The goal of this course is to provide a contemporary research based perspective on the field of developmental psychology, including work in cognition, social development, and neuroscience. Students are introduced to theory and empirical work in such key areas as language acquisition, modern research on infancy, theory of mind, attachment, parenting, brain changes during adolescence, peer relationships, the meaning and measurement of intelligence, aging and personality changes over the life span. A special feature of the course is the attention paid to mainstream theoretical and empirical perspectives on all topics as well as to relevant conceptual insights and empirical findings from cultural psychology. Consideration is also given to ways the insights of developmental psychology are portrayed in the media and influence advice given to parents and educators.