03079 - Psychology of Development

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student: - has an understanding of the psychology of psychological development with reference to mental distress; - is able to analyze forms of psychological distress.

Course contents

• The nature of childhood development
• Biological processes, physical development and perceptual development
• Cognition and Language
• Social-emotional development
• The social contexts of development
• The use of technologies for the development of skills

Readings/Bibliography

Santrock John, W., Deater-Deckard, K., Lansford, J., & Rollo, D. (2021). Developmental Psychology 4th edition (all chapters)

Teaching methods

In addition to the classic frontal lesson, Project Work, group and individual exercises will be used. Furthermore, the following are planned:

• frontal lessons with slides and videos
• films and video clips
• discussion on the proposed films
• presentation of research tools and methods.

All the contents presented (or the indications for accessing them) will be published on the Virtual platform.

Assessment methods

The exam will be oral in the official exam sessions


WARNING: There are no different programs for attending and non-attending students.

Teaching tools

In addition to the indicated textbook, slides, scientific articles, podcasts and videos will be used.

During the lessons, the use of slides and videos is foreseen. The slides will be made available to students on the web platform of the Virtual University (the links are also available on the teacher's web page) after completing the discussion of a topic in class.


Students with learning disabilities (LD) or temporary or permanent disabilities: Please contact the relevant University office promptly
(https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it/per-studenti). They will be responsible for suggesting any accommodations to the affected students. These accommodations must be submitted to the instructor for approval 15 days in advance, who will evaluate their suitability, also taking into account the course's learning objectives.

Office hours

See the website of Martina Benvenuti