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PSYC23

Development Psychobiology
Week 1
Professor: David Haley

Today
Introductions
Who are you and whats your background?
Enrollment (Prerequisites)

Syllabus
Office hours
Content of course
Writing Assignments and Exams

Introduce next weeks lecture on Adverse


Childhood Experiences (ACEs).

Professor
Dr. David W. Haley
Office: Science Wing (SW) 564
Office hours: Fridays, 12:001:00 pm

Course Website
Blackboard, U of T Portal
https://weblogin.utoronto.ca/
Course texts
The course readings are available on the
course website.

Overview
The study of developmental psychobiology uses
multiple perspectives to study the development,
psychology, biology, and evolution of human
behavior. The research discussed here will
highlight and compare human and animal models
to shed light on how social relationships and
biological mechanisms interact and contribute to
mental health.

Basic and Applied Science


Although much of the course content and
assignments are concerned with basic science, it
is important to consider questions about how this
work applies to everyday life. Are some individual
more sensitive to their environments than others?
Can individuals exposed to early adversity or
chronic stress catch up, or are they scarred for
life? Can the practices and institutions of society
(policies, laws, schools, parenting, etc.) be used
more effectively to optimize human development?

Applied Science Assignment (weekly)


Each week, identify a question or problem
in society that relates to the weekly reading
and that illustrates how the course content
can be applied.

Applied Science Assignment (weekly)


Describe what the question or problem is
and how it relates to the course content in
one to two sentences.

Applied Science Assignment (weekly)


Please provide a source or reference for it
that highlights or provides insight into the
problem or question raised. A source or
reference can be a web link or an
attachment containing a newspaper,
magazine, or journal article.

Applied Science Assignment (weekly)


This assignment should be submitted
through Blackboard and is due each week
Tuesdays at 10:00 p.m.

Applied Science Assignment (weekly)


For example, if the weeks reading is on the
topic of child abuse, you might raise the
question of spanking and whether spanking
is abusive. You then could search for a
relevant source or reference on the web or
in the library.

Applied Science Assignment (weekly)


For example, you might have seen a recent
news story about a Wisconsin man charged
with felony child abuse after spanking his 8year-old son. You could use this story as
your source, providing a link or including it
as an attachment.

Examples of Reading Topics and Applied


Questions
Child Abuse: Should spanking be criminalized?
Stress: Are schools doing enough to reduce
stress?
Support for Parents: Should parents be given more
generous parental leave? Why?
Fetal Alcohol Exposure: Should pregnant women
be criminalized for performing actions (such as
drinking alcohol) that have the potential to harm the
fetus?

Mini Research Proposal


A 250-word abstract of a research proposal
During the semester we will spend time discussing
each concrete step you need to take and each question
you need to answer to write this research proposal:
What is a research topic?
What is a literature review?
What is a hypothesis?
What are methods and measures?
How does one test a hypothesis?

Mini Research Proposal


Draft: You will have an opportunity to submit a
complete draft of your mini research proposal so
that you can get feedback before being graded
on it.
Final: Based on earlier feedback, complete and
submit your final mini research proposal.

Term and Final Exams


How many exams?
1 Term Exam and the Final Exam

Whats the format of the exams?


80% multiple choice or True False
20% short-answer questions

Studying for exams


Practice questions for the exams will be posted on
Blackboard. The exams are based on both the readings and
lecture material. A brief review session will be held in class
before the final exam.

Missed Exams
Missed Term Exam: Since the final exam is
cumulative, if you miss the term exam, the final
will be reweighted from 30% to 70%. There are
no make-up exams.
Missed Final Exams: Professors and TAs are
not authorized to negotiate changes to the final
exam schedule. Please consult the university
calendar for more information.

Getting Help with Course Materials


TA Office hours will be posted next week
You will be assigned to a TA
Get to know your TA

Weekly Topics

Jan. 8 / Week 1: Syllabus and Overview


Jan. 15 / Week 2: Adverse Childhood Experiences
Jan. 22 / Week 3 : Biological Embedding
Jan. 29 / Week 4: Friending, Freaking Out, and
Giving Up
Feb. 5 / Week 5: Dyadic Stress and Reparation
Feb. 12 / Week 6: Hidden Regulators of
Attachment (*Draft of Mini Research proposal
due)

Weekly Topics

Feb. 19 / Reading Week (no class)


Feb. 26 / Week 7: Term Exam
March 5 / Week 8: The Parental Brain
March 12 / Week 9: Child Abuse
March 19 / Week 10: Executive Function
March 26 / Week 11: Sleep(*Final Draft of Mini
Research Proposal Due)
April 2 / Week 12: Infant Memory

Break---12 minutes

Early Life Events That Last A Life Time

How Do Personal Life Experiences


Shape Our Development?
Location
Rural
Suburbs
Urban environments

Social Conditions
Poverty
Education
Stimulation
Stress

Child Health Disparities Linked to SES*


Physical and mental health outcomes are much
worse in children exposed to poverty and social
disadvantages

* SES: Social Economic Status (Income and


education)

The Problem
But the SES-health gradient is a farily modest
relationship
There is much variation that is not explained by SES

What other environmental factors are important


Early relationships
Communities
Subjective SES

Biological dispositions can also contribute to


child health
Genes

Parent-Infant Interactions Program Brain Development


and Early Child Health Trajectories

Parent-Infant
Interactions

Biological
Embedding

Biology
--Genes

Environment
--SES
--Early
Adversity

Conceptual Models of Interest


Biological effects Child Outcomes
Environmental effect Child Outcomes
Biology x Environment Interactions
Biology acts differently depending on the
environment or the environment acts differently
depending on the biology

Epigenetic Developmental Programming


Environment change biology (gene expression)

Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal Axis

Stressors
Social
Cognitive
Physical
Emotional

Hippocampus

Hypothalamus
CRF

Pituitary Gland
ACTH

Cortisol

Adrenal Glands

Cortisol

Goals
To become familiar with several lines of study in
field of developmental psychobiology
To learn how to conduct developmental
psychobiology research
To engage and excite your interest in the
dynamic and developing relationships between
psychology and biology

THANK YOU!

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