavior (pp.205–217). New
York: Wiley.

Coie, J. D., Cillessen, A. H. N., Dodge, K. A., Hubbard, J. A., Schwartz, D., Lemerise, E. A., & Bateman, H. (1999). It
takes two to fight: A test of relational factors and a method for assessing aggressive dyads. Developmental
Psychology, 31, 1179-1188.

Crick, N. R., & Grotpeter, J. K. (1995). Relational aggression, gender, and social-psychological adjustment. Child
Development, 66, 710-722.

Underwood, M. K. (2003). New models of social aggression (chapter 10, pp 231-252).Social aggression among girls.
Guilford Press.

11/7 Peers I: Status and rejection

Shaffer (chapter 13, pp. 419-444)

Dodge, K. A., Lansford, J. E., Burks, V., Bates, J. E., Pettit, G. S., Fontaine, R., & Price, J. M. (2003). Peer rejection
and social information-processing factors in the development of aggressive behavior problems in children. Child
Development, 74, 374-393.

Juvonen, J., & Gross, E. F. (2005). The rejected and the bullied: Lesson about social misfits from developmental
psychology. In K.D. Williams, J.P Forgas, & W. von Hippel (Eds.) The social outcast: Ostracism, social exclusion,
rejection, and bullying, (pp. 155-170). New York: Psychology Press.

Cillessen, A. H. N., & Mayeux, L. (2004). From censure to reinforcement: Developmental changes in the association
between aggression and social status. Child Development, 75, 147-163.

Brown, B. B., Mory, M. S., Kinney, D. (1994). Casting adolescent crowds in a relational perspective: Caricature,
channel and context. In R. Montemayor, G. R. Adarns, and T. P. Gullotta (Eds.), Personal relationships during
adolescence. London: Sage.

11/14 Peers II: Friendship and Romance

Exercise #6 due

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Shaffer (chp. 13, pp. 444-453)

Buhrmester, D., & Furman, W. (1986). The changing functions of friendship in childhood: A neo-Sullivanian
perspective. In V. J. Derlega and B. A. Winstead (Eds.), Friendship and social interaction (pp. 43-62). New York:
Springer-Verlag.

Parker, J., & Gottman, J.M. (1989). Social and emotional development in relational context: Friendship interaction from
early childhood to adolescence. In T.J. Berndt and G.W. Ladd (Eds.), Peer relationships in child development (pp. 95-
131). New York: John Wiley. (Focus on conceptual discussions and skim long examples)

Berndt, T.J. (1999). Friends' influence on students' adjustment to school. Special issue: Social influences on school
adjustment: Families, peers, neighborhoods, and culture. Educational Psychologist, 34, 15-28.

Furman, W. (1999). Friends and lovers: The role of peer relationships in adolescent romantic relationships. In W.
Andrew Collins and Bret Laursen (eds.), Relationships as developmental contexts (133-154). Mahwah, NJ, US:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.

Brown, B. B. (1999). "You're going out with who? Peer group influences on adolescent romantic relationships. In W.
Furman, B.B. Brown, and C. Feiring (Eds.), The development of romantic relationships in adolescence (pp. 291-330).
London, Cambridge University Press.

11/14 Debate

A list of useful references for the debate will be posted on Blackboard.

TAKE-HOME EXAM questions posted on Blackboard by 3pm—DUE 11/22 9am

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a course if you choose not to attend the class once you are
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