PSYC23Development Psychobiology

Week 1

Professor: David Haley

Today

• Introductions – Who are you and what’s your background?– Enrollment (Prerequisites)

• Syllabus– Office hours– Content of course – Writing Assignments and Exams

• Introduce next week’s lecture on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).

ProfessorDr. David W. Haley

Office: Science Wing (SW) 564 Office hours: Fridays, 12:00–1:00 pm

Course Website Blackboard, U of T Portal

https://weblogin.utoronto.ca/ 

Course textsThe 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 week’s 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 8-

year-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

• What’s 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 ExperiencesShape 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

Biology--Genes

Environment--SES--Early Adversity

Pare

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Infa

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Inte

ract

ions

Bio

logic

al

Em

beddin

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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

Hypothalamus

CR

F

Pituitary Gland

AC

TH

Adrenal GlandsCortisol

Hippocampus

Cortisol

SocialCognitivePhysicalEmotional

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!