Developmental
Pregnancy and Prenatal Development
In the Womb
This clip introduces the National Geographic special In the Womb, which follows a babys journey from conception to birth. The end of a babys nine month journey is shown as well as scenes from inside the womb. Images in this series are made possible by new scanning techniques and computer simulations. What are 4d scans? Which sounds tend to have the greatest impact on the fetus? Do fetuses dream? What evidence could support this?
The Human Genome Project
This dynamic 3D animation will give you a close up look at the complexity of the cell. Completed in 2003, the Human Genome Project (HGP) was a 13-year project that sought to identify the approximately 20,000-25,000 genes in human DNA, determine the sequences of the 3 billion chemical base pairs that make up human DNA, store this information in databases, improve tools for data analysis, transfer related technologies to the private sector, and address the ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI) that may arise from the project. What are the laborers, and how do they work?
A Year in The Life of Infertility
In this presentation, a woman documents her struggle with infertility, focusing on the events of her fourth year of trying to get pregnant. (She is now in her sixth year of attempts.) What are the various reproductive technologies that she attempts? What are the advantages and drawbacks of each of these types of treatment?
Twins in the Womb
In this clip from the National Geographic channel, we see images of twins in the womb. What reason does the doctor give for knowing that these are identical, or monozygotic, twins? What are the enhanced risks involved in multiple births, and what precautions can be taken?
How to Cope with a C-Section (Cesarean Section)
In this video, Dr. Keith Eddleman is interviewed about Cesarean sections (or C-section.) There has been a rise in recent years of women choosing to have a C-section, rather than having them only in emergency situations. What is the short-term and long-term impact of C-sections on the infant, the mother, and the mother-infant interactions?
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Basic facts are presented and pictures describe the physical symptoms of fetal alcohol syndrome. At 2:52 a student performs his rap fetal alcohol syndrome on the brain. What are the physical and physiological symptoms of fetal alcohol syndrome? What does alcohol do during pregnancy to trigger the syndrome?
Smoking and Pregnancy
In this news clip an anchor interviews a doctor on the effects of cigarette smoke on a developing fetus. What health risks can occur if a fetus is exposed to cigarette smoke? What is the most dangerous time to expose a fetus to cigarette smoke?
Postpartum Depression
This news clip from Detroit, Michigan discusses postpartum depression by telling the story of Christine Hughes, her husband, and her three children. At least 10% of new mothers develop postpartum depression. Many more clips about this topic, including worst-case scenarios such as the story of Andrea Yates, can be found on YouTube. What are the warning signs of postpartum depression and what is the cause?
Infancy and Toddlerhood
Why Babies Keep the Beat
A new study suggests that babies are born with a keen, innate sense of rhythm. How can testing newborn beat perception help scientists track their development?
Separation Anxiety
The father leaves the room while his son is in the midst of playing with his toy. A woman, however, stays with the boy. She tries to give him toys but he looks away then cries hysterically. The boy is inconsolable until his father returns and picks him up. How does this video demonstrate separation anxiety?
Food or Security? Harlows Study on Monkeys Attachment
This clip features classic footage of Harlows surrogate mother studies. Monkeys are placed in a cage with two dolls, one made of cloth, and one made of wire. They cling to the cloth doll and gain food from the wire doll. A narrator describes the studys findings. What was Harlow trying to show with this study? Is it as true for human newborns as it is for monkeys?
The Work of Dr.John Bowlby: Reassessed – Fathers’ Rights
John Bowlbys research is described as making strong contributions to the area of developmental psychology. Criticisms of his work are also given. What were some of John Bowlbys contributions to the area of developmental psychology? Why did scholars criticize Bowlbys 1951 report on children in Europe? Why was attachment theory embraced in academic psychology? What were Rutters four rules?
Ainsworth Attachment Theory
In this comedic attempt to depict attachment theory and behavior patterns, a grown man acts as a baby. Two women play the mother and stranger, respectively. The scenarios include a demonstration of a child with a secure attachment, avoidant attachment, and ambivalent attachment. What are the three patterns of attachment demonstrated in the video? Are the patterns of attachment accurate with Mary Ainsworths original conception of them? What is the strange situation?
Piaget Stage 1 Sensorimotor, Object Perminence
This video discusses the sensorimotor stage and the development of object permanence the concept that objects in the environment are permanent and do not cease to exist when they are out of reach or out of view. What are the six stages in the development of sensorimotor causality?
Human Calculator in Training The Math Baby Genius
Anthony is a 13 month old infant who has seen a series of cards with dots upon them. He appears to demonstrate simple arithmetic (or counting) by being able to discriminate between rather close numbers of dots. Do you believe the infant is doing simple arithmetic or is this a modern version of Clever Hans? Is there an alternative explanation for the childs alleged discrimination between cards?
Tommy Thumb: Fine Motor Skills for Children
A mother leads her daughter in song, chant, and dance. Different fingers, thumbs, and body parts are used for the songs. What benefits could children receive from practicing fine and gross motor movements? If there were a Tommy Thumb video series would you buy it for your child? Why or why not?
Piagets Cognitive Stages of Development
Scenes demonstrate the respective stage of development and subtitles identify them.
Summarize the four scenes in terms of cognitive development. What are the children doing in the scene? How do their actions relate to Piagets stages of cognitive development?
Early and Middle Childhood
Gender Roles in Disney Movies
In this student project, the way Disney movies often portray gender roles is explored. Through pictures, clips, and audio tracks, the video clearly paints a portrait of old-fashioned gender roles, where women are expected to be beautiful and subservient, and men are strong and powerful. Do you agree that this is how Disney movies portray gender roles or is this video offering a skewed perspective? How do these portrayals affect childrens burgeoning notions of gender identity?
Adult Role Models Inspire Students
A social worker at Parks Middle School in urban Atlanta describes his work with students and families at the school and the role that community service plays in improving results for kids and families at Parks. Focused attention to student and family needs outside of school has helped Parks change from a chronically failing school to best in the district. Can teachers, sports coaches, club officers, and other community members serve as role models? How do they affect children differently than parents might?
Good Idea, Bad Idea Compilation
This video is shows several Good Idea, Bad Idea segments from the childrens television cartoon Animaniacs. The first scene explains that while it is a good idea to toss a penny into a fountain and make a wish, it is a bad idea to toss your cousin, Penny, into the fountain and make a wish. Assume that tossing your cousin into the fountain would actually bring luck in making your wish come true. What decision would children in each level and stage of Kohlbergs moral reasoning make?
Id, Ego, and Superego
This clip is an excerpt of an old educational film about Sigmund Freud. In addition to discussing the id, ego, and superego, the Oedipus complex is discussed and dramatized. In classical psychoanalytic theory, a childs superego, or conscience, is an internalization of parental values and moral standards. At what age and stage is a childs superego formed, according to Freud?
Empathy Audrey Hepburn
In this short scene from the movie Funny Face, Audrey Hepburn explains to her costar what empathy means. Based on his response, do you think he understands the concept? What are the four levels of empathy, and how might a child display each of them?
Building Self-Esteem and Confidence in Children
This television show for kids bills itself as the latest kids show that builds self-esteem in children and creates confident kids. Is it true that if you have trouble doing something, all you have to do is believe you can do it, and you can? Is this an effective way to help teach children about positive self-esteem?
Piaget, Stage 2: Preoperational Lack of Conservation
This video demonstrates how children in the preoperational stage have a lack of conversation. This is shown using volume and number. How old are children in the preoperational level? How might you demonstrate a lack of conservation using volume? What does it mean that preoperational children are seduced by appearances?
Concrete Operations Stage of Cognitive Development
These students were asked to create a video detailing the main characteristics of a child in the concrete operational stage of development. What are the tests the students use to show these characteristics? How would you design experiments to test these different concepts of conservation?
Piaget, Stage 4: Formal Deductive Reasoning
In this clip, a younger child and an older child are asked to do some deductive reasoning. Their answers to the problem are different because each are in a different stage of cognitive growth. What stage are each of the children in? What were the reasons they gave for their answers?
School Readiness
This clip discusses the United Ways school readiness initiative, and tells the story of Daniel Perez and his three young daughters. The concept of readiness is used to refer to a time when the childs physical, cognitive, social, and emotional maturation are at a level to undertake new learning. Is it just the ability to learn that makes children ready for school, or are there other skills the children need to acquire or be ready to acquire?
Bullying
This ABC news story shows clips from Candid Camera and Mean Girls in discussing bullying in children and teens. It then moves on to discuss one of the most extreme consequences of bullying suicide. Why do you think some bullies are popular and have high status among their peers? How does it affect the social structure when bullies are the popular kids?
Adolescence
Heinz Dilemma
A voice from off camera reads the classic dilemma of Heinz to a young teen. The teen hears that Heinz stole the drug for his dying wife, and considers it the wrong decision. He explains his stance as stealing is wrong and is skeptical of the decision for practical reasons. Which stage would you consider the teen in and what evidence would you use?
Puberty, Whats That?
The video is a montage of footage from classic sexual education videos spliced together. Female puberty begins the video, with the male experience of puberty starting at 2:17. Overt physical changes, masturbation, and orgasm are included. Footage on pimples begins at 4:40 and mood swings at 5:03. Does the formula for classic sexual education videos remain successful today? Or, is there any strategy filmmakers should take to reach its adolescent audience?
Gender Roles
A student satirizes the work of anthropologists and naturalists. Stephanie Irwin takes footage of men and women gearing up for mating season at a shopping mall. Students are interviewed on how male behavior differs from female behavior, defining characteristics of each, and gender stereotypes. How does male behavior differ from female behavior? How might this project differ if the interview subjects were of varying ages?
Sleep Research
In this news report from Australia, we learn about sleep problems in children and teenagers. Research suggests that adolescents need as much as 9 hours of sleep a night. However, as they get older, their sleep quality changes, with less time in deep sleep, leaving them more tired during the day, even if they are getting the same amount of sleep they used to. How do biological maturation and social environment interact to alter the amount of sleep adolescents get?
Group Identity, Social Norms, and Cliques – Freaks and Geeks TV Show
This clip from the television show Freaks and Geeks serves to set up the different reference groups in a high school. In early adolescents, young people form a scheme an orchestrated, integrated set of ideas about the norms, expectations, and status hierarchy of the salient groups in their social world. Is there a difference in the way one categorizes ones own group identity and how someone else might see it? What is the difference between a clique and a crowd?
Peer Pressure
This scene is from the television show Cold Case. In it, two high school students discuss peer pressure one explains why she succumbs to it, and the other argues that it is easy to ignore. Peer pressure refers to demands for conformity to group norms and a demonstration of commitment and loyalty to group members. What are some lessons learned from high school peer relations that can continue to be meaningful throughout life?
Teens & Eating Disorders
In this news report from Seattle, Dr. Cora Breuner discusses teens and eating disorders. She provides parents with warning signs to look for to aid with early detection. What triggered the eating disorder in the teen interviewed here? Why are adolescents particularly susceptible to eating disorders?
STD Myths
This video was made by Sex, Etc., an organization dedicated to teaching teens about sexual health. In the clip, teens discuss sexually transmitted diseases (also called sexually transmitted infections) and interview other teens to uncover myths about these conditions. What percentage of teenagers contracts a STD/STI every year?
Adolescent Egocentrism
This student project depicts mother and son sock puppets explaining various psychological concepts. Do you understand these concepts after watching the clip? How would you define imaginary audience, personal fable, and adolescent egocentrism, and would it be different from how these concepts are presented here?
Bi-Racial Hair: The Film
This short film was inspired by and features a poem by 13-year-old Zora called Bi-Racial Hair. The film weaves between fictional reenactments, archival footage of the civil rights movement, and Zora’s infamous live spoken word performance, illustrating the struggles youth of mixed color face with identity and social position. How might a more complicated ethnic identity affect a teen already struggling to understand who they are?
Young and Middle Adulthood
Emerging Adulthood
Dr. Michaela Meyer interviews young adults about their identity development. College students talk about their personal and professional goals and their future. During the credits students introduce themselves as emerging adults. What are some reasons for the delay in identity achievement among todays young adults? Are you in favor of the term emerging adult? Why or why not? What effects do you anticipate if there became more recognition and acceptance of emerging adults?
Personality Development in Early Adulthood
This video is a class project for a developmental psychology class. Slides of the questions that were asked are shown, followed by clips of the interview subject answering. Do you think that the questions asked help you get a good idea of Bethanys personality, how it has developed, and how it will continue to develop?
Intimacy vs. Isolation
This clip is a short lecture on the intimacy versus isolation stage. Intimacy and isolation are described, as is the resolution of this stage. What are the different types of relationships that are described in the video? What are the consequences of isolation, according to the video?
Fulfillment Theories: Lily Allen The Fear
Lily Allen performs an acoustic version of her song The Fear on Q TV. She sings I want to be rich and I want lots of money, I dont care about clever I dont care about funny, but then follows with the chorus, When do you think it will all become clear? ‘Cause I’m being taken over by The Fear. What do you think of these ideas in terms of the various fulfillment theories?
Shifting Gender Roles, Shared Parenting
In this report from the Today Show, the shifting gender roles in American households are discussed. Amy and Marc Vachon discuss their theory of equally shared parenting they split all responsibilities, from making money to childcare, down the middle. They each work about 30 hours a week and have certain days a week that are marked as mommy or daddy days. How might this mixing of traditional gender roles affect their childrens understanding of gender roles? Does this represent a genuine change in gender role standards?
Dealing with the Office Bully
This piece from the Good Morning America radio show discusses the concept of workplace bullying both from boss to employee and between peers. The prevalence of bullying leads to the formation of the Workplace Bullying Institute. The video states that 70% of workplace bullies are women. Do you agree with the reasons that are given as to why women bully other women? Why might women be more susceptible to both being the bully and being bullied?
Role Conflict – Police Officer
During Katrina, this New Orleans police officer was caught in a dilemma between police and family obligations. Although the officer at the end of the clip says it was a no-brainer as to the decision he made, he later in the interview indicates the adverse consequences of failing to fulfill his police role (e.g., constant feelings of regret, nightmares). Do you think the officer made the right choice morally? What choice would you have made?
Personal Development as an Adult: Parenthood Movie Trailer
The movie trailer for Parenthood shows an extended family whose members are at all stages of human development. While the grandparents and children feature heavily in the film, the movie is called Parenthood the focus is on the parents, in particular Steve Martins beleaguered father. How is his personal development as an adult affected by the development of those around him?
Sleeping Around (Co-Sleeping with your Kids)
JuiceBoxJungle polls a number of parents and their perspective on co-sleeping. According to their poll, 88% of parents felt a sense of relief having their children in their bed. Not only do parents discuss the affect it has on their sleeping habits but also on their intimate behaviors and control over the children. What do you think about the clips suggestions to get children out of their parents bed? How do the views expressed in this clip compare with those of parents in Japan?
Late Adulthood and Old Age
Raising Grandchildren in Retirement
The number of grandfamilies in America has tripled since 1970, and communities are beginning to create programs to help those with new responsibilities. How does the absence of a parent affect the grandparent/grandchild relationship? What grandparenting styles would provide the easiest transition into surrogate parenthood?
Brett Favre Retirement Speech
When you search for retirement videos in YouTube, the majority of the results are clips of sports stars announcing their retirement from their respective teams. How is this different from our traditional understanding of retirement? Is age a relevant factor in deciding when a person should retire? What other factors should be considered?
Say No to Ageism
In this public service announcement from Ireland, older people are shown with negative attributes across their faces, while young people are shown in color and given names. Ageism is a devaluation of and hostility towards older adults. What different forms can ageism take? What can be done to combat ageism?
Chuck Norris Discusses John McCains Old Age
In this MSNBC clip, Chuck Norris explains why he thinks John McCain will be unable to survive four years as a president. How is Norris explanation an example of ageism? How does age affect political standing in other countries?
In Her Shoes A Retirement Community for Acting Seniors
This clip is a bonus feature from the DVD of the movie In Her Shoes. In it, we are given a behind-the-scenes look at the retirement community where much of the movie was filmed. The residents of the community were used as extras throughout the movie, and are interviewed about their experiences. Is this an accurate portrayal of such a community or are we just seeing a Hollywood spin on it?
El Pajarito The Latin American Elderly Project
[Please note the majority of this videos audio is in Spanish with English subtitles.] El Pajarito, or the little bird, is a program for elderly Latin Americans living in England. The Latin American Elderly Project provides support, classes, outings, and a community of other Latin Americans living in London. Volunteers in the project help the elderly who have difficulties because of language barriers and disabilities. Do such programs or communities exist in the U.S.? Why do you think this would or would not be important in our society, especially considering our diversity?Humans and Age
This news report discusses a study which looked at sense of humor in older individuals. Based on the way the study was conducted and the findings they present, do you agree with the researchers conclusions? What other explanations might there be for the findings?
What is Alzheimers Disease?
This video from the Alzheimers Association, the leading voluntary health organization in AlzheimerВ care,В support, and research, explains and graphically presents how Alzheimers affects the brain. What are the different stages described and what are the symptoms of each of these stages?
Evelyn The Heart of Hospice
Hospice care is an integrated system of medicine, nursing, counseling, and spiritual care for the dying person and his or her family. In this video, Evelyn, a patient in hospice care, is interviewed about its benefits. How does hospice care differ from traditional hospital care?
UK TV Station Shows Mans Death
This Associated Press news piece discusses the controversy over a documentary that shows an American man committing assisted suicide. The film showed in Britain, igniting a heated debate. What is the difference between passive and active euthanasia?
