Task:
Your task is to select one of the following essay prompts and provide a 2000-word answer. These essay questions are based around the developmental conditions you will learn about in lectures. They all focus on the theoretical foundations and/or brain basis of the discussed condition.
This assessment will examine your understanding of theoretical models of atypical development. Theoretical knowledge can be vital for informing interventions and for daily work with individuals with developmental conditions or differences. This is also a helpful exercise in preparation for your dissertation, where you may have to consider multiple explanations (models) for an effect or condition. The assessment will test your ability to provide a clear, coherent and logical answer to a complex question and test your ability to provide relevant supporting evidence in a selective manner. It will also assess your ability to critically analyse and evaluate the evidence you present.
Suggested reading
We recommend that most preparatory reading is of original papers in journals. Textbooks can be a useful starting place to get a general overview of an area, but they may be dated and so not contain such up-to-date information – so if you do use textbooks, make sure you make journal papers your primary resource.
Please note that the papers below are intended just as a good starting point for this assignment. Some of them are old but they were monumentally impactful in their time and/or contain some good explanations which will give you a good foundation to understand the topics of these essay questions. A good mark requires that you read broadly beyond these, and that you read up to date papers (last 3-4 years) to examine whether these findings/arguments have stood the test of time. The lecturers will mention additional papers in their lectures.
ADHD
- Barkley, R. (1997). Behavioral inhibition, sustained attention, and executive functions: constructing a unifying theory of ADHD. Psychonomic Bulletin, 121(1), 65-94. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0033-2909.121.1.65
- Sonuga-Barke, E. J. (2003). The dual pathway model of AD/HD: an elaboration of neuro-developmental characteristics. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 27(7), 593-604. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2003.08.005
- Willcutt, E. G., Doyle, A. E., Nigg, J. T., Faraone, S. V., & Pennington, B. F. (2005). Validity of the executive function theory of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a meta-analytic review. Biological Psychiatry, 57(11), 1336-1346. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2005.02.006
- Sergeant, J. A. (2005). Modeling attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a critical appraisal of the cognitive-energetic model. Biological Psychiatry, 57(11), 1248-1255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2004.09.010
Formatting
Please ensure your title and word count are included at the start of your work.
The 2000-word limit of the assignment does not include the title or reference list. If the word limit is exceeded (even by a single word), 10 marks will be deducted from the initial mark awarded.