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Child Psychology
Child psychologist courses are a field of psychology that specialises in understanding the development and mental health of children. Using common psychology theories to describe child development, and exploring tactics suitable to addressing mental health issues, this course is an excellent option for anyone looking for a career in youth counselling, child development, child health and well-being, or child psychology.
This child psychology course is a rich resource that will allow you to gain insight into some of the most popular psychological concepts, such as the theory of attachment, Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, Freud’s psycho-dynamic theory, forms of play and learning theory. It also explores more practical concepts like principles in research methods, data collection and interpretation and applicable methods to drive behavioural changes.
Who should study this course?
An online child psychology course is an ideal home-learning option for any parent or professional in childcare who has an interest in healthy child development. It is just as good of an option for practising therapists who would like to add child psychology to their area of interest.
There are no prior requirements for this online course. You can enrol and start studying child psychology straight away, regardless of your academic qualifications or professional background.
What happens after the course?
By the end of this course, you will have a great understanding of child psychology and its theoretical background, as well as the practical insight of how to apply these notions in real-life counselling.
*Please note, this is a knowledge-based course, so it will not qualify you as a child psychologist.
You can choose to complement your learning with other psychology or counselling courses, or you can choose an Access to HE Diploma in Social Sciences with a psychology pathway, which will prepare you for a degree in child psychology.
Should you wish to progress straight into employment on completion of this knowledge-based child psychology course, your understanding of the mental development of children will help you secure a number of entry-level roles in this space. These roles can be a great way to gain experience and knowledge in the field while you work towards your formal qualifications.
These can include:
- Teaching Assistant/Support Worker in a Special Educational Needs (SEN) School
- Play Therapist Assistant
- Befriender/Mentor for a Children's Charity
- Befriender/Volunteer
- Research Assistant
- Nursery Worker
Qualification: Child Psychology
On successful completion of your course, you will receive a Stonebridge Associated Colleges Certificate of Completion.
Your course certificate will also state the number of CPD points/hours the course is eligible for.
There is no experience or previous qualifications required for enrolment on this course. It is available to all students, of all academic backgrounds.
All course fees, inclusive of all payment plans including our Premium Credit Limited option, must be settled before certification can be ordered.
*You will have access to the course for 24 months.
Module One Major Developmental Issues
Unit One: The First Year of Life
- Infant reflexes; Social development during the first year of life including the social smile and onset of fear of strangers.
Unit Two: The Formation of Attachments
- Imprinting; Attachment (Bowlby) including cross-cultural studies; Harlow and surrogate mothers; Relevance of animal studies in child development.
Unit Three: Consequences of Breakdowns in Attachments
- Maternal deprivation; Implications of theories of attachment and maternal deprivation when placing children with surrogates.
Unit Four: The Home, Family and School
- Group vs family care and studies of effects of maternal employment and father absent families; Importance of peers and siblings.
Unit Five: Basic Principles of Research Methods
- Nature and purpose of research, what is an experiment, supporting and refuting hypotheses, independent and dependent variables, control of variables, standardised instructions and procedures, methods of sampling, design of investigations.
Unit Six: The Development of Visual Perception
- Introduction to the nature/nurture debate on visual perception; Fantz - form perception; Gibson and Walk - depth perception; how the physiology of the human visual system helps us judge depth and distance; Bower - size constancy; animal experiments on early sensory deprivation.
Unit Seven: The Development of Language and Communication
- Development of non-verbal communication in humans, gestures etc; comparisons with non-human primates; outline of language development in humans; including naturalistic observational in humans; including naturalistic observational studies and criticisms of these; Innate and reinforcement theories.
Unit Eight: Intelligence and Intelligence Testing
- Definitions of intelligence; mental age and IQ; Tests of intelligence; Advantages and disadvantages of IQ testing.
Unit Nine: The Nature/Nurture Debate in the Study of Intelligence
- Twins studies; stability of IQ; Are early experiences decisive for later development?
Unit Ten: Data Collection and Interpretation
- Tables and histograms, correlation and scattergrams; Mean; Range; Drawing conclusions from data.
Module Two The Child as an Individual
Unit Eleven: How Children Think
- Piaget's theory of cognitive development; including studies of egocentrism and criticisms of his work.
Unit Twelve: Learning Theory - How Behaviour is Acquired
- Learning and conditioning - classical conditioning and operant conditioning; including explanations of extinction, discrimination and generalisation; positive and negative reinforcement; Social Learning Theory and criticisms.
Unit Thirteen: Freud's Psychodynamic Theory - An Alternative Approach
- Personality structure, 5 stage theory, criticisms.
Unit Fourteen: Moral Development
- Definition in psychological terms; investigation of moral behaviour, moral feelings and moral judgement.
Unit Fifteen: The Development of Gender Roles
- Sex-typing; Gender identity; Biological, social and cultural theories.
Unit Sixteen: Aggression in Children
- Biological basis of aggression; Psychological theory and aggression; Aggression as a learned response;
Imitation of aggression; viewing violence; Punishment for aggression; sex differences in aggression.
Unit Seventeen: Methods Used in Child Development Research
- Observational, Survey, Correlational, Experimental - advantages and disadvantages.
Unit Eighteen: Play
- The importance of play to learning;
Piaget's theory of play; forms of play;
Relevance of psychological theories to pre-school education;Play and learning in nursery schools; Play therapy.
Unit Nineteen: Learning in School
- Programmed learning and its relationship to learning theory - advantages and disadvantages; Discovery learning and its effectiveness.
Unit Twenty: Behaviour Modification
- Explanation and examples; Relationship to learning theory; Points systems, Advantages and disadvantages.
For a more detailed syllabus on this course, click here
What's Included
- All study materials
- Study Guide
- Full Tutor and Admin support
- The course fee includes the awarding body registration and certification fee (valued at up to £30.00).
OUR PASS RATE
Teaching and Education
79.3%
(National Average 73.8%)
Child Psychology
Child psychologist courses are a field of psychology that specialises in understanding the development and mental health of children. Using common psychology theories to describe child development, and exploring tactics suitable to addressing mental health issues, this course is an excellent option for anyone looking for a career in youth counselling, child development, child health and well-being, or child psychology.
This child psychology course is a rich resource that will allow you to gain insight into some of the most popular psychological concepts, such as the theory of attachment, Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, Freud’s psycho-dynamic theory, forms of play and learning theory. It also explores more practical concepts like principles in research methods, data collection and interpretation and applicable methods to drive behavioural changes.
Who should study this course?
An online child psychology course is an ideal home-learning option for any parent or professional in childcare who has an interest in healthy child development. It is just as good of an option for practising therapists who would like to add child psychology to their area of interest.
There are no prior requirements for this online course. You can enrol and start studying child psychology straight away, regardless of your academic qualifications or professional background.
What happens after the course?
By the end of this course, you will have a great understanding of child psychology and its theoretical background, as well as the practical insight of how to apply these notions in real-life counselling.
*Please note, this is a knowledge-based course, so it will not qualify you as a child psychologist.
You can choose to complement your learning with other psychology or counselling courses, or you can choose an Access to HE Diploma in Social Sciences with a psychology pathway, which will prepare you for a degree in child psychology.
Should you wish to progress straight into employment on completion of this knowledge-based child psychology course, your understanding of the mental development of children will help you secure a number of entry-level roles in this space. These roles can be a great way to gain experience and knowledge in the field while you work towards your formal qualifications.
These can include:
- Teaching Assistant/Support Worker in a Special Educational Needs (SEN) School
- Play Therapist Assistant
- Befriender/Mentor for a Children's Charity
- Befriender/Volunteer
- Research Assistant
- Nursery Worker
Teaching and Education
OUR PASS RATE
(National Average 73.8%)
79.3%
On completion of your course, you will receive two certificates:
Certificate 1 is issued by Stonebridge Associated Colleges: Child Psychology Diploma
Child Psychology Diploma issued by Stonebridge Associated Colleges, to view a sample of the college’s award, please click here.
Certificate 2 is issued by Quality Licence Scheme: Level 4 Child Psychology Certificate of Achievement
At the end of this course successful learners will be given the option to receive a Certificate of Achievement from the Quality Licence Scheme and a Learner Unit Summary (which lists the components the learner has completed as part of the course).
The course has been endorsed under the Quality Licence Scheme. This means that Stonebridge Associated Colleges has undergone an external quality check to ensure that the organisation and the courses it offers, meet defined quality criteria. The completion of this course alone does not lead to a regulated qualification* but may be used as evidence of knowledge and skills gained. The Learner Unit Summary may be used as evidence towards Recognition of Prior Learning if you wish to progress your studies in this subject. To this end the learning outcomes of the course have been benchmarked at Level 4 against level descriptors published by Ofqual, to indicate the depth of study and level of demand/complexity involved in successful completion by the learner.
The course itself has been designed Stonebridge Associated Colleges to meet specific learners’ and/or employers’ requirements which cannot be satisfied through current regulated qualifications. The Quality Licence Scheme endorsement involves robust and rigorous quality audits by external auditors to ensure quality is continually met. A review of courses is carried out as part of the endorsement process.
The Quality Licence Scheme is part of the Skills and Education Group, a charitable organisation that unites education and skills-orientated organisations that share similar values and objectives. With more than 100 years of collective experience, the Skills and Education Group’s strategic partnerships create opportunities to inform, influence and represent the wider education and skills sector.
The Skills and Education Group also includes two nationally recognised awarding organisations; Skills and Education Group Awards and Skills and Education Group Access. Through our awarding organisations we have developed a reputation for providing high-quality qualifications and assessments for the education and skills sector. We are committed to helping employers, organisations and learners cultivate the relevant skills for learning, skills for employment, and skills for life.
Our knowledge and experience of working within the awarding sector enables us to work with training providers, through the Quality Licence Scheme, to help them develop high-quality courses and/or training programmes for the non-regulated market.
*Regulated qualification refers to those qualifications that are regulated by Ofqual / CCEA / Qualification Wales
To view a sample of the Certificate of Achievement, please click here.
Professional Membership
On completion of this course you will be eligible to join the following Professional Associations(s):
On successful completion of your course your qualification is awarded. You will receive an attractively presented Diploma or Certificate issued by Stonebridge Associated Colleges, this will also allow you to use the letters SAC. Dip. or SAC. Cert. after your name.
Stonebridge Associated Colleges is one of the leading (and biggest) distance education colleges in the U.K and internationally. We have many thousands of students studying with us at any one time from locations all over the world. Our diplomas will always count towards your future, and will improve your prospects of future employment or higher level study etc. by proving that you have studied to a certain level, that you have proficiency in your chosen subjects and that you are interested in your field of choice. Education is always an investment in your future and you will find this to be the case with our qualifications in your jurisdiction.
Module One Major Developmental Issues
Unit One: The First Year of Life
- Infant reflexes; Social development during the first year of life including the social smile and onset of fear of strangers.
Unit Two: The Formation of Attachments
- Imprinting; Attachment (Bowlby) including cross-cultural studies; Harlow and surrogate mothers; Relevance of animal studies in child development.
Unit Three: Consequences of Breakdowns in Attachments
- Maternal deprivation; Implications of theories of attachment and maternal deprivation when placing children with surrogates.
Unit Four: The Home, Family and School
- Group vs family care and studies of effects of maternal employment and father absent families; Importance of peers and siblings.
Unit Five: Basic Principles of Research Methods
- Nature and purpose of research, what is an experiment, supporting and refuting hypotheses, independent and dependent variables, control of variables, standardised instructions and procedures, methods of sampling, design of investigations.
Unit Six: The Development of Visual Perception
- Introduction to the nature/nurture debate on visual perception; Fantz - form perception; Gibson and Walk - depth perception; how the physiology of the human visual system helps us judge depth and distance; Bower - size constancy; animal experiments on early sensory deprivation.
Unit Seven: The Development of Language and Communication
- Development of non-verbal communication in humans, gestures etc; comparisons with non-human primates; outline of language development in humans; including naturalistic observational in humans; including naturalistic observational studies and criticisms of these; Innate and reinforcement theories.
Unit Eight: Intelligence and Intelligence Testing
- Definitions of intelligence; mental age and IQ; Tests of intelligence; Advantages and disadvantages of IQ testing.
Unit Nine: The Nature/Nurture Debate in the Study of Intelligence
- Twins studies; stability of IQ; Are early experiences decisive for later development?
Unit Ten: Data Collection and Interpretation
- Tables and histograms, correlation and scattergrams; Mean; Range; Drawing conclusions from data.
Module Two The Child as an Individual
Unit Eleven: How Children Think
- Piaget's theory of cognitive development; including studies of egocentrism and criticisms of his work.
Unit Twelve: Learning Theory - How Behaviour is Acquired
- Learning and conditioning - classical conditioning and operant conditioning; including explanations of extinction, discrimination and generalisation; positive and negative reinforcement; Social Learning Theory and criticisms.
Unit Thirteen: Freud's Psychodynamic Theory - An Alternative Approach
- Personality structure, 5 stage theory, criticisms.
Unit Fourteen: Moral Development
- Definition in psychological terms; investigation of moral behaviour, moral feelings and moral judgement.
Unit Fifteen: The Development of Gender Roles
- Sex-typing; Gender identity; Biological, social and cultural theories.
Unit Sixteen: Aggression in Children
- Biological basis of aggression; Psychological theory and aggression; Aggression as a learned response;
Imitation of aggression; viewing violence; Punishment for aggression; sex differences in aggression.
Unit Seventeen: Methods Used in Child Development Research
- Observational, Survey, Correlational, Experimental - advantages and disadvantages.
Unit Eighteen: Play
- The importance of play to learning;
Piaget's theory of play; forms of play;
Relevance of psychological theories to pre-school education;Play and learning in nursery schools; Play therapy.
Unit Nineteen: Learning in School
- Programmed learning and its relationship to learning theory - advantages and disadvantages; Discovery learning and its effectiveness.
Unit Twenty: Behaviour Modification
- Explanation and examples; Relationship to learning theory; Points systems, Advantages and disadvantages.
For a more detailed syllabus on this course, click here
What's Included
- All study materials
- Study Guide
- Full Tutor and Admin support
- The course fee includes the awarding body registration and certification fee (valued at up to £30.00).
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