A straightforward GPA booster. I studied for roughly an hour for each exam and got 1 wrong on average so not a lot of time needs to be applied. However, attendance is mandatory due to clicker questions everyday. The lecture material can be very dry, which as a psych major I can say is mostly due to Vaish; nice person, but not my lecture style. Overall, easy A.

If you haven't yet taken a PSYC or BIOL class at uva then this class could go over your head at times, but this class was not bad for me at all! I really like Prof. Vaish's lecture layout -- her powerpoints have enough info that you get a cohesive view of the information from them alone, yet she adds context, examples, and explanations during lecture that were vital for my understanding of the material. You have to attend lecture because she gives 2-4 (very easy) iClicker questions during class, but she gives 10 "grace" iclicker points to accommodate for missed lectures. Her tests are very reasonable -- especially for an intro psyc uva class -- and she was very receptive to feedback and would adjust the answer options if the majority of the class missed the same question on the test.
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As for the textbook -- she does not require the most recent edition of the book, so find the pdf online! It made highlighting/finding terms so much easier. I would recommend reading the sections that she specifically mentions during class, but if this isn't your first psych class then just skim the other sections and you should be good. You can also find the "Baby Human" videos online, but I would recommend still going to lecture because she still gives iClickers on movie -- and guest lecture! -- days.
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I haven't read other peoples' reviews of Prof. Vaish, but I have a feeling that they might mention how strict she is about using technology. I appreciated that she actually enforced her "no technology" rule, because in a lecture of 350 people it is so easy to be distracted by laptop screens in front of you. Also she is pretty insistent that people actually sit in the lecture hall seats instead of sitting on the stairs or the floor in the back, but again this is just so that there aren't as many distractions.
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Overall, I would definitely recommend this psych course. This is probably the first psych class I've taken at UVA where the exams are an accurate assessment of what you've learned, unlike other courses where some questions were random, tiny textbook details.

I took this class for the easy A, and that's what I got. Study the vocab and know what we learned in lectures and you'll get an A, no tricky concepts and it's all very straightforward, simple stuff. In fact, I often found that the information was very dry and would've liked to learn more about current studies and the science behind how children develop, as opposed to learning different vocab terms for phenomena (i.e. knowing the difference between "cooing" and "babbling" -- not exactly groundbreaking stuff). However, Prof. Vaish was very nice and taught the information in an organized, straightforward manner...although she has a no-electronics policy, which was sometimes annoying.

Hands down the easiest class I've ever taken at UVA. Only thing is, you can't miss class because there are clicker questions and 90% of the exam is directly from class notes. But that being said. I never missed class, never opened the textbook, studied 1 hour before the exams and ended up with a 98% in the class. Would absolutely recommend this class to anyone for an Easy A! The class is pretty dry though, just as a warning and she doesn't let you use electronics-- so sit in the back!

Interesting material unless you hate kids. Exams are more than fair. Vaish keeps it real.

Yes, this class is "easy" compared to other classes at UVA, but professor Vaish said herself that students last semester complained about how the class was too easy and the test questions were too straightforward, so she made the test questions harder and less direct. Some questions on the tests are extremely specific details from the textbook. Make sure you listen in class and during the films because there are test questions on those, too.

Whoever wrote that reading is not necessary and listening in class is the only thing that matters DID NOT LISTEN IN CLASS. Around 20% of the test materials are based on the textbook and it is key to know some of the stuff outside of the powerpoint. 10/10 would recommend this class though, Vaish is the nicest professor!

I loved this class. It was super easy and straightforward-it served as a great intro psych course. Professor Vaish is kind and funny. Sometimes lectures can be a little boring or repetitive, but the cute baby videos make it worth it. The textbook readings are definitely not necessary to do well in the class as long as you pay attention in lecture. Exams are all multiple choice and the majority of your grade. Clicker questions are pretty straightforward the majority of the time. I would absolutely recommend this course to anyone looking to boost their GPA or someone who just has a basic interest in the development of children.

Awesome course! 10/10 would recommend. Unlike most psych classes, this one isn't boring or a waste of time. Professor Vaish is a wonderful professor who is very knowledgeable about the subject. She's also chill in general and does a great job relating to her students. She explains things very well and gives a very thorough and comprehensive review of the material covered in the textbook. You learn so much about babies and children that you never knew before. You also get to look at pictures and videos of cute babies for most of the semester! She has movie days and guest lecturers which keep things fun and interesting.

You have textbook reading (it's really not that and), iclicker questions, and midterms, but no final. Her tests are designed well and are reflective of the material taught over the course of the semester. They're very straightforward. She doesn't try to trick you.

Amazing class! The information is so interesting and relevant and Vaish teaches it in a very interesting and straightforward way. She uses i-Clicker questions (20% of final grade) but if you are listening at all to her lecture you will get them right. The tests (2 25% and 1 30%) are comprised of questions from lectures (similar to simple i-Clicker questions) and a few from the textbook. If you just skim the chapter after her lectures you should be good to go since a lot of the information is common sense or straightforward. This class was definitely an easy A and my favorite class this semester! So interesting, fun, and allowed me to connect this information to real life!