Students study the significance of prenatal and perinatal factors in the development of individuals during the first two years of life. Students focus on the interrelationships of various developmental sequences throughout infancy. Students analyze and critique the value of prominent theories of infant development. Students study the young child, from conception through late childhood. The physical, social, emotional, moral, and intellectual development of the child within the family and preschool setting are understood.
Students identify and summarize developmental sequences in growth and maturation.
Potential problems in the sequence of growth and development are identified. Students study the reciprocity of relationships between and among family members. Students examine the interactive processes by which parents and children affect each other as individuals and as a family unit. Students identify and analyze the influences of culture, race, values, attitudes, economics, history, and religion on relationships across generations. Students compare and contrast the research on inter-generational transmission of various family and individual traits, including parenting styles, alcoholism, teen pregnancy, divorce, values, and religious attitudes.