Program Overview

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Our Understanding Lifespan Psychology short course will introduce you to key theories and research findings in developmental and lifespan psychology. The focus will be on development in childhood and adolescence, adulthood and old age. The course explores a range of topics such as psychosexual development, parenting and families. Consideration is also given to the impact of culture on our understanding of developmental processes. You will be helped to consider ways in which such theories fall short, and why this might be. You will also be encouraged to reflect on the ways in which theories studied may be applied to your understanding of yourself and others.

We plan to cover the following content:

Child development: Piaget and Vygotsky and their implications for education

Child development: attachment and its impact on learning

Adolescence and emerging adulthood

Early and middle adulthood

Psychosexual development throughout the lifespan

Parenting (and families)

Old age

What's the point of a university education? The development of thought in adulthood

Cultural perspectives on development

Summary and critique of methods, assumptions, and application

The Understanding Lifespan Psychology short course will be of interest to anyone interested in developmental psychology, and the changing psychological function, needs and processes from birth to old age. This includes parents and those working in health and social care who want to learn more about psychological theories across the human lifespan and how the theories and research can be applied to everyday life.

This 11-week course is assessed via two pieces of coursework. If you do not want to gain credit, you can still take the course without completing assessments.

This can be taken as a standalone short course or as a part of:

Applied Psychology (Certificate of Higher Education)

Psychology (Certificate of Higher Education)

15 credits at level 4