Each year, the psychology department identifies a different, current theme to be explored, and offers 3-4 lectures that are free and open to the public.

The 2014-15 Psychology Lectures Series will explore the effects of technology on child development with special emphasis on personal use of “smart” devices by children and the increased prevalence of using this technology in the classroom.

Series Rationale:

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the founding of Facebook, and the 25th anniversary of the creation of the World Wide Web. Today’s young people, sometimes called the “internet generation” are the first to grow up in this rapidly changing technological landscape. Moreover, the recent dramatic increase in access to handheld devices has made the use of this technology easier and more common than ever before (Common Sense Media, 2013). With these advances come many questions. What effects will this use of technology have on the physical, emotional, social, and cognitive development of young people today? Should we be encouraging children to use the latest technology (for example, incorporating it into our educational strategies), or should we be cautious about the use of technology? The American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that infants age 0-2 should not have any exposure to technology, children age 3-5 be limited to one hour per day, and children and adolescents age 6-18 be limited to 2 hours per day– but research shows that children and adolescents use 4-5 times the recommended amount (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2010). This speaker series focuses on the possible benefits, and possible risks, of this new technological age.

Common Sense Media, Program for the Study of Children and Media (2013). Zero to eight: Children’s media use in America in 2013. Retrieved from http://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/zero-to-eight-childrens-media-use-in-america-2013

Kaiser Family Foundation (2010). Generation M2: Media in the lives of 8- to 18-year-olds. Retrieved from http://kaiserfamilyfoundation.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/8010.pdf

 Previous lecture series topics:

• 2013-14: Health and the Obesity “Crisis”
• 2012-13: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention
• 2011-12: Populations in Need

Lectures

Friday, November 14
3:00pm in Goodpaster Hall 195
Dr. Mona Leigh Guha presents “Children Impacting Technology Rather than Technology Impacting Children”

Thursday, March 4
4:45pm in Goodpaster Hall 195
Dr. Larry Rosen presents “Child Health in the Digital Age: The Impact of New Technology in the Classroom and at Home”

Friday, April 3
3:00pm in Goodpaster Hall 195
Dr. Ui Jeong Moon presents “Changes in Media Use and Child Achievement”