Foundations of Developmental Psychology is designed for the student seeking a comprehensive introduction to developmental psychology as a developmental science. The intent is to introduce the field in a manner comparable to the introductory courses that college students take in biology, chemistry, or physics. The emphasis is on the empirical and theoretical foundations of fundamental human development. The book attempts to trace the origins and processes of various developmental events. Developmental phenomena are presented by topics rather than by chronological, age-related patterns of development. This arrangement of the subject matter provides for more efficient study, integration, and synthesis of the material, along with a more organized view of development. Key topics discussed include the genetic foundations of development; prenatal factors in development; the biological notion of maturation and its significance for development; motor and perceptual development; and cognitive, intellectual, language, emotional, personality, and social development. Although this text is written for undergraduate students in psychology, it can be understood by students in any discipline who have a grasp of introductory psychology and biology.

Fundamentals of Development: The Psychology of Childhood outlines the main areas of developmental psychology, following a thematic approach and offering a broad overview of contemporary interest in the subject. Straightforward language and ample illustrations introduce the reader to the key areas in child development. The material is carefully organized to be as student-friendly as possible. Each chapter addresses a topic, such as perception, verbal communication, and theory of mind. Therefore, chapters are self-contained and comprehensive in their coverage of each aspect of development. This replacement for the highly successful Psychology of Childhood has been thoroughly revised with additional material based on articles appearing in the best academic journals, and covers the major studies which have stood the test of time. The book makes an excellent companion for courses introducing developmental psychology, and serves as an accessible yet comprehensive introduction for students and professionals who may have no background knowledge of the subject. This textbook is accompanied by a CD-ROM of instructor resources which is free of charge to university departments that adopt this book as their text. It includes chapter-by-chapter lecture slides, an interactive chapter-by-chapter multiple-choice question test bank, and multiple-choice questions in paper and pen format.

This is the first in a series of four books which form part of the Open University course Child Development. They provide a detailed and thorough undergraduate-level introduction to the central concepts, theories, current issues and research evidence in developmental psychology. These books assume no previous knowledge of the field and encourage the reader's active involvement, especially through the use of activities. Examples drawn from case-studies, psychological research and practice stimulate critical appreciation of the issues covered. Selected short readings accompany the chapters to present ideas from a variety of sources. The Foundations of Child Development is a broad and accessible introduction to theory and research, presenting integrated research-based accounts of development in key areas of early childhood, such as perceptual abilities, social relationships, individuality and object knowledge. A focus on modern developmental theories is complemented by detailed consideration of models of developmental processes. A theme that runs through the book is a concern with the ways in which biological, social and cultural influences interact in development.

Child development comprises children’s cognitive, linguistic, motor, social and emotional development, communication, and self-care skills. Understanding developmental periods means that possible problems or roadblocks can be planned for or prevented. Knowledge of child development is necessary for achieving educational goals and is integral to promoting children’s healthy and timely development. The Handbook of Research on Prenatal, Postnatal, and Early Childhood Development is an essential scholarly reference source that compiles critical findings on children’s growth periods and characteristics as well as the principles that affect their development. Covering a wide range of topics such as at-risk children, early intervention, and support programs, this book is ideally designed for child development specialists, pediatricians, educators, program developers, administrators, psychologists, researchers, academicians, and students. Additionally, the book provides insight and support to health professionals working in various disciplines in the field of child development and health.

Since its origin in the early 1980s, developmental psychopathology has become one of the most significant frameworks for child clinical psychology. This volume of essays explores this framework from an integrative Christian viewpoint, combining theory, empirical research and theology to explore a holistic understanding of children's development.

Electronic Inspection Copy available for instructors here The Second Edition of An Introduction to Child Development has been fully updated to provide a comprehensive survey of the main areas of child development, from infancy through to adolescence. Equipping students with an appreciation of critical issues in the field and an understanding of empirical research that bears on the study of children, the text provides balanced coverage of topics and theoretical perspectives that represent both classic and cutting edge work in child development. In terms of new content, it now covers more on the biological foundations of development, plus new chapters on moral development and applied developmental psychology. The Second Edition includes the following features: - learning points - section & chapter summaries, - end-of-chapter glossaries - suggestions for further reading - sample multiple choice questions - sidebars featuring in depth discussions of key research findings or points of debate within the field of child development. The text comes with a dedicated website with resources for both students and instructors.

This book reconstructs the foundations of developmental and educational psychology and fills an important gap in the field by arguing for a specific spatial turn so that human growth, experience and development focus not only on time but space. This regards space not simply as place. Highlighting concrete cross-cultural relational spaces of concentric and diametric spatial systems, the book argues that transition between these systems offers a new paradigm for understanding agency and inclusion in developmental and educational psychology, and for relating experiential dimensions to causal explanations. The chapters examine key themes for developing concentric spatial systemic responses in education, including school climate, bullying, violence, early school leaving prevention and students’ voices. Moreover, the book proposes an innovative framework of agency as movement between concentric and diametric spatial relations for a reconstruction of resilience. This model addresses the vital neglected issue of resistance to sheer cultural conditioning and goes beyond the foundational ideas of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, as well as Vygotsky, Skinner, Freud, Massey, Bruner, Gestalt and postmodern psychology to reinterpret them in dynamic spatial systemic terms. Written by an internationally renowned expert, this book is a valuable resource for academics, researchers and postgraduate students in the areas of educational and developmental psychology, as well as related areas such as personality theory, health psychology, social work, teacher education and anthropology.

In The Foundations of Mind, Jean Mandler presents a new theory of cognitive development in infancy, focusing on the processes through which perceptual information is transformed into concepts. Drawing on her extensive research, Mandler explores preverbal conceptualization and shows how it forms the basis for both thought and language. She also emphasizes the importance of distinguishing automatic perceptual processes from attentive conceptualization, and argues that these two kinds of learning follow different principles, so it is crucial to specify the processes required by a given task. Countering both strong nativist and empiricist views, Mandler provides a fresh and markedly different perspective on early cognitive development, painting a new picture of the abilities and accomplishments of infants and the development of the mind.