How to Develop Questions for the Roundtable Discussion

The Discussion: Overall, the questions that you prepare and submit will guide the discussion.  The overarching question for this unit is:

How does the course of human development influence one’s behavior and mental processes?

Goals: During the Developmental Psychology Roundtable Discussion, your goals are:

                  a. Ask & Answer questions                                          

      b. Build off of other participants’ ideas       

      c. Challenge others’ ideas 

      d. Invite others into the discussion 

      e. Keep a topic alive by asking probing questions                         

      f.  Present and analyze evidence

How to Create/Types of Questions:Develop at least 3 questions for the Roundtable Discussion using the question-types below.  Remember, you may have NO MORE than 1 Close-Ended Question.

Types of Questions:

      Close-Ended Question: A question that will help everyone come to agreement about the events or concepts.  This question usually has a correct answer.

                        Ex.: Do other species experience Attachment like humans do?

      Open-Ended Question: An insightful question that requires proof, insights, and group discussion to discover or explore the answer.

Ex.: How do nature and nurture affect human behavior and mental processes?

      Historical Analysis Question: A question that evaluates the decisions and actions of people in the past.

Ex.: Do you think it was ethical for Harlow to pursue his research with attachment using monkeys?

      Psychological Question: A question that connects the topic to the way people interact and act today.

Ex.: Which parenting style is better suited to teenage development?

      Universal Theme/Core Question: A question that deals with the themes of the topic that will encourage group discussion about its universality?

Ex.: How do you think that we should respond to parents who neglect to the patterns of childhood development?