Human Growth and Development

Course Description

DEP2004 – Human Growth and Development is a 3-credit-hour transfer course in the Florida Statewide Course Numbering System (SCNS), classified within the Developmental Psychology (DEP) prefix. The course provides a survey of human development across the lifespan, from conception through death, examining the physical, cognitive, social, emotional, and personality changes that characterize each stage. Students explore major theoretical perspectives — including those of Piaget, Erikson, Vygotsky, Bowlby, Bronfenbrenner, and Kohlberg — alongside contemporary research findings.

The course is widely required as a prerequisite or general-education component for programs in nursing, education (especially elementary and early childhood), social work, human services, and allied health. It is part of Florida's transfer-eligible general education and is offered at approximately 40 Florida public and private institutions.

DEP2004 satisfies general-education social-science requirements at most Florida public colleges and universities, and per Florida statewide articulation, it transfers as the equivalent course at all State University System (SUS) and Florida College System (FCS) institutions.

Learning Outcomes

Required Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Describe the scientific study of human development, including research methods, ethical considerations, and the distinctions among cross-sectional, longitudinal, and sequential designs.
• Compare and contrast major theoretical perspectives on development, including psychoanalytic (Freud, Erikson), cognitive (Piaget, Vygotsky, information-processing), behavioral and social-learning (Skinner, Bandura), evolutionary, and ecological-systems (Bronfenbrenner) frameworks.
• Explain biological foundations of development, including genetic inheritance, prenatal development, environmental influences on the developing organism, and the interaction of nature and nurture.
• Describe the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development of infants and toddlers (0–2 years), including motor milestones, sensorimotor cognition, attachment theory, and early language acquisition.
• Describe the development of early childhood (2–6 years), including preoperational thought, language explosion, gender identification, and self-concept formation.
• Describe the development of middle childhood (6–11 years), including concrete operations, peer relationships, school adjustment, and the development of self-esteem.
• Describe the development of adolescence (11–18 years), including puberty, formal operational thought, identity formation (Erikson, Marcia), peer influence, and risk behaviors.
• Describe the development of early, middle, and late adulthood, including career development, intimate relationships, parenting, mid-life transitions, retirement, and successful aging.
• Describe death, dying, and bereavement, including Kübler-Ross stages, hospice care, advance directives, and cultural variations in end-of-life experiences.
• Apply developmental concepts to real-world contexts in education, healthcare, parenting, and human services.

Optional Outcomes

• Analyze cross-cultural differences in development, including individualist vs. collectivist orientations and the impact of socioeconomic status.
• Evaluate contemporary issues in development, such as media and technology effects, screen time, social media and adolescent mental health, and changing family structures.
• Apply developmental psychopathology concepts, including autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, learning disabilities, and adolescent depression/anxiety.
• Examine Florida-specific demographic factors in development, including the state's diverse cultural populations and the implications of being one of the most age-diverse states in the U.S.
• Apply development concepts to professional contexts in nursing, education, or social work through case studies or service-learning experiences.

Major Topics

Required Topics

• Foundations and Research Methods: Definitions of development, the scientific method in developmental psychology, research designs (cross-sectional, longitudinal, sequential), and ethical considerations.
• Theoretical Perspectives: Psychoanalytic (Freud, Erikson), cognitive (Piaget, Vygotsky, information-processing), behavioral/social-learning (Skinner, Bandura), evolutionary/ethological (Lorenz, Bowlby), ecological-systems (Bronfenbrenner), and dynamic-systems theories.
• Biological Foundations: Genes and chromosomes, dominant/recessive inheritance, genetic disorders, behavior genetics, prenatal development (germinal, embryonic, fetal periods), teratogens, and birth.
• Infancy and Toddlerhood (0–2): Brain development, motor milestones, sensorimotor cognition, language emergence, temperament, attachment (Bowlby, Ainsworth strange situation), and Erikson's trust vs. mistrust.
• Early Childhood (2–6): Physical growth, preoperational cognition, theory of mind, language development, gender development, prosocial behavior, parenting styles (Baumrind), and Erikson's autonomy/initiative stages.
• Middle Childhood (6–11): Physical growth, concrete operational thought, intelligence and achievement, friendships, moral development (Kohlberg), self-concept, and Erikson's industry vs. inferiority.
• Adolescence (11–18): Puberty, formal operational thought, identity formation (Marcia statuses), peer relationships, risk-taking, sexuality, and Erikson's identity vs. role confusion.
• Early Adulthood (18–40): Physical peak, post-formal cognition, intimate relationships, mate selection, marriage/partnership, parenting, career development, and Erikson's intimacy vs. isolation.
• Middle Adulthood (40–65): Physical changes (perimenopause, andropause), crystallized vs. fluid intelligence, career consolidation, family relationships (sandwich generation), midlife transitions, and Erikson's generativity vs. stagnation.
• Late Adulthood (65+): Physical changes, dementia and Alzheimer's, cognitive aging, retirement, widowhood, social engagement theories, and Erikson's integrity vs. despair.
• Death, Dying, and Bereavement: Definitions of death, Kübler-Ross stages, hospice and palliative care, advance directives, grief and mourning, cultural variations.

Optional Topics

• Cross-Cultural Development: Individualist vs. collectivist orientations, socioeconomic status effects, immigration and acculturation.
• Media, Technology, and Development: Screen time, social media effects on adolescents, video games, parasocial relationships.
• Atypical Development: Autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, learning disabilities, adolescent depression and anxiety, eating disorders.
• Family Systems and Diversity: Single-parent households, blended families, same-sex parents, grandparent-headed households, divorce.
• Applied Developmental Psychology: Educational settings, healthcare contexts, child welfare, gerontology.

Resources & Tools

• Common Textbooks: The Developing Person Through the Life Span (Berger), Human Development: A Life-Span View (Kail & Cavanaugh), Lifespan Development (Boyd & Bee), Invitation to the Life Span (Berger), or Development Across the Life Span (Feldman)
• Open Educational Resources: Lifespan Development by Lumen Learning, Lifespan Development by OpenStax, Florida Open Educational Resource (OER) initiatives
• Professional Standards: American Psychological Association (APA) Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major; APA Style for written work
• Research Databases: PsycINFO, ERIC, Google Scholar (typically accessed through college libraries)
• Reference Organizations: American Psychological Association (APA) Division 7 (Developmental Psychology); Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD); Gerontological Society of America (GSA)
• Multimedia Resources: Documentary series such as PBS's The Brain and Life's Greatest Miracle, NOVA's Life's Greatest Miracle, and current research-based video resources

Career Pathways

DEP2004 supports preparation for and progression in the following career pathways and academic programs:

• Nursing — Required prerequisite or co-requisite at most Florida nursing programs (ADN, BSN). Lifespan content is foundational to client-centered nursing care.
• Teacher Education — Required for elementary education, early childhood, and special education programs at Florida colleges/universities (e.g., FSCJ, Valencia, FIU, UCF, USF).
• Social Work (BSW pathway) — Required prerequisite for most BSW programs in Florida, including FSU, USF, UCF, FAU, and FIU.
• Allied Health — Frequently required for occupational therapy, physical therapy assistant, speech-language pathology assistant, and dental hygiene programs.
• Human Services / Counseling — Foundational course for human services A.S./A.A.S. degrees and pre-graduate study in counseling.
• Psychology — Core requirement or strong recommendation for the Psychology A.A. transfer pathway and undergraduate Psychology majors.

Florida's growing population — particularly its large pediatric and geriatric demographics — sustains strong demand for professionals trained in lifespan development concepts across healthcare, education, and human services sectors.

Special Information

General Education and Transfer

DEP2004 is a Florida common course number. Per Florida Statute and SCNS articulation policy, this course transfers as the equivalent course at all Florida public postsecondary institutions. It satisfies general-education social science requirements at most Florida public colleges and universities and is part of the Psychology A.A. transfer pathway and many program-specific A.S. and certificate prerequisite tracks.

Prerequisite Considerations

Prerequisite requirements vary by institution. Most Florida colleges offer DEP2004 with one of the following entry expectations:

• No formal prerequisite, but with college-level reading placement (recommended)
• Successful completion of, or concurrent enrollment in, ENC1101 (English Composition I)
• At some institutions, completion of PSY2012 (General Psychology) is recommended though typically not required

Program Context

DEP2004 is most often the second psychology course students complete after PSY2012 (General Psychology). It is required by name in dozens of Florida nursing, education, and human services program plans, making it one of the highest-volume social-science courses in Florida higher education.