Developmental Term Paper
Choose a topic of interest and discuss how it either developed or affects developmental growth. Can be from a cognitive, social or moral development point of view. Some topic ideas are listed separately, but certainly you can choose a different topic than the suggestions.
Write approximately a three-to-four-page paper, using at least two articles from a psychological journal or reputable source. The citations within the text as well as the reference page at the end need to be in APA format. For information and examples of APA format, please visit NOVA’s APA Citation Style guide:
http://libguides.nvcc.edu/APACitationStyle
You will also be required to present for peer review.
Criteria |
Points |
Introduction |
2 |
Discussion of conceptual information regarding your topic |
4 |
How your topic does/does not positively affect future growth and behavior or how you believe it has developed, based on your research and the textbook. |
6 |
Summary and concluding comments |
2 |
Grammar and punctuation |
2 |
APA Style and Reference Page |
2 |
Peer Review |
2 |
Possible Developmental Psychology Term Paper Topics
- What are different parenting styles and how does it affect the physical activity level and mental development of the child?
- Is music a good way to teach the young brains?
- What is the effect of bullying on academic performance and social development?
- Why do teenagers commit suicide or harm themselves physically?
- What is child abuse and how does it affect a child in his/her development?
- Are free range parents better than helicopter parents or vice versa, which one is better for the child’s development?
- Should I appreciate my child on little achievements or ignore them, which one is better for social and emotional growth?
- Are tangible rewards like candies, chocolates, toys better than social appreciation and acknowledgement? For instance, clapping for your child when he says the right word or letter? Should every child on a team receive a “participation award”? How does this affect social and emotional growth?
- What difference does it make to be a first child and to be the last child, are former better in completing their tasks on time than latter? Does this affect development?
- Do only-child parents feel more troubles in bringing up the baby than those with many kids? Is it better to have one child only to help him excel better in life? What is the effect on development?
- How do Eating Disorders and habits develop?
- Do mental games such as word searches, Sudoku and word matching help elderly adults keep their cognitive skills sharp? Do they reduce the risk of declining cognitive performance?
- What are the mental and physical effects of adolescent depression and what is the developmental process?
- What are the biggest factors that affect the development of language in children 9 months to 3 years old?
- Are Piaget’s stages of concrete operation describing when children start using logic and reasoning still valid?
- What do little children fear most, and how do those fears translate into other areas of their life as they grow older? Therefore, how do fears affect development?
- How does emotional development proceed in infants as compared to adolescents?