Advanced Certificate of Child and Adolescent Psychology

Unit 1: Introduction to Child Psychology

• Overview of child psychology
• Key concepts: nature vs nurture, development levels
• Cause vs correlation in psychology
• Continuity vs discontinuity in development
• Research methods: cross-sectional and longitudinal studies
• Reliability of verbal reports from children

Unit 2: The Newborn Infant

• Theories of newborn psychology
• Temperament and its origins (nature vs nurture)
• Parental influences and the perinatal environment
• Emotional development during pregnancy
• Father’s involvement in early child development

Unit 3: Infant Sensation and Perception

• Sensory discrimination: sound, smell, vision
• Infant behavioural states: sleep, crying, activity
• Habituation and soothing techniques
• Depth perception and oral sensitivity

Unit 4: Learning in Childhood

• How children learn: cognitive and behavioural perspectives
• Habituation and vicarious learning
• Classical and operant conditioning
• Reinforcement principles and punishment issues
• Developing learning control and timing consequences

Unit 5: Emotions and Socialisation

• Emotional development in early childhood
• Origins of emotions like smiling and fear
• Attachment theories
• Freud’s psychoanalytic perspective
• Bowlby’s attachment theory
• Harlow’s experimental research
• Social learning approaches
• Role of cognition in attachment
• Child care and early social environments

Unit 6: Cognitive and Language Development

• Piaget’s theory of cognitive development
• Play and learning
• Memory and attention development
• Language acquisition: innate vs learned perspectives
• Speech development and common challenges

Unit 7: Moral and Social Development

• Moral development theories
• Freud’s theory of moral development
• Piaget’s theory of moral development
• Kohlberg’s theory of moral development
• Prosocial and aggressive behaviours
• Development of self-awareness, empathy, perspective-taking
• Socialisation influences: family, peers, school
• Social scripts and pretend play

Unit 8: Intelligence and Sexuality

• Nature vs nurture
• Measuring intelligence and cultural considerations
• Parental influences
• Psychosexual development stages (Freud)
• Gender identity and role development
• Child protection

Unit 1: Introduction to Adolescent Psychology

• Introduction to adolescent psychology
• Definition and scope of adolescence
• Key development theories
• Jean Piaget: Cognitive development theory
• Adolescence as a distinct phase
• Erik Erikson: Psychosocial development theory
• Lawrence Kohlberg: Moral development theory
• Human development stages

Unit 2: Physical and Biological Development

• Physical and biological development
• Puberty and hormonal changes
• Physical growth patterns
• Physical development, behaviour, and self-image
• Supporting adolescents
• Nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle

Unit 3: Cognitive and Intellectual Development

• Cognitive and intellectual development
• Piaget’s formal operational stage
• Reasoning and problem-solving skills
• Educational challenges and learning styles
• Supporting adolescent learning
• Cognitive changes and identity formation
• Identity formation process
• Supportive environments

Unit 4: Emotional and Psychological Development

• Emotional and psychological development
• Emotional regulation
• Freud’s psychoanalytic theory
• Emotional regulation and executive function
• Social-emotional learning
• Attachment theory
• Neurobiological models
• Developmental systems perspective
• Mental health issues
• Supporting emotional wellbeing
• Additional support considerations

Unit 5: Social Development and Relationships

• Social development and relationships
• Family dynamics and parenting styles
• Peer influence and social networks
• Social identity
• Communication skills
• Bullying, social pressures, and resilience

Unit 6: Sexuality and Gender Identity

• Sexuality and gender identity
• Understanding sexual development
• Gender identity
• Gender roles and social learning
• Gender dysphoria and diversity
• Respectful communication

Unit 7: Moral Development and Decision Making

• Moral development and decision making
• Theories of moral reasoning
• Culture and environment
• Empathy and ethics
• Challenges around risk-taking

Unit 8: Challenges, Life Transitions, and Support Strategies

• Challenges, life transitions, and support strategies
• Identifying life crises
• Common adolescent problems
• Warning signs of crisis
• Delinquency, substance use and risk behaviours
• Transition into adulthood
• Communication and support strategies